IMPROVISATION:Towards a Maturing Understanding

of Its Importance to the 21st Century Musician.

PART 1

Chapter 1

Introduction

For the purposes of this study I will mainly write about what improvisation means

to a classical keyboard player, but the importance of the skill of improvisation applies to

players of all instruments.

David Dolan in his 1996 article “Taking the Risk” in Classical Piano, mentions that

the legendary pianist and composer France Listz once stated, when talking of one of his

pupils who could not improvise, that “he was not a musician.” 1 This today seems a pretty

damming remark to make, and perhaps one that to our understanding of what a classical

musician is, quite unfair. But let us remember that in the Baroque and Classical periods if a

musician could not spontaneously improvise a whole piece, for example a set of variations,

a prelude or fantasy, as Listz indicated, he was not considered a musician.

I was once in the house of a well known professional pianist who gave regular

concerts, recitals and master classes, had studied at two of the highest European music

conservatoires and yet admitted to me how she envied those who could improvise, as she

could not. So I began to ask myself what is wrong with our music education today when one

so skilled a musician in many ways could make such a remark, and how many professional

musicians are in this category also? With this in mind I remember how when I took my grade

eight Royal Schools of Music piano exam back in the early 1980’s, that when it came to the

oral tests, I was asked by the examiner if I chose the oral test or the keyboard harmony

option: I chose the keyboard harmony option, to which the RSM examiners reply was: “You

are the first piano student who I have met who has offered the keyboard harmony option at

grade eight.” I always found the task of creating music at the piano more exciting than oral

tests, and I am still surprised why the majority of piano students do not!

Again David Dolan in his 1996 article entitled “The Classical Style” in Classical

Piano, 2 mentions that the eighteenth century Italian musician Padre Martini once made

the remark: “Notated music is but a skeleton.” If notated music is but a skeleton, then what

are we as musicians missing, I ask? No doubt there is some truth in this remark by Padre

Martini and our classical trained musicians are indeed missing something of importance.

So, are improvisation skills important for today’s musician or are they a side issue

that has little importance to the regular classically trained musician? This is the focus of this

thesis, and a conclusion that improvisation is important and that our current music training

from an early age should seek to accommodate.

Chapter 2

What is Improvisation to the Musician?

The New Dictionary of Music and Musicians defines improvisation as:

“The creation of a musical work or the final form of a musical work, as it is being

performed.” 3 David Dolan, again in his 1996 article “The Classical Style” in

Classical Piano, identifies two types of approaches to improvisation: Firstly improvising

(or extemporising – the two words are interchangeable) of a whole new piece: for example a

set of variations on a given theme, a fugue, prelude, fantasia or a suite. Secondly, improvising

may also be within the written work and be presented as part of its interpretation, for example

a cadenza, elaborating on a fermata point or an ornament. This second approach Dolan has

suggested in his 1996 article “Taking the Risk” in Classical Piano, is a “living interpretation”

in “real time,” and one Dolan, quoting his teacher Arthur Schnabel, called “re-creating

the text.” 4

Musical improvisation holds different values in different cultures. The New

Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians informs us that in Asian cultures

improvisation is regarded of high importance and often a musician is expected to improvise

during a performance, and his performance would not be respected without an example of his

improvisation skills; this is so in India and Indonesia for example. The Asian concept of

improvisation is “freedom”- the musician can make his own choices without restriction - in

fact, improvised genres are, as often as not, regarded of a higher artistic value than written

ones. 5 This last point has never really been so in our western music culture.

However, in the western European culture improvisation skills were of some

importance up until perhaps the start of the early 20th century – some would put its demise

earlier in the mid 19th century. Nevertheless, since about the 1960’s improvisation has taken

on a new life within western “classical” art music culture, but still it is an outsider and has not

yet gained the universal recognition that this skill should be afforded within our present

“classical” art music culture and education systems. (I am not here referring to Jazz where

this skill of part and parcel of the main fabric of the Jazz culture, and I will deal with this in

the later chapters 6 -8.)

Chapter 3

The Birth, Decline, Slow Re-Emergence and Recognition of Improvisation in Western Art Music

Improvisation has been recognised in the western music culture since about the 15th

century as an early type of polyphony; later models of Faux Bourdon contained also

improvised sung parts. The Baroque, Classical and early Romantic periods saw the high point

of improvisation when musicians were expected to be able to improvise as a course, and

indeed many of the great composers were masters of the skill: J.S. Bach, Handel, Mozart,

Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms and Listz for example. All these composer improvised from time

to time in public performances and some in competitions with each other.

Performers of the Baroque and Classical periods were often expected to ‘polish up’ a

composer’s score with their own improvisational elements, such as cadenzas, ornaments,

repeats and fermatas as composers often did not give performers a ‘finished’ score in the way

the score of a Romantic composer was ‘finished,’ and the Romantic composer’s notes on

music paper were the ‘final word’ (or note) of authority. So scores of the earlier periods were

often in some ways a short-hand guide-line that the performer was expected to improvise

upon to some degree. Indeed many of the compositions of these earlier periods no doubt saw

the first light of day as briefly extemporised pieces which were later turned into fully written

down compositions. For example the first six keyboard sonatas of Mozart’s were said to have

been improvised while on tour. 6 Much of Mozart’s music is generally thought to have

first surfaced as piano improvisations. Even in modern times improvisation is often used by

composers; it is said for example that much of Bartok’s ‘Mikrokosmos’ was first improvised

at the piano.7

There are a number of reasons why improvisation fell into a decline from about 1840

Onwards. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,

states many musicians started to use improvisation solely for brilliance and sensation thus

demeaning its true creative worth into trivialisation, thus the originality that it had held in its

heyday of the 18th century started to be lost. Also music was becoming more melody oriented

and programmatic and the concept of the genius interpreter disguised the true worth of

improvisation. Then again as printed music became more available so the needs to improvise

music on social occasions declined as the average musician became more familiar with, and

relied upon, printed scores which he could often play at sight. It was left to the church

musicians during the 19th century and early 20th century to keep improvisation alive as they

‘covered’ religious ceremonies in churches with quickly improvised music between hymns.

As the 20th century progressed more and more experimental music was written, and accepted

by the public, so improvisation declined – it is not realistically possible, for example, to

improvise in the styles of the second Viennese School? Improvisation really belongs to the

Common Practice Period and its musical styles. 8

The emergence of Jazz, which came out of Dixieland and Rag Time in the southern

states of America the early 20th century heralded a certain revival of improvisational music,

but had only a marginal effect at first on serious art music. (Refer Chapter 7) Then again 20th

century composers of so-called serious music started to study Jazz techniques and

incorporated them into their compositions; one of the first to do this was Ravel. In fact almost

every composer since Debussy has to some extent been influenced by Jazz.1 However it was

not until after the Second World War that serious western composers started to give licence

in certain parts of their works to be improvised, we might mention the work of John Cage

being an early example and certain composers from the post-war Darmstadt School. Since the

1960’s indeterminate and aleatoric techniques in modem music have given expression and

place to improvisation.

The silent film era encouraged improvisation but, however this did not really touch

the mainstream of professional classical trained musicians – though some classically trained

music did play for silent films, for example Shostakovich in this youth did earn a living for a

time playing for silent films in St Petersburg.

1

Chapter 4

Some More Aspects to Improvisation

Dolan9 refers to two types of improvisation: briefly the ‘original’ improvised

composition and the improvisation within a pre-written work and as part of its interpretation.

Taking the second concept first we understand from history that in the figured bass period

keyboardists were expected to fill in harmonies according to the figuring given by the

composer, and although certain conventions no doubt prevailed in how this was be done

among musicians, no doubt no two improvisations of a figured bass were ever exactly the

same although the bass lines remained the same but chord layout may have altered from

keyboardist to keyboardist. 10

Opera singers were expected to perform, showing off their skills using highly

embellished vocal lines at certain points such as at vocal cadenzas, fermentas and cadences

points. When composers wrote ornaments into their scores, singers were mostly left to

interoperate them according to the musical conventions of the time, or as was their

preference. Cadenzas were improvised in the concertos, though later many cadenzas were

written down either by the composers or well-meaning musicians and performers. The New

Dictionary of Music and Musicians states that is was common in the Baroque era for a

performer to provide an improvised prelude, indeed some of the suites of Bach and Handel

demand a prelude improvisation on a given harmonic structure. It may be said that all

performance involves some form of improvisation – however improvisation exists we can say

only when society recognises it such, and also recognises it as non pre-composed music. 11

No matter how ‘improvised’ a piece of improvised music may sound much practice

and preparation should go into the improvisation in the learning of harmonic schemes or

melodic invention etc. Most improvisation has some stylistic or compositional basis from

which it departs using pre-learned patterns and schemes of one type of another. European

music uses a number of techniques, though not as many as Asian music. Really a fairly small

number of forms are used in western music, for instance: fugue, variations, cadenza,

impromptu, fantasy and dance styles of the Baroque suite. So we can say that western music

improvisation generally follows the styles and attributes of pre-composed music. 2

Taking now the first concept stated by Dolan: the notion that improvisation is the

creation of an original work; we acknowledge the truth that improvised music is both a

process of creation and a performance taking place at the same time. But this process it is

subject to previously acquired musical skills and techniques that have enabled that

performance. Knowledge and skills are needed of different musical forms, harmonic

schemes, imitation and figuration techniques, sequences, transposition and modulation. 12

Risk of wrong note or notes is always there and when they occur the skill of the performer is

required to turn the event from a mistake to a natural looking occurrence without the listener

being aware of it – herein lies the greater skill of the artist. Improvisation may be on a

melody or melodic fragment using some of the various techniques mentioned earlier such as:

variations, sequences, harmonic manipulation, rhythmic manipulation repeats and

‘transposition of key centres. Chung and Thurmond in their work Improvising at the Piano

declare that the process of improvisation is often, we may say, not necessarily a process of

2

creating something completely new, but more it is a process of taking familiar patterns and

phrases, harmonic schemes of classical music and applying them creatively to new

situations.13

Chapter 5

Evaluating the Importance of Improvisation to the Musician

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” is a common saying in the English language.

