Getting started with IMPROVISATION! | Team Recorder

[@cazika]

Hello Sarah. I am very happy, in a few weeks I will enter the university to study musical interpretation and my instrument will be the recorder. I want to thank you for your videos because whenever I have a question, you magically upload a video talking about it. I like improvisation a lot, but it always makes me very nervous. Thanks to this video I will improve.

[@Fretfeeler]

Coming from a multi-instrumental background, I have a really good suggestion for people who want to start improvising. First of all, start with a Pentatonic scale. For Soprano Recorder, I highly suggest D Minor Pentatonic (F Major Pentatonic). There's a good reason for this - Native Flutes and other World Flutes of the same size/pitches would be analogous to this, and the techniques will be similar. So, start with (C) D F G A C d f g a c d'. Use only the first octave to start, listen to some Native Flute techniques. Go. You can't play a wrong note using the Pentatonic scale. Memorize the fingering, your "pivot fingers" will be the middle finger of each hand.

[@christophertsiliacos8958]

Absolutely! BTW: The Native American flute is an ideal instrument with which to improvise. It requires little to no embouchure, and one can make up melodies using as little or as much ornamentation along the way. And as Sarah would say, "Just play, play, play." 😊

[@Fretfeeler]

@@christophertsiliacos8958 - So is the Recorder! Limiting yourself to 5 notes gives you freedom to improvise without the fear of hitting wrong notes - but the advantage of a Recorder is extended range, and once you get comfortable you can add other notes without half-holing. Once you learn the fingerings on a Soprano, E Minor, A minor, B Phrygian Dominant, and D Phrygian Dominant (among others) are also fairly easy to improvise in without a lot of hard fingerings. Of course those same fingerings translate to other keys on an F instrument. Also, many of the Native Flute techniques adapt to the Recorder fairly well.

[@michaelzaret8105]

I have had a lot of success teaching with both pentatonic scale and dorian mode, using a musical question and answer technique. Usually, while another person is playing a drone, I have a melody person #1 ask a musical question (maybe 2 or 4 bars) with melody person #2 "answering" the question in the pattern or the style the first person has used. It works really well if you have an odd number of melody people, as you can continue in pairs around the circle. With the odd number, the second time around the circle, the questioner automatically switches to the answer person!

[@christophertsiliacos8958]

@@Fretfeeler I agree. That's why, in addition to the Native American flute, I also play the recorder (soprano, alto, and tenor) along with a host of other instruments -- be they brass, woodwind, string and percussion. 😉 🎼 ♫ 🎸 🎻 🎺 🎷et al

[@BiaLaere]

Thanks!

[@Fretfeeler]

By the way, great video, Sarah. I have seen far too many Classically-trained Musicians who are useless without sheet Music. To me, improvisation with other Musicians is one of the greatest joys of playing Music. By limiting yourself to playing sheet Music you'll never experience the "high" of jamming live with others. The backing track suggestion is also spot on, I will add that anyone learning improvisation would also benefit greatly from using a looper. I personally use Guitar pedals for a looper and reverb/delay effects, a dynamic vocal mic, and 1/4 to XLR adapters, but they come in other forms as well.

[@MarsLos10]

I am so happy that I watch a recorder player advicing on how to improvise while I'm a guitarist and classical pianist. I love the unity of musical world. Very interesting and useful tips, thank you Sarah, you are awesome

[@LouisFrayser]

You're great! Thanks so much for mentioning Tali Rubinstein; I had no idea a recorder could do jazz like that--sounds as good as a concert flute.

[@alexstucky]

This was a great introduction to improvising! Very simple techniques to get started with. Thanks for sharing! =D

[@laurenink8953]

Your approach to improvisation is very easily translatable to other instruments! I play drums and have had some trouble with improvising drum fills. I will take your theory into practice 😊

[@depido]

Hello Sarah! I just followed your LUYP course. It was so inspiring and well done! Afterwards, I asked myself what would be a good subject to pursue afterwards, and improvisation is it for me. Maybe you could organise some sort of course around improvisation? That would be great fun... not easy to find material on this subject. ❤Guido

[@massmanute]

Speaking of improvisation on the recorder, I just (a few minutes ago) discovered Benoît Sauvé's videos on youtube. He's worth checking out.

