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Friday, April 24, 2020

309. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF THE FEELING OF A MELODIC THEME (LINE) AND THE FEELING OF A CHORD. MELODY SEQUENCERS , CHORD SEQUENCERS AND ARPEGGIATORS

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF THE FEELING OF A  MELODIC THEME (LINE) AND A CHORD.

MELODY SEQUENCERS , CHORD SEQUENCERS AND ARPEGGIATORS.


CHROMATIC, MELODIC AND HARMONIC RELATIONS  OF CHORDS AND MELODIC THEMES AS VISUALIZED IN 2-DIMENSIONAL  LATTICES OF PADS.



Thursday, April 23, 2020

308. THE INVERTED TUNING 5-6m-5 OF THE UKULELE OR VENEZUELAN CUATRO AND GREEK BOUZOUKI AND ITS ADVANTAGES.


We do not describe this tuning just because iti  s the inverse of a well known tuning inherited by the standard guitar, in ukulele, venezuelan  cuatro ,and Greek  Bouzouki.


It is that after searching for a better (overtones)  tuning for the 4-string instruments we fell upon it surpisingly.

E.g. the Standard ukulele (without re-entrance) tuning is  G3-C4-E4-A4, with interval structure

4-3M-4 (4th major 3rd and 4th). The Ukulele tuning is symmetric and  rather balanced as far as the one-fret  triad-chords major and minor. But it has the one-fret minor chords at the higher strings and the one-fret major chords at the lower strings , thsu favors a bit the minor chords songs in playing.

If we require

1) to have an interval (among strings) of 5th at the high two strings because it sounds better than an interval of 4th
2) to be symmetric and balanced as far as the one-fret  triad-chords major and minor.
3) To have the one-fret triad major  chords at higher strings and the one-fret triad minor chords at the lower strings
4) to be close to the familar ukulele tuning in playing

then the inverse tuning seems to be the only solution . That is

A2-E3-C4-G4 with interval structure 5th-6thminor-5th.

It has all the above properties and because it is the reflection-mirror of the ukulele tuning it is familar and easy to learn it to play it.

One bonus advantage is that because of the middle large interval of 6th minor and the 5ths it has large range than the usual ukulele tuning.

After trying it we realize that

1) The A-shape  triad-chords are plaid easier because of the ergonomy ofthe finger in the hands
2) The E-shaped barre chords are plaied easier because of the ergonomy ofthe finger in the hands


Thus in total the advantages of thsi inverse tuning relative to the standard are the next

1) It has two intervals of 5th among the strings that it sounds better in open and barre chords compared to intervals of 4th. 
2) It has larger range
3) It has the one-fret triad major  chords at higher strings and the one-fret triad minor chords at the lower strings,  thus  favors a bit mor joyfull music of major chords
4) It is more ergonomic in the fingers when playing the A-shape and E-shape chords The D-shape triad chords are almost the same difficulty. (the minor triad D-shape is slightly more difficult).
5) The 4-strings  chords span 2 octaves and have more magical and reach sound.






Wednesday, April 22, 2020

307. THE SWEDISH TROLL PLUS LATIN CHARANGO 5-4-3M-4-5 REMARKABLE TUNING AND THE INVERSE OF IT 5-4-6m-5-4 FOR THE 6-STRING GUITAR AND OUD.

This is  another variation of the overtones tuning which includes not only the Swedish troll tuning and the ukulele (venezuela cuatro) but also the charango tuning  besides of course the troll tuning and the 3-string Bouzouki tuning is the C2-G2-C3-E3-A3-E4 INTERVALS (5-4-3M-4-5or in semitones (7-5-4-5-7 )   which is symmetric as we see and in numbered steps of the diatonic scale 1-5-1'-3'-6'-3" It is an open tuning of the root  major with 6th as the open tuning of ukulele and charango.

It is  balanced tunging as far as the simplest 0ne fret shapes are concerne relative to minor and major chords of the default diatonic scale.

