BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
15550 / 18210 · Workshop 115 — Writing Original Improvised-Sounding Lines: How to Make Composed Melodies Feel Spontaneous Without Becoming Random← prev⊞ allnext →

115.202Mini-project 1 — Composed “Improvised” Solo

Write 16 bars over:

Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 | Cmaj7

repeating.

Requirements:

  • no phrase starts on beat 1 twice in a row
  • at least one phrase crosses barline
  • one phrase only 2 notes
  • one phrase longer than 2 bars
  • one chromatic enclosure
  • one altered dominant tension
  • one exact motif callback
  • highest note occurs once
  • at least 25% silence

Then perform it as though:

you are discovering it.