HERE ARE SOME MORE IDEAS BESIDES THE SOFTWARE ARPEGGIATOR
MY PERSONAL APPROACH:
My personal approach to similar type of improvisation is as follows
HARDWARE IDEAS
1) INSTRUMENT I utilize a 4-strings instrument instead of 3-stringsm although sometimes a 3-strings too. Of course I may use a 6-string instrument.
2) STARTING SCALE I chose a basic scale, usually the natural defoult scale of the instruent which is marked on its fretboard.
3) The TUNINGS are preferably overtones cuatro tunings thus cavaco cuatro or Swedish troll fiddle tuning. But I can also use the venezuala cuatro or ukulele (guitar tuning of 4 highest strings)
4) CHROMATIC TONALITY
Although I chose a diatonic scale, that is from 7 notes I involve also some or all of the 5 blue notes that result to all 12-notes of the musical universe. This is usually done in chords by convrting major to minor and vice versa E.g. a stanard chromatic extension ofthe chords of the diatonic scale is 3M instead of 3m and 7M instead of 7d. But also the minors 6m can become 6M when resolving to 2m and also the 3m to 3M when resolving to 6m, and the 2m to 2M7 when resolving to 5M. In addition we may suround each major chord with two dimisnsihed chords an interval of 2nd away, that resolve to them, in the same way that the 7dimished resolves to 1M. I have a composed collection of more than 800 chord progressions in tonality , chromatic tonality and general multitonality in which I can resort to improvise with melodic bridges metween the chords as in 10) and 11) below.
For the next steps I will enlarge more in the subsequents paragraphs
CHORD-BASED IDEAS
5) I improvise on major-minor lternations of HARMONIC CYCLES
with bridging the chords small melodic themes too.
6) I improvise on major-minor lternations of CHROMATIC CYCLES (like Andaluzian cycle)
with bridging the chords small melodic themes too.
7) I improvise on ISOMORPHIC CYCLES OF CHORDS (X1-X2-X3etc) with (Y1-Y2-Y3 etc) Most often of chromatic sequences that are melodic or harmonic isomorphic . I bridge them with small melodic themes too.
8) 2-VOICES AMBIGUITY REVEALED
I ascend or descend a mode of the scale with 2-voices simulteneous notes intervals of 3rds. The ambiguity of them is that they can be part of a minor or dimished chord (sad feeling) or a major chord (happy feeling). So 1st I play the 2-voice interval andthen I reveal it as major ot minor chord depending on the mood and to if I am ascending or descending.
MELODIC THEMES BASE IDEAS
9) SMALL MELODIC THEMES VARIATIONS
The idea here is to start with short and rythmic melodic themes and apply the 3 basic variations , like translation (chromatic, melodic, harmonic) inversions and mutations. The structure of the melodic themes may mimic the chords accompanying a melody. Instead of chords here we may have an isokratic a drone or intermittently repeating melodic theme , which may be an "arpeggio" of the closure of a chord, and over this we add sequentially a higher octave melodic theme that is varied and evolves.
MIXED CHORD AND MELODIC THEMES IDEAS
10) "WALKING THROUGH PARTS OF A TOWN", FLUID-CHORD-TRIADS or 2-VOICE ACCOMPANYING OF MELODY.
This idea is very old idea in ancient folk music before the era of classical music when complicated melodies where accompanied by power chords that are essentially 2-voices chords. It is an idea also similar to the next below at 10) except that instead of alternating standard 3-voices chords with melodic themes, we are struming or arpeggiating on a single triad which is not standard major or minor and so that it is constantly changing at each note of the melodic themes so that the 2 lower notes are rather stable and are used as 2-voice chord which accomnies the 3rd note which is changing faster and is usually the higher.
11) "TRAVELING AMONG AND WITHIN TOWNS"
This is a generic type of improvisation where I improvise "randomnly" with melodic themes that are translated , inverted and mutated mainly within the diatonic scale, but at their standing notes (melodic centers) I apply arpegiation or struming of the close local major or minor/diminishd chord which fits to the melody at that time. The choices are only 2-3 at each time. Here the metaphor for the melodic themes is traveling and the metaphor for chords is "town"
My personal approach to similar type of improvisation is as follows
HARDWARE IDEAS
1) INSTRUMENT I utilize a 4-strings instrument instead of 3-stringsm although sometimes a 3-strings too. Of course I may use a 6-string instrument.
