Mel Bay's Creative Keyboard® Webzine | Per Danielsson - Bach Improvisation

Bach Improvisation

Improvisation was discovered and used long before jazz was invented. Bach was believed to have improvised much of his music. Since he had a steady position at the church where the demand on him to produce music was enormous. With a musical mind of a genius, he was able to compose and write down a staggering amount of material. Still there were times when he had to rely on making up the music on the spot. As an improviser Bach was just as skilled as the modern day jazz musician. Improvisation is the same as composing, but sped up. Therefore, any time you sit down at the piano and try to figure out new sounds or melodies, you are improvising. You might be doing it slowly and methodically, never the less it still falls within the category of improvisation.

When we study jazz we work hard at the skill of creating melodies on the spot. To be able to do this we need to know the theory behind the music and be able to access it quickly. Bach knew the theory of the style of music that he was an expert on, that's why he was able to improvise in that style of music. Charlie Parker once said, "practice the scales and theory and then forget about it and play music". When you are able to achieve that you have reached the point of complete musical freedom.

In last month's article I experimented with a Chopin etude, so it's just logical that I picked Bach for this month. I selected Prelude #2 in C minor out of the Wohltemperierte Klavier to harmonize in my own way. The harmonization is not very complex. The reason for that is that I did not want to make it too complicated because that would make the piece hard to improvise over. In general, when jazz gets too complex it can greatly limit the freedom of on the spot improvisation. Complex pieces need to be analyzed and practiced the same way you approach a classical piece. Personally, I really enjoy finding out every angle of a tune and practicing it in segments so later I'll be able to improvise with total freedom. Remember that it is better to practice one song for eight hours than eight tunes in one hour.

Follow these steps when working on this etude:

     1. Learn the melody.
     2. Work out a left hand part. The notes and chord changes are only there as an example.
     3. Try to alter the line and eventually come up with your own etude.

I always have great respect for the classical masters and before I play a piece I prepare it immensely. So for me to use the classical composer's music as inspiration for my jazz music, is the best compliment I can give to Chopin, Bach and all the other great composers.

Per Danielsson

<< Home