Piano improvisation: The rules give us freedom

"Learn everything, then forget it all." - Charlie Parker

"Don't play what's there, play what's not there." - Miles Davis

"It has been said that the best improvised music sounds composed, and that the best composed music sounds improvised." -- www.apassion4jazz.net

Would you like to learn to play a song on the piano?  I am trying to understand something about piano improvisation.  We can work on these together.

The first thing to understand is that music is built on  mathematics. Let’s take the major scale of C.  Think of the note C as 1, D as 2, E as 3, and so on.  So what we learned in school as Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do can also be thought of as 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1.  Now let’s try to understand what a chord is.  A triad chord can be thought of as 1-3-5, or three notes that skip one note in between.  In the key of C, the C chord would be 1-3-5, or C-E-G.  The next chord over top of D would be 2-4-6, or D-F-A. The third chord would be 3-5-7, or E-G-B, and so on.  Now let’s have a look at these triads as you would see them on staff paper.

You will notice that the first, fourth, and fifth chords are major, the second, third, and sixth chords are minor, and the seventh chord is diminished.  Now let's see how these chords would look for both major and minor keys.

Would you like to learn how to play a song on piano very quickly?  Look at the first chord in the major scale.  That’s a C chord.  Play that on the piano.  It looks like this:

Now be clever and find the G note, then play the G chord:

With those two chords, you should now be able to play this easy song.  Just play the chords you learned and sing along.  The chords are written over top:

Oh, you're playing piano now?  Good for you.  Everyone should be able to play something.

Now let me get back to my issue.  I am working on improvisation.  This means knowing what to play over certain chords in a song. Here is an interesting link about improvising over chords.  When I’m playing a C chord or the Am chord, I can safely play the notes C, D, E, G, A.  With F or Dm, I can play F, G, A, C, D.  When I’m playing G or Em, I can play G, A, B, D, E.  With G7, I can play G, A, B, C, D, E, F.  On any of the triads in the scale, I can play the corresponding modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aolian, or Locrian).

Now, it is one thing to understand all this theory for improvisation, but it is another thing to make it happen. In theory if you understand the “rules” and are not afraid to experiment, you will eventually find that you can have freedom to explore and improvise within those boundaries.  When we see and hear someone who has great freedom in improvisation, it is very likely because they understand in some way the mathematics of the game.  Check out this page for more on jazz improvisation methods:  http://www.apassion4jazz.net/improv2.html.

When you get practiced up, see what you can do with this.  Have fun!

Here's another good link for you!  http://www.jazzstandards.com/index.html

Thanks for the Music: All of You

[You know who "you" are, but you can always reference the list at the bottom.]

I would like to thank you.  Something compelled you to do it.  You taught me the definition of legato and staccato.  You led my junior high choir (1).  You sang beautiful solos and duets and trios in church (2). You showed me how powerful worship music can be (3). You coached me and let me sing my first solos in public (4). You bought me my first guitar (5). You gave me my first guitar lesson (6). You led as I sang in my first big church choir (7).

Thanks so much.  You were so much fun as you led our college choir, and took me on my first choir tours (8). You taught me music theory and piano (which I never mastered, not your fault) (9). You taught me classical guitar (10).

You deserve credit.  You were the first “real” choir I joined, where I learned major classical pieces like Mozart’s Requiem, and enjoyed beautiful musical moments (11).  You led this wonderful choir, and let me sing Handel’s Messiah first as a bass and another year as a tenor (12).

And thanks for your help as I went solo.  You gave me my first solo gig as a weekly strolling guitarist on a mountain in Tennessee (13). You didn’t tell me I was crazy (though you must have thought it) when I went down to Florida to try to find opportunities to play music (14). 

And you were there when I was on the move.  I sang with you when I was working in northern Virginia (15). This was a rather quiet period.

But my thanks continue.  You were my favorite choir director, and you taught me subtlety in music (16).  You were so much fun to be with, and you learned the difficult parts and blended and made a wonderful sound (17). You opened up the world of early music, and you taught me that good singing was all in the easy release (18). You showed me that there was more than one choir director who knew how to finesse and shape the music, and you were the best organist I have ever met (19). 

