Beginner Guide to Improvise Piano (2025)

Have you ever thought about why we use the verb play to describe what we do when we sit at a piano? Why don’t we say we handle the piano or even work the piano?It’s because making music is a blissful form of creative self-expression. Fortunately, you don’t have to study the piano for years before you can experience the joy of playing freely on the instrument. In today’s Quick Tip, Beginner Guide to Improvise Piano, Jonny May helps novice students improvise on piano and sound amazing! You’ll learn:

• Introduction: How to Learn to Improvise on Piano
• 3 Steps to Improvise on Piano for Beginners
  • Step 1: Two Left Hand Chords
  • Step 2: Two Right Hand Positions
  • Step 3: Three Beginner Rhythmic Tools
• Finished Product: Improvise Freely on Piano!

Introduction: How to Learn to Improvise on Piano

Perhaps you’ve tried to improvise on piano and have felt defeated. Chances are, your improv attempts have lacked clear boundaries. In fact, most beginners tend to overplay when improvising. Therefore, today’s lesson, uses a simple framework that will help beginners find their musical voice.

Even though the concept of music improvisation often evokes ideas such as spontaneity and freedom, it is actually not an unbridled activity. On the contrary, the key to improvisational success for beginners can be boiled down to one word—structure. Most students can experience an impressive degree of improvisational success if they are given the right tools, assumptions and support. Today’s lesson aims to provide all of this and more. Therefore, you can expect to have fun in today’s lesson!

Lesson Structure

Incidentally, let’s talk about the structure of today’s lesson. Many beginners start out asking the wrong question, which is typically something like…

• Which notes should I use?
• Which scale should I use?

These are not bad questions. However, note choices are not the biggest factor in determining improvisational success or failure. Instead, it is rhythmsthat are the most determinative factor. In fact, to put it bluntly, poor rhythm = poor improvisation. Therefore, the structure of today’s lesson will guide the piano student in exploring foundational rhythms within the framework of a fixed left-hand accompaniment and two right-hand fixed positions. We’ve boiled this all down into just 3 steps!

The musical style for today’s lesson draws on the contemporary pop genre, which uses chords with extra color notes that sound impressive and beautiful. We’ll be in the key of G major, which contains one sharp (F♯). In fact, you can download the lesson sheet PDF and backing track from the bottom of this page after logging in with your membership. Moreover, PWJ members can easily transpose this lesson to any key using our Smart Sheet Music.

3 Steps to Improvise on Piano for Beginners

Beginner improvisation should not be complicated. Therefore, today’s lesson uses just three simple steps. Here is a quick overview of all three steps:

1. Two Left Hand Chords
2. Two Right Hand Positions
3. Three Beginner Rhythmic Tools

If you’re seated at a piano or keyboard, let’s give it a try together.

Step 1: Two Left Hand Chords

Let’s start with some beautiful chords in the left hand. Just for full disclosure, these chords are not often found in beginner piano methods. However, that doesn’t mean they are difficult. They’re just different. In fact, they’re special.

Usually, the first chords that beginners learn are basic 3-note chords called triads.Triads are important, but they are not the most exciting chords. Many modern musical styles use a more complex harmonic structure which includes color chords containing extra notes. These chords are particularly beautiful on the piano.

Let’s try playing the two chords you see below. The first chord is called G(add2), which is ourtonic chord. This chord sounds at rest in the key of G major. Other names for the tonic chord are the “home chord” or the 1-chord, which is often notated with the Roman numeral Ⅰ. The second chord is D9(sus4), which is our dominantchord. The purpose of a dominant chord is to create harmonic tension and momentum which resolves back to the tonic chord. Another name for the dominant chord is the 5-chord, which is often indicated with the Roman numeral Ⅴ.

Note: The meaning behind the specific chord symbols for G(add2) and D9(sus4) involves much more music theory than is required to physically play these chords. If you’re a beginner, we encourage you to simply accept the names of the chords as presented and defer the music theory for now.

Alright, now let’s play a quarter-note vamp with these chords in the left hand. The word vamp is just a quick way of describing a chord progression that repeats over and over. We’ll play each chord twice over the included backing track, which is set to a ballad tempo of 65 BPM.

Left Hand Pattern for Beginner Improv

As you can hear, these chords sound amazing! Hopefully, you’re getting excited to improvise over these beautiful piano chords. If so, you’re ready to continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Two Right Hand Positions

In this section, we’ll explore two fixed hand positions for the right hand. Each fixed position contains five adjacent scale tones from the G major scale.

