Improvisation II Larry Solomon

Improvisation II
Author(s): Larry Solomon

Source: Perspectives of New Music, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Spring - Summer, 1986), pp. 224-235
Published by: Perspectives of New Music
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/833221
Accessed: 20-11-2016 20:45 UTC
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted
digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about
JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
http://about.jstor.org/terms
Perspectives of New Music is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to
Perspectives of New Music
This content downloaded from 192.188.53.214 on Sun, 20 Nov 2016 20:45:07 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
IMPROVISATION II
47i4
LARRY SOLOMON
Every historical study that confines itself to the practical or theoreti

sources that have come down to us in writing or in print, without takin
into account the improvisational element in living musical practice, m
of necessity present an incomplete, indeed, a distorted picture. For there
scarcely a single field in music that has remained unaffected by improvis
tion, scarcely a single musical technique or form of composition that
not originate in improvisatory practice or was not essentially influenced
it.
E.T. Ferand in Inpronation in Nine Centuries of Western Music
What we write is different from what we play.
Francois Couperin, L'Artde toucher le clecin
Improvisation II 225
I. DEFINITION
W JRITING ABOUT IMPROVISATION iS not an easy task, perhaps because the

process of improvising involves synthetic rather than analytic thought.
Analyzing exactly what went on while improvising is always after the fact. Writ-
ing about it is another step removed, because one then needs to find the right
words to describe what happened. This is a laborious process since one rarely
thinks in words while creating music. However, forcing oneself to think ana-
lytically and verbally about the process can be enlightening and can lead to
improved approaches.
Even though I have been improvising since childhood, writing this essay
made me realize that I really did not have a definition for improvisation and,
therefore, did not understand what delimits it, i.e., what makes something an
improvisation or not an improvisation. My doubts redoubled-what exactly are
the attributes of improvised music? Doesn't originality play an important part?
How much nonoriginal material can be included for the music to still be consid-
ered improvisation? Is a performance of Baroque music an improvisation if it
extemporizes only ornamentations, and formulated ones at that? Is playing a
Mozart sonata "by ear" an improvisation? Doesn't every live performance of
music include some elements of improvisation? What makes something "totally
improvised"?
As a start, I consulted a dictionary. In spite of my skepticism of dictionaries, I
picked up the New Collegiate. Under "im-pro-vise" I found: "(1) to compose,
recite, or sing extemporaneously, (2) to make, invent, or arrange offhand, (3) to
fabricate out of what is conveniently on hand." I did not disagree with this but
then I wondered if it would be possible to "im-pro-vise" something that came
out to be very similar to some already extant music. Under "ex-tem-po-rize,"
Webster said "improvise"-well, of course!-and under "ex-tem-po-ra-ne-
ous," there was "composed, performed, or uttered on the spur of the
moment." This seemed to be more helpful, but then it would be possible to
extemporize something that came out to be, however consciously or uncon-
sciously, the MoimlightSonata, i.e., since no mention is made of the necessity for
any originality. There was no difference made between "play by ear" (also in the
dictionary) and "improvise," yet there was a clear difference in my mind.
Unsatisfied, I sought a bigger and better dictionary, and lugged out the Oxford,
but its definitions were essentially the same. Special music dictionaries like the
Harrd Dictionary ofMusc were of no greater help.
At this point it seemed that either my idea of improvisation was incorrect or
something was wrong with the dictionary definitions. I opted for the latter; that
is, to "play by ear" is not the same as to improvise. The missing attribute is
original conception-something that is created spontaneously, at the moment,
without forethought but is not simply a remembrance or contrivance. Thus, in
addition to the attributes listed in the definitions, improvisation incorporates
226 Perspectives of New Music
some of that elusive quality of "originality." Simply remembering and

reproducing a preexisting composition or ornamentation is not enough; for
instance, truly improvised ornamentation would be different every time it is per-
formed. But how far can this be carried? Would this also exclude reproducing a
style of music, such as jazz? Would it exclude existing harmonic and melodic
vocabulary? In short, how much originality is needed, and how little original
material is required.
Perhaps nothing can be completely original. If originality is a matter of
degree, then every idea is based upon past experience and cannot be totally origi-
nal. But whence comes this originality? Original ideas or music may come from
some unexpected fusion of past experiences into a new experience. This is pri-
marily a mental process but may also involve elements of chance, spontaneous
play, intuition, and tactile-physical movement.
This means that the discovery process is integral to improvisation; that is,
music created without discovering something new must not be improvisation.
This seems true in my mind. I recall experiences of improvisation ensembles
where the music began to stagnate, and if this continued, the group disbanded
or did something else, e.g., became a new music ensemble. In group improvisa-
tion there are opposing goals that may result in the demise of an ensemble. One
is toward invention and the discovery of new ideas, new techniques, openness,
diversity, etc., the essence of improvisation. The other is toward identity, pol-
ish, and refinement. These cannot coexist for very long.
The word improvisation is actually very little used by improvising musi-

