Beginner impro Improvising over Nils Frahm album Solo

[Halfers]

Just a share. I'm sure this is not a unique finding, but I stumbled across a nice gentle and enjoyable method of practicing Long Tones, Impro, Listening, Scale finding etc. If it gives another newbie like myself an angle for enhancing a practice session, it's all good 🙂

I put on some background music this morning while doing a bit of work. It was the Nils Frahm album 'Solo'. It's a very slow, atmospheric piece of piano compositions, with lots of space, lots of repeating phrases etc. Half way through the album I thought it might be a perfect piece to improvise over, so I picked up the horn and started blowing (luckily I'm working from home, so no Office colleagues to annoy)

Because there are lots of long, sustained piano chords in the album, it's quite easy to feel ones way into the music and play around with notes, find nice scales and patterns and because the music is slow it's possible to blunder through before finding a nice passage, perhaps several times before the chords have changed. It's also perfect for holding on to notes for long periods, so ideal for breath control, intonation and long tones!

It's a lovely piece of work too, if you're into that kind of thing!

 

[Jazzaferri]

keep in your mind that the way the brain works if you make a wrong move a few times you are myelating that pathway which in English means you have just made a point of training your brain to do something wrong.

Not saying don't do it, just try not to make the same fingering mistake twice. Whether it be sloppy movement or wrong note for what you are hearing in your head.

 

[Halfers]

I'm afraid my brain is probably fully myelated (?) towards mistakes anyway, in most areas of my life and especially when playing the Saxophone 🙂

I take your point, but the style of this music (slow, long chords with few changes, not melody driven, some repeated patterns that can be 'responded to') provides a wide open soundscape to improvise over at a pace that suits a beginner and which makes improvising a melody easier than attempting to do so over more complex, melody dependent music.

 

[MikeMorrell]

Just a share. I'm sure this is not a unique finding...
It's a lovely piece of work too, if you're into that kind of thing!

@Halfers, many thanks for sharing this! I've discovered quite a few 'treasures' via the cafe that are not directly related to sax playing and this is definitely one of them! I (perhaps strangely) love this 'minimalist, tone painting' style of piano music. Keith Jarrett's long (improvised) solo concerts and David Lanz's earlier CD's are 2 others that spring to mind.

I can well imagine that Nils Frahms's track are great to improvise to. But for me, they're also great background music. Kudos to Nils Frahms for making these tracks freely available for download!

Mike

 

[Halfers]

@Halfers, many thanks for sharing this! I've discovered quite a few 'treasures' via the cafe that are not directly related to sax playing and this is definitely one of them! I (perhaps strangely) love this 'minimalist, tone painting' style of piano music. Keith Jarrett's long (improvised) solo concerts and David Lanz's earlier CD's are 2 others that spring to mind.

I can well imagine that Nils Frahms's track are great to improvise to. But for me, they're also great background music. Kudos to Nils Frahms for making these tracks freely available for download!

Mike

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mike. I often put this kind of stuff on when the House is empty and I just want to chill out or do some work. I've really enjoyed what I've Hear of Keith Jarrett.

I've not heard any David Lanz, so I will check him out. 🙂

You might also enjoy Max Richter, who composes in a similar, minimalist style.

 

[MikeMorrell]

Just had a quick browse on Max Richter and you're right, I like what I hear. Someone I know raved about an 'all-night sleep-over concert' she'd been to at the Amsterdam concert hall in July. It was one of her favourite composers. She mentioned the name but it didn't ring any bells. I now see that it was Max Richter's overnight SLEEP performance she went to.
Mike

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mike. I often put this kind of stuff on when the House is empty and I just want to chill out or do some work. I've really enjoyed what I've Hear of Keith Jarrett.

I've not heard any David Lanz, so I will check him out. 🙂

You might also enjoy Max Richter, who composes in a similar, minimalist style.