Forum Home Forum Home > Other music related lounges > Music and Musicians Exchange
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - What kind of music do you improvise to and how?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedWhat kind of music do you improvise to and how?

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123 8>
Author
Message
Dayvenkirq View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970
Direct Link To This Post Topic: What kind of music do you improvise to and how?
    Posted: December 12 2012 at 15:27
A few years ago I would just improvise to ADII's "Soap Shop Rock" (what a dumb idea on my part 'cause there is not much room for me to stretch out on the electric guitar) and Floyd's "Echoes" and "I'm A King Bee". Nowadays, I would just improvise on the electric guitar to mostly classic rock and classic prog. So far, I'm a failure, although I do think I've stumbled on some intriguing ideas while playing over the same chords from the middle of Yes' "Astral Traveller" (where Mr. Peter Banks gets to stretch out), Gm and C (although I think that on the track it's not actually a C but something else).

Are you a guitarist? A keyboardist? An oboist? A tubist? What tracks do you improvise to? By whom?

EDIT: I've extended the premise of the thread a little bit. Given that I struggle with improvisation, I want to know what the people here think about when they improvise. (It really is a shame that I haven't put that in my OP early on. Damn me. )


Edited by Dayvenkirq - January 25 2016 at 11:45
Back to Top
Ambient Hurricanes View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: December 25 2011
Location: internet
Status: Offline
Points: 2549
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 12 2012 at 15:30
I improvise without accompaniment a lot when I'm practicing or just messing around on the guitar.  When I really want to practice my soloing skills, I will usually record myself playing the chords to whatever jazz song I'm learning at the time and then solo over that.
I love dogs, I've always loved dogs
Back to Top
Slartibartfast View Drop Down
Collaborator
Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam

Joined: April 29 2006
Location: Atlantais
Status: Offline
Points: 29625
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 12 2012 at 15:48
When it comes to straight up improv.,  I don't listen to anything I just give into it and play alone.  I usually make more interesting music that way on keyboard than guitar.  I can't do chords for sh*t.  But I like to pick up the acoustic and play along to whatever I'm hearing.  I don't try to mimic or riff off of guitar parts necessarily.   Keyboard and synth I usually just improv solo.  I love keyboard synth because how you play the keyboard is dependent on the patch set you are using.
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

Back to Top
Sumdeus View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: October 23 2012
Location: SF Bay Area
Status: Offline
Points: 831
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 12 2012 at 16:06
I pretty much always improvise, or rather 'jam' when playing guitar so anything. if there's other music or sounds going on i will improvise to them but if not i will still jam.
Sumdeus - surreal space/psych/prog journeys
Back to Top
The Quiet One View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: January 16 2008
Location: Argentina
Status: Offline
Points: 15745
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 12 2012 at 16:08
I don't know how to play any instrument, but I like to grab the guitar and "improvise" alongside jazz guys like Benson, Green and Montgomery. It's fun, but for those who listen, it's a piece of crap hehe.
Back to Top
darkshade View Drop Down
Collaborator
Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: November 19 2005
Location: New Jersey
Status: Offline
Points: 10964
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 12 2012 at 16:21
I like to jam along to Phish, because some of their jams can go on for 40-50 minutes sometimes, though they're usually 10-20 minutes tops. Some Zappa jams, or funk bands are good too. I also, if in the mood, will improvise along with jazz like post-bop, cool, and hard bop stuff.
Back to Top
awaken77 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member


Joined: December 25 2008
Status: Offline
Points: 374
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 13 2012 at 05:12
I love to jam on keyboards (mostly Hammond simulation)

My common play list:

Boston - Foreplay
Procol Harum - White Shade Of Pale
Pink Floyd - parts from Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Have A Cigar, Great Gig In the Sky (piano)
Transatlantic - Rose Colored Glasses
Santana - Soul Sacrifice
Booker T and the MGs - Green Onions
Niacin - everything (just cool to jam with)
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Father of day (Moog/organ) 
Jon Lord & Hoochie Coochie Men - Back at the chicken shack





Edited by awaken77 - December 13 2012 at 05:23
Back to Top
HackettFan View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 20 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 7946
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 13 2012 at 07:04
I never thought of jamming something else. I always just jam by myself. Sometimes I'll loop a chord progression on my delay or use my Electro-Harmonix Freeze or a drum machine.
Back to Top
HolyMoly View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Retired Admin

Joined: April 01 2009
Location: Atlanta
Status: Offline
Points: 26133
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 13 2012 at 08:05
I'll sometimes practice guitar while listening to something else, and it's usually some drifting Krautrock kind of stuff, like Agitation Free.   I prefer to explore different modes over a single chord.  I don't have much ability to do more than that.
My other avatar is a Porsche

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased.