cians. Idiomatic improvisers, in describing what they do, use the name of
the idiom. They "play flamenco" or "play jazz" .... There is a noticeable
reluctance to use the word and some improvisers express a positive dislike
for it.... this is due to its widely accepted connotations which imply that
improvisation is something without preparation and without considera-
tion, a completely ad hoc activity, frivolous and inconsequential, lacking
in design and method. And they object to that implication because they
know from their own experience that it is untrue. They know that there is
no musical activity which requires greater skill and devotion, preparation,
training and commitment. And so they resent the word, which in some
places has become a term of abuse.l
Definition: Improvisation involves making decisions affecting the composi-

tion of music during its performance. The fundamental ideal of improvisation is
the discovery and invention of original music spontaneously, while performing
it, without preconceived formulation, scoring, or content, although this is
admittedly a limit case. It is improbable that the limit case of no preconception,
either by design or past learning, actually exists. Therefore, improvisation is a
matter of degree.
Having tentatively decided upon the above definition and, thus, having a
basis for continuing our study, we can make some observations:
1. Improvisation is different from chance, since decision plays no part in chance.

However, chance still plays an important part in improvisation, e.g., the
improviser "decides" to use chance; thus, improvisation is more than just
chance. It relies on the performer's control and intuition but also includes
chance as a pathway to exploration and discovery.
2. In the quest for refinement, there is a Darwinian tendency to repeat what is

"successful" and eliminate possibilities that seem "unsuccessful." This is
seemingly harmless and beneficial. The quest for group identity creates the
same tendency, a trend toward "sameness. " To want improvement is a natu-
ral thing, but it is not often realized that this quest for refinement is the
antithesis of the process of discovery (of moving on) that is so vital for
improvisation. The need for sharing the group effort often leads to concert
preparation. This means rehearsing "pieces" that become less and less
"improvised," but more and more "refined" and predictable. Although
concerts often are a psychological boost for an ensemble, there is usually a
letdown afterwards that makes continuity difficult. For once the momentum
toward identity and refinement is set in motion, it becomes difficult to turn
back. The result, of course, is stagnation without anyone realizing why or
how it came about.
The ensemble's music begins to sound more and more alike. It has achieved
an identity, perhaps in the form of a style. The responses of the participants
become more and more predictable, and each develops his/her own style of
interactive play. This can sometimes be counteracted by changing instruments,
playing an unfamiliar instrument, deliberately avoiding refined techniques, or
trying large-scale changes in methods.
II. THE SCORE
The "cultivated" musicians who collected and published the [folk] songs
of our people unconsciously and without question weeded out all such
irregularities and the result was that there is not the slightest suspicion of
an original, indigenous, or truly American feeling left in the published ver-
sions of these songs. The sad part is, also, that the village children in the
schools have learned the songs from the notes, and sing them in the nar-
row, stiff way they are written down, losing all the native beauty and
charm of the unwritten variations, the fine spirit of minstrelsy in the songs
and dances. The children take for granted that their elders sing badly and
that the notes taught in school are correct; whereas the truth is that the
notes are a vain attempt to preserve the living folk art of the older folk.
Thus the spontaneous way of folk-singing is being rapidly lost.
Henry Cowell in American Composers on American Music: A Symposium,

edited by Henry Cowell (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1933), 130.
The musical score has risen to autocratic heights in European music and in the
Western music establishment. A composer is not a composer without a score.
He is not eligible for the support that the manuscript, or better the published
score, provides. There are no grants, prizes, commissions, fellowships, royalties,
or other support available for improvisers or improvisational ensembles.
Improvisation is not recognized as a "serious" musical activity. This points out
the true "music-as-commodity" syndrome that motivates such support, i.e., as
long as there is some tangible and profitable item, it may be considered worthy of
support.
The score, like a recording, creates the illusion of permanence, of a repeatable
(and hence valued) artform. Improvisation is truly ephemeral and is itself the
negation of repeatability. It cannot be performed again; it can only be preserved
by means of sound recording-but upon replay it is no longer improvisation.
Scores have assumed the significance of"the music itself. " It is as if the sound
of music is secondary or even inconsequential. Prizes in music composition are
awarded on the basis of the prettiest and most accurate manuscript: "Who cares
if you listen?" Performers are trained to believe that the score is the only guide to
the performance, that it represents some sort of ideal.
If the score represents some kind of ideal performance why does it ever
have to be performed?... it would be more appropriate to consider score-
making as an esoteric branch of the literary arts with its own criteria rather
than as anything to do with music. (Evan Parker in DB, 96)
... music is, of its nature, not fixed and is always malleable, changeable.
Performance in classical music seems designed to disprove that idea. In the
straight world the performer approaches music on tiptoe. Music is pre-
cious and performance constitutes a threat to its existence. So, of course,
he has to be careful. Also, the music doesn't belong to him. He's allowed
to handle it but then only under the strictest supervision. Somebody,
somewhere, has gone through a lot of trouble to create this thing, and the
performer's primary responsibility is to preserve it from damage. At its
highest, music is a divine ideal conceived by a super-mortal. In which case
performance becomes a form of genuflection. (DB, 85)
Additionally, the score has become the basis of music education, nearly to the
exclusion of the study of music as an aural art. This is the unquestioned founda-
tion of European-style nineteenth-century autocratic education. But twentieth-
century life is no longer conducted by an unquestioning belief in authority. The
symphony orchestra with its conductor performing the "masterpieces" of dead
guys seems like some nineteenth-century military anachronism. Yet our system
of musical education continues as if the twentieth century hasn't happened, or at
best that it is the tail end of music that one may get around to if there is time at
the end of the semester. Educators are apparently oblivious that any harm can
come of such an illusion.
The petrifying effect of European classical music on those things it

