Improvisation and Contemporary Styles for Bowed String Players

Presented by Baiju Bhatt and Christian Howes

This intensive mini-conference includes masterclasses, group lessons, and chamber music coaching for performers and teachers on bowed strings seeking professional development. 

Creative Musicianship– Free Improvisation, Arranging, Composition, Modal, Harmonic, and Rhythmic internalization, Contemporary styles, and related subjects. 

Performers and teachers of all levels are welcome, including advanced jazz players and those with no improvisation training. Teen, adult, professional and amateur are all welcome.

Location:

Compagnie Albertine

Route de Genève 46

1004 Lausanne

Switzerland

Tuition:

500 CHF 

Schedule:

Benefits:

1. 1. Become creatively self-expressed and develop your musical voice.

1. 1. Internalize harmony on your instrument

1. 1. Become fluent in contemporary styles so you can jam with musicians outside of classical music.

1. 1. Be able to use amplification and effects.

1. 1. Get gigs and expand career opportunities

1. 1. Teachers: Gain age-appropriate sequences to share with students

1. Gain comfort in improvisation, composition, and arranging.

Detailed Curriculum:

Improvisation, Contemporary Styles, and Related subjects for classically trained string players.

• Also see online curriculum, school visits, and other multi-day workshops.

Tonal Improvisation, Arranging, and Composition

Through a series of interactive exercises, participants will learn how to create functional melodies over chord progressions.

Improvisation and composition are demystified as we discover how to construct melodies, bass lines, and accompaniment parts. 

Participants will improvise over chord progressions in a wide variety of styles.

* This session integrates composition, voice leading, arranging, contemporary styles/techniques, and tonal improvisation.

Amplification, Looping, & Effects In The Classroom, Practice Room, & Stage

Short/description: This session presents an overview of how to use loops and effects as a tool for teaching, practice, and performance. Gain insights into how to create loops and how to go beyond the basics.

Related Video:

Blues, as a historical and cultural phenomenon

As a literary form

As a musical form – Harmonically/Melodically/Rhythmically, in many iterations

The practice of combining the major and minor pentatonic and/or blues scales

Examining how bass lines and inner voice patterns show up in common iterations of 12 bar blues, and various common rhythmic/dance forms.

Free Improvisation and Non-Tonal Composition

Participants will compose in small groups using “composition games.” During this interactive session you will feel empowered to perform your compositions and apply what you learned in your daily practice or teaching.

Conducted Group Improvisation

Using cue cards and a system of hand signals, Christian teaches and leads conduction of large group improvisation.  Engage in call and response, looping, vamps, modal grooves, occasional musical chaos.

Participants can also conduct the ensemble!

Conduction is a popular practice among contemporary ensembles worldwide, including small groups and even orchestras.

Christian’s approach to conduction borrows from a variety of sources and caters to the skill set of classically trained string players.

Modal approach to improvisation:  Advanced and/or Intermediate.  How to apply a modal approach as an improviser, arranger, or composer.

Internalizing Harmony on the Violin, Viola, and Cello 

Applying harmony on violin, viola, and cello. Including voice leading arpeggios, scales, and double stops and triple stops. Internalizing chord progressions via bass line, inner voices, and sequential patterns.  

Music Business – 

The Music Biz Mastermind seminar is based on the program Christian has used to help many professional musicians attract more projects, gigs, students, and clients, as detailed in testimonials from graduates HERE.

Partners: Compagnie Albertine, EJMA, Red Sun Prod.

Creative Strings is a non-profit cultural organization with a mission to support and transform music education through outreach, summer conference, and online curriculum.