FREESTYLING AND IMPROVISING WITH MUSIC
Freestyling and improvising with notes are important skills for a singing or pianist. A good musical ear is crucial for creativity! Freestyling or improvising in music is like an actor saying what comes to mind instead of reading off a script, except with notes. It’s a freedom that can be scary and freeing at the same time. It is a fun and creative process for playing piano or singing.
While improvising may seem scary, particularly if you feel you barely know how to play or sing. Think of it this way, every toddler learns to speak their native language syllable by syllable and word by word with their voice. It’s similar with freestyling in a song. You can add a note here or there, maybe change some of the notes while you are singing or playing a song on the piano. Little by little, you will develop a skill for freestyling or improvising.
Melisma is a group of notes that are used to sing one syllable of text. Just like a vocal run, you sing one syllable with a few or many notes. If your brain is focused on technique, you will lose the creative truth you are trying to convey. You need to live in the moment and sing or play the way you feel it.
When it comes to freestyling or improvising, it’s very easy to over critique yourself. It’s much more productive to focus on what you are feeling (or hearing in your head) than all the technical stuff. It’s about digging deep inside and expressing your emotions. Throw away the idea of making everything perfect and being polished, be fluid with your voice or playing the keys on the piano. With piano, this applies when you are accompanying yourself or another singer.
Listen to the attached video of Koko Higa, now attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. Koko is singing Sam Smith’s song “I’m Not The Only One.” She made some amazing vocal choices to change the sound and feel of the song. Check it out!
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