Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Improvisation in the classical style

Hi, does someone know a method or book to learn to improvise in the classical style??

I am reading

A Guide to Non-Jazz Improvisation by Dick Weissman & Dan Fox
The Piano Improvisation Handbook by Carl Humphries

These should give you the basics. After that you will want to dig into details on harmony, counterpoint, modes, or others things that are mentioned in the book.

Or you can start with any of them on the level that you are most comfortable with and then go deeper. At the same time listen and see if you can point out what others are using.

You will have to go through them for a few cycles and then they will get in and become part of you.

I would add that it would be very halpful to continue studying the (piano) works of Haydn, Mozart, Clementi et al., and absorb their style of writing as much as possible.

Regards,

As with any type of improvising, don't neglect "listen and copy". It's hard work but it's worth it. Choose good people to copy!

As my friend Gyro always says, why not just sit down and 'dig in?'

There was actually a substantial article in the Wall Street Journal recently about Robert Levin, who specializes in classical improvisation. It was very interesting, although slightly marred by the writer's reference to Mozart having performed his works on the clavichord and the modern piano having a five octave range.

Here's a link. I hope it works:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...176.html?KEYWORDS=robert+levin#printMode

make music in your head and translate it the piano,

don't make music with chords and counterpoint in your mind. You need to be very skilled in theory though

which other books are good for this improvsaiton style?