Improvisation puts forth an intricate juxtaposition of faithful expression and precision of technique. The process of simultaneously playing dexterous runs, highlighting harmonic signposts through careful selection of notes, staying in the pocket while still emoting truthfully and showcasing originality could seem like an overwhelming conundrum.
We spoke to Brent Tauro, Anurag Naidu, Rahul Wadhwani and Rohan Rajadhyksha – some of our country’ s most promising pianists and they were kind enough to let us in on their modus operandi when it comes to improvisation. Here’ s what they had to say:
VYOMA SHAH
The Pianists’ Guide To Improvisation
Improvisation puts forth an intricate juxtaposition of faithful expression and precision of technique. The process of simultaneously playing dexterous runs, highlighting harmonic signposts through careful selection of notes, staying in the pocket while still emoting truthfully and showcasing originality could seem like an overwhelming conundrum.
We spoke to Brent Tauro, Anurag Naidu, Rahul Wadhwani and Rohan Rajadhyksha – some of our country’ s most promising pianists and they were kind enough to let us in on their modus operandi when it comes to improvisation. Here’ s what they had to say:
Which artists / bands do you draw your influences from?
Brent: My all-time favorite band is Snarky Puppy. I draw a lot of inspiration from the legends- Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Billy Joel. As a keyboard player, it’ s important to be open to all types of music. Hence, I also draw inspiration from artists like John Mayer, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay. As far as keyboard players go, Greg Phillinganes, Cory Henry and Shaun Martin are my heroes.
Anurag: There are the usual piano heroes- Tigran Hamasyan, Brad Mehldau, Aaron Parks, Bill Evans, Robert Glasper and Keith Jarrett, to name a few. I do have a metal background, which is why I love Djent music. I also love Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Debussy and Mozart. My favorite band has always been Radiohead, though Brad Mehldau ' s After Bach and Fred Hersch’ s Open Book have made me question my existence from time to time.
Rahul: Western classical influences include Chopin, Mozart, and Bach; Indian classical- Kumar Gandharv, Bhimsen Joshi; Bollywood- AR Rahman; Jazz- Keith Jarret, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum.
Rohan: Off the top of my head – Sting, Radiohead, Sufijan Stevens, Kendrick Lamar, Phil Collins, James Blake, A. R. Rahman, Jacob Collier and the list goes on.
What does improvisation mean to you?
Brent: It’ s all about expression. It’ s about feeling an emotion and having developed the vocabulary to translate it through your instrument. Improvisation is influenced by everything we are- from the people we meet, to the places we’ ve been, to the last conversation we had.
Anurag: Improvisation is extemporization. It is unprepared material that has been worked on but not worked out. It is also the relatable extension of an already existing piece of
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