# Improvising



## geezer (Apr 30, 2008)

I have a friend who is a very good keyboard player but cannot improvise at all ,and have known a couple of guitarists with the same problem.I was wondering what the stats are on those who can and those who can't.Is it something you're born with or can anyone develop the ability?


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

if I can develop the ability - ANYONE can.........I play in a band with 3 guitarists including myself......so I don't do a lot of rhythm work....my whole schtick is improvising accompaniment to vocals....and then solos where appropriate.......I think I said it in another post on another subject - but I find it easier than playing rhythm.......no memory work required on what the chord progression is......just play what sounds cool....in listening to recordings from our performances - the one thing I have to work on more is holding back more when the vocalist is singing...that's - for me - a harder thing to perfect (dynamics) than improvising what notes to play and the phrasing of the notes.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

A lot of my students initially have trouble improvising because they are afraid to experiment and make mistakes, but I believe that anyone can learn to improvise.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Me? That's what I do most of the time. Well,... the lowest form of improvising really. Noodling.


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## geezer (Apr 30, 2008)

I thought anyone could learn how....the reason I asked was to settle a difference in opinion with the keyboard player(mentioned earlier) who says that she can't do it at all ...she thought that because she was classically taught and I learned by ear ,that it was easier for me.Maybe it's the fear of making mistakes that's holding her back too.


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

geezer said:


> I thought anyone could learn how....the reason I asked was to settle a difference in opinion with the keyboard player(mentioned earlier) who says that she can't do it at all ...she thought that because she was classically taught and I learned by ear ,that it was easier for me.Maybe it's the fear of making mistakes that's holding her back too.


the old joke:

How do you slow down a piano player? take away their sheet music
How do you slow down a guitar player? give them some sheet music


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## megadan (Feb 5, 2006)

To me improvising and playing are one and the same. If you can't improvise, what are you playing? How are you writing songs or playing in a band?
I literally can't find a difference between the two (but this is coming from someone who has never, ever played a cover song with a band. Not what I'm interested in doing).

If you can't "improvise" (play) then you're not a musician, IMHO.


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

megadan said:


> If you can't "improvise" (play) then you're not a musician, IMHO.


I will try to remember this. Really.


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## blacktooth (Jul 3, 2010)

I play a lot of lead guitar, and I gotta say, I've very rarely sat down and actually "written"a solo. I have a basic idea in my head, and I run with it. Probably never played exactly the same, but close enough to recognize. Improvisation I find really keeps your songs from becoming monotonous when you play them 20,000 times. I can't really imagine anyone not being able to improvise though... it's gotta be in there somewhere


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

megadan said:


> If you can't "improvise" (play) then you're not a musician, IMHO.


COOL...I might just have taken the first tiny step towards being able to refer to myself as a musician !

Thanks megadan...I feel much better now.

Cheers

Dave


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

geezer said:


> I thought anyone could learn how....the reason I asked was to settle a difference in opinion with the keyboard player(mentioned earlier) who says that she can't do it at all ...she thought that because she was classically taught and I learned by ear ,that it was easier for me.Maybe it's the fear of making mistakes that's holding her back too.


Learning by ear helps you to improvise because you're used to translating the noises in your head to your instrument. However, being classically trained can also help you to improvise (once you develop a comfort level) because you know which notes will work best with each chord or what notes to use when harmonizing with a vocal line, for example.



megadan said:


> If you can't "improvise" (play) then you're not a musician, IMHO.


 False. IMHO.


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

bw just explained a whole bunch of shit,much better then i ever could have. so id just say read what he said,and pay attention to that.

and to the cat who wrote something to the effect of"if you cant improvise,your not a real musician" can we stop with the stupid generalisations? whats been going round in the water here? if you pick up an instrument,and produce sounds that are the least bit musical,or even use your voice,you are a musician. simple as that. you may not be the greatest musician for learning a piece of music from the tab,and if thats all you can play,but your still a musician.

Bobby


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

puckhead said:


> the old joke:
> 
> How do you slow down a piano player? take away their sheet music
> How do you slow down a guitar player? give them some sheet music


That's really funny and so true.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

unless you're steve vai.


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## Bobby (May 27, 2010)

cheezyridr said:


> unless you're steve vai.


well in that case,you make alot of sounds that arent musical,so you arent really a musician.
\
yeah,its going a bit far.but i dont like Vai,or Zappa for that matter(musically) being atonal for the sake of being atonal doesnt make you brilliant.but noone here likes me anyway,so what the hell..


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

The skill of making pleasing melody is acquired by study and practice. 

I would say that anyone who can sing a melody and identify intervals should be able to improvise. 

The best way is to copy other melodies as only as a beginning. 

This gives confidence and good example of melodies that the player already likes. 

Also it's important to try, and make mistakes (not purposely of course). Finally, record all your jams. 

Having an understanding of what chord you're playing over at any given time will allow for a good bassis of the dissonant and consonant notes. 

There are books about melody. Most jazz 1st year courses have such books. 

[email protected] 





geezer said:


> I have a friend who is a very good keyboard player but cannot improvise at all ,and have known a couple of guitarists with the same problem.I was wondering what the stats are on those who can and those who can't.Is it something you're born with or can anyone develop the ability?


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## discomalaria (Feb 17, 2010)

It's possible to go too far in the other direction as well. I've spent nearly all my playing time over the last 15 years improvising, noodling, etc. Just basically learning on my own and having fun. 

Try to make me stick to a proper established progression and I'm incredibly terrible. I can't count how often I've heard "Why can't you just stick to the actual notes?"

Maybe I just suck though...


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## Andy Fake (Sep 25, 2010)

"A lot" of memorizing and constant up-keep must be done to have this aspect of the "art" quite at one's disposal on the guitar fretboard.Sorry.

But memorizing what?! is the Big Secret!

But Sure!
Anyone anywhere can improvise what-the-hell ever they feel..no theory...no memory...no nothing.
But then everything becomes everything else and then the concept of guitar playing doesn't even exist anymore anyway.
Do we really want that?!
Isn't there enough of that since when even?


Fake


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## monson (Sep 27, 2010)

geezer said:


> I thought anyone could learn how....the reason I asked was to settle a difference in opinion with the keyboard player(mentioned earlier) who says that she can't do it at all ...she thought that because she was classically taught and I learned by ear ,that it was easier for me.Maybe it's the fear of making mistakes that's holding her back too.


lmao thats so true


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