If there is no necessity then inventions do not, or will not come very easily. Today it may be

argued that there are few occasions when a pianist, or any musician for that matter, needs to

invent music, spontaneously on an instrument, except perhaps in the church. How sad!

(Excluding Jazz concert, of course).

To quote an extreme example: I once heard of a concert pianist who had a memory

lapse during the playing of a Chopin piano concerto and he admitted to finishing the

movement off by improvising. After the concert he had no idea what he had played – but

came through the ordeal by the sweat of his brow and most of the audience were not aware of

what was going on! Yes this is an extreme example of the use of improvisation and I only

relate it as such. Nevertheless let us be aware that there are situations musicians, even

classically trained musicians need the ability to improvise, hopefully at a more reasonable

way than in this example. The concert pianist Gabriela Montero regularly improvises at the end

of her concerts often on a theme from one of the works she has just played or a theme give by

a audience member, (see chapter 16).

There are a small circle of musicians around the world who today are making great

use of improvising skills: in master classes, pubic seminars, in writing film music, in creating

dance sequences for professional dancers and teaching in colleges. (In Part Two, chapters 14-

18) I will discuss a selection of these modern day improvisers and their works.)

Are we putting our musicians in a straight jackets or boxes by always putting before

them the printed scores of music? Are we controlling their musical thinking to the extent that

they ultimately become stiff and stilted in their musicality? Are we stealing from them an

innate creativity, the gift music has given them, in depriving them of opportunity for

spontaneous creative invention and inspiration through our safe and slavish note-based

teaching techniques we sometimes hide our small minded musicality behind? This is a

serious question we musicians should ask ourselves.

Let me give an example from my own life in answer to this point. For nine years I

taught English as a foreign language (TEFL) in Russian schools and universities, I also taught

English for five years in the Peoples Republic of China in schools and universities, and for

two years in Mongolia in schools and a university. What did I learn? The textbook is ‘god’ in

these ‘communist’ directed educational institutes. Almost all teaching comes out of the

textbook – there is little understanding how to motivate the students in these societies into

creative thinking. I have spoken and taught many students who want to study abroad in the

English speaking world where our educational systems encourage critical thinking, creativity

of ideas and innate personal inspiration.

Native teachers in these communist and former communist countries generally never

go beyond the textbook and students are not encouraged to think outside a textbook, nor

question the teacher beyond his knowledge of the textbook, nor are they generally examined

beyond the text book. We note how prevalent rote learning is also in these societies. What

sort of education is this? Is there somehow a parallel here with the way we teach our music

students – I wonder? Music students are taught to treat their music’s scores as ‘god’ and can

produce nothing or very little in the way of real music without a printed page of music in

front of them on their instruments? Most music students may be so controlled in their

musical thinking that ultimately after a 4 - 6 year course in a music college, we get them to a

place where they can play nothing else on their instrument but the printed page of music. We

hope this is not the case – but I fear it is with most, like my concert pianist friend from my

introduction chapter.

Do we need a change in our understanding of what music is exactly, and what it is

for? We lift up the performer and hail him as some kind of hero after a performance – is this

so right? I am reminded of J.S. Bach who wrote in the margin of his German Bible words to

the following effect that: “Music is for the Glory of God and the recreation of the soul.”

Should music be really first about the performer or the composer – or about the giver of the

gift of music itself? (I recognise not all can receive this point of view.)

J.S. Bach was a supreme improviser and in fact during his life time known more for

this skill than for his compositions. Let me quote another improviser of a supreme skill – in

fact the first written mention of any improviser that I can find. It goes way back before the

European roots of improvisation to 3,000 years ago. We read in the Bible of the palmist King

David: “And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with this hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the

distressing spirit would depart from him.”14

Here is the first written reference I can find to an improviser, with no printed page, and he is

driving our evil spirits with the great power of his inspirational improvisational playing,

which we call the “Psalmist Anointing.” Is there an unseen and greater power in improvising

that we are missing, that we need to train and find among our musicians today - for we need

it! Where are the improvisers who are challenging us with wonderful, colourful and soul

moving symphonies of sound today? (They do exist in a small number; in Part 2, chapters 14-

18, we will meet some of them)

In the East, improvisation we understand, is often considered of greater artistic worth

than written pre-composed music.15 Why is this? No doubt because the performer is sharing

something of him or herself, and speaking from his soul, in a way a performing-interpreter of

someone else’s music never can. Oh that we in the west might come to such a place where

our concert rooms in music conservatories, colleges and towns are filled to listen to an

improvisation session. Oh that improvisation might be a more respected skill and credited

with artistic worth, that musicians might be acknowledged as having their own inspirational

voice rather than having continually giving voice to other people’s (with respect: mostly dead

composers music!) to gain an audience! Then again it takes a lot of patience and training to

become a good improviser, for no improviser can rise about their skill-level on their

instrument.

Chapter 6

Jazz – Some Technical Aspects in Jazz use of Improvisation

We should now turn to Jazz now, knowing that Jazz has influenced a great many

composers since the time of Debussy. How then does improvisation operate in the Jazz field

and what influence can it, and does it, exert over so-called serious ‘classical’ art music? So let

us look at some ways improvisation works in Jazz.

Generally Jazz improvisation is limited to variations over a given a harmonic pattern:

it is not a large musical structure. The principal element in Jazz is improvisation from which

Jazz gains its main interest in surprise, experiment and spontaneity.16

There are three main types of improvisation in Jazz. ‘Paraphrase Improvisation’ is

ornamentation of a given theme or part of a theme. Then we have ‘Formulaic Improvisation’

where new material is built from a body of fragmentary ideas - this is the most common type

of improvisation in Jazz. Finally ‘Motivic Improvisation’ where new material is built from a

single fragmentary idea. Paraphrase and Formulaic improvisation may both be a response to a

theme or independent of a recognised theme. Harmonies may also be changed in what is

termed ‘Harmonic Paraphrase’ – the harmonies to most American popular songs are not

immutably fixed and may be changed, and often are, from performer to performer. 17

Briefly we will look at Motivic and Formulaic Improvisation. Melodic fragments in

Jazz are variously called: ideas, figures, gestures formulae, motifs, licks or hot licks. Motivic

improvisation implies a single melodic idea while formulae improvisation implies the use of

several ideas. Fragmentary ideas in Formulaic Improvisation are usually distinguishable by

some rhythmic or intervallic shape not usually tuneful but providing enough material for

melodic development, tempo, outline, tonal manipulation or development. A new idea,

melodic fragment, key, tempo change, or style change may be introduced at any given point.

An ostinato bass is often used or a much repeated bass sequence of harmonies.

In formulae improvisation there are usually a number of shorts formulae, licks or

fragmentary ideas that are combined within a continuous line – these do not call great

attention to themselves, for they are artfully hidden throughout the variation of the

improvised lines by the skill of the performer. Indeed this is the great challenge to the artistry

of the performer. Combining these sounds makes a characteristic rather that distinctive sound

to the music. These formulas of melodic fragments are usually difficult to hear precisely or to

transcribe. As one listens to this music played by a very good performer it is difficult to find

any cliché that recurs again and again in the melodic line. Charlie Parker is said to have used

up to 100 workings of fragmentary ideas (licks) in some of his playing.

Formulaic improvisation may also be based on a rhythmic or harmonic structure

which remains unchanged in terms of metre, phrase length or tonal relationships; and

harmonies are generally more varied than in melodic paraphrase improvisation. 18

Chapter 7

Jazz – Briefly its Influence in ‘Classical’ Music

Let us briefly look at the influence of Jazz on the classical music scene since the

inception of Jazz over one hundred years ago. The basis of Jazz is improvisation, and as Jazz

has come to have an influence on so-called ‘classical’ art music, so what we might call

pseudo written-out Jazz improvisations have infiltrated ‘classical’ and modern serious art

music. Jazz grew out of Dixieland and Rag Time music in the Southern United States the

great early exponents were Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver from New Orleans and of

course Scott Joplin in Rag Time.

Jazz offered a tired classical music European tradition a new impetus of life and taste

of the exotic. Even Brahms is said to have looked into rag time. Early to take on board and

try the new styles was Darius Milhaud the French composer in his ballet ‘The Creation of the

World’ of 1923; thought to be the first serious work to be influenced by Jazz. Milhaud used

polyphonic structures and Jazz instrumentation in this work. Ravel, in his piano concerto for

the left hand, used Jazz idioms as did George Gershwin in his famous ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ of

1924, and again we find Gershwin using Jazz in the middle movement of the piano concerto

in F. Another early American composer who took up the challenge was Aaron Copeland in

‘Music for Theatre’ of 1924, later also in his ‘Dance Symphony’ and ‘Piano Variations.’

Later we should mention Igor Stravinsky using Jazz idioms in his ‘Ebony Concerto’ and

Leonard Bernstein in his ‘Prelude, Fugue and Riffs.’19

Post Second World War we find Gunther Schuller giving voice to the phrase ‘The

Third Stream,’ referring to the combination of Jazz and serious art music. Schuller an

American composer, conductor and educator has combined Jazz in numerous serious

compositions. Schuller is co-director of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. Among

many modern and contemporary third stream composers we could mention one very

prominent at present in the person of Mark Anthony-Turnage from Britain who studied with

Schuller, Mark Anthony-Turnage wrote a concerto called ‘A Man Descending’ for saxophone

and chamber orchestra.20 Mark Anthony-Turnage is known as being very competent in Jazz

techniques – but modern composers like him are still the exception today among the vast

majority of serious art music composes.