[@NickGKiefer]

Thanks for this. For some reason the idea of improvisation with my recorder as a way of practice has never occurred to me. Look forward to adding this to my daily practice. I think it will help with songwriting!

[@andrewcranmer9653]

I find the boundary of where improvisation starts interesting. For example, a lot of Lightin Hopkins is licks you can also find in other recordings, and I read somewhere that Coltrane spent 2 years on Giant Steps - brilliant and ground-breaking it most certainly is, but is it improvisation? Perhaps that’s why true jam sessions are so interesting.

[@drbekken]

This is quite simply a great instructional video. And it is valid for all instruments.

[@grayhambo6747]

Hi Sarah! Many thanks for this video and for your guidance on how to start thinking about improvisation. As I don't have a recorder teacher, I've found it quite difficult to know how to begin improvisation. Your advice and demonstrations are just what I was looking for. Many thanks!

[@musicalintentions]

Wonderful video as always. Lovely outfit!

[@emmareynaud7276]

Thank you for this video !!! And your hair ... Waaaaw

[@nekokna]

lovely!cant wait to try the simple construstions

[@stananderson7597]

Can you make a video about playing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in blue on the recorder?

[@alexmcd378]

The restricted parameters makes a lot of sense. Trying to improvise on my double ocarina leaves me feeling paralyzed. But my cedar flute that only has 8 notes, and I'm not even sure which notes they are, I can improv for hours.

[@Cecilia-bp2dn]

What a great intro to improv - thanks Sarah! BTW I hope Dodó doesn't try her electronics with the recorders in buckets of water 10:45 - that could be a little too electrifying!

[@thehomeofimperfectyoga]

thanks so much for the timely intro to improv (ok, that sounded less wanky in my head 😁) i have no musical confidence - if you took away my sheet music, i wouldn't know what to do - and i'm quite afraid of making mistakes, too (live with my parents, who are getting older, and i think they'd rather hear me messing up "music" that i'm practicing than me messing around deliberately!!) maybe now's a good time to have a go at improvising anyway🙄

[@anocturnalfairy]

you are a godsend!!

[@TaliRubinstein]

❤️❤️❤️

[@marcoparracho8165]

You're so funny, I could watch and listen to you all day. I know this isn't content related...or is it? Cheers

[@bubbleteamath5352]

This is so helpful

[@gabrielvieira9832]

Is it ok to add diminutions and ornaments in baroque music that don't have in the sheet?

[@emmareynaud7276]

Of course yes ! ;)

[@luismelo3433]

Can you talk about Telemann's Suite in A minor?

[@raughboy188]

If i am going to improvise with recorder i am going to play what i hear in my mind and it will come out of recorder and it is going to be complete melody meaning notes and rythm, simplistic, no showing of at all.

[@Krishlenertz]

Hello Sarah , thank you for all your great videos. I'm a beginner and I play "pretty" good on the soprano and I would like to add the alto. I know the fingering is different , so could you make a video about the transition soprano/alto for a beginner fan of yours like me ?

[@natashadehaan9365]

Erg goed filmpje. Ik kom er graag over twee weken nog even op terug. )

[@sigitpurnomopembina]

wooooow

[@lestrum]

I didn't catch the name of the book she mentioned. Anybody know what it is?

[@RolandTumble23]

It's the second entry in the "Links" section, under the video....

[@rougeandrei9095]

I'm a guitarist and it's much more natural and required in playing that's why you get used to every note playing and scales.

[@ningguang7203]

Hello..love u all

[@jasmindaniela6474]

Make a review of Xaphoon? :)

[@bremexperience]

What you want to hear vs. What you play.

[@AMPProf]

love that look.....

[@thehomeofimperfectyoga]

may be this is a dumb question, but what do i do with the drone??

[@dennis4688]

I think I fall in love. First time here trying to learn how to play recorder and I just saw the video without touching my recorder

[@kendallfarmer6792]

I am collecting recorders♡

[@zalleywaalley8227]

I would say, “if you want to analyze while you play, you should have at least an 8 core brain” lol

[@ari3kwk645]

i am the 613 view..i love you

[@zaraizuniga2069]

Your funny😂

[@derekroush5237]

JESUS SAVES!