If you’re paying attention while improvising, you’ve got the makings of your next song.
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In a way, everything we write is the product of improvisation. We toss ideas around in our mind, try some things out on guitar or keyboard, and create melodies that get quickly modified, thrown out, and maybe even resurrected. And eventually, we’ve got the makings of something that we call our next song. We don’t tend to think of that very normal way of working as improvisation, but in all the ways that matter, it is.
Improvising, by most definitions you’ll find, is the act of creating something with essentially little or no predetermination. An integral characteristic of improvisation is the attempt to make something sound like a completed product even as it’s being produced.
So while you could argue that a lot of what you do already in your typical songwriting process amounts to your own personal version of improvisation, there is merit to formalizing the process a bit more, and devising some improvisation exercises. And those exercises, if you’re paying attention while doing them, can result in your next song.
So here is a short list of improvising ideas that can help you create short musical fragments, fragments that can become the building blocks of your next song. The ideas work best when trying them with one or two other songwriters. That kind of partnership can really boost the creative possibilities.
- Chord Progressions. Improvising chord progressions come with its own set of difficulties, because progressions in tonal music (i.e., music in a key) usually need to work in a certain way in order to be at all effective. But try this: Play a short 2- or 3-chord sequence (such as C G Am). Get another improviser to either repeat it or change it, and then it comes back to you. You either repeat what you just heard, or modify it in some way. For example, you might play C Bb Am. Make note of anything that seems usable.
- Melodies. Take one of the chord progressions that you’ve created in the first step, and hum a 3- or 4-note melody. As you repeat the chords, repeat the melodic fragment. Pass it over to your songwriting partner, who modifies the melody. If nothing occurs to your partner, they should simply repeat what they’ve just heard. When it gets passed back to you, repeat or modify. It can be fun, but more importantly, you’ll eventually stumble on something that sounds really great, and quite usable in your next song. Another idea: keep repeating the same melodic fragment, and modify the chords underneath.
- Lyrics. Sit with a partner, say a short sentence or phrase in rhythm. Your partner then answers it with a creation of their own, passing it back to you. If you can’t create anything, try repeating, or create nonsense words and sounds to keep the rhythm going.
- Combine ideas. Once you’ve become a seasoned improviser, try combining any or all of the ideas above. The fun is in the mess that usually occurs!
What these exercises do, more than anything, is get your brain thinking creatively. Much of what you invent with these exercises will not be usable, but your brain benefits by tapping into your creative side, forcing you to work quickly. It will feel difficult at first, but don’t worry. It gets easier, and in many ways, it doesn’t really matter how hard it is to improvise. The benefits always outweigh the difficulties.
And just one reminder: If your improvising sessions lead to the creation of a song, always share songwriting credit with your improvising partner(s). Even if you think that you’ve done the most creating of original material, it’s important to acknowledge that your ideas may likely have come from the session itself, not just your own musical brain.
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