We may compare these tuning with that of the fado guitar that in interavls it is (5-2-5-4-2) E.g. C-G-A -E-A-B) it is an open major chord with 6th and major 7nth


If we concisider that setting the minor one-fret chords at higher strings is an advantage for the minor chords , there is also the inverse order of it , which sets the simple one-fret major chords at the higher strings and the minors at the lower strings which is inverse from the previous.

E,g. for C major it would be E2-A2-E3-C4-G4-C4 with interval structure  4-5-6m-5-4 . 

It has an inversed troll tuning and an invered ukulele and charango tuning. It may be considered that although symmetric relative to minor and major it favors a bit the major chords, as it has their simplest shape at the higher in pitch strings

The main advantages (and some disadvantages) of these previous  tuning are  the next 



Sunday, April 19, 2020

306. METHOD OF SINGLE INSTRUMENT IMPROVISATION IN THE STYLE OF ALEXEY ARCHIPOVSKY BALALAIKA


IMITATION ASSIMILATION, INNOVATION.

The remarkable method of Alexey Archipovsky is worth mentioning in separte post as it is  both very nice music but also long lasting for an hour or more single instrument improvisation.

(see also posts  74 292 )



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwOm325P9wE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7qd0LP6ALY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WACPdHhZTUo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WACPdHhZTUo


The main characteristics of  his style are:


1) He is using echo (delay) and reverbation electronic effects and probably some time arpeggiators.

2) Beacuse he is using a 3-string instrument (blalaika) he applies a method of strumming of general type 3-voices fluid chords. General type in the sesnse that they are not stanrd major or minor chords. Fluid in the sesnse that he is changmg the fast as the notes of a melody, as the highest note is indeed a  melody while the lower two are not changing or changing little and serve as a 2-voice interval-chord that acompanies the 3rd-voice which si the melody.

3) He is applying time intervals of pure melodic improvisation with short melodic themes as arpeggios, ascending or descending within an overtones chord or among the octaves and especially 4ths/5ths a. In particular instead of ordinary of arpeggios of chords he may be  ustilizing long also chromatic (relative  a virtual chord) arpeggios of 10-15 notes that ascend 2-3 octaves and pass possibly from overtones. Much like as in techniques of electronic music by Michel Jarre, but with a 3-string balalaika! Or much like the half  automatic half intercative arpeggios music maker software like ARPIO (for Android) or ARPEGIONOME (for iOs) created by AlexanderNaut (Alexander Randon) 

4) The best parts of his improvisation are not the fast virtuose melodic themes but the slow one and the strumming-like repetitions that are mesmerizing.

5) He incorporates in his  improvisation very small parts of very famous and known melodies which increases the feeling of familiarity of his playing to  the audiance 


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)

CHORD-BASED IDEAS

IMITATION ASSIMILATION, INNOVATION.

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 mau 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

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 BASED 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 at 11) 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 I cross-over vertically at the local overtones "gate" which is of course an extended overtones arpeggio of a local major or minor chord.

We may create such nice loops, of 2 or 3 or more chords and parallel melodic themes as "dolphin words"  with arpeggiator applications in ipad like chordion, dot melody, arpeggist , fugue machine, ioniarics polyrhitmic arpeggiator etc (see post  12 )
We must notice that many application create looping melodic themes that are any sequence of notes, which allows for the loop to be acctually a repeating sequence of smaller melodic thems M1 M2 M3 ...Mn  (or "dolphin words")  one for each chord  C1 ,C2 C3,...Cn ofthe cycle of chords.

Saturday, April 18, 2020

305. METHOD OF SINGLE INSTRUMENT IMPROVISATION BY UTILIZING THE ARPEGGIATOR FUNCTION OF THE MIDI GUITAR 2 SOFTWARE .OVER ANY MELODIC IMPROVISATION ON A HARDWARE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.



















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"


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.

304. THE INSTINCTUAL ANTICIPATED EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF NOTES BEFORE THEY ARE PLAYED ON THE FRETBOARDS KEYBARDS OR WIND-KEYS AS A BETTER SYSTEM THAN MEMORIZING SCALE PATERNS.