2) STARTING SCALE I chose a basic scale, usually the natural defoult scale of the instruent which is marked on its fretboard.
3) The TUNINGS are preferably overtones cuatro tunings thus cavaco cuatro or Swedish troll fiddle tuning. But I can also use the venezuala cuatro or ukulele (guitar tuning of 4 highest strings)
4) CHROMATIC TONALITY
Although I chose a diatonic scale, that is from 7 notes I involve also some or all of the 5 blue notes that result to all 12-notes of the musical universe. This is usually done in chords by convrting major to minor and vice versa E.g. a stanard chromatic extension ofthe chords of the diatonic scale is 3M instead of 3m and 7M instead of 7d. But also the minors 6m can become 6M when resolving to 2m and also the 3m to 3M when resolving to 6m, and the 2m to 2M7 when resolving to 5M. In addition we may suround each major chord with two dimisnsihed chords an interval of 2nd away, that resolve to them, in the same way that the 7dimished resolves to 1M. I have a composed collection of more than 800 chord progressions in tonality , chromatic tonality and general multitonality in which I can resort to improvise with melodic bridges metween the chords as in 10) and 11) below.
For the next steps I will enlarge more in the subsequents paragraphs
CHORD-BASED IDEAS
5) I improvise on major-minor lternations of HARMONIC CYCLES
with bridging the chords small melodic themes too.
6) I improvise on major-minor lternations of CHROMATIC CYCLES (like Andaluzian cycle)
with bridging the chords small melodic themes too.
7) I improvise on ISOMORPHIC CYCLES OF CHORDS (X1-X2-X3etc) with (Y1-Y2-Y3 etc) Most often of chromatic sequences that are melodic or harmonic isomorphic . I bridge them with small melodic themes too.
8) 2-VOICES AMBIGUITY REVEALED
I ascend or descend a mode of the scale with 2-voices simulteneous notes intervals of 3rds. The ambiguity of them is that they can be part of a minor or dimished chord (sad feeling) or a major chord (happy feeling). So 1st I play the 2-voice interval andthen I reveal it as major ot minor chord depending on the mood and to if I am ascending or descending.
MELODIC THEMES BASE IDEAS
9) SMALL MELODIC THEMES VARIATIONS
The idea here is to start with short and rythmic melodic themes and apply the 3 basic variations , like translation (chromatic, melodic, harmonic) inversions and mutations. The structure of the melodic themes may mimic the chords accompanying a melody. Instead of chords here we may have an isokratic a drone or intermittently repeating melodic theme , which may be an "arpeggio" of the closure of a chord, and over this we add sequentially a higher octave melodic theme that is varied and evolves.
MIXED CHORD AND MELODIC THEMES IDEAS
10) "WALKING THROUGH PARTS OF A TOWN", FLUID-CHORD-TRIADS or 2-VOICE ACCOMPANYING OF MELODY.
This idea is very old idea in ancient folk music before the era of classical music when complicated melodies where accompanied by power chords that are essentially 2-voices chords. It is an idea also similar to the next below at 10) except that instead of alternating standard 3-voices chords with melodic themes, we are struming or arpeggiating on a single triad which is not standard major or minor and so that it is constantly changing at each note of the melodic themes so that the 2 lower notes are rather stable and are used as 2-voice chord which accomnies the 3rd note which is changing faster and is usually the higher.
11) "TRAVELING AMONG AND WITHIN TOWNS"
This is a generic type of improvisation where I improvise "randomnly" with melodic themes that are translated , inverted and mutated mainly within the diatonic scale, but at their standing notes (melodic centers) I apply arpegiation or struming of the close local major or minor/diminishd chord which fits to the melody at that time. The choices are only 2-3 at each time. Here the metaphor for the melodic themes is traveling and the metaphor for chords is "town"
12) OVERTONES VERTICAL GATES
This applies especially well in overtones tunings and of course on the full 6-string 1st overtones tuning. I improvise horizontally with melodies and at the standing note a cross-over vertically at the local overtones "gate" which is of course an extended overtones arpeggio of a major or minor chord.
This applies especially well in overtones tunings and of course on the full 6-string 1st overtones tuning. I improvise horizontally with melodies and at the standing note a cross-over vertically at the local overtones "gate" which is of course an extended overtones arpeggio of a major or minor chord.