Chapter 8

Education for Young People in both Classical and Jazz Improvisation Techniques

In today’s multi-cultural societies where cultures from around the world are living

side by side with each other and overlapping there is a need to be much broader minded in

many areas including the arts. With this in mind we see today that the musical establishments

around the world are ever more open to the incorporation of Jazz in to programmes, which

means more teaching on improvisation techniques in conservatoires and within music

curriculums.

For example: Columbia Teachers College, New York offer in 2012 a five day Music

Improvisation Camp for Middle and High School music students.21 The American University

of Maine at Machias is offering a unique course of improvisation in various instruments in an

ensemble workshop atmosphere in their current undergraduate music programme.22 Professor

Edward Sarath of the University of Michigan has pioneered an approach to improvisation in

both classical and jazz related fields in their School of Music Theatre and Dance,23 and he is

the founder of the ISIM (International Society for Improvised music).24 Sarath is also author

of articles and several textbooks on improvisation (see Chapter 10 for more details

information on one of Sarath’s latest textbooks on improvisation).

The Israeli pianist and improviser David Dolan has taught an improvisation classes at

the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and also at the Yehudi Menuhim School

for a number of years, and given specialist public master classes and seminars in many

international locations. (In Part 2 I will deal more in detail with several of these and other

examples, of musicians currently working with improvisation today.) The Ivy League

universities of the US: Yale, Harvard, Julliard, Princeton, Stanford have currently

courses that combine both Jazz and Classical traditions in current programmes.25

The modern concept of ‘World Music’ has also given improvisation a higher profile

as many Asian and world music cultures are very much improvisation based; and their public

gives a higher regard to the unique creative skills of the improvising artist.

You may wonder how far really Jazz has influenced western art music today? It seems

there is a long way to go. In spite of forward looking conservatoires offering Jazz

programmes the vast majority music students still look to their classical heritage as the main

spring of their musical studies. For the budding composer it is perhaps of more important as

they have to write, in the main, music that is accessible to a largely untrained music public in

order to earn a living, and the Jazz influence gives them that commercially acceptable edge.

Getting free is what it is all about. We need to educate the music student that slavish

adherence to the printed page is only part of what music is all about – each musician must be

allowed and encouraged to discover, and be given the skills to find within himself a music

that can speak to his generation, and that is of his generation – for this is the heart of

improvisation – speaking or playing from the heart and soul of the performer. This is what I

would call a music that is ‘in season.’ Music is not all about composers speaking to us from

the distant past in a bygone musical language – pleasing and rewarding though that may be;

we also need the music that is spontaneous and ‘now!’ in the time frame we are living in.

We need to discover our own innate musical worth and let it live. Our students need

to be taught the skills and practice in harmonic and melodic invention that can communicate

a real-time musical language to this generation – improvisation should have a voice that can

do this. Not all people prefer or like Jazz – but Jazz field in general should inspire the

classically trained musician to find his own voice to speak to this generation in a musical

voice it can understand and so lift it to a higher plane.

I look for the day when music society at large gives genuine credit to improvisation

sessions in concert halls and as much standing (different as it improvisation may be) as pre-

composed music. We need to learn from the Asian music cultures with their high regard for

the improvised skills of their performers.

The American Guild of Organists recently held in November 2011 a four day Festival

at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. The theme of the event this year

was: ‘Improvisation and Organ Pedagogy.’ During this series of lectures, seminars and

concerts we heard several thrilling concerts dedicated only to improvisation – with such

masterly playing that would have even stopped J.S. Bach in this tracks to listen! Yes, I so

enjoyed these improvisation organ concerts by such artists as William Porter, Hans

Davidsson, Douglas Lowry and Rudolf Lutz. 26 How seldom this type of thing is heard

today – but I maintain it should be a regular part of concert series schedules in music schools,

conservatoires and public concert halls.

I am sure that slavish adherence to printed scores lead ultimately to small mindedness

in musical tastes. It takes patience and practice to produce a good musician who can

improvise well, so let the musical establishments start training them in our conservatoires and

give them credit for their worth. Let improvisation courses be binding on music students as

part of a fixed curriculum. If, as was stated earlier, the remark by Padre Martiti has some

truth in it: “Notated music is but a skeleton;” 27 then why are we musicians ready only to hear the printed page. This may sound a ‘rash’

statement to make, when we have such a great heritage of composed music in our western

culture going back to Renaissance times; nevertheless we are missing something important

today, I believe, by not generally educating our students in improvisation techniques.

Improvisation techniques should be a basic requirement for musicians and the music public

educated to appreciate its artistic worth from skilled improvisers.

PART 2

Chapter 9

Research and Survey:Current Published Literature

andTeaching of Improvisation

I will now make a brief synopsis of several published teaching books on piano

improvisation and a brief survey of a number of current practitioners of piano improvisation.

Among the various current books on improvisation available I have chosen five I

consider examples of relevant teaching on improvisation for classically taught students,

described in chapters nine to thirteen.

Research into Improvisation Teaching Literature (i)

Brian Chung and Dennis Thurmond, Improvisation at the Piano: A systematic Approach for the Classically Trained Pianist Harrow: Alfred Publishing Inc., 2007 Print

Forward by Stewart Gordon Professor of Keyboard Studies at the Thornton School of

Music University of Southern California.

This book contains 226 Pages of improvisation teaching and musical examples; and is

designed for people who already have music training to at least a post Grade 8 level. I find

this book refreshing in its approach to improvisation from the usual run of the mill books on

the subject.

Chapters 1-5: ‘Foundations’

These chapters cover exercises on basic rhythm work on the single note of ‘C’ in 5

different octaves, building rhythmic patterns which later can be used. From this beginning the

chapters progress by adding upper and lower neighbour notes to developing longer phrases

for the right hand as a preparation for later extended work.

Chapters 6-15: ‘Essential Tools’

These chapters cover basic tools the improviser needs: scale work, melodic

manipulation, skipping, jumping, repetition of phrases and motives, working with sequences,

passing notes, chromatic notes, transposition. Melodic pattern exercises are increased in

range and size. Dynamics, tone duration and silence, octave switching and borrowing motifs

from existing works. Fundamental harmonic schemes are discussed with examples.

Copious examples are taken from the masters: J.S. Bach, Mozart, Dominaco Scarlatti and

others.

Chapters 16-22: ‘Advanced Tools’

These chapters start out by looking at more rapid harmonic movement taking

Chopin’s Prelude in C minor op. 28 No 2 as an example to work from. Chopin’s harmony is

analysed systematically step by step and examples are drawn from it for transposition of the

harmonies and illustrations draw on how to develop Chopin’s melodic lines in variation

forms.

Chapter 17 covers the use of improvising using the medieval modes with practically

reference to the Dorian and the Mixolydian modes.

Chapter 21 covers the question: “does a wrong note exist?” (The answer is no if the

improviser handles it the right way).

Harmonic Improvisation and borrowing are discussed by using a modified bass

progression from C.P.E. Bach’s Essay on the True Art of Keyboard Playing, Vol. 2 1762.

Improvising on a borrowed harmony is discussed using Satie’s Gymnopedie No. 1 and

creating a Representative Harmony using Scrabins’s Prelude in E Major, op. 11. No. 9.

Chapters 23-26: ‘Other styles of Improvisation’

Chapters 23-25 discuss briefly Jazz improvisation: rhythm, harmony and forms.

The last chapter (no. 26) looks at, and discusses with examples, ‘Improvisation

through the Ages.’ This most interesting chapter covers briefly improvisation styles in the

Medieval Period, the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic Periods, with examples

drawn from: an Ambrosian chant (Eructavit), Claudio Merulo, J.S. Bach’s ’48,’ a Handel

Suite, Corelli, Schubert, Cramer and Chopin’s works.

A closing thought from the authors:”If you can talk you can improvise,” and that

improvisation is “more of an exploration than a discipline.”28

Chapter 10:

Research into Improvisation Teaching Literature (ii)

Edward Sarath: Music Theory Through Improvisation: A new Approach to Musicianship Training.Abingdon: Routledge, 2010 Print

Professor Edward Sarath works in the University of Michigan and has pioneered an

approach to improvisation in both classical and jazz related fields in their School of Music

Theatre and Dance,29 and he is also the founder of the ISIM, (International Society for

Improvised music).30

This is his latest book in which he describes what he calls a “trans-stylistic” system of

improvisation coming from classical, Jazz, and world music modules.

Professor Sarath states that the musical world today is diverse and we musicians need

to be engaged in a world music approach, so a shift is needed. Sarath offers us an approach

that not only encompass the European classical music theory, analysis and written approach

but where carefully selected content is integrated with hands-on, creative engagement and use

of a trans-stylistic system of improvisation.

In the preface he states this approach combines jazz, popular and European traditional

harmonic sources with rhythmic training from India, Africa, Arabic and African American

backgrounds, using keyboard realization systems taken from European, jazz and popular

harmonic modules. It is essentially a cultural approach and designed with musical cognitional

to enhance the creative process.

Sarath submits that Jazz is a creative and fertile source for providing a basis for a tran-

stylistic system of improvisation, as a foundation point, from which a wide diversity of

musical openings and paths can be formed. Jazz, not as an end in its self, but as a platform for

exploration of new paths and styles; specifically because Jazz combines the creative process

of improvising, performing, composing, harmony, rhythm and melody all integrated in a

single performance.

From this point of view, in his textbook course he believes the student will better be

able to find their way musically, whether it be in a European tradition, Jazz its self, world

music, use of technology and creative music making or in the field of music education.

He also believes that this textbook which is a new way of approach to music training will

uphold conventional areas of study.

