Vamps as an improvisation aid

Especially if we don't have much experience with improvisation ourselves, we find it difficult to integrate this enormously enriching field of learning into our lessons. However, Thomas Silvestri's series Piano-Vamps for Improvising (Vol. 1-3) has provided me with wonderful material that has given me many new impulses and ideas for my lessons. The pieces are all based entirely on his teaching practice and only offer as much explicit theory as is necessary to get into playing quickly. Short ostinato bass figures (vamps) are presented in the booklets, which can be improvised on. The corresponding scales (major, minor, blues scale, pentablues scale etc.) are deliberately listed separately in the last part of the booklets with the intention of memorizing them first and making them your own. There are also many typical "patterns", which should be practiced as building blocks and can later be incorporated into improvisations. The aim is to build up a repertoire of good-sounding phrases and to get a feel for the different keys over time. Also highly recommended are the suggestions on how individual keys can be practiced not only as a so-called "scale", but also how, using the keyboard pattern as a guide, you can start on any note in order to diatonically transpose small motifs, intervals or chords of the scale, for example. As a result, the scales are increasingly viewed as a "tone reservoir" that starts somewhere and ends somewhere, as is naturally the case when improvising.

Also with www.silvestrimusic.ch have appeared Jazzy Tunes for Piano-Soloin versions for beginners to advanced players. These are collections of "jazzy" piano pieces, many with an improvisation section. The booklet in the intermediate difficulty range (Intermediate Vol.1), for example, offers numerous tips on scales and patterns in addition to the pieces. The author also shows how to create an improvisation sketch with notated and free passages. The individual pieces can be listened to as audio samples using a QR code.

Thomas Silvestri: Piano-Vamps for Improvising Vol. 1, Blues, Funk, Jazz, Valse, Tango, Pop, Bossa, Classic, Choro, Flamenco ... and more; booklet Fr. 20.00; PDF Fr. 10.00; self-published by Thomas Silvestri, www.silvestrimusic.ch