How To Have Fun With Improvisational Performance
Hello. I am a saxophone player and a clarinet player. I want to first tell you that I have been playing professionally for 35+ years as an improviser. The reason that I am mentioning this is because I believe that the experience that I had can and will save you time and allow you to have a lot of fun with your instrument.
There are many things that you can do to improve on your improvisational skills. One thing for starters is to just do it regardless of your technical level. A way that you can come up with things that are unique is to play free sometimes. By free I mean to just play anything. Any note or series of notes in any succession and without being concerned about length of note duration. It does not have to be in time during free playing. You will want to also play in time as well. There are plenty of materials available that provide background music for improvisation. It is also a good idea to use a metronome while practicing and learning to improvise. To be able to play in time until it is comfortable is good practice. Then you can increase the speed of the metronome. For more advanced performers, to transcribe other musicians' work will greatly increase your improvisational skills.
Nothing will ever replace the opportunity to play music with live musicians. There are many ways to hook up jams with other musicians. You can advertise on many different platforms, and I have seen many ads in my area for musicians to get together to jam. It can be a great way to make friends and develop skills in performing and improvisation as well.
Finally, the idea is to have fun. Music performance can be a very relaxing and meditative experience as well as rewarding. Listening to other musicians is a great way to get ideas. If you are a beginner, remember to have patience with your own level. Do not be discouraged if someone else has more technique than you. Whether you are at a beginner level, an intermediate level, or an advanced level, the learning never stops. Always do something to improve your level at all times.
Happy music everyone!
There are many things that you can do to improve on your improvisational skills. One thing for starters is to just do it regardless of your technical level. A way that you can come up with things that are unique is to play free sometimes. By free I mean to just play anything. Any note or series of notes in any succession and without being concerned about length of note duration. It does not have to be in time during free playing. You will want to also play in time as well. There are plenty of materials available that provide background music for improvisation. It is also a good idea to use a metronome while practicing and learning to improvise. To be able to play in time until it is comfortable is good practice. Then you can increase the speed of the metronome. For more advanced performers, to transcribe other musicians' work will greatly increase your improvisational skills.
Nothing will ever replace the opportunity to play music with live musicians. There are many ways to hook up jams with other musicians. You can advertise on many different platforms, and I have seen many ads in my area for musicians to get together to jam. It can be a great way to make friends and develop skills in performing and improvisation as well.
Finally, the idea is to have fun. Music performance can be a very relaxing and meditative experience as well as rewarding. Listening to other musicians is a great way to get ideas. If you are a beginner, remember to have patience with your own level. Do not be discouraged if someone else has more technique than you. Whether you are at a beginner level, an intermediate level, or an advanced level, the learning never stops. Always do something to improve your level at all times.
Happy music everyone!