‘Music Theory Through Improvisation’ hits at the core of musical education reform

with its hands-on creative approach, says Sarath. From a Jazz oriented foundation it follows

the general theory course of chord progressions, chord structure and function, from harmonic,

chromatic, non-diatonic, applied mixed modal, altered and extended chords. All this without

going too deeply into the conventional European musical heritage, but leaving a wider space

for a tran-stylisitic approach to widen and broaden the students musical horizons; where he or

she may find a personal expression, without the constraints of a boxed-in conventional

stylistic approach, whether of traditional European, Jazz or any other world influence in

music. A ‘user-friendly’ way of he calls the trans-stylistic approach through Jazz to new

paths in creative improvisation.

The ‘Music Theory Through Improvisation’ approach can elicit from each student

their unique inner self and a creative flow and expressive power in improvisation. The printed

page can be intimidating when linked to a style-specific for many new students. Traditional

teaching of theory can also be intimidating when the students can’t readily relate this to a

fulfilling practical music experience. Sarath says his textbook offers something new with its

Jazz oriented trans-stylistic approach to improvisation using traditional chordal teaching

without the constraints of a hemmed-in style-specific to intimidate students.

The Class Room Approach of ‘Music Theory Through Improvisation’

Sarath says his approach has been successfully applied to classes ranging in age from

16-40 years. Students are grouped together in 5 or 6 players often with diverse and unusual

groupings of instruments. The groups remain intact throughout a semester for the learning of

improvisation, composition, rhythmic training, aural and transposition work.

During a class say of 30 students, two groups could perform during a class, Feedback

and discussion would follow performances in the form that covers theoretical knowledge,

instrumental balance, and analysis. This second part of the class could also be used for the

theoretical work, ear training, analysis or written exams.

Sarath envisages the music schools of the future with a curriculum pathway that

combines traditional teaching concepts that:

“transcend category and exemplify creative horizons of musical innovations of past and present.”31

Chapter 11

Research into Improvisation Teaching Literature (iii)

Wilfred Knox Chastek, Keyboard SkillsBelmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc. 1967 Print

A ‘yesteryear’ with a clear and concise method worthy of study; written by a piano

and theory teacher who, for many years, taught keyboard skills and improvisation at the

California State College at Los Angles.

Chastek’s teaching method is divided in to 7 sections with progressively difficult

exercises. Each section has exercise melodies in the following order: Sight Reading,

Transposition, Harmonization and Improvisation.

Each chapter introduces new chords as follows:

I introduces chords I and V or V7 (V6/5);

II introduces chords IV (IV6/4);

III introduces chords ii (ii6);

IV introduces chords I6/4;

V introduces chords iii, vi, vii6;

VI introduces chromatically altered chords: dominant 9th: Secondary dominant 7th and other

secondary 7th chords, the Neapolitan 6th and other Augments 6th chords, Modulation and the

diminished 7th chord.

The Textbook ends with two further chapters and an Appendix:

VII A Patriotic Song and Hymns

VIII All scales and arpeggios are laid out with chords and intervals together with a list of

embellishments and simple musical forms.

The Appendix:

This consists of 37 ‘Familiar Melodies for Improvisation’ with chord indications, for example: Allouette, Ten Little Indians, Camptown

Races, My Bonnie, Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair…

All the exercise materials in this book are presented in a range from about grade III to VI/VII

in difficult;y and a wide range of well known folk and community songs melodies given as

examples for working exercises.

In each chapter of the book Sight Reading and Transposition exercises are

grouped together. This is followed by the introduction step by step of accompaniment

patterns to the simple melodies, for example: Block-chords bass , rolled bass chords, spread

chords in 10ths, Alberti bass, Waltz bass, Habanera bass, March Bass, Jump bass waltz,

Habanera bass patters with skips of 5ths, 6ths and 9ths, and accompaniment patters for two

hands.

East chapter then follows with Harmony exercises; a melody with a given opening

accompaniment figuration for the left hand or a given bass line with inner harmonies to be

filled in.

The Improvisation exercises for each chapter range from:

(i) Given accompaniments for two hands over which a melody is

required to be sung

(ii) Improvise a melody using a block chord accompaniment

(iii) Improvise a melody using broken-chord accompaniment

(iii) The given chord bass of a musical sentence over which student should

sing a well known melody using a given accompaniment pattern and

harmonic structure.

My Short Summary and Impressions:

While the Sight Reading, Transposition and Harmony exercises of each

section are good and adequate materials, well presented together with

very useful basic chords and accompaniment patters to be learnt by the

student; the Improvisation exercises of each section are noticeably weak.

There are few exercises for melodic invention and development - which is

an important area in improvisation – few, if any, useful exercises in use of

scale work, arpeggios and few references to the invention and use of

sequences in the formation of melodic improvisational material – what

there is covers only 3 pages on pages 174 and 176. Much more work

should have been done on the formation of melodic material and

incorporated within each section of the book. Two pages are used to

outline the use of embellishments. Often simply a bass line is given

with chord indication and the student is told to improvise melodies over the

given bass part without adequate exercise development preparation for

the formation of the required melodic material needed.

Also the student would have to be a good and adequate singer – which

often keyboard or instrumental students are not - to accomplish some of

the ‘improvisation’ exercises which require him to sing well known

melodies from a given 2/3 bar opening accompaniment pattern.

Classically trained Keyboard players (piano or organ) often prefer

to play rather than sing!

There is a very useful section (Section VII) on the use and practice of 4 part

settings for keyboard of Hymns and Patriotic songs. Often an area today

overlooked by modern teachers of improvisation and useful particularly for

church organists and musicians for developing sight reading of Hymns and

transposition of hymns.

Since this book was written some time ago improvisation teaching has improved and

changed no doubt – nevertheless the study of Chasktek’s work was useful firstly to see the

concise outline of her teaching methodology in sight reading, transposition, the way she

systematically taught chords and their progressions – however her teaching on improvisation

was not enough nor in depth. 32

Chapter 12

Research into Improvisation Teaching Literature (iv)

Yoke Wong, Definitive Piano Improvisation CourseCorona, CA.: Harmony and Melody Studio, Inc. 2007 Print

As a first step to examining this excellent book we might just look at the contents

page to comprehend exactly how Yoke Wong goes about introducing and teaching this home

course in piano improvisation.

1 - Pentatonic Improvisation2 - Country and Western Style made Easy3 – Left Hand Harmonising Methods 4 – Right Hand Arranging Techniques5 – Left Hand Arranging Techniques Series 1 6 - Left Hand arranging Techniques Series 27 – Be a Master of the Keys of C major and a minor.8 – How to Fill up Long Measures9 – Chord Inversion and Improvisation10 – Master Challenge and improvisation11 – 12 Bar Blues and Improvisation12 – The Major 7th Chords and Improvisation13 - The Major 7th Chords and Improvisation14 – The 7th /Dominant Chord and Colour Chords15 – Middle East Music and Improvisation 16 – Chord Substitution 17 - Great Endings18 – Transposition 19 – Rubato Piano Playing and Phrasing20 – Melody Improvisation21 – Oriental Music and Improvisation22 – Rag time Techniques and Improvisation23 – Modulating24 – Embellishments and ornaments25 – Improvisation by Switching Keys26 – Block Hand Style Arrangement Techniques

A quick look at this list of titles will tell how systematically Wong has gone about the

elaboration of teaching improvisation to the average home study armature pianist – but there

is plenty in this book for the budding professional piano teacher and improviser.

“Improvisation and composition are not rocket science. They can be practiced and trained,”

writes Wong.

Looking briefly at the first two chapters Wong starts in Chapter one, a very simple

and straight forward, way explaining how to improvise with the pentatonic scale –

encouraging the practice first with the right hand using different rhythms and phrasing of the

scale. She encourages the students to let both hands guide them in what she calls “messing

around” or “creative time.” She invited the student to listen to the excellent DVD’s with the

course step by step as the lessons develop.

She then adds, in this first chapter, two simple cords made up from the pentatonic

scale that can be used to harmonise all the notes and phrases of the pentatonic scale.

For example, in the scale CDEGA the chords would be would be the C Major chord (CEG)

and the A minor chord (ACE), for notes of both cords are found in this scale (CDEGA).

The more competent you are with the scales and arpeggios, she says, the more freedom your

hands will have over the keyboard.

Briefly in chapter 2 she deals with making simple country and Western style music.

She describes how to get the country “twang,” and that “mosey horse-riding feeling,” as she

calls it. She asks her students to listen to the DVD’s demonstration again, to get familiar

with the music, so that the students can “internalise” the feeling and style: “that gives you a

head start on rhythm and feeling,” she says. Wong’s then continues to expand the teaching of

this chapter with chords for the left hand and idiomatic melodic outlines for that country and

western “mosey horse-riding feeling.”

The rest of the book likewise deals with the subjects listed in the chapter headings in

both a systematic, simple, clear a concise method, making this a wonderful recourse book for

the budding improviser.

Many students who have bought Yoke Wong’s book have given her the most

excellent status as a home teacher enabling them to discover on the piano a great range of

styles to improvising in.33 This is the most clear and concise teaching course I have

encountered with a good range of clearly taught music styles to master in improvisation. In

the words of one of student Wong’s students: Wong gives her “the tools I need not just to be

a piano player but a real musician.”34 After all, the ability to become a real musician is really

what improvisation is all about.

Chapter 13

Research into Improvisation Teaching Literature (v)

“The greatest mistake that a pianist can make is to be afraid to making a mistake.”

(Gail Smith)

Gail Smith, Mel Bay’s Complete Improvisation, Fills and Chord Progression BookBarking, Essex: Mel Bay Music, Ltd. 1994 Print

This book has had a difficult path, some despise it and others love it. What is unusual

in this book is the way the author transcribes ever improvisational exercise into all the 12

available keys. Transposition is an essential improvisational skill and to have a book that

does it all for you in this area might not seem at first sight so very helpful to the students who

needs to gain some fluency in transposing exercises and rhythmic patterns to new keys.

