The ability to invent and hear mentally a lick that would fit with the underlying harmony and quickly recognize the notes that lick contains so they can play it.

Dear Kirk

Firstly, thank you very much for your answer. Yes, in a certain sense, I agree with you. However, my question is, as it were, more "concrete". In other terms, how can a student succeed in achieving such an ability ("the ability to invent and hear mentally a lick that would fit with the underlying harmony [...]")? What is the first notion a beginner should learn, in your opinion, in order to start "speaking the language"? Triads? Foundamental Scales (Ionian, Dorian, Mixolydian, Locrian)? The recognition of the lead notes of a melody? Once again, thank you.

Playing the chords for a tune as arpeggios in several typical keys, then departing slowly from that chord structure. A helpful preparatory step is playing tunes simply by ear, in several typical keys.

then adding embellishments that move more and more from the original.

Dear Thomas

Thank you very much for your answer. Actually, when I started improvising, I exploited a technique very similar to the one you describe in your interesting answer. More precisely, after having learned to play the fundamental chords (Kelly-Evans and Mehegan positions), I started building permutations exclusively based upon the notes that constitute the chords. Currently, I'm suggesting a different approach. Firstly, once considered a particular harmonic progression, the student must be able to master the corresponding triads. Then, a first enrichment phase starts, carried out by resorting to the concept of "approach" to the "chordal notes" (the notes that constitute the triads). The approach is chromatic in the ascending motion, diatonic in the descending one. Then, further tensions can be considered, starting from the seventh, as you can easily imagine. Once again, thank you very much!

An interesting question!

A few processes have already been mentioned above, some covering motor sensory, audiative, imaginative and planning learning (see de Bruin 2015). But, you ask a first concept. I think this should be , what does the student want to say? This is greatly shaped by socio-cultural ifluences- teachers, peers, ensembles, exemplars and models foisted upon the student. We can enculturate students into assimilating specifics of vocabulary through music materials(scales, chords etc), and the cliches that go with that. We also need to cultivate a creative mindset of establishing and developing ones own ideas, and deriving value and satisfaction from these- no just aping a transcription

Thank you very much, Dear Leon.

Yes, the message the improviser want to convey ["What does the student want to say?"] is absolutely fundamental! Nonetheless, a student who starts learning a new language (English, for example) is perfetcly able to formulate a thought in his/her own language. The student, however, is asked to "translate" the message. The main difficulty, as we know, does not lie in conceiving a message, but rather in conveying it by resorting to a different language. The question is: what is the first notion the student should start exploiting in order to translate and convey the message he/she has conceived? Obviously, we can suppose that he/she "is already able to sufficiently master his/her instrument and concretely understand the meaning of a simple harmonic progression". Once again, thank you very much!

Since much of traditional jazz harmony is based on Tin Pan Alley (standards repertoire), understanding how tensions behave and sound may be useful. But I think the ability to listen is paramount to my mind, so that the improviser is able to respond quickly to unforeseen events without panicking unduly. Knowing typical forms (AABA, blues, what have you) through immersive listening, sympathy for the soloist, love and respect for the music, a long list ... Great topic, hope this two cents worth helps in some way.

Dear Marc

Thank you very much for your answer. Yes, the capability of understanding how to effectively deal with (harmonic and melodic) tensions is fundamental, without any doubt. As for the listening, I agree with you. However, in my opinion, the listening should be carried out with a reasonable awareness: otherwise, we run the risk of emulating what we've listened to, without achieving the capability of trasferring the thoughts (messages) we formulate. It's as if I memorized an enchanting poetry in English, just to provide an example, without knowing its meaning. The question is: what is the first "element" a student should be able to manage in order to "tell an original story" upon a harmonic structure (Rhythm Changes, Blues)? As for the so-called interplay ("sympathy for the soloist" and for all the musicians of the band, as well as, in a certain sense, for the audience), I completely agree with you. "Love and respect for the music": net of our (useful) speculations, this is the key. You're right. Once again, thank you very much.

To me, as a guitarrist, the base concept to deal with in order to improvise is getting awareness of the note you play, that is to sing that note and know what is its name (not the grade respect the harmony).

Dear Enrico

Thank you very much for your answer. Yes, an improviser should be perfectly aware of the notes he/she is playing. In my opinion, however, your approach leads the musician to exclusively "play by ear". To be sincere, I'm not used to singing during my improvisations (I'm well aware of the fact that many jazz musicians are in the habit of doing it). Nonetheless, I'm surely cabable to sing (maybe slightly off-key!) what I want to play. To be precise, before starting improvising on a new harmonic progression, I'm used to mentally build a couple of choruses, exclusively singing some fundamental "word" and "sentences". Once again, thank you for your answer.

