So, what's a Paiku? It's my own term for a
short piano piece that uses no more than 3 chords and lasts no
longer than 2 minutes.
I came up with the term to teach my students about improvisation
and how they can create something beautiful at the piano in a very
short time - and with very little skill involved!
Here's how it's done...
First, choose a key to play in. This can be anything from
Major to modal. The key can also be chosen by playing
around on the piano and discovering it from there. What I like to do
is just sit down and see what comes up. The Key center can be
determined right then or even before playing.
Second, begin improvising right away using the first chord. For
example, let's say I sit down at the piano and like the idea of
playing something in D Major. In this lesson, I reach for
a D Major 7 chord in open position (explained in detail in your
free workbook) and the
improvisation begins. All Paiku's must be improvised. A
haiku is a short poem about a present moment experience. A Paiku is
the exact same thing, only for music.
Last but not least, you are only allowed 3 chords to play with.
For instance, in the above example I begin by playing an D
Major 7 chord. The first chord determines the Key so I can play any
other chord from the Key of D Major. Chords must be within the
Key so I can't go outside of D Major. In Koi Pond, just 2 chords are used, D
Maj. 7 and G Maj. 7.
The point is to keep it simple so you can focus on the
improvisation and stay in the present.
The music that you create in your Paiku may also have a title. I
prefer nature themes and will use something like 'Autumn Leaves' or
'Sea Breeze' to capture a mood. Titles can be added before or after
your Paiku is done.
By
the way ... a complete step-by-step breakdown
of "Koi Pond - A Paiku" is available to course
members. I go into complete detail and show you exactly
how it's done - and more importantly, how you can do it
yourself! You can get started now by clicking here.