THE INSTICTUAL  ANTICIPATED EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF NOTES BEFORE THEY ARE PLAYED ON THE FRETBOARDS KEYBARDS OR WINDS-KEYS AS A BETTER SYSTEM THAN MEMORIZING SCALE PATERNS



I believe, as I have practiced already, that there is a better way to improvise over scales on a frteboard, or holes/keys  of a wind nstrument etc. than  memorizing scales positions and patterns.
By memorizing one relies on his memory whichis correlated with the action of his fingers. Thus from the 3 inner-centers used in muiscal practice (as in post 303) two are used the mental and the kinetic. while the feelingsis not required. In such a way also there is always the risk that there ia mixed scale wanted for the improvisation which is not learned so far.

The better method that I have found is the use of the two inner centers of feelings and kinetics. It requires of course sufficient practice with the instrument. After this sufficient practice it happens that when improvising and one hovers or approaches his finger over a fret of the fretboard or position on the (violin's) fingerboard) or hole/key of the wind instrument  he can anticipate instictually the feeling of the note that it will sound of placing the finger there. So if the feeling is the right because ofthe right sound he does plays the notes otherwise he moves further up or down. In thsi way no memmory of scale-patterns are required and the involved melody patterns are by far more. It does require though and "inner practice" of tuning the feelings of musical sounds listening with the keneti center of the hands.






Saturday, April 4, 2020

303. IMPROVISATION AS SPEAKING IN AN ORAL LANGUAGE . A BALANCE OF 3 ACTIVE FACTORS MIND-HEART-FINGERS OR MUSICAL-THEORETICAL CONCEPTS , FEELINGS AND SKILLS ON THE INSTRUMENT (OR VOICE)


IMPROVISATION AS SPEAKING IN AN ORAL LANGUAGE . A BALANCE OF 3 ACTIVE FACTORS MIND-HEART-FINGERS OR MUSICAL-THEORETICAL CONCEPTS  , FEELINGS AND SKILLS ON THE INSTRUMENT (OR VOICE)

As we have mentioned in posts 40 and 97 , the music resembles the grammar , syntax and use of an oral language. The next table establishes correspondences at the various layers of complexity.

MUSICAL LANGUAGE
SPEAKING LANGUAGE
Note
Letter  of the alphabet
Interval (3 elementary melodic moves)
Syllables
Melodic moves or themes (5 basic  melodic patterns and Dolphin words as in post 101). Chords
Words that make a simple proposition (subject verb object) 


Full melody (propositions) . Chords progressions at a duration that may contain many melodic themes (Phrase).
Propositions . Phrases or sentences from a point to  a next point , that may contain many simple propositions 




Composition of music with software:

 MELODIC MATHS BY MAX MARTIN AND GERM-PATTERN SYSTEMS OF CREATING MELODIC THEMES AND MUTATIONS OF  MELODIC THEMES AND RHYTHMS

In the next videos one can see how melodic themes of notes  (but also of chords) and mutations of them plus repetitive combinations of them, can be created by keeping invariant an  initial germ-pattern or  melodic-seed of  interval shifts and pause (GERM PATTERN)  of a note (or chord) or  of  initial pattern of sequence of melodic themes of notes or chords after  seeminly random pauses (omittings) of the parts of the fixed pattern. 


Melodic themes of notes can be considered and created also as repettitive combinations of a small set of interval-steps (pitch transformations) in a scale plus a pause wchich may be called MELODIC GERM . A melodic germ  as basic invariant can give many melodic themes with an internal affinity which can  be considered a system of muttations of melodic themes


Comparing the melody with a speaking language suggests the next correspondence

Let us correspond to each vowel a number of steps inteval shift insidea scale 

E.g. 

empty space=pause 
A=0 step
E= 1 steps
I= 2 steps
O=3 steps
OU=4 steps


Then the content of vowels of any phrase can be translated as a GERM-PATTERN for creating melodic themes as muttaions of this germ-pattern  (and latter also repettitive combinations of them)

See also post 106 about melodic seeds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HPkTMYoJnI


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb3e4Mq6y3s


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0-Ljf5gm4A


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc16Y1gKUDc



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0-Ljf5gm4A



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc16Y1gKUDc

Dolphin words (=melodies abstract order patterns) are beatifully composed with the arpeggiator