And thanks for the great times!  You were the first guitarist I worked with, you showed me what it was like to rock the joint, and you worked the open mics with me (20).  You taught me the music of Buddy Holly and The Beatles, and you showed me what it’s like to exercise discipline in learning your favorite music (21). You showed how to make excellent recordings, and you stirred together your music and social and family life in a great way (22). You knew every song ever written, you could play them on anything with strings, and you sang them with reckless abandon (23). You taught me Bossa Nova chords and rhythm, and showed virtuoso skill on the guitar (24). You blindly played piano better than any sighted man I know, and taught me that it should all be about having fun (25).  You played banjo with your claw better than anyone I’ve seen (26).  You pulled the guitar off the wall and turned the room into a magical place (27).

Thanks for all you have done.  You learned the difficult parts.  You watched the choir director.  You took cues from the pianist.  You sang the old tunes (28). You jammed with the band.  You played by ear.  You read all the notes (29). You loved us through your music.  You touched our hearts and saved our souls. You taught me that music is common to all of life, that there is a “music of the spheres” that brings into symmetry all the disparate and confusing aspects of our troublesome existence.  You showed us that la musica es la vida, that we would be lost without it, that it blesses and enriches our lives in ways that could never be understood (30).

Thanks for the music.  My life would not be the same without you.  We are notes on a page, you and I, sometimes getting closer, sometimes stretching farther apart, and yet sounding out to form the harmonies of life.  Sometimes we echo nature, and sometimes nature echoes us.  The mathematics and the physics of music could be measured by scientific instruments, but those devices could never capture the true nature of the sounds that we hear and make.  We are instruments, you and I.  Thanks for making music with me.  And don’t you know, there’s so much more wonderful music ahead!

(1) Mrs. Irvine Parsons.  (2) Judy Smith. (3) The choir of Faith Baptist Church.  (4) Virginia “Aunt Ginny” Wright. (5) My parents. (6) A student at TSBC whose name I forgot. (7)  Lucky Shepherd.  (8) “Prof” Don Ogden.  (9) What was the music professor’s  name? (10) A professor from the English department.  (11) Texas Bach Choir. (12)  Dr. Finster.  (13) The lady at the bed and breakfast in Monteagle, TN. (14) My family. (15) Loudoun County Master Singers. (16) Kathleen Bird. (17) CTK choir. (18) Edmund Brownless. (19) Simon Harden. (20) Dan Carter. (21) Bob Crook. (22) Angus Foxley. (23) Paul Kachur. (24) Marcos Saback. (25) Jogi Kirschner. (26)  Don Lupo. (24)  Anita at Balalaika.  (28) All the singers.  (29) All the players. (30) All my fellow musicians and music lovers.

A Soldier's Story: "A Man of Honor"

My father served as an airplane engine repairman for 31 months, from 4 Jan, 1943 to 5 Nov, 1945.  His discharge document gives this summary:  “Repaired Cyclone, Pratt and Whitney , Aeronca, and Liberty engines in all types of planes.  Disassembled, cleaned, and replaced worn or defective parts.  Performed difficult and delicate repairs and adjustments of valve actuating and timing mechanisms."   He was a graduate of Embry-Riddle School of Aviation with six months (720 hours) of instruction.    He completed the course with 96%.  (Embry-Riddle is still one of the top aviation schools in the world, with notable alumni and service to the aeronautical industry.)  The discharge papers also tell about my father’s high school education, stating that he had five months (658 hours) of training in Aviation Engine Mechanics) at East High School Trade School.

In addition to his discharge papers, my father has an Army Air Forces Certificate of Appreciation for War Service signed by the Commanding General of the Army Air Forces, General Henry H. “Hap” Arnold.  I remember studying about Hap Arnold during my short time in the U.S. Air Force.  Hap Arnold was a legend, taught to fly by the Wright Brothers and one of the first military pilots worldwide.  The letter states:

"I cannot meet you personally to thank you for a job well done; nor can I hope to put in written words the great hope I have for your success in future life. 

Together we built the striking force that swept the Luftwaffe from the skies and broke the German power to resist.   The total might of that striking force was then unleashed upon the Japanese.  Although you no longer play an active military part, the contribution you made to the Air Forces was essential in making us the greatest team in the world.

The ties that bound us under stress of combat must not be broken in peacetime.  Together we share the responsibility for guarding our country in the air.  We who stay will never forget the part you have played while in uniform.  We know you will continue to play a comparable role as a civilian.  As our ways part, let me wish you God speed and the best of luck on your road in life.  Our gratitude and respect go with you."

