Stringpad improv

[Taurus]

Hey people,

I was just thinking, many people like to improv with their leads and such, and piano arpeggio stuff, like JR does and all JR-wannabe's hehe.

But i have to say using a simple 'slowstrings'-patch or smth similar (choirstring i.e.) and improvising with that can be extremely emotional and cool. Just that patch, solo, nothing more. We've heard it on 4NYC, and probably most of you guys do this a lot too. Unfortunately, not much technique for this is needed since your not playing any fast riffs or anything. So there's nothing really to 'showoff'.. or maybe there is...

But the quality of your improvisation can be overwhelming. A lot of new ideas you will get by improvising this way, new ideas that can be used for your new songs..

Any ideas? How does it influence your composing, and whats your 'technique' in improvising like this? Does anyone have some of those improvised string mp3 tracks?

(answer to that last question plz post in ShowOff)

I'd LOVE to hear the stuff you guys can improvise doing this. Here, speed and technique doesnt matter, the ear and feeling is mostly what matters for this kind of improvisation. Slow and touchy :oops: :lol:

[metropolis2k]

I do some of these occasionally. I find I do them best when I've got a new pad sound or something and I just play a few chords and it immediately inspires me and I start hearing melodies and stuff. The last one I did was when I was trying to do something for a film and I ended up creating this rhodes patch put through a really nice phaser and I was just improvising over a few chords. There were tons of bum notes and odd chords that didn't work but I went back to listen again and found there were a few changes and sections that are usuable for the composition.

I also found that I made the most 'mistakes' when I was thinking too much. I'd be thinking "Ok, so I'm in this key, I wonder how 'this' chord would sound" and that totally doesn't work for me. What did work was just playing and not even thinking about what key I'm in - barely even thinking about what chord I'm playing. I just seem to 'investigate' the chord I'm on by adding notes in the right hand (mainly) and try and hear where it wants to go from there. I write quite a few things like this and when I sit down and analyse it afterwards I realise it's moved through lots of key changes without me even realising as I was playing! It really helps your music flow and not sound forced.

[Liquid Shadow]

One of my bands is starting some rough ideas for a concept album about space travel, and the plan right now is to have these really atmospheric 1-2 minute blurbs every time that the character is traveling, with a synth pad I made playing these progressions and either myself or the guitarist playing a light, minimalist solo over each one.

Every time I write a new "travel section," I write it while improvising. I'll wait until a night where I'm relaxed and all peaceful inside, then go in my room with the lights off and turn on my keyboard. The big blue LCD gives the room a nice mystical feel, and I put on the patch and just play for a good half hour straight without stopping.

If I come across a good idea, I'll repeat it a few times so it sticks with me, then I'll try to work out of it into another idea, and after I feel I've done all I can for the night, I take the best ideas and make them into the newest travel section.

I've made about 5 or 6 so far, which is probably close to all that we'll be using. It's a really nice thing to do though...some of my favorite moments playing have been sitting in my room writing those progressions. Quite the emotional experience.

[Last Viking]

Every time I write a new "travel section," I write it while improvising.
I'll wait until a night where I'm relaxed and all peaceful inside, then
go in my room with the lights off and turn on my keyboard. The big
blue LSD gives my brain a nice mystical feel, and I put on my fancy
dress and just giggle for a good half hour straight without stopping.
After this i feel relaxed as after good night sleep and I don't have to
sleep for week. I'm teh winher...hehehe... nobdy can't beta...hehehe..
meeeee!....I'm powerful..... yeee.... hiihhahhaha.... hahhaha...


Are you sure that this LSD is safe!?

[Deceit]

I think JR hasn't really invented the improvisation over a string pattern/arpeggiator/sequencer...remember he isn't the first nor the last keyboardist in music history...
A little example! FII, Lines in the Sand, intro. That could be a pad improvisation. But I think there are earlier examples in music...
Deceit.

[Liquid Shadow]

Every time I write a new "travel section," I write it while improvising.
I'll wait until a night where I'm relaxed and all peaceful inside, then
go in my room with the lights off and turn on my keyboard. The big
blue LSD gives my brain a nice mystical feel, and I put on my fancy
dress and just giggle for a good half hour straight without stopping.
After this i feel relaxed as after good night sleep and I don't have to
sleep for week. I'm teh winher...hehehe... nobdy can't beta...hehehe..
meeeee!....I'm powerful..... yeee.... hiihhahhaha.... hahhaha...


Are you sure that this LSD is safe!?

:lol:

[Taurus]

Nobody here says JR invented it.

Brian Eno makes a lot of this kind of music, he got some good examples.