2 Workshops at the University of Hawaii, Hilo campus (Hawaii)
Contact person: Dori Yamada 1-800-974-7664; Email: yamadad@hawaii.edu

Joy of Improvisation I:
Location: Class Piano Lab
Date: Monday, March 15, 2004
Times: 12-2 p.m.

Joy of Improvisation II:
Location: Class Piano Lab
Date: Friday, March 19, 2004
Time: 12-2 p.m.

Cost for 1 workshop:
Students $20
Non-Students $40

Special price for 2 workshops:
Students $35 (s savings of $5)
Non-Students $70 (a savings of $10)

The Joy of Improvisation I-Help! You want me to do what?

BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTION: An introduction to the wonderful world of Improvisation for musicians, including those with traditional classical training who would love to improvise, but just don't know how to begin. A practical and fun approach that demystifies the art of improvisation and helps build self confidence through simple exercises that build upon concepts and abilities participants already possess as well as introduce new concepts and skills that can be developed over time after the workshop. Using simple structured approaches, participants will learn how to create short pieces representative of selected Classical, World, Folk, and Blues styles. In addition, they will begin to explore and express their own music.

WORKSHOP CONTENT WILL BE DRAWN FROM THE FOLLOWING:

• Definitions, basic principles, and historical background.
• Creation of short solo and group improvisations based on the following:
• African rhythms
• Contrast (range, dynamics, articulations, and timbre)
• Interval fragments and scales (pentatonic, whole tone, chromatic, modal, major, minor, and blues in C)
• Chords of selected scales.
• Diatonic cadences.
• Completion and expansion of short excerpts.
• 12 bar blues progression.
  
  PREREQUISITES: Participants must have had a minimum of 2 years of instruction on their instrument and preferably possess rudimentary music reading skills. Intermediate and advanced players will also benefit from this workshop. Each participant will start from where they are in terms of their experience, knowledge, and skill level.
  NOTE: While designed primarily for keyboardists, other instrumentalists and vocalists are more than welcome to participate.

The Joy of Improvisation II-"O.K. You got me started, so now what do I do?"

BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTION: A further exploration into the wonderful world of Improvisation for musicians, including those with traditional classical training, who have begun to improvise but want to do more. A practical and fun approach that demystifies the art of improvisation and helps build self confidence through simple exercises that build upon concepts and abilities participants already possess as well as introduce new concepts and skills that can be developed over time after the workshop. Using simple structured approaches, participants will learn how to create short pieces representative of selected Classical, World, Folk, and Blues/Jazz styles. In addition, they will begin to explore and express their own music.

PREREQUISITES: Participants must have had a minimum of 2 years of instruction on their instrument and preferably possess intermediate level music reading skills. Intermediate and advanced players will also benefit from this workshop. Each participant will start from where they are in terms of their experience, knowledge, and skill level. Completion of The Joy of Improvisation I is highly recommended.

NOTE: While designed primarily for keyboardists, other instrumentalists and vocalists are more than welcome to participate.

WORKSHOP CONTENT WILL BE DRAWN FROM THE FOLLOWING:

• Brief review of basic principals, practical application, and historical antecedents.
• Review pentatonic, whole tone, and chromatic fragments and scales. Work with more complex figurations and textures.
• Create an impressionistic piece in the style of Debussy in ABA or Rondo form (ABACABA) using 2 or more of the above scales.)
• Introduce Japanese pentatonic scales.
• Create a free improvisation in "Japanese" style.
• Learn modal scales on white notes and learn the formula to transpose the modes.
• Accompany modal scales with appropriate triads.
• Complete short modal fragments and extend into longer improvisations.
• Play "Greensleeves" by ear and harmonize with chords of the Dorian and minor scales.
• Complete "Camel Music" (using ABA form and Aeolian and Ionian Modes).
• Review triads of the major scale and the I IV I V7 I cadence in various voicings.
• Introduce figured bass and lead sheet symbols for the above.
• Discuss principles of harmonizing diatonic melodies.
• Harmonize "Go Tell Rhody" using I IV6/4 V6/5 chords two ways: with block chords and with Alberti bass.
• Expand to cadences using secondary chords. Repeat the progressions using various keyboard figurations. Decorate with non-chord tones.
• Create an ornamented version of "Little Prelude" from the Anna Magdalena Bachbook using non-chord tones
• Improvise a prelude in the style of J.S. Bach.
• Improvise variations on "Ein Chorale" by Schumann.
• "Trading 8's over the circle of fifths progression.
• Explore intermediate level Blues progressions.
• Create a group "Blues" improvisation.