# 4 note improvisation - can someone explain?



## mac (Nov 18, 2017)

So I just watched a short video where a talented young lass pulls 4 random notes out of a hat, and improvises a piece made of said notes. The internet seems to be going bananas at how amazing it is, creating this out of only 4 notes, but she's obviously using a hell of a lot more and omits the b completely.

I'm not knocking her, she's young, obviously talented with a brilliantly quirky personality, but I'm in the cynical middle ground demographic where I'm looking at those notes and thinking, what? The experienced theorists are probably aware of what she's doing and think it's genius, and non musicians think she's done all of this using those 4 notes and think it's genius. Am I missing something?


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## patrick76 (Nov 18, 2017)

She says she will improvise a piece based upon the 4 notes, not that she will only exclusively use the 4 notes chosen in the piece.


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## Rob (Nov 18, 2017)

ok but (apart from turning the B into Bb) she's basically using the whole scale of Gminor and more.. the 4 notes have no special meaning in her improvisation. She appears to have had a good exposition to the classical (Clementi, Mozart) piano language, and that's what she's performing.


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## R. Soul (Nov 18, 2017)

Improvising a coherent composition in your head in 30 sec. is impressive in my book even if you're 30/40/50 years old. 
Whether or not it's based around 4 notes doesn't matter that much to me. 
She's very proficient on violin as well.


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## reutunes (Nov 18, 2017)

I'm not tooting my own horn here but I could totally do that at that age so I don't know why people are going crazy. Musicians of any age who are even half decent at improvisation could manage it - I could, even though I was (and still am) terrible at reading music.


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## Rob (Nov 18, 2017)

R. Soul said:


> Improvising a coherent composition in your head in 30 sec. is impressive in my book even if you're 30/40/50 years old.
> Whether or not it's based around 4 notes doesn't matter that much to me.
> She's very proficient on violin as well.


not that I want to diminish her talent, but why put up the "4 notes" thing? Simply say that you can improvise pieces in that style...


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## Rob (Nov 18, 2017)

patrick76 said:


> She says she will improvise a piece based upon the 4 notes, not that she will only exclusively use the 4 notes chosen in the piece.


but her improvisation is not...


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## patrick76 (Nov 18, 2017)

Rob said:


> but her improvisation is not...


I'm not sure what you mean here. Are you referring to the fact that she changed the B to B-flat? The piece is based on the 4 notes. They are the central part of her melody. Do you mean that you expected the piece to not be tonal? Maybe just using the 4 notes as a pitch set?


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## Rob (Nov 18, 2017)

patrick76 said:


> I'm not sure what you mean here. Are you referring to the fact that she changed the B to B-flat? The piece is based on the 4 notes. They are the central part of her melody. Do you mean that you expected the piece to not be tonal? Maybe just using the 4 notes as a pitch set?


yes, that's what I was expecting... she clearly had to adapt the B to fit in her schemes


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## patrick76 (Nov 18, 2017)

Rob said:


> yes, that's what I was expecting... she clearly had to adapt the B to fit in her schemes


I see what you're saying. Perhaps they could have come up with a different title for the segment because it appears that there were different expectations about what the content would be.


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## mikeh-375 (Nov 18, 2017)

She is a big deal this young girl. I for one await to see what she will achieve as she grows - will she leave behind the classical era and begin to write in a more contemporary way?, who knows. One thing is for sure, she is a prodigy. I agree with reutunes about improv within classical boundaries, but how many have also written an opera and have performed their own piano concerto at her age? Definitely one to watch...she might even get into epic trailer so watch out ...


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## R. Soul (Nov 18, 2017)

Forget the piano improvisation - she composed this opera aged 7.


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## Rob (Nov 18, 2017)

I think this girl is having a great time... she looks happy and kind of proud, and that's what's most important. I wish she will write beautiful music, once the hype for her age will vanish as time goes by. That's what the world needs...


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## Mr.Ryke (Nov 18, 2017)

She is a great talent.
Alma learns with a popular Italian teaching method from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Does anyone know this method?


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## reddognoyz (Nov 18, 2017)

watch the 60 minute piece on her.


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## Rob (Nov 18, 2017)

Mr.Ryke said:


> She is a great talent.
> Alma learns with a popular Italian teaching method from the 18th and 19th centuries.
> Does anyone know this method?


I'm italian but never heard of a specific method in use in 1800... I found a reference to the use of "partimenti" http://www.wow.com/wiki/Partimento as a teaching aid for music in Naples 1700...
here's a book that looks interesting on the practice of partimento,
The Art of Partimento: History, Theory, and Practice by Giorgio Sanguinetti


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## Mr.Ryke (Nov 18, 2017)

Rob said:


> I'm italian but never heard of a specific method in use in 1800... I found a reference to the use of "partimenti" http://www.wow.com/wiki/Partimento as a teaching aid for music in Naples 1800...
> here's a book that looks interesting on the practice of partimento,
> The Art of Partimento: History, Theory, and Practice by Giorgio Sanguinetti


Thanks, I will read it.
I read about this method here: http://www.t-online.de/leben/famili...ges-maedchen-komponiert-oper-cinderella-.html


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## Desire Inspires (Nov 20, 2017)

Why do people have to hate so much? Just enjoy the music and let the young lady have fun.

Why the f*** do people want to complicate everything with lies and jealousy?

I am proud of her. I hope she does well!


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## AKM (Nov 20, 2017)

Sorry for it being a bit more than 4 notes, my humble experience with the improvisation:


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## ranaprathap (Nov 22, 2017)

This one is just three notes. A whole three minute song with melody using just C, D and E. There is a lot of repetition, but hang in there and the B part may surprise you.


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## Robert Jason (Nov 22, 2017)

I can name that tune in 3 notes..Bb G D...
Hmm "Misty?"...or "Ebb Tide?"
Rachmaninoff, Bernstein, Beethoven...Geniuses...
Today's internet "wonders?"
Not so much.


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## mikeh-375 (Nov 23, 2017)

_"If you hang around conservatories enough you will see some version of this every year"._

True enough Doug and ironically it's a good conservatoire and/or teacher that Alma D might need to get past the sycophantic adulation and help her focus on developing beyond classicism if she feels so inclined.


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## Rob (Nov 23, 2017)

The girl is lovely... seeing her perform the bach violin concerto I had tears in my eyes, she's so musical and purely lost in the music and performance, and clearly understanding the language... a real angel


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## mikeh-375 (Nov 23, 2017)

Rob, I agree. I just hope the people around her are encouraging in a way that best suits her potential. A top notch conservatoire might be just the ticket as she will not be the only gifted one there. This may provide a little balance to her perspective as well as giving her time, encouragement and compositional options. Still, she has enough talent to find her own way regardless.


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## alanb (Dec 14, 2017)

I hope that we can all get behind *this* man's improvisation on four randomly-selected notes (I especially love it when he sings numbers along with his playing):


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