7 Steps to Playing a "Feel Good" Improvisation on Piano
Do you like the idea of being able to sit down at the piano and having fun improvising?
How do you make your playing sound better and more impressive?
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, this step-by-step guide will help you build a simple piano riff into something that sounds truly impressive!
n this lesson, I'll take you through 7 methodical steps to enhance your playing, adding depth, rhythm, and style. Plus, I’ll show you how to use these techniques to create some really cool improvisations.
The best part? You can start at Step 1, practice it until you're comfortable, and then move on to the next stage when you're ready. Let's get started!
Step 1: Get Comfortable with the Basic Riff
Start with a simple, easy-to-play riff. We're going to use Feeling Good for inspiration. Keep it slow and steady, making sure your fingers are relaxed. Focus on playing it consistently and confidently before moving on.
Step 2: Left-Hand Depth
Once you're comfortable with the riff, introduce an octave note in the left-hand notes to add depth. This complements your right-hand chords, creating a fuller sound.
Step 3: Let's Add Some More Rhythm
In the previous steps we were playing once in your left for every six chords in your right. Now we're going to add more rhythm in the left hand by doubling it up, playing on the first and fourth beats. This will also help with the more advanced left hand that's introduced in the final step.
Step 4: The A Minor Blues Scale
Now we've got a good foundation we can introduce a scale to improvise with. Specifically the A Minor Blues Scale. Practise it slowly at first, making sure you are playing it smoothly without stops. Then you can slowly build up the speed.
Once you've got full control you can try playing two octaves of the scale.
Start Improvising
At this stage, you've built a strong foundation, and you can begin to chop and change between the previous steps. Experiment with different note variations, rhythms, and patterns. If improvising feels tricky, don't worry—stick with practicing the steps exactly as shown until you feel more confident.
Step 5: Start Improvising
To add more power to your right hand you can play the scale using octaves. Practise the following exercise until you feel comfortable with it, then you can try improvising with the octave scale as well.
Step 6: Let's Add Some Speed
Now you can try adding some speed by playing the scale in the right hand twice as fast using sixteenth notes.
Then you can try playing the scale going up and down two octaves.
Once you've got full control over the scale using sixteenth notes along with the left hand you can start to incorporate it into your improvising. You try adding elements like grace notes, or a swing feel to give your playing a real bluesy edge. These small tweaks can make a huge difference in how expressive your playing sounds.
Step 7: A Jumping Left Hand
This final step is quite tricky as it involves jumping from the low octave up to chords in between. Practise on it's own until you know it off by heart, then you can introduce the right hand back in. Start off by adding the chords, then practising the scales on top. Once you're comfortable with this you can play around with improvising with the scale again.
Once you've mastered all seven steps, the real fun begins! You can mix and match the different steps and play around with different rhythms and melodies in your right hand to create your own unique improvisations.
You can watch the full video version of this lesson here:
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