Although this isn’t specifically a ukulele topic, I’ve had several students that were interested in improvising. I can say this is definitely not my specialty, but I came across an interesting video today that really sparked my curiosity …

My first thought was, “That was cool!” What a beautiful, simple and easy way to illustrate and start experimenting with improvising. I searched out the Improvise for Real channel and found this video that explains what is going on here with ‘Melody Paths’ …

If you find the numbers system new, a quick explanation is that in the key of C, C=1 and B=7. In the key of D, D=1 and C#=7, and so on. What I adore about the above though is taking and drawing it out so you can see the ‘melodic paths’ more easily. Fantastic.

The channel has a ton of additional free video content, including backing tracks to practice with, so check it out if you’re interested in expanding your improvisatory playing.

Post filed under All UkulelePlay! Blog Posts.