How to improvise on the violin
What is improvising?
Improvising is creating a musical line out of nothing. There is no sheet music, no prior practice or preparation; when improvising, the player makes up a musical line on the spot. The process of learning to improvise requires a lot of trial and error. When starting out, do not be afraid to sound “bad” or make mistakes, because those mistakes are how you learn and improve. Follow these steps to learn how to improvise on the violin.
Choose a backing track.
Improvising is often done in a group, however, to practice improvising on your own, you’ll need a backing track. A backing track helps create the mood of the tune and gives you something to improvise on. When choosing a backing track, be sure to know what key it’s in. There are several backing tracks available for free on YouTube.
2. Play a scale with the backing track.
This step aims to help you hear how each note of the scale sounds with the track. Not every note will sound harmonious with the track; the second and seventh notes of the scale will sound dissonant. This does not mean these notes can’t be used during your improvisation, but they should be used sparingly.
3. Change the bowings and rhythm of the scale.
Try anything that comes to mind! Add in slurs, dotted rhythms, repeat notes, and skip notes; there is no way to mess this up. This is your opportunity to be creative and flow with the music.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with arpeggios.
If your improvisation is already flowing, feel free to skip this step. Playing arpeggios with the backing track can help you hear which notes will sound best with the backing track.
5. Slowly deviate from the scales and arpeggios until you have a melody!
Now you’re ready to improvise! Even if you’re unsure of how it will sound, try it anyway. Have fun and jam out! :)