Signed, H. Arnold

Following the war, my father continued his studies with the help of the GI Bill.  He earned a certificate  on 10 May, 1954, from International Correspondence Schools, Scranton, Pennsylvania, completing the following subjects:  Electrical Engineering, Division One, Mathematics, Mechanics, Electrical Principles, D-C Machines, A-C Currents, Alternators, A-C Motors, Transformers, Converters and Rectifiers, Motor Applications, Chemistry, Electric Heating, Furnaces,  Batteries, Electroplating, Measuring Instruments, Electron Tubes, Lighting Practice, Illumination, Electric Signs.  On 28 Feb, 1956, he earned a further certificate from International Correspondence Schools, completing:  Electrical Engineer, Division Two, Advanced Mathematics, Wiring, Switchgear, Electrical Distribution, Line Calculations, Electrical Machinery Operation, Voltage Regulation, Relays, Efficiency Tests, Electric Stations, Electrical Machine Design.  On 26 Jul, 1962 – 31 days after his sixth child was born – he received his Diploma from International Correspondence Schools, also called ICS. Completing this program of study was no small feat.  Wikipedia says of ICS:

“The dropout rates were high; only one in six made it past the first third of the material in a course. Only 2.6% of students who began a course finished it. The students dropped out because they overestimated the difficulty, had little encouragement, and had poor study habits.”

I’ve pieced together this soldier’s story from a few documents that have been scanned and are now residing on my computer.  One can see a lifetime in these documents, but I will elaborate somewhat.  My father, a child of the depression, studied a trade in high school that he later developed further and practiced in the Army Air Force, the forerunner of today’s U.S. Air Force.  After tech school, he traveled on a crowded ship to northern Africa,where the Desert Fox, German General Erwin Rommel waged his battles.  My father later went on to Italy, and I have a suspicion that there he know Joseph Heller, the author of the book Catch 22.  (Ask me and I’ll tell you why I think so.)  He saw Rome – I followed his footsteps a few years ago, noting the very spot where he stood in front of the Coliseum, where I explained my father’s story to a group of young choir singers. His mother -- my grandmother -- died before he returned from the war.

After the war, my father met the challenge and expectations of Hap Arnold.  He contributed.  He had success.  He had a comparable role in civilian life.  My father provided for a wife and six children, worked tirelessly in community and fraternal organizations, and finally retired after 32 years as an electrician.  His children and grandchildren know that he was the rock or our family, and we remember him as a great example.  At my father’s funeral, my brother gave a fitting eulogy.  He summed up our father’s life with these simple words:  “He was a man of honor.”

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never"

What does it mean to persist?  Merriam-Webster says that it is “to go on resolutely or stubbornly in spite of opposition, importunity, or warning”.  To be persistent is to continue “for a long or longer than usual time”, as:  “We were nagged by a persistent salesman.”  Persistence is “the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people”.

Now that I have established this framework for meaning, let’s see what examples I can find for the quality of persistence.  The first that comes to mind – probably for you too – is the story of Thomas Edison and the light bulb.  The common belief is that he invented it, but his contribution was improving the light bulb so that it would be commercially viable.  He was reported to have said, "I have not failed 10,000 times. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work."

Another story that comes to mind is that of the tortoise and the hare.  This is one of Aesop’s fables, and the lesson is clear:  those who remain focused and persevere will win the race.  Those who become idle and distracted will lose.  It is a good illustration to remind us to stay in the race.

I can think of stories from my life.  In 2012, I followed a fitness and nutrition program over six weeks and dropped 25 pounds.  I was focused, determined, and most of all, persistent.  (I need to find this focus again.)  I can remember work and school projects that seemed insurmountable.  But constant and persistent focus would eventually bring me to a successful end.  And I have many goals that I am working toward in my life.  Others may not understand them. And yet I carry on.

Every day we are faced with obstacles that hinder our path.  We face failures and setbacks.  Things don’t go our way.  We are reminded by others  – sometimes very subtly -- of our shortcomings and limited success.  We see our goals in the distance, and we have a vision of achieving them. But they seem somehow out of reach.

Life is a struggle.  Those things that would hold us back should be seen in the light of the strengths that we know that we possess within ourselves.  It could be that no one else shares the vision, no one else is aware of the internal strength, no one else seems to support us. It is during these times that we draw deeply from the wells of our personal courage, ignore the naysayers, and –-

PERSIST!