However this book is a useful tool for wood-be the improviser I believe, even if the

improvising student has no intention in every playing in all 12 scales – up to 5 sharps and

flats seems enough to me for the armature pianist to work with. Having said that here is the

outline of the contents:

1 - Improvising with the Whole Tone scale2 – Chords and Roman Numerals3 – Scales used as Fill4 – Chimes and Harmonic Intervals5 – ABC of Improvising6 – Right Hand Whole Measure Fills 7 – Left Hand Patterns ¾ Time8 – Left Hand Patterns 4/4 Time9 – Faster Left Hand Patterns 4/4 Time10 – Special Effects: Broken Chords/Chromatic patters/diminished Scales/ Secondary Sub Dominant Chords/major 7th Chords/ Arpeggios of Dominant and subdominant chords/ Substitution Chords/Blue Scales

11 – Chords Progressions/Right Hand fills and Patterns/ 12 Bar Blues patterns12 – Faster Right hand Riffs13 – Minor Chord patterns and Riffs14 – Improvisation with the Left Hand/ Pachelbel’s Canon as a Progression15 - Fills for Both Hands Together16 - Pseudo-modulations in 12 Keys17 – Endings in 12 Keys18 – The II-I-V Progression/Chords Cycles

The Book was written, the author states, to create a methodology for the improviser so

he may learn to accompany the left hand of a lead sheet or improvise with the right hand. 35

The book has an abundance of patters one can use for left hand accompaniment, and

for both hands in patterns and fills.

The author uses a diverse selection of songs and melodies for practice in

accompaniments; in chapter 4 for example she uses; Abide with Me, When I Survey the

Wonders Cross, Au Clair de la Lune, Go Tell it on the Mountain and Love me Tender and

material from Rigoletto.

Probably the most useful attribute of this book is that most of the material can be

easily applied to any songs where a lead sheet is available. However as an aid to making a

completely competent improviser it is lacking in a certain capacity that can coerce the student

into being genuinely creative innovative thinker and performer.

Chapter 14

I will now write about 5 current practitioners in improvisation who have each gained

some international reputation in this field as teachers and performers

Current Practitioners of Piano Improvisation (i)

David Dolan:

David Dolan is an Israeli pianist, composer and teacher who is leading a revival in the

art of improvisation and has given worldwide performances. He has taught at the Yehudi

Menuhin School of Music. 36 He has headed up the Centre for Classical Improvisation and

Creative Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama created in 2006. 37 He has

also given performances, master classes on improvisation in many of the words leading music

educational establishments. He trained at the Rubin Academy in Jerusalem and the Peabody

Conservatory in Baltimore.

From David Dolan’s web site we understand that he seeks to restore classical

improvisation back to the heart of performance music, and interpretation, as it was mostly up

until the late Romantic period.

His mission and philosophy is described as five-fold:

(i) To teach and restore to the musician free improvisations not based on specific repertoire but along the patterns of well recognised stylistic forms – by this means to awaken institutive skills. Improvisation is not an inherited talent but one that can be acquired.

(ii) To promote stylistic awareness in improvisation within pre-written works as part of their interpretation.

(iii) To find the personal voice of the musician so that they may interpret a piece from their own emotional awareness of that piece of music. While different interpretations of a piece may be explored the performer is led into a deeper awareness of the structural aspect of the musical work and their own creative interpretation skills are unlocked.

(iv) This like the second point is to promote stylistic awareness particularly in the forms, and appropriate styles, for cadenzas, repeats and fermatas. Further to restore the free improvised

prelude to the concert repertoire in the same manner that improvised preludes were expected to be performed at concerts by performers in the in Baroque or Classical periods within a given stylistic structure. This is done to revive a channel of communication between the performer and the audience. (Dolan’s recording of Mozart’s piano concerto K.414 demonstrates this point.)

(v) Point 5 is to develop listening. To enable the performer to listen to himself as he performs – this is not always easy as an improviser who is at the same time struggling with the form, harmony and melodic content of his improvisation.

All work Dolan’s teaching work is done in small groups between 3-5 players and this also makes working with chamber musicians easier says David Dolan. 38

Chapter 15

Current Practitioners of Piano Improvisation (ii)

William Goldstein

Improviser of ‘Instant Composition’ and

‘Emotionally Connected Music’

The American improviser and composer of film music William Goldstein 39 stated in

an interview with the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library, La Jolla California, that, when

asked what sort of music he played, he describe it as ‘instant composition’ or ‘emotionally

connected music.’ Improvisation says Goldstein allows you to bypass the intellectual

approach to a project and reach ‘emotionally connected music.’

Goldstein studied at the Julliard School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music

after which he worked in the US army as a composer in residence in the US Army band in

Washington and then worked for Columbia Motion Pictures song writing department;

working with some of the greatest modern popular song writers and singers of the motion

picture industry. He later worked with Motown Records in Los Angeles.

However the real gift he was born with is the ability to sit down at the piano and do

instant composition. He has given master classes in many parts of the world on improvisation

in many styles, Baroque, Classical and Romantic styles. He has worked with ballet classes

instantly improvising ballets with dancers. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science

sent him to the Far East in 1981 to give master classes in his unique style of improvisation. In

August 2011 he was at the Transatlantyk Film and Music Festival in Pozdan in Poland.

He has used improvisation in writing film music. Often, when faced with a deadline he would

improvise at the piano, record it and give it directly to the producer and an orchestrator to

orchestrate.

He says the piano is his voice to communicate a “deeper emotional connected

language.” As we pointed out earlier Goldstein also says that he does not write film music or

jazz music but “emotionally connected music” – which he says is “what all art is about.” He

is always looking to be challenged he says.40 A masterly quasi-Baroque improvisation

performance can be found on his website or on youtube.com.41

Chapter 16

Current Practitioners of Piano Improvisation (iii)

Gabriela Montero

Gabriela Montero is a concert pianist from Venezuela, who from a very young age

has had a natural gift for improvisation. Her improvisation plays a major part of her concert

performances. It was Martha Argerich who first encouraged Montero to make improvisation

a part of her concert performances. 42

In recitals and after performing a concertos Montero often invites her audience to give

her themes to improvise upon. At first Montero was hesitant to include improvisation in her

performances however once she tried it, it has now become a regular feature of her repertoire.

Through this medium she says she connects with her audience in a very personal,

spontaneous and unique way. Gabriela Montero says she wants to “widen the parameters of

the concert. “

She has improvised on such themes as the air from J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations,

Chopin’s Funeral March and the theme from Beethoven’s 1st Piano concerto. She has

improvised on the theme from Rachmaninoff’s 3rd piano concert in the style of J.S. Bach and

Beetles songs.

Montero is enriching the life of the concert hall repertoire today in a very refreshing

way and she is no doubt a challenge to other concert pianists who do not have this unique and

personal way of communicating with their audiences. Improvisation demands practice, and

the truth is all pianists could improvise to the same extent that they can play the piano – but

until there is a shift in the status quo of what is expected of a concert pianist there will not be

a change in the musical language and form of concert performances. In the East

improvisation is seem much more of artistic worth and Montero is leading the way to change

how we look at public recitals and concerts. You may see her masterly improvisation on the

theme from Rachmaninoff’s 3rd Piano Concerto in the style of J.S. Bach on youtube.com. 43

Chapter 17

Current Practitioners of Piano Improvisation (iv)

Robert D. Levin

Reviving the Defunct Art of Improvisation

Professor Robert Levin is a Musicologist at Harvard University in the United States.

He has previously worked at the Curtis Institute of Music and the Hochschule for Music in

Freiburg, Germany before coming to Harvard.

Professor Levin has gained an international reputation for his completion of Mozart’s

Requiem (premiered in 1991) and Mass in C; but most of all Levin is known for the quality

of his classical cadenzas and improvised embellishments to a range of classical works

including Mozart and Beethoven concertos. 44

Levin has stated in conversation with Christopher Hogwood, while working with the

Academy of Ancient Music at St Martin’s in the Fields, London, during a rehearsal the

Mozart piano concerto K 414, that the general standardization that the record industry has to

work with in splicing recordings and ‘takes’ has above all affected the quality of

performances today. What does Levin mean by this? That today there is a basic lack of

improvisation in performances (as there once was in the past) due to this standardization

needed and demanded by the record industry. If an artist is constantly improvising or

changing the performance it is difficult for the recoding technicians to splice and make a

complete standard recording. This has led to inferior, middle of the road, interchangeable

performances, apart from a few practitioners, says Levin. These performances are concerned

with the outline of the performance not the inner content, says Levin. All this has led to a

basic level of music making that is not very interesting, or challenging anymore he further

commented. The emotional or intellectual fundaments are missing. Stresses and strains in the

music from which improvisation originates are generally not found in modern performances.

Improvisation is risky because the performer may play a few wrong notes, but society

has ‘lionized” a kind of predictable standardized performance in the same way, for example,

as we expect shoes polish or toothpaste to be of a certain predictable type and quality. Thus

when you buy such things you expect a certain kind of predictability of the product likewise

with a performance on a CD or record it must have all the right notes on it in a predictable

fashion. Folks who to go to concerts may easily say the CD or record I have at home sounds

much better. Why do I pay my 15 pounds for this concert? Levin says if more people were

playing the music in a creative way this issue would not come up. If this was so people might

be more inclined to say this performance has some ‘special’ qualities about it that are unique

belong to that performer, then “why have I got this CD at home I have to listen to with is

‘standardized’ inferior recording.” The music-going public needs to come to a place where

they would treasure a performance as something unique, and remember it until it may be

exchanged with another performance, also unique and with a genuine creativity about it that

is not capable of being reproduced.

In this 20th century we have become too accustomed to hearing pieces played a certain

standardized way, that if we hear an unusual embellishment or improvisational in a cadenza

people think that something is wrong. This was not true in Mozart’s time.