What is your instrument? For a guitarist it is not so obvious know the name of the note at the moment is played. When you know the name, you know if that note is in key or not, what tension is creating to the harmony ...

I feel it is very difficult to me to be in time when pose attention on that aspects, but it is crucial. I am not saying that you don't have to study patterns or leaks, but the key point is be aware of what you play. The sing can be a pre-verbal step, the label of that note is the higher conceptualization. All this must be done in time during playing, feeling the rhythm.

Dear Enrico

I'm a pianist. The sole "name of the note" does not allow to determine whether the note in question is suitable for a particular chord (Otherwise, we would be forced to admit that the harmonic analysis is completely unusefull!). Personally, I'm not used to resorting to patterns: net of some "public domain" sentences, in fact, I build my "language" upon triads. I wrote several explicative papers concerning my improvisation method: I would be very grateful if you could take a look at my articles. Thank you!

Have you ever heard of the cantus tradition within Western plainsong? It teaches the modes based on characteristic melodic patterns as opposed to teaching them through explaining the octave species only. Some sort of permutation of this would be optimal, in my opinion. The student must become acquainted with what is idiomatic and what would fit the piece of music historically. Thus, even though the student is forming his/her own ideas according to the chordal theory or key of the particular piece, he/she will potentially fall far short of their mark because there is no firm grasp on what fits in terms of the style one is aiming for.

Dear Lars

Firstly, thank you for your answer. "Have you ever heard of the cantus tradition within Western plainsong?" - Yes (in particular, I studied and analised some Gregorian chants several years ago). In my question, however, "I'm exclusively referring to jazz improvisation". Once again, thank you!

Carmine, sure. But why not make a parallel here? Isn't is just as important to play idiomatically in Jazz as it is to sing idiomatically in plainsong?

Dear Lars

Firstly, thanks for the attention you've paid to my question. Obviously, we could find similarities between whatever kind of improvised music [suffice it to think that Bach, just to provide an example, was (also) a superb improviser, perfectly able to build fugues and counterpoints "in real time"]. In my question, I explicitly refer to jazz improvisation because, fundamentally, the traditional jazz music (in particular Be-Bop and, in a certain measure, Hard-Bop) is characterized by specific harmonic rules. Jazz harmony, as you know, is deeply different from the one that characterizes the Gregorian chants. Once again, thank you!

Carmine:

Of course the theory behind plainsong and Jazz is worlds apart, but that doesn't mean the idea of learning to play idiomatically is not a way to find something the two styles have in common. For example, one could propose that learning to play arpeggios of all the chords in a jazz chord progression is the first step in improvisation. This is logical theoretically speaking, but does not offer much in the way of idiom. If a student is trying to learn to play jazz, he or she is (in my opinion!) better off starting with a characteristic lick rather than laboring through theory-based exercises such as arpeggios and scales. It is definitely necessary that a student understand and be able to play arpeggios, scales, etc., but that is not the essence of the jazz language (or the language of plainsong, or Baroque music, or whatever). Especially since a large part of jazz is auro-oral, and is largely based on playing what one hears internally, it is of the utmost importance than students start with short licks that are intelligible in the context of a typical piece of music, as opposed to memorizing octave species, chord extensions, etc. One good example of this would be just to learn the first lick of "Tenor Madness," and move on from there. Once the lick is comfortable for the student in an auro-oral context, the teacher may begin to explain the different scale degrees utilized over the different chords, etc., and how the melody fits with the harmony. In fact, modal jazz (i.e., jazz music that stays on one harmony for extended periods of time) could be useful in this context. After some typical patterns are comfortable over a single harmony, students can begin to learn what to do over complex changes.