Since we’re presenting two hand positions, you might be wondering why we’re using the word “fixed”? This just means that we’ll improvise with one hand position at a time. Limiting ourselves to five notes at a time will help us fight the temptation to overplay.

Let’s preview the two hand positions. The first position is labeled as Set 1, which we can also describe as G Position because the thumb is on the note G. Similarly, the second position is labeled Set 2, which we can describe as C Position because the thumb is on the note C.

Sticking to simple 5-finger hand positions like these is crucial for beginner piano students who are just starting to improvise. In Step 3, we’ll consider another matter entirely, which is to answer the question, “What should I do with these notes?”

Step 3: Three Beginner Rhythmic Tools

Have you ever ordered a pizza and been asked, “Do you want it cut in slices or squares?” If you say slices, then you’ll probably wind up with about 8 to 10 pieces of pizza. On the other hand, if you say squares, you’ll likely wind up with 16 to 20 pieces. Make no mistake…you’re going home with the same amount of pizza either way!

Similarly, we can divide the quarter-note pulse of music into units of varying sizes, which we call subdivisions. When we subdivide the pulse into smaller units, the thing that we’re actually “cutting up” is time itself. If this is done correctly, we should have the same amount of elapsed time…no matter how we divvy up the beat.

In this section, we’ll explore three rhythmic tools that beginners can use to create interesting improve phrases. First, we’ll subdivide each pulse into two smaller units, which Jonny describes as “doubles.” Afterward, we’ll subdivide each pulse into four smaller units, which Jonny describes as “quadruples.” Finally, we’ll explore turns, a fancy melodic ornament that combines some elements of both doubles and quadruples.

For each rhythmic tool, we’ll first play an exercise with the metronome at 65 BPM. Afterward, we’ll view a performance example that creatively applies the rhythmic tool over the backing track (also at 65 BPM).

Tool #1: Doubles

Earlier in this lesson, you played quarter notes in the left hand at 65 BPM. As we bring in the right hand, let’s play an exercise in which we play two notes in the right hand for each chord in the left hand. Using simple terminology, Jonny describes this right hand rhythm as “doubles.” In music notation, the doubles that Jonny describes are written as 8th notes, which are connected by a beam.

G Position Exercise & Example

First, let’s play an 8th-note exercise in the G Position. We’ll ascend with stepwise motion from the note G up to D and then backdown. The goal of this exercise to play with good time in each hand by staying on beat. Let’s take a listen.

G Position 8th Note Exercise

Once you feel comfortable playing 8th notes in the right hand against quarter notes in the left hand, you can begin to improvise simple melodies with your right hand that combine 8th notes, quarters and longer values. Be sure to stay in G Position for now, but feel free to vary the note order to create interesting melodic contours. Here is an example of a phrase in G Position that primarily uses 8th notes.

G Position 8th Note Example

That’s a pretty good sounding phrase that a beginner pianist can play with just a bit of practice. Notice, the G Position notes sound great over the chords from Step 1 and there is a guiding structure to the rhythm that holds it all together. See if you can create some similar phrase of your own.

C Position Exercise & Example

Eventually, we’ll run out of ideas in G Position or our ears will simply be ready to hear something else. For this reason, it’s helpful to have a second hand position to go to. By switching hand positions every once in a while, we can keep our improvisation from becoming too predictable or mundane. Therefore, let’s now play an 8th-note exercise from our C position. However, since the note C actually clashes against G(add2), we’ll actually start on a different note. Let’s descend from G down to C, and then return back upward. Check it out.

C Position 8th Note Exercise

Now you’re ready to improvise with 8th notes in C Position. Here is a performance example of a solo phrase in C Position which uses mostly 8th notes.

C Position 8th Note Example

Did you notice that the 8th note performance demonstrations in G Position and C Position are equally effective? As long as you employ solid rhythmic tools, the note choices are a bit less consequential. Of course, be sure to use your ears. It certainly matters where some of the notes are placed. For example, Jonny mostly lines up chord tones on the beat.

Next, let’s explore how to slice up the quarter note into smaller subdivisions.

Tool #2: Quadruples

A second rhythmic tool that beginners can use to improvise on piano is to divide up the beat into four subdivisions. Since this approach involves playing four notes in the right hand for every one note in the left hand, Jonny calls this “quadruples” in today’s lesson. The musical term for this rhythmic subdivision is 16th notes, which are indicated with double beams in music notation.

G Position Exercise & Example

Let’s get acclimated to Tool #2 by playing a 16th-note exercise in G position. We’ll begin with the right thumb on the note G and ascend with stepwise motion up to the note D using 16th notes. Then we’ll come right back down. This up-and-down contour can be completed within the elapsed time of just two beats. Therefore, we’ll repeat this contour again on beats 3 and 4. Let’s take a listen.