Levin says the risk of playing a few new or extra embellishments to a piece is worth

the effort to bring the language of the piece alive. We have enough original manuscripts of

works by Mozart to reveal to us today how Mozart wanted certain embellishments played. 45

Christopher Hogwood added in this conversation that musicians “put themselves in a cage

and then ask for freedom.” In other words our music scores give us a ‘cage’ that teachers use

in a precise way, rather than in a free way. The problem says Hogwood, is that within the

bounds of the written text we need to learn how to exercise our free taste which is the essence

of the ancient and historically authentic music ethos. Levin commented that the willingness

to take risks, and the acknowledgement to do so, invests the artistic statement with a level of

integrity, personality and uniqueness that nothing else can do.

Levin also said that Baroque and Classical music have a texture that is idea for

improvisory discourse, although occasionally complex, nevertheless it has a translucency that

allows this improvisory practice to be put across successfully. The pop and serious music

cultures were not so far removed from each other in Mozart’s time as they are today. In

Baroque and Classical times folk music was more often borrowed and used, and the

composer was closer to the audience, catered to the audience, and calculated his music to

impact the audience more so than happens today. Mozart’s letters tell us how he wrote a

passages that he knew would impress the audience, and when they were played in concert the

audience gave applause – such things today do not happen with serious music concerts.

However if you compare what happened today in a Jazz club when a jazz performer plays a

great ‘link’ the audience will often applause. 46

In connection with this last thought it may be also noticed in for example Gabriela

Montero’s concerts, and in William Goldstein’s master classes how improvisation encourages

and opens up a greater depth of audience contact with the performer, which is also at the

heart of what Robert Levin is seeking. (Refer to Chapters 15 and 16)

Chapter 18

Current Practitioners of Piano Improvisation (v)

Eric Barnhill

“Speaking New Thoughts - in the great musical language of the past.”

Eric Barnhill is a classically trained pianist from Juilliard School of Music and the

Dalcroze School in New York who regularly posts daily improvisations on his blog website

in the style of Brahms or Schubert and others. Barnhill says he is, “speaking new thoughts in

the great musical language of the past.”

Barnhill has performed with dance and theatre ensembles and in solo piano

appearances in many countries and also notably with the DePaul University School of Music

in the United States and the Institute Jaques-Dalcroze in Geneva, Switzerland. He is also a

cognitive eurhythmics educator which is a method of music-movement neuromotor education

for children with special needs and he is on the faculty of the Special Music School for

musically gifted children in Mannes College of Music, New York. 47

Barnhill offers his improvisations for sale, that he posts on his website almost daily,

as sheet music in the form of piano suites that are based on ideas from his improvisations

which can be bought from his online store.48 This is yet another example of a composer whose

compositions start from improvisations.

PART 3

Chapter 19

Elementary Principles in Developing a Maturing Interest in Improvisation for Early Stage Pianists

Introduction and Outline

How do we gain the young pianists (or any instrumentalists for that matter) interest in

improvisation and so improve the overall musicianship of our students?

This is a serious question for music education today. Here I will give some of my own

personal experiences on how I first taught myself to improvise at the piano. I will give a

simple practical teaching curriculum, a teaching outline, for beginners in what may be

thought, by many teachers, to be a rather simplistic way, but for me is was a practical way

that worked giving me my first freedom at the piano keyboard. You may also term it a type of

‘minimalist’ approach to the early stages of improvisation teaching.

The improviser must build up a store house of familiar pre-learnt melodic shapes,

patterns and schemes, chord progressions and musical forms, applying them creatively at a

moment’s notice to new situations, while at the keyboard, enough indeed, to make a

meaningful music.49 C.P.E Bach stated that the key to successful improvisation was a sound

knowledge of chord progressions and consistency of harmonic rhythm.50 It has also been

wisely observed that those who want to improvise must master the ‘strategies of melodic and

motivic imitation.’51 These are two requirements that I also consider essential to the would-be

improviser.

Most teaching books I have studied on improvisation have started at too higher level

for the early stage pianist who is still working through the music teaching grades, and has not

yet reached a grade 7 or 8 standard. I would not advocate starting teaching improvisation

before grades 4 or 5 anyway.

I have also noticed that most books teaching on improvisation usually start, for

example, with the chords Tonic (I) and the dominant chord (V and V7), then work their way

through the subdominant (IV), the inversions of these chords, then introduce work with the

supertonic (II) submediant (VI), mediant (III) and leading note chords (VII) followed by

secondary sevenths dominant 9ths, modulation and Diminished chords, etc., as I found in the

textbook by Sol Berkowitz, for example.52 In these types of text books also we find plenty of

examples of different types of accompaniment patters e.g.: Block-chords bass, rolled bass

chords, spread chords in 10ths, Alberti bass, Waltz bass, Habanera bass, March Bass, Jump

bass waltz, Habanera bass patters with skips of 5ths, 6ths and 9ths, etc., in, for example, the

textbook by Winiford Knox Chastek.53 (Refer Chapter 11) Some of these accompaniment

patterns are quite difficult for the beginner, or early stage pianist; as also are sometimes the

strict forms advised by these teachers.

In no way do I decry these methods, as I believe there are probably as many teaching

methods as there are teachers of improvisation and a multitude of styles to wit in which to

improvise.

Chapter 20

Elementary Principles inImprovisation for Early Stage Pianists

Outline of a Proposed Teaching Curriculum

Stage One:

What I propose is an introductory course for the absolute beginner in improvisation

who is still working through the grades so that he or she has a simpler and more practical

course suited to his ongoing abilities. This is what I will set out in a teaching curriculum

which I call: ‘Elementary Principles in Improvisation for Early Stage Pianists.’

Although my curriculum is elementary in nature it gives, I believe, more freedom to

quick improvement in free expression at the keyboard; after which a more traditional

teaching curriculum can be flowed covering aspects of improvisation and keyboard harmony

that my elementary principles do not cover.

When one learns four-part writing, the setting of 4 part harmonisations of chorals, etc,

one is taught first in our common practice harmony books the 1-V progression. So I ask

myself why so many improvisation manuals start with this 1- V / V- I relationship? Although

we know of course that both these chords are vital to establish a key. However it is also a fact

that a root of a chord followed by a root of anther chord a 5th above it is not the strongest of

general chord progressions, unless used at a full cadence!

What do I mean by statement? The best and strongest chord progressions we are

taught arise out of chords roots that rise a 4th (or descend a 5th). The next strongest root

progressions are when roots of cords fall a 3rd.

Taking these two facts as my pretext I have used a harmonic scheme based on a bass

line that works only in chords in root position as the basis of building elementary principles

for first steps in improvisation – the bass and root of each chord first moving up a 4th then

down a 3th.

In the following manner:

Harmonic Scheme with Bass Line in the Major Scale, (with roots rising a 4th then falling a 3rd)

In the Major key:

I moves to IVii moves to Viii moves to viIV moves to viidim.V moves to I See Appendix Musical Examples Ex. 1 (i) Page 1 of

Bearing in mind that we have a diminished chord on the leading note of the major

scale we may adjust our bass line accordingly, with vii6dim. in the 1st inversion.

I moves to IVii moves to Viii moves to vi IV moves to vii6dim.V (V7) moves to 1

See Appendix Musical Examples: Ex. 1 (ii) Page 2 of

In the Melodic and Harmonic Minor scales:

i moves to IViidim. moves to VIII moves to VI (III with Perfect 5th – not augmented 5th)iv moves to viidim.V moves to i

See Appendix Ex. 2 (i) Page 1 of Musical Examples

Again bearing in mind that we have a diminished chord on the leading note of the

minor scale also we may adjust our bass line accordingly, with vii6dim. in the 1st inversion.

On the supertonic degree of the minor scale we also have a diminished chord in the minor

key, which again we will play in 1st inversion:

i moves to ivii6dim. moves to VIII moves to VI (III with Perfect 5th – not augmented 5th) iv moves to vii6dim. V (V7) moves to i See Music Example 2 (ii) Page 2 of Musical Examples

N.B (i) In the minor key I am teaching III to be always played as a major triad with a perfect 5th as the melodic minor scale ascending gives it (not an augmented 5th as the

Harmonic minor scale give it).

N.B (ii) At this stage I only introduce the Dominant 7th occasionally at cadences.

N.B (iii) It will be noticed I have laid out two types of Harmonic scheme bass lines, one

with root position chords and the other accommodating the harshness of the diminished

chords (vii and ii) with 1st inversions. These bass lines will be used in a recurring fashion

throughout the improvisation – the student or teacher may choose which bass line to use.

However I have found by experience that playing root position diminished chords

quickly in passages is quite acceptable to the ear – but some may wish them in 1st inversion –

so I have laid our two bass lines which we can use.

Thus, for example, my regular bass line, in a Major Key improvisation, with root

position chords works as follows: (with roots rising a 4th then falling a 3rd)

1 – IV – ii – V – iii – vi – IV – viidim – V – I

In 4/4 time this gives a 10 bar harmonic pattern which can be repeated again and

again with various melodic patterns and phrases over it. Often I lengthen it in the flowing

manner (underlined):

1 – IV – ii – V – III – vi – IV – viidim – V – III – vi – IV – viidim – V – I - I

I believe that working on this chord scheme will teach the beginning student the

basics of good chord progressions and how chords basically move and function in good

relationships – a very useful basic knowledge for when it comes to harmonising chorales and

other 4 part harmony exercises. In my early days of learning to write 4 part harmony

exercises I struggled to understand which chord should basically follow which chord until I

heard the rule of roots rising a 4th. and falling 3rd being the strongest root progressions.

Of course there are multitudes of ways chords can relate to each other, and for more

advanced students, indeed ultimately we know that if part-movement is good almost any

chord can follow any chord – however that is not what the beginner in 4 parts common

practice harmony, or the student improviser needs to know at the start.

