Category Archives: Improv Games

04/25/13

Improv Game of the Day: The Hands Tell a Story

My photos that have a creative commons license...

2 players. Two players sit in chairs facing each other. The game: construct a piece using hand and arm gestures only. Although this game is without sound, the principles of improvisation are the same: come up with a strong idea, repeat that idea, embellish or ornament it, develop that idea in all the ways that you might develop a melodic idea.

Suggestions: Respond to what your partner is doing – steal (imitate) their ideas, integrate them with your own, be inspired by your partners ideas. Remember to be silent (i.e. motionless) sometimes. Create ostinatos (repeated gestures) as accompaniments to solos. Take a solo – be imaginative!

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04/23/13

It’s a New Day: Composing with Kids

The Future of Classical Music by Greg Sandow has long been one of my favorite blogs. His latest post was an account from Sally Whitwell about her “experience as a performer and composition workshop presenter for teenagers at the Perth International Arts Festival”; if you’re interested in creativity in music and music education, this is a must-read.

Whitwell was shocked, shocked that the festival had a hard time finding classical musicians to do creative workshops.

I won’t rehash the whole post – you should read the original to get the details of how she worked with the kids to use text and workshopped melodies to create a song (see below). The staff turned the ideas into a notated composition that was later performed:

“In my perfect world, all kids would have this opportunity to be creative with music.”

Amen.

Thanks Sally, and thanks Greg!

04/6/13

Interval Improv Game – Recording by Nate Trier

Nate Trier has a blog on topics in improvisation and composition that you should definitely visit. I was just there and found that he has two recordings of improv games from my book Improv Games for One Musician (GIA, 2009, 50 p.). The first game is a duet (2:39) for sax (David Elkin-Ginnetti)  and some kind of keyboard sound (Nate); titled Atonal Interval Warm-Up, where the performers are limited to certain intervals. Here they chose M7/m7, #4, M/m2nds.

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03/31/13

The Hands Tell a Story: Gestural Improvisation

Hands Of Desperation

(Photo credit: chris@APL)

English: Two hands are opened palms up in an i...

ASL short for "I love you"

Clenched human fist

English: Counting Hand 3

We tried something new in improv class last week (well, it’s really always new, all the time): improvising without music.

“How do you do that?” you ask, and rightfully so. “And why?”

We started off like this. Two players sat in chairs and faced each other. The instructions were to create a piece using only their hands.

Why: because many of the things that we are try to achieve improvising with our instruments can be done using hand gestures. Let’s see how many we can come up with (let me know what I missed):

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01/27/13

New Semester: Improvisation for Classical Musicians

English: Frozen trees on New Year's eve, Kapot...

It’s ice rain outside this morning. Little pea-sized drops of ice falling, coating everything. The sound like ten thousand cricket-sized snare drums, little tap tap taps. The road is a skating rink. I really need to go to the gym. Looks like I will be trying out the Wii this morning…

On the other hand, it’s a great time to start getting caught up on all the stuff I have to tell you. One thing is my improv class. Spring semester I teach Improvisation for Classical musicians. I’ve been doing this for about a dozen years. Every year is a little different as I try new ideas, shuffle things around, adjust the activities, and so on.

I have six brave souls signed up this spring: clarinet, piano, bassoon, trumpet, and 2 string basses (first ever in this class). Several double on other instruments. In this class versatility is part of the course. Everyone plays 1) their instrument 2) piano 3) percussion (small perc., body, found) 4) mouth/vocal sound/text, sometimes several in the same piece.

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12/23/12

Improv Game of the Day: In the Zone

Major and minor triads on white piano keys

(Photo credit: Cuito Cuanavale)

1-4 players. Players pick a major key, preferably a less familiar key. Each player decides on a “zone”, i.e. a range of five adjacent tones. Example in the key of C: Player 1: C D E F G. Player 2: E F G A B. Player 3: A B C D E. Player 4: D E F G A. Choose a comfortable register. Players must stay within this range and share the same beat or pulse; they are encouraged to experiment with the various parameters of music: note value, articulation, register, dynamics, note length, meter. Players should steal much of their material from the other players (rhythm, melodic shape, dynamics, etc.)

Variation 1: Players must only use their “zone” notes, but they may use them in any register.

Variation 2: Try different size zones, e.g. seconds, thirds, fourths, sixths.

Variation 3: Have each player pick a different size zone.

 

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11/27/12

Improv Game of the Day: Economical Beauty

English: Pitch constellation - chromatic pitch...

1-4 players. Your challenge is to create the most beautiful melody possible – using only three pitches of your choice.

Pitches may be repeated at will or played in any register.

With two players, players should decide if pitches chosen may overlap or are exclusive.

An example of exclusive pitch choice using the C scale only might be:

Player 1: CEA

Player 2: DFG

With three players, there will necessarily be some overlap. Example:

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