I’m giving away lots of stuff today. To receive even more presents, enter your email address into the form on the right sidebar on this page!
On to the first wave of gifts:
GIFT #1) This video https://christianhowes.com/2011/05/28/how-to-improvise-easily-with-confidence-for-classical-string-players/
This shows how a nine year-old girl can achieve a 100% success rate with improvising diatonic melodies. You can take off, using the worksheet, and do LOTS but first, read on.
Gift #2) Secrets revealed :
1) Beginning with a “scale-based” approach to improvisation really DOESN’T WORK, beyond a very limited scope.
2) Some jazz violinists try to improvise based on their knowledge of arpeggios in root position and THIS DOESN’T WORK EITHER.
3) What DOES WORK is using voice-led chord tones as the basis of any improvised melody in just about any style of music.
In case you’re wondering, to “voice lead” is to resolve from any note in a given chord to a nearby note in another chord.
This sounds simple, right? Why do you struggle with it?
Most likely you never internalized/memorized chords in extended range and all inversions. For most classically trained string players, no one ever explained a system or gave you a tool like the worksheet Camille uses in the video above.
These exercises will make your life easier if you’re a classically trained musician learning to play jazz violin,viola, or cello, as well as blues, rock, and a wide variety of styles.
The Creative Strings Academy now provides an easy-to-use curriculum.
Just click here:
https://christianhowes.com/2011/05/27/finally-online-jazz-violin-lessons/
These online video lessons share everything I know about improvisation, harmony, technique, gear, the music biz, and more.
Are you a Creative String Player?!
