Regular Price $29.95

Starring: Marilyn Crispell, 
Directed By: Happy Traum, 
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Hal Leonard
Format: Closed-captioned,  Color,  DVD-Video,  NTSC, 

Editorial Reviews and DVD Information about A Pianist's Guide to Free Improvisation DVD

Product Description
Sit down at the piano and play whatever comes into your head, making up your own music as you go along. That?s free improvisation. This lesson is designed for players with some facility at the keyboard but with little knowledge of improvisational techniques. Famed pianist Marilyn Crispell shows the scales, intervals and basic chords that will get you started creating musical sounds. Once you find the notes that will start the process of improvisation, she gives you the background information to make it happen. After reviewing essential music theory, Marilyn shows you how scales, triads, intervals, pedal points and tritones can all be used as tools for the creative pianist. There?s plenty of material here for experienced improvisers to study as well, as Marilyn, an important exponent of the Free Jazz movement, gives you the tools to develop themes and unlock your own ideas. She digs into her long experience with the music of Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton, Gary Peacock and other jazz improvisers, breaking down the finer points of creating sounds and developing new playing concepts. She teaches several tunes by talented friends and colleagues, exploring ways that you can move beyond the melodies and into the world of free improvisation. Marilyn and bassist John Menegon explore the process by which they develop their improvisational ideas. They create music on the spot, allowing you to see their musical thoughts as they happen. Whether you are new to this technique or ...

Customer Reviews for A Pianist's Guide to Free Improvisation DVD

Learned a lot
I really enjoy this DVD. I have been interested in piano improvisation for some time now. Bought some books on improvisation, Levine - Jazz Piano Book, Olmstead - Solo Jazz Piano. They are both great but not quite what I was looking for. This DVD explains many of the concepts in those books, and encourages you to explore improvisation yourself easily. Ms Crispell's presentation includes technical concepts, and encourages you to explore them, but more importantly demonstrates what you can do to improvise while staying within a set of harmonic "rules."
I would recommend this DVD to anyone who enjoys jazz, wants to learn more about harmony and wants to have some fun improvising.
I should mention that the concepts apply to improvising music on the piano in general, not just jazz.
Highly recommended.A Pianist's Guide to Free Improvisation DVD