Improvising - A Step by Step Breakdown

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Want to get your music theory up to scratch? Then try Guy's FREE course! thinkspace.ac.uk/signup/getting-started-with-music-theory/

[@lowrater]

Guy is one of those golden treasures. How i'm happy i've found him. I love his energy.

[@MrSamfonseca]

I agree.

[@Slycaw]

I agree.

[@huntoriginalmusic-wy2rc]

Just a shout out to you Guy. Your videos got me started writing and orchestrating with samples a little over a year ago. I bought many of the libraries you reviewed. Recently 2 music scholars at the University of Arkansas told me I excel at orchestration. With no formal musical training, that was very encouraging. I'm 73 but feel like a kid when I watch you. No one shares and delivers like you. If I was younger, I would absolutely take your course and encourage all of you budding composers out there to get trained by the best in the industry. You'll be well served and you'll probably end up with a future in the business. Thank you Guy and I will continue watching.

[@hotchord]

Guy, please do more of this. It’s wonderful to see and hear what you are thinking as you improvise. Love this stuff😊

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

OK see what I can do

[@DarqIce]

One of the few YT authors that get an instant like from me, before I even watch the video - I know it's worth it in advance.

[@guygaron1162]

Wow...I like your statement : Inspiration is the choice you make because of your personal taste!

[@flgbanjo]

Thank you for going through the process! I'm constantly amazed at people who can improvise so quickly and it helps to know some of the details behind it!

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

My pleasure - its interesting working out why I do stuff sometimes

[@LindaMissad]

Thank you, Guy. To earn money, I play for a couple of churches a few times a month. I always improvise the prelude and postlude for the services. You've given us great ideas for chord progressions in the past and thanks to you, I can always come up with new ideas. People like my improv and so you deserve some of the thanks.

[@MartinJG100]

From Barry 7:04 to Morricone 9:45 with a nod to Newman 9:05 in a hop, skip and a jump. Love it. Great stuff, Guy :).

[@foxracer1703]

I just found this channel. And this video. I grew up learning classical piano. When i got older i learned the ins and outs of theory. In my teens stage fright crept in, gripped and controlled me, and has never let me go. I always wanted to try improvising and i scraped the surface a tiny bit with jazz but...never anything major. In the back of my mind i wish i could get back to piano. And now i come across this video and channel. Thank you. True story. Not that anyone cares haha.

[@Jaysic]

even if i wasnt into music i would love watching this man

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

:)

[@GospelMusicians]

Much appreciated for using our software to display the lit keys - 👍🏽

[@roqueavellaneda]

5% inspiration... 95% transpiration... Good seed and hard work goes a long way. 👏👏👏👏

[@chas1085]

IMHO, this is Gold! Please, more like this. Where to start, where to take it, options, decisions,....

[@BsktImp]

This is really eye-opening. I had always assumed - and perhaps you _are_ doing this - improvisers and composers had in their heads huge 'memory banks' of stock chord progressions (or 'rules' for generating them) all carefully curated by colour, mood, emotion and associated technicalities such as scale/mode degrees from which to select melody notes, and thought strictly in terms of phrases, periods, sentences & cadences.

[@bonuebonue]

What a wonderful musician and teacher you are, Mr. Guy!!!! Thank you very much for all the inspiration and knowledge!!

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Thank you

[@LeeGee]

When you're four bars in and recognise you've written Baa Baa Black Sheep.... Love these videos, thank you for sharing.

[@amoondria]

Wow this is fantastic. I guess that the more you do these kinds of improvisation the faster you become at coming up with different chords and melodies? How do you avoid repeating yourself? Has this ever happened to you and what was your approach in resolving it? After the improvisation session where you get an idea of what you might want to do, what is your approach in orchestrating the idea? Do you sometimes have a clear finish line for the piece or is this something that just always come during the development? Thank you so much for all your videos. I'm very new at all of this and I really appreciate your guidance. ❤

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

well there are another 4 videos right there!

[@amoondria]

@@ThinkSpaceEducation haha that's true. Looking forward to watching them 😍⭐✨😅

[@schnippipianote1484]

I love your creative spirit, Guy - but this video also shows the dangers for me - that without knowing or wanting we are sometimes drawn to things we already heard - and can't identify while doing it... The first attempts sound very much like the beginning of "A wonderful world" - "I see trees of green - red roses too..." - I could kind of predict where you'd go next... It changes it a tiny bit - but that's what might get us into trouble before court later... Later you deviate enough to destroy this association. Loved this tutorial none the less... And please don't be offended. It's really what happens to all of us, I just think it's worth pointing out - always second guess what you come up with - if it's not something that you already know and are drawn to because you have it already stuck in your head!

