Hi everyone, this morning my friend who plays the piano (mostly classical music) came to me and showed me this song titled “Milonga del angel”, asking me if we could try to play it together (he would be playing the piano and I would with my harp). I tried to look for tabs online but couldn’t find any, so I thought that maybe he could play the song with the piano and I could improvise over it, is that how it works ?
If that is possible in what key should I play ?
Here is the song :
And here is a backing track based on the song that I found :
That is exactly how it works. The key in which you play is determined by the key that the piano player is using. Ask him and also ask about the chord progression he is following so that you can use at least the chord toneswhen those chords are played. That is a rather simple way to at least harmonize with the music and get started.
The simplest start when following the different chords that the piano player uses is to initially just use the root tone of the chord currently being played. For example: if the chord is Dm7 then the root tone is D. Try to play rhythmically and feel free to make pauses. When a different chord is played you either switch to the new root note, continue to play the previous note (if it is part of the new chord), or simply make a pause.
A bit more advanced is to use two notes for each chord as it is played: namely, that root note and the 3rd (either major 3rd or minor third, depending on the chord – but feel free to experiment – and as Luke @Luke always says, “If it sounds good, it is good.” or something to that effect ).
Then, as you get more familiar with the chord progression you can begin using the root tone, the 3rd and the chord’s 5th tone as well. I think you get the idea here. Remember, this is just to get you going and there is no need to play all three notes for each chord being played. Eventually you will be able to improvise more freely, but that can take quite some time to get really good at it. Just remember to observe the rhythm, play using the rhythm as your guide, and use pauses to not only add variety but also to let you orient yourself as well.
I just gave you a short tutorial. For more details, I think you would benefit from searching yourself – but it sounds like you must first learn at least at least some basics about music theory. It’s not rocket science, but without it you will most likely never sound particularly good.
I’m not sure I agree with not sounding that good not knowing much music theory. I can play with any song and sound better than ok. But I think I’ve reached a point that if I am to move forward I need to educate myself. But I’ve played for a few years barely knowing what cross harp or second position. But I have put a lot of time in learning songs. But just have fun. The more you play the better you sound and can hear how you sound.
).
