Violin Improvisation Lesson | 14 Best Practice Tips

This violin improvisation lesson tutorial shares 14 best practice tips on how to improvise on violin. For more violin improvisation exercises, get my free course: http://bit.ly/CreativeStringsEducation See the full post and find more resources on improvisation for Jazz and other kinds of violin playing here: https://christianhowes.com/2018/09/04... In this video I cover some of my best practice tips for how to improvise on the violin. Whether you're looking to make your own violin covers, arrange your parts to play violin in a band, or develop deeper skills in improvisation in any style, you'll take away new insights into creative violin practice from this video. The song used in this video to demonstrate my approach to practicing violin improvisation is "Hasta Siempre Comendante." Here are some of the key points from the violin improvisation tutorial, also related to teaching improvisation to classical musicians, or jazz improvisation for classical violinists: 00:00 Intro 00:47 – Write down the chord progression of a song you’re beginning to practice improvisation on 1:00 – Come up with & play a simple, functional bass line on the violin, viola, or cello 01:25 – Diagram the voice leading in first position, in extended range, on the violin - To make this easier to visualize and internalize, make sure to download my Free Voice-Leading diagram here: https://christianhowes.com/education/ 1:30 – Play the arpeggio of each chord in root position 1:40 – Internalize each arpeggio in all inversions on the violin 02:14 – Play the chords as double stops & triple stops in spread & close voicings on violin 02:30 – Connect arpeggios with voice leading 03:50 - Choose a scale to use for each chord 4:00 - Tip: Any chord scale should always contain the notes in the chord 4:10 - Tip: Choose scales with as many common tones as possible across the chord progression 04:34 - Pair two chord-scales using voice-led sequences in extended range, first position on violin 4:56 - Tip: Write down the key signatures on a staff and look at them when you practice 05:52 - Play a chord tone on the downbeat of the chord, or on strong beats 06:10 - Use chord tones to create a skeletal melody 06:17 - Embellish the core melody 06:48 - Choose a melodic rhythm & change the notes 07:55 - Play constant 8th notes 08:30 - Use constant triplets or 16ths 8:35 - Mix rhythmic values, such as combining 8ths & 16ths, 1/2s & 1/4ths 08:40 - Combine rhythmic values such as 8ths and/or 16ths with rests 08:57 - "Micro-improvisation”- Repeat a melody, making different, tiny changes each time 09:59 - Write out a solo (with or without the violin in hand) 10:24 - Transcribe ideas from other recordings 11:24 - Vary phrasing (long/short, dense/sparse, etc..) 13:02 - Vary techniques, register, & articulations (specific to violin improvisation) 13:30 - When practicing improvisation on violin, be conscious of the framework, structure, constraints, or parameters 13:55 - My Best Violin Improvisation Tips: Record yourself, listen back, take notes, & eliminate your least favorite material in the future. My gear- I use a Yamaha SV-250 electric violin. Boss ME-70 signal processor. Ditto Loop pedal (stereo). D'Addario strings. FIshman loudbox amp. I buy all my electric gear from electric violin shop. Call them at their number posted on their website: www.electricviolinshop.com/creativestrings If you're interested in creative violin playing, make sure to get the free eCourse: http://bit.ly/CreativeStringsEducation ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 🔵 For Transcriptions, Lessons & Proven Strategies to Grow Your Musicianship, subscribe to my free newsletter. It’s actionable and loved by 10,000 subscribers. Subscribe here: https://swiy.co/Subscribe_CH 🔵 SUBSCRIBE to this channel for new videos weekly : https://https://swiy.co/_SUBSCRIBE 🔵 FREE MASTERCLASS - Get lightness, clarity, and better outcomes from your practice with my new masterclass: https://swiy.co/_FreeMasterclass 🔵 Improvise to Many Styles & Become a more Creative Violin Player: https://bit.ly/__LEARN 🎻🎻MULTIMEDIA COURSES (video lessons, workbooks, play along tracks & more) 🔵 Private LESSONs - https://bit.ly/ScheduleCallwithChristian Let me show you what I taught my students at the Berklee College of Music and my workshops around the world. 🔵 EXCLUSIVE FB GROUP: Join us https://bit.ly/CreativeStringPlayersFB ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ #JazzViolin #CreativeStrings #Improvisation