[@carltonhall6628]

This is great thanks, always more to learn. I have a personal way of thinking about this...I started learning with no knowledge of music, just watched loads of KZbin videos like this. A lot of my earlier practise was in fact clueless improv. So I am happy to do improv and lots of what I'm now learning, in videos like this, is stuff I'd already figured out..."this sounds nice"... has a good reason in the theory behind the improv. What I would lack if I didn't watch vids like this, is variety...I would just end up playing the same things without understanding where I COULD go, which is why I love these vids. Thanks for making them.

[@woodpeckersmusic]

Great! That's exactly what I needed! Getting to know what you think when improvising is very useful. I'd gladly watch some videos with more examples of this! Thanks :)

[@reintvandijk2600]

Very inspirational. That E flat cord immediately reminded me of the song Max by Paolo Conte.

[@martynroach182]

Thanks Guy. This is very similar to how I start to compose a song (I'm only a hobbyist)...but I''m in a rut at the moment, all my attempts sound 'hymnal' ......Thanks for your video's. Ive completed 2 of your mini courses - they are great.

[@JohnnyOlsson]

Thanks for this demonstration, Guy! I found this really interesting and my takeaway from this will certainly be to pay more attention to what I gravitate to when I'm fiddling around, and analyze why. I think just reflecting on that will be useful both to quicker go where I want to go, but also to avoid getting stuck and making the same choices over and over.

[@vicsardou9654]

I really like this video where you're explaining how your brain works while composing. It helps me break the tidal wave of uncertainty.

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

relax - sit down - mess about - see what happens - its been working for me for ages

[@coloaten6682]

I so needed this video to get me out of a rut in piano playing and composing. I'll remember this lesson for along time. Incidentally I saw a Berklee video recently that talked about going to the IV chord but as minor and when Guy did it here it was great to see this technique being used and hear how well it works. Another question this video answers is the 'Should I learn music theory?' question. So many of Guy's choices were informed by theory but not dictated or controlled by it. Thanks again Guy! :)

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Yes you should but music theory from a composition perspective where each nugget of knowledge informs a new compositional opportunity

[@dudleyspikeclarke1355]

Really enjoyed this short video. It brought home the need to have fluency in basic Music Theory. Also, when writing a piece of music to just look at 4 or 8 bars at a time, because you could change the harmony 'sliding doors' and the next 4 or 8 bars could be completely different than first imagined.

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Exactly - but everyone who plays anything knows music theory to some extent even though they might not realise it. More knowledge is seldom a bad thng

[@petrzakrzewski]

Been waiting for a tutorial like this. Nice.

[@Rhinehardos]

Gday Mr Michelmore, it's always a pleasure to watch you developing these composition ideas! It´s often not easy to express the own mood in suitable melodies and beautiful chords. So I always find your videos very inspiring. TY for sharing your knowledge to all of us 🤠👍

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

You're welcome :)

[@RussellNollenMusic]

Thank you for sharing this! ❤

[@martijnvanbeek4387]

Maybe I should try to do the same thing here: make up a tune, play it into my DAW and then make some three different versions of the same tune. Promising learning experience I think.

[@ironmanbatman686]

As usual, I love your work mate!

[@raprobo]

That was a great explanation! I particularly love improvising with diminished chords, as they can resolve or modulate to pretty much every chord/key. Maybe you could do a video on those?

[@martijnvanbeek4387]

Totally agree! Seventh chords work great as well to that purpose.

[@ablebees_com]

Raprobo, you might be not the only one who would want to get a video from Guy on diminished chords. Would you like to start a petition on Ablebees requesting Guy to make on video on this topic? Others would support your petition.

[@JanBLarsson]

It always looks so simple when you do it :). Must practise more. Thanks for the video!

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

You're welcome 😊

[@JanBLarsson]

@@ThinkSpaceEducation Forgot to say your chord progression made me think of Louis Armstrong ❤️😊

[@IanWaugh]

Hey Guy - Love your videos. The nearest to getting inside a composer's head as you can get 😊 What is the on-screen keyboard you use? I can't find one that works with Cubase. Thank you.

[@ScottToTrot]

Was literally just thinking about this the other day. I feel like I'm "ok" at this but still very beginner at theory and just intuitively knowing what works/doesn't.

[@boneking1548]

For one moment I thought that Guy was going to re-compose "What a wonderful world" but then it went into another direction 🙂

[@jondellar]

Ha haaa! I thought "John Barry!" too, just as you hit that Fm. 😆 And then Alan Silvestri's Avengers Theme (and briefly Ennio Morricone's The Ecstasy of Gold with the Eb route.

[@RyanWright11]

I love these videos. TY for sharing your talent and knowledge with us.

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

youre welcome!

[@tonydalton459]

You started off like you were going to re-write I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You😊

[@johnmac8084]

Fascinating Guy, wonderful to watch. I'd love to know how you create different emotions. I remember a video where you created different emotions from the same melodic motif, but didn't explain how. Can I suggest that video, or maybe you have already done one? Thanks.