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

    -- Winston Churchill

Thoughts from the Ivory Tower

Music is a way to connect to people.  There have been countless times that I have lingered in a social situation, keeping my thoughts to myself, too aloof or disregarded to join the conversation – until I had the chance to sing.  Music can be an ice-breaker for me.  When I sing I am able to loosen up, to release energy, to reach out to people, and often it opens opportunities for new friendships and interesting conversations.  Music can alter the mood in a room and bring people together.

Writing helps me to connect in other ways, although it is often one-sided.  Sometimes I will write in my journal, and I am able to connect to my inner self in new ways.  Writing to others in emails is a way to connect to friends and family.  Poetry is a way to communicate vague ideas and deep emotions.  This blog is an attempt to reach out, to communicate.  Many times I feel vulnerable when writing for others.  I am often convinced that almost no one is interested in what I have to write, and ultimately, they are not interested in me.  And often I feel ignored.  I would almost rather be criticized than ignored.  I wonder if I should shout with a louder voice.

It almost seems weak to say that I would like to connect with others in writing and song – as if I need people.  If a tree falls in the wilderness, does anyone hear it?  I have much to express, and I believe that sometimes I can express it very well. I would be thrilled to have someone to reach out in this direction, to write something thoughtful and responsive and interesting back.  I read about the lives of great men of history and literature that they have written long and deliberative letters to acquaintances, and they – shock, shock – have received similar replies.

I perceive the world in a different way than I experience it.  I expect there to be interesting and serious discourse.  But I look around and see and hear crass culture:  on television, on the radio, in public places.  Maybe I should be in an ivory tower.  There I could write my letters and sing my songs and pass my days in reflection.  But it just wouldn’t be any fun to be in the ivory tower alone.

Music to Expand the Soul and Bless the Inner Life

I've made a breakthrough with my piano playing.  I've been working on jazz standards for 16 months with piano.  I had played basic chords for many years, but then last year I had two lessons from a friend of my sisters -- a very good pianist with a masters in piano performance -- and he helped me with piano voicings.  I wrote out the arrangements I would use for several songs, and developed a certain technique.  The aim was to keep the finger movements to a minimum, to keep everything tight.  I struggled through my first public performance last May (at the Balalaika), but I got through it.  Since starting this project, I've worked up over 100 standards, and I'm learning more every day.  I love it!  I've got plenty of songs by Rodgers and Hart, Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Jimmy Van Heusen, and others.  This is a real treasure trove of music!


So here's my breakthrough:  I had been plugging away on piano in my little room near Raleigh, NC, for several weeks.  And all of a sudden the other day I started moving up and down the keyboard on some piano solos.  Wow!  I try to keep everything in the chord, and definitely avoid going out of the key, and then go back to the melody notes from time to time, especially at the end of a phrase.  I figured that I could leave out the root from the right hand since I was playing it with the left.  And now I'm just amazed how this is working! After all these months, my fingers are finding the melody (I can remember how hard that was before) and playing notes around it.  And this is coming naturally.  I think it's a matter of time spent at the piano.

For those of you who have been improvising on your instrument for years, you may not think much of this.  And those of you who don't play at all may think that playing an instrument will be forever out of reach.  But I say that for all of us, learning musical skills is a way for us to improve our lives in so many different ways. The struggles bring out the best in us, and when we finally master some skill that has eluded us, we can bask in the joys of our newfound selves.

I really want to write books and sing songs all the time. I will keep spending time doing these things.  I wish I didn't have to worry about the money.  I have centered my life around making money for so many years, and despite the things that money has provided me, it has left me with a certain emptiness and longing. They say you only live once.  Why not a life filled with music?  As music expands and develops in our lives, so does our inner being. We grow with every new song, every improved skill, every development in sensibility.

My friend Marcos_Saback, an amazing guitarist now back in Brazil, talks about "la vida" as he drinks red wine.  La musica es la vida.  Let us raise our glasses, and allow the wonder of music to create a life of joy and beauty within our souls.

