Musician and Guitar Instructor Dan Ripke performs in southeastern Michigan as a solo act, a guitar and mandolin duet and with a folk-based quartet. Now Dan shares with us his technique for teaching beginning improvisation to children. If you teach guitar, you want to teach your kid or you're just curious about beginning your own forays into the magical land of improvisation, click "Read More" below.
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Teaching Improvisation to Beginners
by Dan Ripke
Improvisation, if taught correctly, can be an extremely useful tool for learning music theory and developing a genuinely creative approach towards playing an instrument.
First the rules are set up and practiced; learning scales, intervals, chords and progressions. Once the student is a bit more confident in their ability, you can begin breaking the rules by improvising.
I've had several students in my years of teaching that have come to my studio from different teachers and musical backgrounds and most have never learned how to improvise. I also have several colleagues who are highly advanced at their instrument and are extremely talented musicians, but have never learned basic improvisation. Learning standard notation is very important and allows students access to volumes of great music, however a student that doesn't learn improvisation is lacking a fundamental piece of music education.
By learning to improvise, students use a hands-on approach to understanding how the elements of harmony and melody fit together and can be creative with their instrument at an early stage.
For younger children the term "mix-up" can be used instead of improvisation. Simply explain to the child that they will be mixing up the notes in the scale. Many students are intimidated when first introduced to the concept because it is something they have never done before. It doesn't have to be complicated and if the teacher uses a step by step approach the student quickly begins to enjoy the art of improvising.
You can start with a simple pentatonic scale or even a small part of a scale and show the student what chord can be played with it. For example, you could begin with the a minor pentatonic scale and the "A-minor" chord. Starting with a scale that has too many notes may be too technically complex for the student and too confusing when they begin mixing the notes up.
After practicing this exercise the student will gain confidence. They should be encouraged every step along the way, however, they should be told when they are playing the wrong notes or developing bad habits.
At first the students are only able to play simple melodies, and they may get bored doing this. At this point they can be taught a few tricks to add to the notes they are selecting. For guitar teachers they can use very basic techniques such as slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and vibrato. For other instruments similar techniques can be applied.
Older students are able to grasp these ideas much quicker and then learn how minor
and major scales work together and then how the modal system works. Within a semester of instruction they are able to improvise and understand the building blocks of music, utilizing the whole range of the instrument. These lessons in improvisation are taught along with lessons in standard notation using a similar step by step approach. By combining both of these approaches to learning an instrument the student gets a broad base education and can begin exploring multiple genres of music.
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Dan Ripke
DANIEL G. RIPKE (guitar, SPA-AA Individual Instruction) studied guitar and music theory at Delta College and theory and composition at Central Michigan University. He has maintained an active studio for 7 years specializing in beginning and intermediate students. Mr. Ripke has performed and recorded with groups in Michigan and San Francisco. Daniel currently performs with the Dan Arbor Band and Back Forty and sits in with several groups around the state. He currently teaches at a private studio in Brighton and The School for the Performing Arts - Ann Arbor
Objectives & Features
* Fun, personalized instruction
* Learn many styles
* Explore creativity
* Understand Music
* Learn how to read music
* Learn how to improvise guitar solos
* Learn how to write songs
For more info contact:
Ripke Studios
Brighton, MI 48114
810-844-0165 GuitarsRfun@hotmail.com
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By learning to improvise, students use a hands-on approach to understanding how the elements of harmony and melody fit together and can be creative with their instrument at an early stage.
