History of Improvisation & Basics of Melodic Improvisation

Summary

In this lesson, students will discover how musical improvisation evolved throughout different eras. They will explore the concept of melodic contour and draw their own graphic scores of an excerpt of a popular song. Students will do vocal and/or instrumental improvisations, following their drawings and try improvising on a given harmony.

⏰ Time: 50 min

🎓 Grades: 5-12

🎯 Objective(s): As a result of this lesson students will know and/or be able to...

• Understand what improvisation is and how it was used in different eras;
• Draw the contour or shape of a melodic line;
• Do a melodic improvisation on a graphic score;
• Do a melodic improvisation on chords of a popular song.

💡 Required Prior Knowledge and Skills:

• Basic notation;
• Basic rhythm values;
• Major and minor triads.

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io app best used with Chrome browser
• Projector or computer and access to WIFI
• Staff paper
• Melodic instruments, for example, metallophones, keyboards, piano etc. (optional)

Song suggestions:

Inspiration

🕐 7 min - Everyday improvisation

• Find out what students know about improvisation and shortly explain what it is (The creation of a musical work, or the final form of a musical work, as it is being performed. It may involve the work's immediate composition by its performers, or the elaboration or adjustment of an existing framework. Grove Music Online).
• What are your associations when you hear the word 'improvisation'?
• Can you explain what improvisation is?
• Do you know any examples of improvised music?
• In a broader sense, we improvise every day - we might choose a slightly different path to school, create or change a recipe while cooking or maybe even improvise in a maths test if we haven't studied enough.When was the last time you improvised? What did you do?

Warm-Up

🕐 13 min - History of improvisation

• Tell the class about the history of improvisation. Depending on your students' knowledge of music history, choose topics from this list to talk in more depth or do an overview of improvisation throughout different eras.
• Renaissance:
• Improvised counterpoint over a cantus firmus.
• Improvised melodies over ostinato chord patterns.
• Improvised ornamentation and embellishments in instrumental and vocal music.
• Improvised, freely formed musical forms, for example, fantasias.
• Baroque:
• Basso continuo - improvised accompaniment that includes chords and also counterpoints suitable to the melody over a given bass.
• Johann Sebastian Bach and other composers were also skilled organ improvisers who played in church services and performed at concerts.
• Classicism:
• Cadenzas (a virtuoso passage inserted near the end of a concerto movement or aria) could be written-out or improvised.
• Composers, for example, Mozart and Beethoven were also known as instrumental improvisers.
• Instrument players competed in improvisation battles.
• Romanticism:
• Titles of musical pieces, suggesting their improvised character, for example, 'impromptu' or 'moment musicale'.
• Famous composers and virtuoso instrument players, for example, Niccolo Paganini, Franz Liszt were also known as great improvisers. At concerts, introductions to existing pieces, as well as interludes were improvised.
• In opera, parts were improvised, for example, recitatives.
• 20th century classical music:
• In aleatoric music, performers freely arrange pre-defined musical elements.
• Jazz:
• Improvisation on standards, following a fixed harmony;
• Free improvisation seems to be breaking rules and focusing on spontaneous interaction between musicians. Almost anything goes, if you listen carefully!
• You can also talk about improvisation in Non-Western music, for example, Indian ragas - modes that are used in improvisations.

Practice

🕐 15 min - Exercise 1 - Melodic contour - draw and improvise!

• Divide students in groups. Each group should have their own computer, headphones, paper and pencils.
• Show students some examples of graphic scores.
• Each group chooses one song from the song library. Students should keep their selection in secret and not show it to other groups!
• Each group listens to Chorus 1 of their song of choice and follows the notation of the vocal line.
• Ask the groups to draw the contour or shape of the melodic line.
• Follow the movements of the main melody - the vocal part. Make sure your drawing shows how the pitch is moving up and down.
• Include the silences as well!
• You can either draw a continuous line or arrange separate shapes in different levels.
• Use colours if you feel like it, be creative!
• When the graphic scores are finished, groups exchange: each group receives a drawing of another group.
• Invite each group to take simple melodic instruments (if available) or sing and improvise a melody that follows the shape of the drawing.
• Each group performs their improvisation in front of the class and guess which song is the original melody from.
• Time for the revealment - the group that did the drawing tells the class which song it was. You can play Chorus 1 from the song to the class.
• Does it sound similar to the students' improvisation?
• Did someone guess correctly?
• Is a graphic score or a drawing of the melodic contour an accurate way of notating music?

🕐 10 min - Exercise 2 - From chords to improvised melody

• Choose a song from the ‘Song suggestions’ list, for example, 'Hey Ho' by The Lumineers. Tell your students about the song! You can pick some facts from the song description.
• Play Verse 1 and ask students to focus on the accompaniment.Which chords are being played in this excerpt?
• Write down the notes of the chords on staff paper.
• What are the names (letters) of these notes?
• Can you play these notes on any instrument?
• Mute the vocal part under 'Controls' - 'Menu'.
• Loop the song excerpt and invite students to take turns to improvise along it, singing or playing only the chord notes on available melodic instrument(-s) in their chosen rhythm.
• Later, other notes can be included but make sure students don't omit the chord notes entirely!
• Invite students to improvise together in duos or larger groups.

Reflection

🕐 5 min - Discussion

• Talk about students' experience during the class.How did you feel while improvising?
• Talk about improvisation in pop and rock music.
• Do you think music you like to listen to is improvised? (Instrumental solos can be improvised, and composers and performers certainly improvise a lot before they come up with the final version of the song.)

Beyond the Lesson

• Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by...
• Exploring the sound library and the melodic contours and harmonies of different songs;
• Doing a melodic improvisation along a different song.

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