Author Description

We have all read of the amazing improvisational accomplishments of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Liszt, to name only a few of the giants of the past. But what of the eighteenth-century instrumentalist who improvised the cadenza to the concerto he was performing, the church organist who had to improvise during portions of the service, the keyboard player who had only a figured bass part as a guide to his performance, and the operatic singer who was expected to improvise embellishments during the course of an aria? What has happened to the lost art of improvisation? Improvisation Through Keyboard Harmony deals with this very problem. To show how to succeed at the keyboard with the harmonic language of the past, the student is first led through the steps for harmonizing simple melodies with only the tonic and dominant chords. This is followed with melodic lines requiring the use of a larger harmonic vocabulary and more sophisticated accompaniment patterns. The final chapter deals entirely with extended improvisation in a wide variety of musical styles. The material also guides the musician in using figured bass and jazz notation as additional tools for improvisation. Basically this book helps the student to "play by ear" through developing one of the most gratifying skills of practical musicianship - improvisation.