Today I would like to share with you an easy, basic way to start improvising. Sometimes I think beginning piano students are a little intimidated by the whole process.

Here’s the tip: You are going to play blues chords in your left hand, and in your right hand you are going to improvise using 6 notes.

Left Hand: I will play these Blues Chords in root position so as not to confuse anyone:

C7 (C, E, G, Bb)

F7 (F, A, C, Eb)

G7 (G, B, D, F)

You are going to play those 3 chords in the blues chord progression. If you don’t already know the blues progression you will need to find that somewhere else such as by doing a quick google search.

Fingering Advise: Simply slide your hand away from you so that your fingers slide up between the black notes. That way your thumb can play the note comfortably.

Right Hand: In your right hand you will play any of these 6 notes in any order: C, D, E, G,A and Eb. You can play anything you want as long as you stay playing only any of those 6 notes. You can vary the octave.

You can change up the left hand part by playing the chords in straight quarter notes like this. I’m just making this up as I go along with what I am playing in my right hand.

I used the Pentatonic Scale, but I added one bluesy note to it. So, I hope that you will agree with me when I say that my Jazz Improvisation Tip: Using the Pentatonic Scale for Piano Improvisation can really make getting started a lot less imtimidating for someone new to the world of improvising. Have fun!