Improvising can be as complicated as you wish or are capable of handling. All can be great.
Let me suggest some simple ways to begin:
There are 2 parts to playing the notes. First are the notes themselves and second, they way or tempo that they are played.
The notes can be generally from scales, arpeggios (the chords) or chromatics (the semitones between the notes. Let’s face it, all songs are combinations of scales, chord notes and chromatics. So what you are attempting is your own interpretation of the chord order with which you began the song or were told was the chord order.
Many don’t understand that even though a song may have a key signature that points out what scale the song is in, in fact, that scale may change a few times in the song, One of the indicators of that can be the added sharps and flats all of a sudden within the song, often at the bridge. The trick is to see the songs from that view rather than just the chords. In other wards, notice the MOVEMENT OF THE CHORDS and the scale those chords belong to. Then the job of improvising may be easier.
Did you know that the 7th chord (such as the G7) can only occur in the C major scale? (I’m talking major scale here) If you see a G7 for one or more measures, you can play the C scale and it will sound OK! It is the 5th chord of the C scale and all the others are major 7th chords, minors are diminished. ONLY THE 5th CHORD IS A 7th CHORD! Noodle in C against a G7 and see for yourself. (the order of chords in C are Cma7, Dm7, Em7, Fma7, G7, Am7, Bdim). Now, you can extend that idea if you see a Dm7 followed by a G7 (commonly called a 2-5-1) you can still noodle in C. 2-5-1′s are used in jazz a great deal.
I suggest learning the circle of fourths, which will help recognize these scales. this circle is helpful when used as a template. You can change the starting place and use the same order with the relevant scale at that point in the song. Here is the circle:
Take a song out which has chord symbols over the melody and review where the scales go. Try noodling over the chord movements and after a while you will improve your playing. How you can improve your improvising will be covered in another post.
Further info can be found at www.pianoforseniors.com. I welcome your comments or suggestions.