[@josephwoo3601]

This is awesome! I feel like I had something to do with this video since Ive been asking a lot for this type of tutorials from you! So thank you! I know it takes time to learn this. Would love a course on this. Willing to make a years long goal to get this skill. Thanks again!

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

we listen :)

[@Franck_Hoffmann]

So interesting... I rarely go to the minor 4th, and I am not quite sure why, as I love its feeling so much! My musical background was primarily influenced by the Conservatory and classical music, which probably trained my ear in the I, VI, V chord progression.

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Take a walk on the wild side! min 4 - chromatic mediants

[@martinbulmer1868]

I really enjoyed this, despite strong urges at the beginning telling me to go and get a Mars Bar!

[@TuhinTulsyan]

Hi.... I am highly inspired by your music... I started learning piano but then eventually my interest in multi instrumental music evolved a lot... And hence right now i am working on my transcribing capabilities... Also i am wondering if i must sell off my digital piano and buy a midi controller because i feel the keys on a digital piano are not suitable to play everything... Would you help me with some suggestions/advice? Also i am confused between digital paino/midi controller and an arranger keyboard

[@ChrizzBeatz]

the car crash analogy really describes my improvisation attempts perfectly

[@swessels]

That transition from C to Eb gave me a real Thomas Newman vibe.

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Its a very filmy thing to do so Im not claiming any great credit here

[@designerelefant]

3:34 what a wonderful World 😊🙏

[@AndrewNott-v2e]

Astonishing... exactly what I requested in the Thinkspace survey just yesterday - does this mean you'll be reinstating the Cinematic Orchestration course too?

[@rakatafly1978]

I loved it, Guy, thank you! A few questions: do you keep a record of this quest (by hand on a score, or thanks to a session recorded in the daw), or do you only write the most accomplished version once you made all your micro-choices? When you're at the piano like this, can you already hear the instruments you'll be using? Do you always improvise at the same tempo and with arpeggios/chords plucked under the left hand? Thanks!

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

No record I just go with the flow and when Im working stuff out normally no click either

[@fhl60]

Very helpful!! Thank you! ❤

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Glad to help

[@fhl60]

@@ThinkSpaceEducation Be free with knowledge which is what I learned from you!

[@fhl60]

@@ThinkSpaceEducation Be free with knowledge which is what I learned from you!!

[@donnieji4825]

Ty 😊

[@karayuschij]

Hi Guy! I'm off topic but I'd be happy if you did a review on SWAM Audio Modeling :)

[@SumiMukharjee-k2c]

Sir plz making This Video Of Dolby Atmos Setup And Dolby mixing ,Dolby Studio Instrument Setup.

[@dariuszsinski3852]

Hello from Poland! :) :) :) Very good content is your channel! Bravo and thankyou! I would like to ask..... What is the name of that software that show us the piano keys lighted in blue?

[@AndyMan-mr1hy]

Brilliance personified

[@detonario]

Good videos for entertainment! 👍🏻

[@music_creator_capable]

Yeah!

[@DanIel-fl1vc]

I think something happens between the piano and piano player that is not taught. Because reverse engineering the "human touch" in the piano roll, making it sound like it's human, with tempo changes, all notes in a chord not hit at the same time etc, is very difficult. I think you got to treat what you create as a first draft then attempt to play it back on a single chord and re-harmonize it to come close to what piano players do on the fly.

[@eiswanderer4664]

I like how the video evolves from staying in C Major to make it easy to applying chromatic mediants in the end 😅 But that is how it is supposed to make an interesting sounding chord progression 🎉

[@smartyheadysyoutube3399]

at 6:00 when you're talking about the ninth resolving down, couldn't that G -> F also be a suspension?

[@ShadowMakerSdR]

This is all very educational and all, but once you get in the flow of things I get left behind a little. At the beginning you said 'I'm gonna keep this in C major to keep it simple' and all of a sudden you're improvising all these chords and little flourishes with black keys etc - how do you know which one you can and which one you can't use?

[@glynnhodgesmusic3140]

Which model Arturia do you play please Guy and how many notes? Thank you.

[@BellsCuriosityShop]

As a guitarist I tend to stick to the same chords, similar keys and virtually the same rhythm. Generally using fifths chords, I often don't cement the key until I analyse the progression.

[@elid377]

Hey there Guy really enjoying your videos, but man you need to make a video for the beginners from scratch like the equipment and software you need to get started, the setup of midi some budget equipment midi mics, most used software and comparisons between DAWS, settip up Kontakt al so Komplete Kontrol, min ram.stuff like that. i think your students would enjoy something like this. Your tutorials are for intermediate composers, I have a friend who wants to get in to it, and I wanted to refer him to your channel but he was just lost for the most part.

