Stella Maris
New member
I lack a bit of ideas in improvisation. I often develop some choral theme in Bach's style during church masses, modifying the rythm or the structure or the tonality, turning minor to major, or mixing several chorals-parts together, playing the choral-theme a certain interval higher or lower ... But it still seems to me I'm turning around. Whant else could I do? How do you improvise? What are your bases, your sources of inspiration?
I once participated in a master-class using completeley different style - the played without any care for harmony or nice sound. As a source of inspiration, they used some impressionist painter's work, or some strange phrase, or a modal harmony theme. It was quite funny, there where some people playing with their whole arm and elbows and seemed to forget everything around them. The teacher instructed his pupils in this way: "Imagine a dialogue between this little bird and the girl! What does the bird say her? How does she react?" And the player had to "explain" it on the organ. The result was very open-minded and modern, but rather hard for listeners ears.
If you have any good ideas how to improvise, I would be glad to read them!
I once participated in a master-class using completeley different style - the played without any care for harmony or nice sound. As a source of inspiration, they used some impressionist painter's work, or some strange phrase, or a modal harmony theme. It was quite funny, there where some people playing with their whole arm and elbows and seemed to forget everything around them. The teacher instructed his pupils in this way: "Imagine a dialogue between this little bird and the girl! What does the bird say her? How does she react?" And the player had to "explain" it on the organ. The result was very open-minded and modern, but rather hard for listeners ears.
If you have any good ideas how to improvise, I would be glad to read them!