By using this Harmonic Scheme and chord basis, I advocate, the student pianist in his

early stages can also build a simple broken chord accompaniment from this bass line: see

page 3 of musical Examples.

Right Hand melodic material:

Over the simple broken-chord bass a formulae of simple melodic and creative figurations can

be devised and played using: scales passages, arpeggios, sequences, unessential notes and

ornaments etc. See musical examples pages 4 and 5 for a short example in this area.

Form:

I have in this stage only taught an 10/16 bar harmonic scheme in 4/4 time with

crotchet, quaver and semiquaver movement over it in the right hand. Below this is a bass

generally moving in broken chord crotchet movement. This 10/16 bar bass chord structure is

repeated over and over again with diverse formulae of changing melodic and motivic figures

over it, ever building new material and discovering new creative melodic figurations and

sequences.

I also advocate in this stage using only major and minor keys with no more that 3

Sharps or flats, (later keys with up to 5 sharps and flats shall be used).

Chapter 21

Stage Two

In this stage I would extend the teaching to include the flowing: Modulation to near related keys

Parallel right hand chords of up to 3 notes

Use of Right Hand Octaves

Keys up to 5 sharps and flats.

Extending the bass line with a succession of roots falling in 3rds.

I will also teach an extension to the basic 10/16 bar Harmonic scheme bass line, I first

Advocated in stage one, by the use of a bass line extension with a harmonic scheme of chords

with roots only falling in 3rds as follows in a major key example:

Example 3 (i) Page 1 Music Examples

In the major Key this would appear as follows:

I moves to IVii moves to Viii moves to viIV moves to vii6dim.V (V7) moves to I

Extension….

1 moves to vivi moves to IVIV moves to iiii moves to vii (note: vii here is in root position)vii . moves to VV moves to I

1 – IV – ii – V – iii – vi – IV – viidim – V – I – vi – IV – ii – viidim – V - I

Alternatively a second extension: When vii moves to V (as above in the extension)

V may fall to iiiiii moves to viIV moves to vii6dim.V (V7) moves to I

Example in a Major Key as follows: (extension underlined)

1 – IV – ii – V – iii – vi – IV – viidim – V – I – vi – IV – ii – viidim – V – iii – vi – IV – vii – V (V7) – I

N.B. first extension is underlined – the second extension is in bold

Thus to my original 10 bar harmonic scheme first outline in stage one (Chapter 20) I have added two extensions making a total of 21 bars in 4/4 time.

Chapter 22

Stage 3

In this stage I would extend the teaching to include the flowing:

Diminished Chords on the #2nd, #4th and 7th degrees of the scaleChords on the Flattened 7th scale degree1st and 2nd inversions

At this stage I would introduce the diminished chord for modulation uses and also

the use of the flattened 7th chord for modulation purposes, and also teach how to return to the

original keys.

I would also teach the effective use of 1st and 2nd inversions of triads. These also

sound good when played in parallel movement and as arpeggios.

All this I admit, may sound be simplistic to the skilled improviser and pianist. But we

want to get our young musicians to improvise – too many can play nothing outside written

music on the paper – but real music making is more than this, and in my experience a lot of

improvisation methods can get the early stage pianist confused and disappointed through their

complexity. I have tried to keep things simple as they can be in the early stages. After my

course has finished student may then progress to a more conventional improvisation course.

What is Improvisation after all? Did the first cave man who banged two stones

together to amuse himself with a musical rhythm have rules? No (though he may have

developed some later). Is improvisation a strict set of rules that says if you don’t keep the

rules (no matter what style they are of) you are not improvising? No! You can develop your

own style – though by general convention among musicians certain styles are more accessible

to the ear and likable.

Those who improvise should be free to go where you want; just keep on the road and

do not get lost. Have a map of where you want to do, enjoy the view, use the scenic route if

you want, take the main road or a short cut – but enjoy yourself. Say something personal and

meaningful to you – that is of a musical language most people can understand and lifts people

from the common place to another world - a higher plane - above the strife where we all live

our daily lives, to a land or beauty, hope and peaceful rest. The student needs to let the music

speak from his heart and give expression to his inner soul and touch the heart of his listeners

– then it is true music making.

The student improviser has this ability, when mastered, and it is not always necessary

to adhere to a strict set of complicated academic rules (good as they may be) for ‘music’ to

come forth to elevate a listener into another world. Simplicity is beauty ‘also!’

I will finish this section with a quote of St. Augustine. “Beauty is the splendour of

order.” Good order in harmonic, rhythmic and melodic language should be the foundation of

all improvisation – then will come forth beauty and the excellence all good musicians should

strive for.

Chapter 23

Improvisation and Composition

In this chapter I will discuss how the art of improvisation as it relates to the discipline

of composition. As improvisation is a ‘now,’ and a ‘then and there,’ type of instantly

composed music form, historical records are few concerning this neglected art. However

there is indeed a link between the two as we know so many to the great composers of the past

were great improvisers: Handel, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, List, Brahms, etc.

A number of Baroque, Classical and Romantic composers were as famous, if not

more famous, for their improvisations than written music. We may mention J.S. Bach whose

compositions were much neglected, apart from within a small area of Germany during his life

time, but whose powers in improvisation were known throughout his home country and

beyond. A number of his works have an improvisatory feel about them for example the first

of the preludes in ‘The 48’ and an number of Bach’s suits called for improvised preludes over

a given harmonic basis as the opening movement. Handel is known to have written a

textbook on keyboard performance of which about half is devoted to improvisation on dances

and fugues.

Mozart is reported to have improvised his first 6 sonatas while on a tour in his youth,

and he and Clementi were in improvisation competitions with each other in front of the then

Pope. Mozart was known firstly as an improviser in Vienna for the first 10 years before his

compositions became more famous. Did not Beethoven fill many sketchbooks with sketches

which we might also call improvisations of a sort? Beethoven was also known first for his

improvisations in Vienna. Schubert was also known for his great powers in improvising

drinking songs and dances in the taverns of Vienna. While Chopin was known for his

beautiful written out piano compositions; his long time friend and companion George Sand

once remarked that, “Chopin’s compositions were but a pale shadow to his improvisation.”54

This reminds me of the remark we noted earlier by the eighteenth century Italian

musician Padre Martini who is remembered for the remark he once made that: “Notated

music is but a skeleton.” 55 To me this proves the importance of improvisation as the bases for

all good ‘common period,’ compositions.

Many of Brahms later works started life as improvisations and indeed many of his

Intermezzi were carried around in his head for up to two years before being written down. In

fact Chopin resisted writing down many of his quick improvisations as he did not know

which version to write down. 56 List regularly improvised in his classes in Weimar. And was

known to take opera melodies from the local performances at opera houses and improvise on

them at his concerts wherever he travelled. Like Schubert, Brahmas improvised in bars and

taverns in his youth playing quickly improvised waltzes, dances and drinking songs. Debussy

was also known as a great improviser and in fact he overtly spoke of many of his composition

coming from his improvisations. When asked by a pupil how he composed he was heard to

remark: “by following the pleasure of my ear;” another answer to the same type of question,

Debussy once replied that in composing he followed his “taste.” Debussy was not too

interested in classical rules when making and writing music.

Speaking of more modern times it was reported that the English composer William

Walton once visited the Austrian Second Viennese School Composer, Arnold Schoenberg, in

his Vienna home. As Walton entered Schoenberg’s work room Walton saw Schoenberg

quickly hid away the music he had be working on at the piano, not wishing Walton to know

he used the piano to compose. If a Second Viennese School composer needed the piano to

test and improvise on how much more composers working in less extreme styles? William

Walton also was known to use, and improvise, on the piano in writing music.

We mentioned earlier that Bartok improvised much of the ‘Mocrocosmos’ at the

piano while working on the score. Such stories make me more and more convinced that many

modern composers use the piano for inspiration through improvisation – and not just to try

out music composed away from the piano. Benjamin Britten was known not to use the piano

but check things through the piano after writing away from the piano. The English composer

Smith Brindle told how he used to compose at the piano in his early days – but later found the

piano not so necessary. 57 I have a sneaking suspicion that many modern composers use

keyboard improvisation much more that they acknowledge in composing music although they

may not use carefully thought out improvisations, as we call it, nevertheless they need the

piano for checking and searching for inspiration.

If music history is right, than the modern composers who have practiced and learnt

the mature skills of the improviser, I believe will write the better and longer lasting music, no

matter what style of music we are talking about, and I could include the most advanced

modern ‘avant garde’ style in this category. The reverse is not often the case, I suspect, and

history tells of only one great composer, Berlioz, who did not play the piano.

There are many composers of film music who use the piano, for finding inspiration,

submitting ideas to film producers. The film composer William Goldstein tells how when

having been under pressure and in a time limit to produce music he has simply improvised

music on the piano, recorded it, and submitted it to the film producer, and others have

orchestrated his submissions. 58 I once heard the British composer Lionel Bart in a BBC

interview recall how he composed at the piano, and on one occasion simply pounded out

on child’s play piano (which was all he had available at the time) one of his song hits. Bart

made the comment: “songs should be like sneezes – spontaneous.” 59 It is well known that the

American Russian-Jewish composer, Irving Berlin, like Bart, did not know music notation

but composed all his famous songs pounding them out on a piano in the New York Publishers

office while others wrote the music down on ‘five lines.’ Inspiration can come anywhere they

say, but it comes mostly while at the keyboard I believe; and more great music I believe has

been written at the keyboard then away from it - if the truth were known!

Chapter 24

Conclusion and Final Summation:

“Improvisation is not rocket science”

In this study on improvisation we have looked at the history of improvisation: its

decline in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th century; and its more recent re-

emergence in importance in contemporary serious classical art music. We have noted the

influence of Jazz in the field on improvisation and its effects on the so-called classical field of

music. We have named some of the current institutions that offer improvisation and jazz

programs of various sorts, studied five of the most recently published improvisation courses

for the piano and looked at five of the most gifted improvising performers today. I have also

added and outlined my own elementary course in improvisation for early stage pianists that I

would use to encourage early stage pianists to improvise. This course came out of my own

frustration with many of the improvisation courses available which I found too difficult to use

in the early days of my piano studies.