[@ablebees_com]

True Time Interactive, you might be not the only one who would want to get a video from Guy on this topic. Would you like to start a petition on Ablebees requesting Guy to make on video on it? Others would support your petition.

[@JoannaHammond]

When you went flat it felt way more epic.

[@marcusc.nordin5624]

If we hold on together ❤ (at least for a while)

[@sujhansuvisan8402]

Really helps me! Wish I could subscribe more than once sir, I fear I might accidentally unsubscribe if I do so. As always thank you

[@synaesmedia]

The question I have is how far ahead are you looking? Are you simply listening to one chord and thinking "what can I try after this?" Or is it like some people play chess where you're thinking "if play a Db7 here I can do a series of X,Y,Z?"

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Not that far TBH and sometimes the wheels fall off but when Im in the flow it works pretty well

[@cs-williams]

All I'm thinking when trying to know what comes next is ... wtf are my fingers doing and how do I disconnect control from my left hand while my right hand does the melody bits never mind what notes belong in the current scale lol I hit keys, it sounds ok, I am terrible

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

start with a simple chord progress then add the tune afterewards . Once you get more fluent trry both at once - Oh yes - and stop beating yourself up!

[@Jhale1966]

Very Shawshanky :D

[@m.richards6947]

Can you do a video about dissonance and chromatic,whole tone stuff in horror?

[@ablebees_com]

m, you might be not the only one who would want to get a video from Guy on dissonance and chromatic. Would you like to start a petition on Ablebees requesting Guy to make on video on this topic? Others would support your petition.

[@zafod101]

Hi Guy Have you ever tried composing like Vangelis surrounded by keyboards and just going for it?😊

[@oemfernandes]

Nice lightsabers back there 😂

[@chuckwilliams9153]

Hi Guy. I noticed that you are no longer using your native instruments keyboard. Can I have it? :-)

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Yes absolutely - S88 Km2 in the shed and Arturia in the other studio

[@djki2565]

As a composer it's beautiful to sing along and see how near and how far two composers can go in melody and harmony while the song goes along...love it as an exercise. Thanks Guy. Oh, and that parallel minor was the same I thought about and "Woooooo" has been my reaction together with you as I heard that 😂😂.

[@LorenFagen]

Hehe...C-Eb-F-Ab..."House of the Rising Sun" ? ;)

[@chambre466]

so cooooooool

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

thanks

[@bobdeadbeef]

This is more of a composition-process than a real-time improvisation process, which is a LOT harder to describe-but you have to start somewhere! The best approach to that I've seen is D. Sudnow' s "Ways of the Hand" from 1978, and a rewritten version in 2001. His focus was more on the physical patterns you learn, influenced, I think, by his focus on Jazz. My own approach feels closer to yours, yet I don't think about chords or keys; it's more of a hard-wired knowledge of where things can go sonically, making choices along the way. If I slow down to think about it, whether harmonically, voice-leading, or whatever, I lose the flow, to my great frustration! I've been improvising for >50 years, but can't adequately describe how I do it, even to myself. But I'd really like to better bridge between improvisation and composition.

[@chambre466]

@@bobdeadbeef I guess you re right, you have to start somewhere

[@perjohansson2852]

I miss the shed :-)

[@agorgedslug]

Sorry if I missed the announcement, but I really found your videos from the shed refreshing in a world of KZbinrs playing a piano with coloured LED lights and guitars on guitar stands arranged in the background. Somewhat cliché 😢

[@guym1428]

I still do the shed! Dont despair!

[@jmurray2018]

Not sure why but your little appearances always brighten up the world when it’s at its most darkest…. Now there’s an energy saving tip for y’all. Save energy and plug into Guy Miichelmore (in his own way he’s saving the planet) and the cost is nothing..

[@guym1428]

Awww thank you

[@jmurray2018]

@@guym1428 just reported another of those irritating fake telegrams on your comment section keep your eyes and your viewers eyes peeled and at least set Arnie the dinosaur on them

[@BongoBaggins]

I thought you were a chef?

[@terencehealy5110]

Dude help Triad but four notes I thought Triad =3

[@ThinkSpaceEducation]

Triad does then you add extensions like 7ths 9ths 11ths etc

[@ke123321ek]

by around 5 minutes, you’ve written baa baa black sheep :) haha.

[@nickellis9251]

Layla?

[@paulcummings5587]

"You don't teach people how to write music you help them to learn"

[@soureel]

House of The Rising Sun

[@NoNo-jh5yx]

A.I.can do in one second what he tried to explain in 13 minutes; if you distilled this video to the several seconds of actual playing, A.I. could do in one millisecond; which is to say that A.I. can present the various permutations from which to choose very much faster than the educated and experienced human brain, which is to say life is becoming less an essay-like test to more of a multiple choice test, which is to say, the choices will still be left to the educated and experienced and/or those with the 'discretionary ears' able to still create marvelous things