Week 2: Why did we ever stop improvising? And why we shouldn’t.
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- Classical Improviser
Welcome to the second week of "Imagination on the Piano: Improvising Classically with George Ko"!
This is the thread for posting the submissions and assignments for the second week. Watch the second Livestream to learn more about the Week Two Assignments!
Did you know that the great composers we admire all improvised? In fact, Beethoven was known as the greatest improviser in Europe. So why did we stop? Today we take a deep dive in the world of classical improvisation, and steal some tricks from Mozart and Chopin.
Week Two Assignment
What’s your favorite improvisation like passage from your favorite composers? Feel free to share a recording, or better yet, a quick clip of your performance of the piece! It could be a recitativo melody, a slow melodic 2nd movement, etc.
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Hello, just manage to upload this. I felt that am away from the topic
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- Classical Improviser
CK nice improv! love how you were playing off of the corelli variations! I think you're on track with exploring the theme and variations way of improvising, which is a great way to start improvising in a more complicated setting, as it gives us the ability to explore technically since we have a set theme, and harmonic structure.
I think I would recommend exploring and thinking ahead of how you would like your improv to express, think more beginning middle and end. I think classically, you might want to introduce the theme a little earlier so we have a clearer idea. Also, at the end, when you end on the dominant chord, the setup of your improv strongly pushes us to resolve to the tonic, I would think maybe how you could create more delayed gratification to the dominant, but also resolve to the tonic at the end so we get that satisfying connection.
- Classical Improviser
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CK I love your riffs on Corelli! you are so creative!
I haven't tried to do this yet, so you are VERY brave (and very talented!).
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CK So beautiful! Well done!
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CK I enjoyed that!
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George Ko i like that idea of starting with a theme and variation for some structure. I tried improvising on a section of Debussy Arabesque one last week right after I watched after your second stream and I wasn’t coming up with much. I decided to try another day and … it never happened.
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- Classical Improviser
Susan Rogers Hi Susan, not to worry! Improvisation is like practicing scales, it gets easier over time. One way that would help is to focus on one "shape" to improvise off of, rather than think about theory etc. With the first arabesque, think of that pattern shared between the right and left hand, how it arpegiates to the top of the right hand and back down to the lower part of the left hand. I would just improvise based off of that shape, and see what happens. Happy improvising!
- Classical Improviser
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George Ko thank you for that advice. I will try that. I just finished watching the recording of your 4th livestream - the French style! You included so much great information in that stream! I will need to refer back again for inspiration. The weeks went by so fast. Thank you for sharing so many tips and ideas with us. It was great fun.
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- Classical Improviser
Susan Rogers Thanks for the kind words, and have a wonderful weekend!
- Classical Improviser
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Here's a composer that I just found on Saturday: Prince Louis Ferdinand Von Preussen! He was, aside from being a prince and a general a very good composer; Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto was dedicated to him. This last opus has a lot of wonderful improvisatory moments in it, so I thought I'd send it in.
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- Classical Improviser
Thurmond R Thanks for sharing this! I had no idea Von Preussen composed! very nice indeed and very improvisatory, especially with all of those flourishes after a trill. Definitely see if you can incorporate any of this flourishes in your improvisation this week!
- Classical Improviser
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- Classical Improviser
Hi Everyone, see you in this week's stream soon! I see many wonderful submissions have just been added! I will respond individually after today's stream, looking forward to talking to you all about left hand magic!
- Classical Improviser
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Hi George!
Sorry to be late to the Improv party. I was out of town at an amateur chamber music workshop (hence my Trout reference
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- Classical Improviser
Gail Starr welcome to the party! hahaha well that reference is incredibly fitting! looking forward to your improvisation with left hand magic, happy fishing for notes!
- Classical Improviser
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George Ko LOL! I'm going to watch the first two videos tonight and then dive in and give a try! (I might near to wear a disguise so my friends don't see how awful I'm expecting to be at this...).
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- Classical Improviser
Gail Starr lolol you're going to do fine! this is a safe place, and all "mistakes" are welcome! From Thelonius Monk, "When is a note a 'wrong' note? It might sound wrong to the listener, but if the player meant it -- is it really wrong?", have fun!
- Classical Improviser
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George Ko I feel much calmer now. Will watch the 1st two videos this evening and make a recording over the weekend. Still might wear a disguise, though...LOL!
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One of my all time favorite pieces is the first ballade my Chopin! I love all of them, but this one has a special meaning to me. Here is an impro over the first theme. Enjoy :)
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Sindre Skarelven beautiful Sindre!
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Susan Rogers Thank you, Susan!
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Sindre Skarelven this is incredibly beautiful, Sindre!
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Sindre Skarelven Bravo Sindre, really beautiful! Unfortunately I am not attending and following this wonderful challenge, I am not at home and worse I have not my piano...
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- Classical Improviser
Sindre Skarelven absolutely wonderful! I love how you maintained the spirit of the Ballade throughout the improv, including the left hand patterns, much like how we talked about in this week's session. I think one thing I would just add is to see if you can incorporate the long singing lines in the right hand like Chopin. Aside from that, this is a great improv, well done!
- Classical Improviser
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Andrea Buckland Thank you so much, Andrea!
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Juan Carlos Olite Thank you, Juan Carlos! Yes, it’s hard to participate without a piano :P Looking forward to our next challenge together! Hopefully, there’ll be more improv in later challenges.
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George Ko Thank you, George! Your insights and feedback is very valuable! I will work on it :)
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