This morning when I was warming up for my lesson with @Goddess Diana I made this short improvisation with just a "C" in the left hand bass note and just one note at a time in the right hand, all in C major, no chord change. I started with a simple rhythm in the bass at first... and I'd make a "call" in the right hand melody and leave time for a "response" - want to try playing a response to my call? Then I dropped the rhythm in the bass and just let it ring, for more of a cadenza-like feel. Want to try that with me?

Loved hearing @Sheri Hudgins's "It Is Well" with this Rumba backing track... and feeling inspired to make my own improvisation on this traditional hymn with this Rumba Flemenca groove. I have been practicing improvising more on piano and voice than flute lately, so I gave it a try. I was proud of myself for keeping a rhythm going in my left hand while also singing or playing in my right hand. I made several other recording attempts but didn't make it all the way through without messing up the rhythm or order of the chords. I wasn't super satisfied with my voice at the end; I thought it sounded a bit pinched in the high notes. I tried to make some other recordings after this but haven't gotten another one yet as good as this one. My first priority was to figure out how to sing or play the notes of the melody but in this rhythmic style. Then, I wanted to explore other possibilities for harmony. I was very pleased with how my improvisation on the melody in my right hand went the second time, where I turned up the improv-o-meter and instead of simply improvising with the rhythm of the melody, I started on the 3rd note of the scale instead of the 5th where this melody usually starts... and I used the "right rhythm, wrong notes" technique, where I played the rhythm of the melody but different notes. I also followed the same "topographical map" of the melody. I invite you to try any tune that you know with this backing track. Which one will you try first?

Congratulations @Goddess Diana for winning May's Intros contest! We had so much fun improvising with our voices on the words "I improvise," let's do another variation on that theme this June! This time, let's improvise by speaking or singing: our names! Most likes from the community wins a free private lesson at the end of the month! Remember, you can post your audio (or video) recordings in the comments! Note: we'll do this one again next June... New Flutarians, please practice your improvising here! 🤓😎

https://youtu.be/6OdsMGmVz1c

I was reminded of animal adjectives in Improv Games when Pavarotti described the voice as a horse in elegant, wild control. My favorite part of the video is where he uses his hands to describe the tube of sound for the "ooh" vowel. I think much of this wisdom applies to playing the flute as well. Changing the inside shape of the mouth can affect the tone color and intonation of the flute. After lots of experimentation with the different vowel shapes while playing the flute, I think now I subconsciously alter my vowel shapes to work with the intonation & tone color on flute. For example, a lower flatter tongue - like a yawn - tends to have a lower pitch and a more "open" or "full" sound, whereas a tongue that's pointier and more forward tends to have a higher pitch and a brighter or thinner sound. What do you think?