G Position 16th Note Exercise

Initially, some students may experience difficulty finding the correct pacing for these 16th notes. In other words, it can be hard to know just how fast to play the right hand. Eventually, you’ll get to the point to where you can hear a quarter note pulse and silently subdivide it into 16th notes in your mind. Until then, it often helps to use counting syllables such as:

• 1-e-&-a 2-e-&-a 3-e-&-a 4-e-&-a
• 1-po-ta-to 2-po-ta-to 3-po-ta-to 4-po-ta-to

Next, let’s listen to a demonstration of a performance example in G Position based on a 16th-note rhythmic grid. Notice that it sounds great to play 16th-note syncopations that accentuate the “e” and the “a” of the grid.

G Position 16th Note Example

Wow…that’s sounds fantastic! Hopefully you’re noticing that even though we’re applying a lot of structure, the structure is actually liberating. That’s the paradox of improvisation.

C Position Exercise & Example

Next, we’ll use Tool #2 to play a 16th-note exercise in C position. For this example, we’ll begin with a stepwise descent from G down to C and back upward. Then, we’ll repeat the same melodic contour on beats 3 and 4.

C Position 16th Note Exercise

Once you can comfortably play 16th notes in the right hand against quarter notes in the left hand, you’re ready to create some of your own improvised phrases. Here is an example of a performance demonstration in C position based on a 16th-note rhythmic grid.

C Position 16th Note Example

Next, we’ll explore yet another rhythmic tool.

Tool #3: Turns

A third rhythmic tool that some piano students may successfully employ as they improvise is a melodic ornament known as a turn. A turn embellishes a target note by means of a quick, melodic flourish that draws on the upper and lower neighbors of a particular target note.

G Position Exercise & Example

Our first exercise begins with a turn ornament that targets the note A. In this case, we’ll start by playing the target note A with the index finger. Next, we’ll turn off this note by going to the upper neighbor (B) with the 3rd finger. Then, we’ll return to the target note (A) and immediately proceed to the lower neighbor (G) with the thumb. Afterward, we’ll target a turn ornament from the note B on beat 2 and another turn from the note C on beat 3. Let’s take a listen.

G Position Turns Exercise

Admittedly, this turn exercise is not easy. Initially, you’ll probably want to start slower. (Did you know you can slow down the video demonstrations by clicking on the gear icon (⛭) in the lower right-hand corner of the video frame?)

The hardest part about playing turns is the timing. One helpful tip is to begin by practicing the exercise with the small ornamental notes omitted. In that case, the primary notes are 8th notes and 16th notes exclusively. The trick is to then add the ornamental notes back in while preserving the alignment of the primary notes. Some students may find it more helpful to imitate the turns from the demonstration above rather than trying to count them out.

Here is an example of a solo phrase in G Position that employs turns and 16th notes.

G Position Turns Example

C Position Exercise & Example

Next, let’s play a turn exercise in C Position. This exercise targets the note D on beat 1, the note E on beat 2 and the note F♯ on beat 3.

C Position Turns Exercise

That certainly is challenging. Keep in mind, the purpose of an exercise is developmental. Therefore, it’s supposed to be hard. In actual practice, you don’t have to play multiple turns back-to-back-to-back like this. Just one or two well-placed turns can give your playing a truly professional edge. For example, here is a performance example in C Position that incorporates turns, 16th notes and 8th notes. Check it out.

C Position Turns Example

Great job! In the final section of today’s lesson, we’ll examine a sample solo that combines all of the tools and techniques that we’ve explored in today’s lesson.

Finished Product: Improvise Freely on Piano!

In today’s lesson, we’ve learned two chords, two hand positions and three rhythmic tools. With all these variables, there are multitudes of musical possibilities to be discovered and enjoyed.

Let’s close today’s lesson by listening to a slightly longer example of a sample solo that migrates back and forth between our two hand positions while employing the various rhythmic tools that we’ve discussed.

Sample Contemporary Piano Solo

Wow! That sounds beautiful! Would you like to learn even more about how to improvise in this contemporary pop style? Then be sure to check out the following learning tracks:

• Soloing in Styles (Beginner/Intermediate)
• Soloing in Styles (Advanced)

Conclusion

Congratulations, you’ve completed today’s lesson onBeginner Guide to Improvise Piano. Regardless of your background and experience, if you stick to the structure outlined in this lesson, you’ll find yourself enjoying more and more success as an improvisor!

If you enjoyed this lesson, then you’ll love the following PWJ resources:

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