I was impressed with Yoke Wong’s remark: “Improvisation and composition are not

rocket science. They can be practiced and trained.” The fact is that Improvisation is not an

inherited talent but one that can be acquired. It is the most personal voice of the musician -

when they have acquired full mastery – and nothing can really compare with it for personal

fulfilment in music making I believe. We also noted that lot of improvisation comes out of

an instant, re-working of pre-written music. If all this is true, why do we not see more

musicians who are fluent in improvisation turned out of music colleges and conservatoires?

I would like to advocate that all music colleges, university music departments and

conservatoires turn out improvisers – especially among the pianists and organists (organists,

of course, usually do have improvisation courses of sorts). An improvisation courses should

be a foundational aspect to a full professional standard of performance musicianship. No

pianist should leave higher education music institution, who has had a major study in piano,

who cannot at least sit down and at a moment’s notice improvise on a given theme, a fantasia,

a prelude or a simple set of variations, whether they be a future teacher of the piano or a

performer. Such an exercise should be part of the final examination of a Bachelor’s degree

piano performance.

Audiences in the West should be educated to understand that there is great artistic

worth in hearing a good improvisation at a concert, and that this engenders a much closer

relationship between performer and the audience. In earlier Baroque, Classical and early

Romantic times there was a much closer relationship between artist and audience. The idea of

the artist being in an ‘ivory tower’ in his art, and audiences having to cope with looking up

to him, to have to try and understand him, should be done away with. Art belongs to the

people and should be approachable and lift audience up, not give them ‘headaches’ by trying

to understand what the artist is trying to say. Improvisation brings the artist ‘down to earth’

so to speak, enables the artist not to be too proud about his gift but make him or her more

approachable to the general public. It enables the artist to speak from his inner soul – if he

has one! If one considers the remark of Robert D. Levin (chapter 17) that a lot of what we

consider first class performances today are nothing but interchangeable performances,

concerned with the outline, a basic level of music making that is not very interesting or

challenging, where the emotional and intellectual fundamentals are missing 60 – one can

understand why today we have, generally speaking, a music going public that is not very

well educated.

We need to educate the music going public to appreciate, expect and demand

improvisation as part of a regular concert. As Gabriela Montero says (chapter 16) today we

need to “widen the parameters of the concert.” 61 I will finish with a quote from David Dolans’s

website:

“Improvisation is not an inherited talent but one that can be acquired.” 62

If this is so, then let every would-be professional musician take note!

Notes

Chapter 11 David Dolan. “Classical Improvisation/Publications.” David-dolan. Web. 2 David-Dolan. Web

Chapter 23 Stanley Sadie. gen. ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. 12. “Improvisation” 4 David-dolan. Web5 Sadie. p.95

Chapter 36 Derek Bailey. Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice. London, the British Library National Sound Archive 19927 Oakridge Music Studios. “Why Jazz Improvisation is Important to Classical Music Studies.” Web.8 Sadie. p. 95 “Improvisation”9 David-Dolan. Web10 Sol Berkowitz. Improvisation Through Keyboard Harmony. 11 Sadie. Vol. 12 pp. 98,9912 Sadie. Vol. 12 ”Improvisation”13 Brian Chung and Dennis Thurmond. Improvisation at the Piano: A Systematic Approach for the Classically Trained Pianist.

Chapter 414 Samuel. The Bible: 1 Samuel. 16:23. New King James Version15 Sadie. Vol. 12 p.95

Chapter 516 Sadie. Vol. 12 p.95

Chapter 617 Sadie. Vol 12 p.9518 Sadie.Vol. 12 p.130

Chapter 719 Leonard Bernstein, “Prelude, Fugue and Riffs.” Leonard Bernstein. Web. pdf. 20 Mark Anthony Turnage. “A Man Descending/Composers.” Boosey and Hawks.

Chapter 821 “Music Impro. Camp/Welcome Letter.” Teachers College Columbia University. Web. 14

22 University of Maine at Machias. “School of Performing Arts.” University of Maine at Machias. Web. 23 University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance. University of Michigan School of Music Web. 24 International Society for Improvised Music. “About ISIM/ Who Are We.” ISIM Web.25 Oakridge Music Studios. “Why Jazz is Important to Classical Music Studies.” O Music Studios. Web. 26 Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative. “EROI Festival 2011 Page.” Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative. Web. 27 David-Dolan. Web

Chapter 928 Chung and Thurmond p.222

Chapter 1029 University of Michigan. “School of Music, Theatre and Dance.” University of Michigan School of Music Web. 30 International Society for Improvised Music. “About ISIM/Who Are We.” ISIM. Web.

31 Edward Sarath. Music Theory Through Improvisation: A new Approach to Musicianship Training. Print

Chapter 1132 Winifred Knox Chastek,. Keyboard Skills. Print.

Chapter 1233 Wong, Yoke. Definitive Piano Improvisation Course. Amazon. Web. 6 Jan 2012 34 Wong.

Chapter 1335 Gail Smith, Mel Bay’s Complete Improvisation, Fills and Chord Progressions Book. “Google/Books” Web

Chapter 1436 David-Dolan. Web37 Guildhall School of Music and Drama. “Centre for Classical Improvisation Performance”. Web38 David-Dolan. Web

Chapter 1539 William Goldstein. “Composer/Performer/Masterclass.” William Goldstein. Web. 40 Goldstein. Web

41 Goldstein. Web

Chapter 1642 Gabriel Montero. Gabriela Montero. Web43 Gabriel Montero. <youtube.com> Web

Chapter 1744 Robert D. Levin. “Department of Music.” Harvard. Web45 Levin Youtube Web 46 Levin Youtube Web

Chapter 1847 Eric Barnhill. Musical Improvisation. Web. 48 Barnhill. The Daily Improvisation . Web.

Chapter 1949 Chung and Thurmond. p. 8150 Sadie. Vol. 12 p. 11451 Sadie. Vol 12 p. 12052 Berkowitz. 53 Chastek.

Chapter 2354 Derek Bailey. Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice. London55 David-Dolan Web56 Bailey57 Reginald Smith Brindle. Musical Composition. 58 Goldstein59 Bart, Lionel. Lionel Bart 1930-99. Internet Movie Database. Web

Chapter 2460 Levin youtube Web 61 Montero. Web62 David-Dolan Web.

Works Cited

Arnold, Dennis gen. ed., The New Oxford Companion to Music. 29 Vols. Oxford: OUP, 1983. Print.

Bailey Derek. Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice. London, the British Library National Sound Archive 1992. Amazon. Web. 8 Jan 2012

Barnhill, Eric. The Daily Improvisation. Eric Barnhill.Wordpress. Web 1 Jan 2012

Berkowitz, Sol. Improvisation Through Keyboard Harmony. Englewoods Cliffs: N.J. Prentice Hall Inc. 1975. Print.

Bernstein, Leonard. “Prelude, Fugue and Riffs.” Leonard Bernstein. Web pdf. 2 Nov 2011

Bart, Lionel. “Lionel Bart 1930-99”. Internet Movie Database. Web 10 Jan 2012

Chastek, Winifred Knox. Keyboard Skills. Belmont: C.A., Wadsworth Publishing Co. 1967. Print.

Chung, Brian and Dennis Thurmond. Improvisation at the Piano: A Systematic Approach for the Classically Trained Pianist. Harlow: Alfred Publishing, Inc. 2007. Print.

Dolan, David. “Classical Improvisation/Publications.” David-dolan. Web. 12.11.2011.

Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative. “EROI Festival 2011 Page.” Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative 2011 Web. 10 Oct. 2011

Goldstein, William. “Composer/Performer/Masterclass.” William Goldstein. Web 7 Jan 2011

Guildhall School of Music and Drama. “Centre for Classical Improvisation Performance.” Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Web 5 Jan 2012

International Society for Improvised Music. “About ISIM./Who Are We.” International Society for Improvised Music. 2010 Web. 11 Nov. 2011

Levin, Robert D. “Department of Music.” Harvard. and <www.youtube.com> Robert Levin Web 29 Dec 2011

Montero, Gabriel. Gabriela Montero. Web 9 Jan 2012

“Music Impro Camp/ Welcome Letter.” Teachers College Columbia University. 2011 Web. 14 Nov 2011

Oakridge Music Studios. “Why Jazz Improvisation is Important to Classical Music Studies.” O Music Studios Web. 23 Oct. 2011

Sadie, Stanley, ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 29 Vols. Vol. 12. London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 200. Print.

Samuel. The Bible. New King James Version. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1998. Print

Sarath, Edward. Music Theory Through Improvisation. Abingdon: Routledge, 2007. Print.

Smith, Gail. Mel Bay’s Complete Improvisation, Fills and Chord Progressions Book. Barking, Essex: Mel Bay Music, Ltd. 1994. Books.Google. Web. 3 Jan 2012

Smith Brindle, Reginald. Musical Composition. Oxford: OUP. 1986

Thiman, Eric H. Practical Free Counterpoint. London: Curwen Edition. Print.

Turnage Mark Anthony. “A Man Descending/Composers.” Boosey and Hawks. 2012. Web. 18 Jan.2012

University of Maine at Machias. “Interdisciplinary Fine Arts.” University of Maine at Machias. Web. 2 Dec. 2011

University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance. University of Michigan School of Music. 2011 Web. 11 Nov 2011

Wong, Yoke. Definitive Piano Improvisation Course. Corona, CA: Harmony and Melody Studio, Inc. 2007. Amazon. Web. 6 Jan 2012

APPENDIX: MUSICAL EXAMPLES