-Kehlog Albran
Back to Top
zerothehero76 View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: November 01 2009
Location: italy
Status: Offline
Points: 30
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 13 2012 at 08:25
I usually loop my bass and jam with myself. And sometimes I record everything.
Back to Top
awaken77 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member


Joined: December 25 2008
Status: Offline
Points: 374
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 13 2012 at 08:47
there is an e-store karaoke-version , which provide customizable and downloadable cover tracks to play with
when you buy one track, you can download unlimited versions of it, creating your own "minus-guitar" or "minus-keyboard", "minus-vocal" or other version 





Back to Top
Polymorphia View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: November 06 2012
Location: here
Status: Offline
Points: 8856
Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 13 2012 at 09:02
I improv over loops all the time. It's part of how I write. 
Back to Top
Negoba View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: July 24 2008
Location: Big Muddy
Status: Offline
Points: 5208
Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 03 2013 at 12:43
Long ago, I would just put on blues albums and do my best to jam along. The two "Best of Chess Blues" are great intro samplers.
 
Also many hours to the Black Crowes first two albums just improving solos.
 
Now with a looper in virtually every multi-pedal, it's so easy to jam to chord progressions. That's my main tool now. (Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder is my current jam)
You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all.
Back to Top
TODDLER View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: August 28 2009
Location: Vineland, N.J.
Status: Offline
Points: 3126
Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 04 2013 at 11:12
I improvise to Miles Davis Bitches Brew, Jean Luc Ponty;s "Don't let the World Pass You By" with the band or Gypsy Queen where I get more into improvising reflections of John McLaughlin than Santana.I tend to play almost everything note for note for examples a daily routine is to play along with Echidna's Art (of you)....Don't you ever wash that thing? by Zappa. I'm always learning George Duke piano solo's on the guitar and adding his vocabulary to my improvisation. I tend to learn Pat Metheny pieces and I believe he might be a huge influence on my playing. I am not the greatest at playing outside the melody off the top of my head and my level of performance depends on the chord progression chosen by the band. I still have an influence of Steve Hillage in my playing or maybe Frank Marino. I like to think for myself when I improvise and over the years I have released or disregarded various approaches to my reflections of other players. Some days I spend hours playing Classical guitar or learning 14th century Asian music to escape the craft.
Back to Top
Pawned Heart View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: August 15 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 30
Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 15 2013 at 02:55
The radio! 
I also like taking my guitar to the early Dylan records and do fills and such, like whoever recorded the 12 string on Mr Tambourine man. 
What I see I know is real, what I touch I know I feel
If I don't care for what you say, it won't mean much to me today

http://www.proga
Back to Top
Terra Australis View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: March 03 2006
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 809
Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 16 2013 at 23:36
Something that hasn't been mentioned is open night Jams. I spent many years going to blues open nights and jamming with other musicians, it helps a lot especially when there is an audience to drive your concentration. 

Jamming by yourself is good too. 
Allomerus. Music with progressive intent.

http://allomerus.bandcamp.com
Back to Top
Ludjak View Drop Down
Forum Groupie
Forum Groupie
Avatar

Joined: August 31 2008
Location: Croatia
Status: Offline
Points: 73
Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 17 2013 at 06:25
I prefer improvising with a group (which very often turns into hours of jamming, leaving us no time to work on any of our compositions). When alone, I improvise on the guitar usually around folk melodies, it has a very calming effect on me.
Back to Top
mecindylewis View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie

not as bright as they like to think spam

Joined: January 28 2013
Status: Offline
Points: 4
Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 28 2013 at 06:01
If you really believe in marriage, then stop fighting gay marriage and start fighting straight divorce.
Back to Top
jasonofthestorm View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: February 20 2013
Location: Oakland, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 3
Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2013 at 03:03
I haven't been practicing improvising very much, but sometimes I like to pop in Miles Davis' Live-Evil and jam along to the first couple tracks. It has some really relaxed, slow grooves with plenty of room to noodle around, and the progressions are easy enough to experiment over without sounding 'off.'

...and then John McLaughlin shreds my face off and I throw my guitar out the window... Confused
Back to Top
Dayvenkirq View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970
Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2013 at 10:14
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123 8>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.141 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.