Piano Amore presents...

Now, that's a short message, but it gets the point across... would you agree? Have you ever met someone for the first time (or 1000th time), been the recipient of a simple "Hi!" or "Hello!" and then judged them by replying, "Is that all you have to say?"

Not likely. Why? Well, it's cordial, well stated, to the point, and puts the ball in your court for a response...

What does this mean to us in the world of improvisation?

Everything.

All too often, those who aspire to improvise will judge themselves for not knowing how before they even begin learning. That's equivalent to a baby judging himself or herself for not knowing how to speak a language. I mean, really, can you imagine a baby withholding from calling for his or her bottle because of a loss of words?

Not likely. Whatever it takes, that baby, within his or her means, will communicate effectively enough to get that bottle!

How about you? Did you have a way of communicating even with virtually no vocabulary? You bet you did! We all did. Within our means, we expressed ourselves when it came to getting a response.

Now, think of a speaker whom you admire. Chances are, that person is well versed, having the ability to keep the attention of a crowd within his or her means. Does he or she know the entire vocabulary in the language spoken? Of course not. It's not necessary and it never was...


Whatever words you know, you do rather well when it comes to expressing yourself to effectively get along with your world. Well, when it comes to improvisation, it's no different. Remember, it's not what you say, but it's how you say it.

All it took was a cry or two and you got that bottle, right? People knew what you meant. That's effective communication. As you got older, you increased your means and you expressed yourself more confidently in a variety of situations. As time passed, you matured more, and your confidence increased.

Friend, it works exactly the same way with developing your improvisation skills. Whatever you know, you can use it effectively.


Naturally, with experience, you learn how to say more. But, you see, all during your development, if your emphasis was always on communicating your improvisations in an effective manner, then no matter how many notes you play, it will mean something. Have you ever heard a beginner/intermediate musician play a lot of notes to "show off" and, yet, that's exactly what it sounded like - a lot of notes that did not hold your interest? That person never learned how to play within his or her means.

So you want to place an emphasis on being musical. Now you may be asking, "What should I begin with if I have no "improvising vocabulary?" I don't even know where to start.


Here is how you do that: learn a little... be expressive with it. Whatever you play, play it like you mean it. Of course, you'll want to add more and more ideas to your "improvising vocabulary." Start simply. Learn how to take a simple melody that you already know and do a little something with it. Change that melody a little... twist it, turn it, but don't forget it. Remember the essence of the song you are playing. Using a very, very simple technique, you can make those melodies sparkle before long. Also, you'll eventually become so confident doing that, your improvisations will begin to take on a new flair.


Bill Evans was not only a master of piano improvisation but he was an innovator. Ever since the world was exposed to his tasteful, lyrical way of improvising piano, aspiring improvisors have made it a point to listen to his ingenuity at those keys, hoping that evidence of his beautiful style will show through their own playing. No one did it quite like Bill Evans. He was the perfect example of an improvisor who played everything with intention... and he was in touch with the fact that how much he played was irrelevant... how he said it meant everything. In this unique video clip, we get to hear this legend share with us the best kind of  advice we could lend our ears to when it comes to improvising effectively:






From infanthood on, we increased our means by listening to others speak and repeating what we heard. But our development involved more than that. As we listened and learned how other people put phrases and sentences together, we also learned how to change how we put them together in order to express ourselves in our own unique fashion.... and this all happened very naturally! THAT is an important point to remember... you will make progress with the right attitude, which is one of total acceptance of yourself and what you are doing at any given time...

... and whatever you are playing, there is one key element you always want to have going for you, so remember it: