Uploaded May 2019 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
billspianopages.com/how-to-really ↓↓↓MORE LINKS AND DOWNLOADS BELOW↓↓↓
Vocalization is an incredibly useful technique to improve your piano improvisation - one used by major stars of jazz and blues piano in particular, though it’s used across the piano playing spectrum from pop to classical.
The basic idea is that vocalization allows you to tune into your intuitive musicality to save yourself being too consciously technical when you’re improvising at the piano keyboard. The piano is basically a machine, and it’s very easy to get tied up in the logic process of deciding which key to press when, which chord to use in particular places and so on - and that’s even before you get on to thinking about what to do with the pedals and how to deal with the idiosyncrasies of different pianos.
In this piano tutorial I introduce vocalization by working through a pretty straightforward eight-bar improvisation exercise that you should be able to manage as long as you’re familiar with some basic chords - or you’re willing to copy the chords I’m playing on the keyboard - and you know the names of the notes on the piano.
Vocalising as you improvising won’t magically make you into a piano improvisation genius overnight, but it will help you produce much more natural-sounding improvised lines, especially when improvising melodically in the right hand. Beware, though - if you incorporate this into your piano practice anyone listen to you might think you’re a bit weird! Vocalization is definitely worth the effort, though, so give it a go.
MY BOOKS
How To Really Play The Piano (book): billspianopages.com/how-to-really
Seven Studies in Pop piano (book): billspianopages.com/seven-studies
PDF of chords: drive.google.com/open?id=1BBwhuUk5Lqbv_w3VbW7br9vHDNSEdvPn
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Facebook: fb.me/billhiltonpiano
Twitter: twitter.com/billhilton
Instagram: instagram.com/billhilton
billspianopages.com/how-to-really ↓↓↓MORE LINKS AND DOWNLOADS BELOW↓↓↓
Vocalization is an incredibly useful technique to improve your piano improvisation - one used by major stars of jazz and blues piano in particular, though it’s used across the piano playing spectrum from pop to classical.
The basic idea is that vocalization allows you to tune into your intuitive musicality to save yourself being too consciously technical when you’re improvising at the piano keyboard. The piano is basically a machine, and it’s very easy to get tied up in the logic process of deciding which key to press when, which chord to use in particular places and so on - and that’s even before you get on to thinking about what to do with the pedals and how to deal with the idiosyncrasies of different pianos.
In this piano tutorial I introduce vocalization by working through a pretty straightforward eight-bar improvisation exercise that you should be able to manage as long as you’re familiar with some basic chords - or you’re willing to copy the chords I’m playing on the keyboard - and you know the names of the notes on the piano.
Vocalising as you improvising won’t magically make you into a piano improvisation genius overnight, but it will help you produce much more natural-sounding improvised lines, especially when improvising melodically in the right hand. Beware, though - if you incorporate this into your piano practice anyone listen to you might think you’re a bit weird! Vocalization is definitely worth the effort, though, so give it a go.
MY BOOKS
How To Really Play The Piano (book): billspianopages.com/how-to-really
Seven Studies in Pop piano (book): billspianopages.com/seven-studies
PDF of chords: drive.google.com/open?id=1BBwhuUk5Lqbv_w3VbW7br9vHDNSEdvPn
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Facebook: fb.me/billhiltonpiano
Twitter: twitter.com/billhilton
Instagram: instagram.com/billhilton