Lars

Dear Lars

Thanks for your answer. In my opinion, at the beginning it's not advisable to memorize idiomatic patterns. It's very risky. As far as I'm concerned, a student should firstly achieve a reasonable awareness concerning at least triads. When the student is able to consciously improvise by exclusively resorting to triads (the branches of the tree with which we could identify the improvisation), he/she can start enriching his/her language by exploiting fundamental tensions (the fruits produced by the tree) and approach notes (the leaves stuck to the branches). Actually, to be sincere, I think that this concept may be exploited in order to start learning whatever language [(tonic, mediant, dominant) identified with (subject, complement, verb)]. Anyway, take a quick look at this very interesting video. Thank you Lars!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEHWaGuurUk

Why is it risky? Shouldn't we all be guided by what is memorable, and what is singable? Imagine singing an entire 32-bar chorus of triads. If you want to bring spoken or written language into the discussion, I would say my position is reinforced in this case. After all, it tends to be quite a long time (forever, in some cases) before people who are able to speak learn proper grammar and syntax. Should everyone start teaching babies the theory of subjects, verbs, objects, and complements before they learn to pronounce useful phrases and express themselves through speech? This might be applicable to some of today's foreign-language classes, where, mistakenly in my opinion, students spend too much time writing and not enough time speaking.

Dear Lars

Obviously, children start speaking without knowing grammar and syntax. The learning mechanisms, however, undergo considerable variations with the passing of time. For this reason, net of some very rare exceptions, no one can flawlessly emulate a real native speaker. A child starts walking and running. However, he/she is surely unable to determine the position of his/her center of mass. A child cannot solve the equations of the motion: nonetheless, he/she succeeds in moving. Very simply, a child qualitatively builds his/her own rules by acting like some sort of neuro-fuzzy system. When the child grows up, the learning strategies change. Returning to the main topic, I deal with a beginner, in a certain measure, as if he/she were a child. Exactly for this reason I'm used to resorting to triads. First step: the tonic represents an elementary word ("Cat", for example). The student achieves the capability of playing the roots ("What is this?" - "It's a cat!"). Second step: the dominant could represent the verb ("Drink", for example). The student achieves the capability of combining subject and verb ("What is the cat doing?" - "The cat is drinking!"). Third step: the mediant could represent the object ("Milk", for example). The student achieves the capability of building an elementary sentence ("The cat is drinking milk!"). As for your statement "students spend too much time writing and not enough time speaking", I completely agree with you. Thank you Lars!

Dear Carmine I don't want to be arrogant but these kind of open questions lead to be so easely misunderstood and the same appen to all the answers that don't remark your existing opinion (culture) on that subject. I think your question lives inside whoever loves music and everyone has different thoughts, even if at the end many share similar insights. Now I was walking, playing on a mobile keyboard app, simply to have fun, with iReal PRO playing as a background comping in my earpods. I knew what i played, of course I didn't play only by ear, and I am really serius to say that for me a good starting point in order to improvise is to be in sync with the music you play, and start leaving your thoughts have the same rhythm, to feel joy by your music. This sentence can be judged so silly, but you know we are sharing opinions on a so misterious topic, hope you can catch the idea behind.

Dear Enrico

You are not arrogant, and your last sentence, in my opinion, is not silly! Don't worry: I perfectly understand your point of view. Thank you for your answer!

Dear Nick

Thank you very much for your answer. Great method, in my opinion. I'm used to asking my students to compose and memorize three choruses, without writing anything. The choruses are basically built by taking into consideration the notions recently acquired. Then, they are allowed to mix the choruses (both in their entirety and by extracting short fragments) with the real improvisation. Thank you!

Dear Luciano

Firstly, thank you very much for your valuable contribution to the discussion. Yes, I agree with you: on the one hand, the improviser should get used to quickly drafting an improvisation lay-out, as it were; on the other hand, he/she should develop a reasonable capability to predict the evolution of the music scenario, so as to possibly modify the above-mentioned lay-out in real time. Once again, thank you!

Dear Carmine,

When I first learned to improvise (and when I teach it) I tend to limit the harmonic (tonal) vocabulary to a pair of triads: T and D. I see this pair of triads as the rungs on a set of monkey bars or jungle gym. One should be able to negotiate the handholds, so to speak. This affords a budding improvisor the latitude to be creative, and does so within creative and technical constraints; I tend to favor an approach that introduces 1:1, 2:1, 4:1 improvisations (drawn from Salzer and Shachter's Counterpoint in Composition structure) at first to introduce concepts of dissonance, passing/neighbor tones, as a means of tying melody and harmony. The goal is not to introduce limitless freedom, but to foster a manageable environment where a student can succeed.

After learning these pairs in several keys (+/- 4 accidentals, though ideally all keys should be learned), and in both major and minor contexts, I introduce the interpolation of PD harmonies. This approach leads toward the mastery of the II-V-I progression (which as you'll likely agree is a cornerstone of much of the Jazz repertoire).

At its essence, though, is an approach which fosters the notion of a "tonal playground" that has navigable, manageable goals in a safe, controlled environment.

Best,