How  to  make  improvisation  easier...  by  limiting  yourself

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Introduction

• Improvisation  is  either  overwhelming  or  boring.  

• Overwhelming  because  any  note  is  possible  next!  

• Boring  because  we  follow  rules  and  patterns  to  stay  "safe".  

• The  trick  to  getting  the  best  of  both  worlds:  add  more  "constraints".

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The  improvisation  “instinct”  actually  comes  from  practice  and  training.

• Anyone  who  seems  like  they  just  know  which  notes  to  play  has  worked  hard  to  achieve  it.  

• From  jazz,  to  rock,  to  blues,  all  improvisational  styles  can  be  learned.  

• The  danger  is  you  get  overwhelmed  by  trying  to  "naturally"  pick  the  right  notes  

• Or  you  get  stuck  in  beginner  methods:  improvisation-­‐by-­‐numbers.

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Most  musicians  instead  use  formulaic  improvisation  but  it  doesn't  feel  very  creative.

• For  example,  always  using  the  same  type  of  scale,  or  using  prescribed  notes  for  each  bar  of  a  solo  section.  

• It's  better  than  playing  lots  of  wrong-­‐sounding  notes.  

• But  doing  it  this  way  will  never  lead  you  to  true  improvisational  freedom.

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Instead  of  choosing  strict  rule-­‐following  or  no  rules,  find  a  middle  ground.

• Give  yourself  more  interesting  and  varied  "constraints"  to  follow.  

• Example:  Use  just  two  or  three  notes  in  your  solo.  

• With  so  few  options  you  won't  get  overwhelmed  by  the  possible  choice  of  notes.  

• You  can  focus  on  expressing  your  musical  ideas,  there's  still  lots  of  room  for  creativity.

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Adding  a  rule  like  this  seems  restrictive  but  brings  a  variety  of  new  benefits.• You  find  new  ways  to  express  yourself  aside  from  clever  

scales  and  riffs.  

• Choose  when  you  change  notes,  which  note  is  next,  and  how  you  play  each  one.  

• You  connect  with  your  inner  musical  instinct.  

• You  develop  your  sense  of  relative  pitch,  to  more  easily  play  the  notes  you  mean  to.  

• You  learn  the  musicality  of  repetition.

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There  are  many  different  constraints  you  can  try  adding  to  your  practice.

• Try  the  "just  a  few  notes"  exercise  with  various  sets  of  notes  from  the  scale.  

• Try  varying  the  set  of  notes  every  bar  or  two.  

• Try  restricting  the  rhythmic  patterns  you  play.  

• Try  following  a  certain  structure  in  your  solo.  

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Conclusion• If  you've  felt  overwhelmed  by  improvisation  or  trapped  in  fixed  

formulas,  try  this  "constraints"  approach  instead.  

• By  introducing  creative  and  varied  constraints  you  keep  improvisation  easy  but  interesting.  

• Instead  of  restricting  your  creativity,  these  constraints  can  actually  set  you  free.  

• The  more  you  practice  improvising  in  this  way  the  more  free  you  will  feel  to  explore  by  "instinct".  

• For  more  examples  of  constraints  and  how  to  use  them  see  Improvisational  Freedom  through  Constraints