Beginning Improvisation Using 3 Melody Notes Part 2: Creating a Bridge

Here is a transcript of the video if you would like to follow along:

Good morning. This is Duane, and this is Part 2 of the video that we started yesterday on beginning improvisation using just three chords and three melody notes to improvise a very simple song. And again, I emphasize this is beginning improvisation, so don’t get the idea that this is advanced stuff at all. It’s very, very simple stuff. We’re just using three notes and three cords. That’s all. However, yesterday we built a theme, a melody, which we call Section A. It went like this.
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And then we repeated that section A.
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And it occurred to me as we were doing that, all we needed was a bridge, a section B to complete a little improvised song. So we’re going to do that today. because the most used form in music is A, A, B, A, probably. In other words, the theme, then the theme repeated, and then a contrast, which we call the bridge, and then back to the theme. Okay? So this time let’s create a bridge. But I’ve got to keep it simple. So I’m going to keep the same right-hand notes. Okay? So in the left hand, the only thing new we’re going to do is we’re going to play the F chord, okay, in section B, and then go back to the D chord, then the E chord, and then home to the A chord. Okay? So here’s section B.
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That’s the F chord. Actually F major 7th chord. It’s the F chord, F, C, F, A, C. Yeah, it’s the 7th because I’m putting the 7th note of the chord right there. Okay? So the F chord.
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Now let’s go down to D minor, which we already know.
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And back to F major.
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D minor.
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That’s the bridge. Okay? Then back to section A.
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Now let me play the whole thing in context and you’ll see how it works out. But we have section A, the theme; section B, the bridge, just think of it B for bridge; and then section A, the theme. Okay? Here we go.
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A minor.
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D minor.
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E minor.
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A minor. That’s the completion of the theme, and here’s the theme again.
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Now here’s the bridge.
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Now back to A.
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Now, if you can do that, that’s beginning improvisation, you can take the next step and improvise a tune of your own using maybe four note. Or stick with three notes, but change the chords in the left hand. And if you can do it with four notes, then you can do it with five notes.
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You see, I used exactly the same form, and exactly the same chords. I just did a little different melody. So that’s how you can build on improvisations, and take it very simple, and then get a little more complex, and eventually you can improvise as much as you want to. So, that’s my tip for today. If you like this sort of thing, come on over to PlayPiano.com and sign up for our series of free newsletters on chords and chord progressions. We’ll see you again tomorrow. So bye-bye for now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdO7iz7kgUk
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