Dot Melody of https://www.olympianoiseco.com/

https://www.olympianoiseco.com/apps/dot-melody/

The improvisation on any instrument , harmonic or melodic, must be as speaking an an oral language.
It must be created at first internally as a will to express a sequence of meanings , then be able to sing or whistle it as far as the melodic part is concerned and then be able toplay it on an instrument

And this also explains why some times many good and skilled instrument players fail to improvise. 
They hold their instrument and either they expect that magically their fingers will start to move on a marvelous melodic theme. But speaking is not a mediumship and channeling of a spirit. The speaker must use his mind and know  the story that he/she wants to tel before telling it. So the instrument player must use also his mind and have a CONCEPT and know, more or less in advance the "MUSICAL MEANING" that he/she wants to express. He may not know exactly which notes and chords he will use, and in what order, but he must know the overall melodic and harmonic meaning that he wants to express in his mind. MIND-HEART-MOVES must combine so as to have a good improvisation. Not only one only of them. The habit only of the moves on the instrument will not give the best of improvisations that someone can perform. It is needed also feelings and a musical-theoretical concept The feelingsof the heart alone are not sufficient to lead to the best of improvisations that someone can perform. It is necessary also to use finger-skills and also musical theoretical concepts of the mind. The mind only and the musical theoretical concepts alone are not sufficient to  lead to the best of improvisations that someone can perform. It si necessary to use the momentum ofthe feelingsof the heart and skills of the fingers.

FOR EXAMPLE HERE IS HOW I APPLY THIS PRINCIPLE e,g. ON SINGLE UNACCOMPANIED MUSICAL  INSTRUMENT

1) MIND: I start with a diatoninc instrument with a particular scale , or chromatic e.g. a guitar with marked a default diatonic scale on it. This is my vocabulary. Then I decide which chord progressions of the 7-chords I willmainly use,and inpartcular what chromatic chords outside the scale,with "blue"  or chromaticnotes outside the scale that will create an extension of the diatonic scale towards  the full chromatic 12-notes scale. E.g. modify the natural minor mode to harmonic minor or double harmonic minor. Or change some major chords ofthe scale to minors with the same root and vice-versa. I prepare myself for types of repetitions, and chose one or more  rhythms. 

2) FINGER-SKILLS: I make sure that I am sufficiently familiar with the particular instrument and have this diatonic scale obviously on it (marked if necesary if its a chromatic instrument with fretboard. If itsi a wind that it is awind ofthsi scale. If its a celtic harp that it is tuned to this scale etc) By insisting playing all chords on the same inversion (at best in normal forms which is easy in overtone tunings) the chords of diatonic scale are spread across the fretboard. This may require larger moves of the hand, but it offers voices of the chords at different pitch ranges which is more rich at the final musical result. This is amore pianno-like or harp-like positioning of the chords on the fretboard as the relative pirches of their roots are easily and intuitively visible. Thus instead of playing the chords only as open at the first few frets we play them as 3 or 4 consecutive strings only across all the fretboard.

3) FEELINGS OF THE HEART: I srart seemingly randomply on the notes of the scale, and let the feelings shape a rather short and rhythmic melodic theme of 3-4 notes, that express as a word my feelings at that time and environment. Then I start variations of it mainly following the feelings of the heart but also letting the seemingly random moves of the fingers in the scale to add surprising innovations. I repeat, invert and innovate (mutate). I alternate chord pogressions with melodic themes variations (translations from string to string or across one string, inversions and mutations). I realize the chromatic-chords and notes extensions that I have decided but at random times and in unexpected order. I repeat and innovate. I create intervalsof long silence to review my playing and comeback with new ideas and momentum of feelings. In all the process the center of feelings (heart) watches carefully the moves of the fingers and does not let it act before somehow "knows" in advance which sound will be made. In other words we do not let the center of moves of the fingers to go faster that the flow of emotions in the heart and before the heart approves in advance whta the figers will play.


HERE ARE MORE SPECIFIC IDEAS

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 11) 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.