Organ Improvisation: Tips For DON'T MISS A

Improvising in Free Forms THING! FREE

SECRETS
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creativity but you don't know how to Your email address
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achieve this? Flex your fantasy with free
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Set aside a period of time, like 10-15

minutes and play anything that comes to
mind. By anything, I mean anything. This is
scary, though. You might be thinking: if I
can play anything, where do I start?
Photo by Edgaras
First of all, by free improvisation I don't Kurauskas

mean you should play random notes and Would you like to say
"Thank You" to us?
see what happens (although you could try
and see if you like it). Instead, your
Buy Us Coffee.
improvisation should have and idea or a
theme.
Authors
Do not let your fingers dictate your playing

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 but let your mind always come first. In
Drs. Vidas
other words, your improvisation should
only be as fast or as slow as your musical Pinkevicius and
thinking is. This skill of course can be
Ausra
trained and developed so you can think
faster. It just comes from experience - the Motuzaite-
more you improvise, the faster you will
Pinkeviciene
think.
Organists of Vilnius
University , creators of
So going back to the question of your free
Secrets of Organ
improvisation, choose a theme or a melody
Playing.
of 4 measures long. It is better if the theme
is incomplete - the melody should end on
Don't have an organ at
the different pitch than the tonic note. We
home?
will call it "the question". Download
paper manuals and pedals,
Now think of the form of your print them out, cut the
improvisation. This point is crucial, if you white spaces, tape the
sheets together and you'll be
want your composition be understandable
ready to practice anywhere
(yes, improvising is composing while you
where is a desk and floor.
play) and it should have beginning, middle, Make sure you have a higher
and end. Otherwise, your playing will be chair.
like endless speech without limits and
meaning. RSS Feed

One of the easiest musical forms to

understand and master is the ternary or
ABA form. Part A is the exposition of the
theme, Part B is the exposition of a
secondary theme and Part A is the
recapitulation of the first exposition.

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 In Part A, you can play your question and
provide an answer to it (measures 5-8). One
of the easiest ways to achieve this is by
repeating the question and ending it with a
perfect cadence (on the tonic note of the
scale).

Then take the theme and play it in the

Dominant key by placing it in the tenor
voice. Again, use the question and answer
technique (measures 9-16). After that
return to the home key by playing exact or
varied recapitulation of the first segment
(measures 17-24).

In Part B (measures 25-48), choose a

contrasting but closely related key and take
another theme, perhaps in another mode.
Repeat the process you have done in Part A
as well.

In recapitulation (measures 49-72), you can

repeat Part A exactly as it is, or you can
alter it a little for more variety. Some of the
best ways to achieve this is by taking the
rhythmical figures from the
accompaniment of part B and using them
in your recapitulation.

You can also remind the listeners of the

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 secondary theme by playing it with the
answer at the very end (measures 73-80). If
you like contrapuntal techniques, try
playing your theme in canon at the interval
of an octave, fourth or fifth.

Always think in terms of chords when you

create the other voices in your
improvisation. In fact, you can even
harmonize your melody in 4 parts
throughout the piece for starters. Observe
proper voice leading and avoid parallel
octaves and fifths.

In order to make things simple in the

beginning, use only 3 or 4 note chords at
first: Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant triads
and their inversions, Dominant seventh
chord and its inversions. If you know other
more complex chords, feel free to add them
in your improvisation as well.

Use the above points and try to improvise

on the organ today. Don't forget to study
real compositions of your favorite
composers. Do not be afraid to imitate
them. As you improvise, I'm sure you will
have much fun in the process.

While analyzing your improvisations, you

will also discover your weak points.

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 Remember these, go back, and correct your
difficult places. You will also find some
spots which were successful. Remember
these because you can use similar
techniques in your future improvisations.
You can also write down your
improvisations and convert them into real
compositions.

By the way, do you want to learn my special

powerful techniques which help me to
master any piece of organ music up to 10
times faster? If so, download my FREE
Organ Practice Guide.

Or if you really want to learn to play any

organ composition at sight fluently and
without mistakes while working only 15
minutes a day, check out my systematic
master course in Organ Sight-Reading.

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