Baroque music often features the use of counterpoint, or the interplay of more than one melody at a time. This can be tricky since not only do you need independence between the left and right hands on the piano, but you need independence between more than one voice in a hand. You also need some independence of mind so that you can leave one voice to do what it's doing while you focus on another voice. Lots of practice is needed in order to gain a basic level of proficiency.
There are different types of counterpoint, all of which are described in detail on other websites by those who are far better at describing them than I am. Even though I personally don't refer to them during improvisations, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with them to help you build your improvisational arsenal.
Practice
Using what you learned so far in the previous blog posts, it wouldn't hurt to dip your toe into improvising with counterpoint, if only to get the ball rolling on perfecting this skill. For this blog post, we'll focus on using counterpoint with three voices. It's best to practice slowly and only build speed as you gain proficiency.
Start by improvising a melody with only one voice. Since the example in the video uses the right hand, let's do the same. Don't focus too much on trying to build a form or structure around the melody right now. Rather, let your melody take you wherever it wants to go. You can spend as much time improvising with one voice as you want. After a while, give your right hand a break by migrating the melodic line to the left hand. Once your left hand is accustomed to playing a melody with comfort and without much thought, migrate the melodic line back to the right hand.
The next step is to add a second voice. Let's use the left hand to do this. The melody you play in the second voice (left hand) should harmonize well with the melody in the first voice (right hand). If you feel the level of complexity getting too high, simply back off and return to one voice before trying two voices again.
Once you're improvising in two parts with comfort and ease, try combining the two voices together into one hand. In the video, the voice in the left hand is moved to join the other voice in the right hand, so let's try that. Improvising two voices in one hand can be a bit of a workout, so if you get tired, simply split the two voices into separate hands again. Maybe try moving the voice in the right hand to join the voice in the left hand. With two voices in one hand, one technique you might consider giving a try is improvising a question and answer type of scenario. For example, play a phrase with one voice and have the other voice respond with a phrase of its own. This question and answer can jump back and forth between the two voices as many times as you want. In the following example, the answer matches the rhythm and subject of the question.
In the next example, the answer doesn't match the rhythm or subject of the question.
The next step is to add a third voice. With two voices in the right hand, add a third voice to the left hand like demonstrated in the video. The melody you choose to play in the third voice should harmonize well with the melodies of the other two voices. If adding a third voice adds too much complexity, simply back off and return to two voices before trying three voices again.
Throughout your counterpoint practice, try your best to maintain the sound of the Baroque style.
Summary
Improvising using counterpoint is easier said than done. However, like with anything, lots of practice will help you gain proficiency. Practice slowly and deliberately. There's no need to rush and no need to add additional voices too quickly if you're not ready to.
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