Slim Is In, Stout Is Out

I was slimmer last year, and it was all good.  I earned the privilege after losing 10% of my body weight in six weeks.  I was quite proud of myself.  I felt better about everything, and I didn't mind being seen. I was in a happier state. I think back to when this picture was taken: I was having a wonderful time with friends at the Frankfurt Art Bar in Frankfurt, Germany. My great friend Jogi, seated to my right, is a superb jazz pianist and a wonderful soul.  The young lady on my left is a Russian friend who just finished university and is great to be around.  And I was feeling groovy.  My social life was in full swing, and everything seemed to be in place.

Since then I have returned to my old habits -- and my previous shape.  All those good thoughts about myself are now only memories.  The social life is nowhere.  And I am back to square one.  No one wants to be negative.  But the feelings that I experience when I am in bad form are generally  negative.  The mind becomes dull, The body craves the sound nutrition that it deserves. The soul is listless and unwell.

It would be quite easy to remain in an undisciplined state, and unhappy with myself.  The only thing to be done is to return to the same disciplines that brought me to that happy moment. That's something to consider.

Resources:

• Fitday 
• The Aerobics Program For Total Well-Being: Exercise, Diet , And Emotional Balance by Dr. Kenneth Cooper  
• Meditation Oasis

Thinking and Growing

Last year I read the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.  For some reason I can't remember much about it.  I know that it was not just about making money, but about being successful.  I know that he extolled personal virtues like desire, faith, imagination, and persistence.  But it didn't really transform my life in the way that I had hoped. There was no great illumination or special inspiration that led me into a new way of life. I particularly appreciated the  way Hill had developed such a system, how he seemed to put everything in place, showing a certain discipline that is quite admirable.  But after the reading, I remained unchanged.

I do bear the opinion that our thinking does determine our destiny, at least in some way. Our lives can be helped or hindered by the quality of our thought lives.  Negative thinking can hold us back or lead us to isolation.  Confidence can have very positive effects.  But how can we train our minds to bring ourselves more success?  I have tried prayer, reading, meditation, conversation, and even logic exercises. And yet I have not become this person that I want to be in the inner life.

I did write a poem about thinking when I was in college.  It begins:

I thought a thought.
At least I think I thought a thought.
And the thought that I think I was thinking was 
A thoughtless thought I think.

But wait a minute....

As I rethink my thinking, I think a thoughtless thought
Could not be thought at all
If thoughtless thinking means I do not think.

And so it goes on in an endless circle.  I would like to think that I can Think and Grow rather than thinking in circles, endlessly filling journals with the same sort of musings that I have done since I was a youth, ever hopeful that I will fall upon some great life-changing truth or central principle around which to build a successful life.

I really would like to Think and Grow Rich.  But sometimes it seems that I just Think and Grow Tired.

Finding Balance: The Golden Mean

Aristotle himself

I consider myself a student of Aristotle.  At least, I have read Nichomachean Ethics, and I am enamored with this idea of finding the mean between the extremes of excess and deficiency.  I highly recommend the book and what it teaches.  I have the impression that in the classical world folks enjoyed a certain wisdom that is now long forgotten.  That's probably stretching it.  But there is much to be learned.

I am sure that much of my discontent stems from some combination of excesses or deficiencies as regards various practices.  I'd rather not provide details, but the most obvious one is regarding eating. Consider that getting excess calories, sodium and saturated fat and deficient potassium and vital nutrients will cause the body to be out of balance and out of shape.  The same principle could be applied to other areas of our lives, including pursuits of courage, friendliness, and truthfulness.  Have a look at the table here:  Aristotle's Table of Virtues and Vices.

I aspire to some Golden Mean of virtue that would yield for me The Good Life, also known as  happiness (Gk. eudaimonia - sometimes translated as "living well").  As I consider this, I would like to go back and study this again and see how these teachings may apply to my life.  Better to live the examined life, one that is within the bounds of one's own values, than to either live a life of excess or deficiency.

A Novel Suspended

I started a novel on January 28, 2013, and worked on it until March 5, 2013. I stopped in the middle of chapter eleven, thinking I needed to focus on other things more important. Now my characters remain frozen in place, gazing ahead, awaiting their next move. One fat man is holding a cup of expresso to his lips. A middle-aged character is staring at a young girl's legs, knowing it should only be a glance -- but he can't turn away. The bartender is amazed that the cocktail he is pouring remains as an arc between the mixer and the glass. Everyone is wondering what will happen next -- and when. Do you think it's time to continue writing?