touches-jazz, many folk musics, and all popular musics have suffered
grievously in their contact with it-made the prospect of finding
improvisation there pretty remote. Formal, precious, self-absorbed, pom-
pous, harbouring rigid conventions and carefully preserved hierarchical
distinctions; obsessed with its geniuses and their timeless masterpieces,
shunning the accidental and the unexpected; the world of classical music
provides an unlikely setting for improvisation. (DB, 29)
The score has become the dictator of musical thought and performance.
Whereas in the past, performers were expected to use their imagination and take
part in the creation of music, today trained performers are translators of a blue-
print, the score, that they obey as if threatened with punishment of death.
Some, realizing the impotence of this endeavor, try to take solace in the develop-
ment of Paganini-like techniques. The purist approach to an "appropriate"
musical performance of a period piece is the epitome of this attitude and is well
known today in our academies.
The one ineradicable difference between then and now must be the per-
former's attitude towards style, his way of performing the music, in affect-
ing the authenticity of the music. However assiduously practiced, the
adoption of an earlier, preserved, and undevelopable style can, in
improvisation, only be an inhibition unknown to the player of the former
time. (DB, 42)
The fact is that we have educated improvisation out of our trained performers
and out of our scores. These performers are at a complete loss when confronted
with improvisation and are inevitably intimidated by it. They are taught that it is
unimportant, when in fact it may be the most important and vital activity for a
musician. Dry, even if accurate, performances by schooled musicians are more
often the rule than the exception.
As a matter of fact, some of the most brilliant performers on instruments
go completely dead if you ask them to imagine something.... I have to

teach improvisation every time I do that piece [December '52] with differ-
ent people.... I must teach the nature of the piece and create a mental and
sonic condition for the piece. Nevertheless, I believe affirmatively that
improvisation is a musical activity which passed out of Western usage for a
time but is certainly back now. And I felt that it would come back which is
why I based a lot of my work on certain aspects of it. It's here and I think
it's going to stay. And it's not going to do away with the writing of music
but it's going to bring an added dimension-of aliveness-to a composi-
tion and bring the musician into a greater intensity of working on that
piece. (Earle Brown in DB, 83-4)
III. PROCESS AND DISCOVERY
In this section and the last, I quote from Derek Bailey's book, Musical
Imprvtiation (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1980), and hope that doing
so will whet the appetite for more. This book should be in the library of every
serious musician. The following relates some discoveries and processes in certain
improvisation ensembles, especially "Joseph Holbrooke," in which Derek
Bailey himself participated. I found these passages to be especially parallel and
relevant to my own experiences working with Transition and various similar
ensembles, and I found myself saying many times: "Amazing! That's exactly
what we experienced."' This should help to illuminate why the discovery process
is important in improvisation.
The earliest stuff certainly was jazz and some of the early developments
followed contemporary jazz developments but after a while it became anti-
jazz, and after that there was a complete ignoring of possible jazz aspects in
the playing.... By about '65 though, I was barely interested in jazz at all.
(Gavin Bryars, 108)
The exclusion of the jazz vocabulary was an emotional act of feeling.

Sometimes there's an assumption that this sort of thing is done just to be
different. That's totally wrong. It's an emotional demand that you have
to meet. When you're wearing chains you don't become aware of them
through intellectual processes. You can feel them. At the time, the reasons
for changing are not considered. They seem irrefutable. (Tony Oxley, 106)
I would play very quiet harmonics with the bow and get the volume
very low indeed. It wasn't for a dramatic effect.... We spent a lot of atten-
tion, individually and collectively, on single sounds. There was a very tight
concentration-almost a Zen quality-in the music .... Even now I have
a lot of respect for the music we played and it had qualities which I haven't
heard in any other improvised music. (Gavin Bryars, 109)
It is the attitude of the player to the tactile element, to the physical

experience of playing an instrument, to this "instrumental impulse"
which establishes much of the way he plays. In the non-improviser, partic-
ularly the straight player, there is no sign of the instrumental
impulse.... Western instrumental training... teaches that the creation
of music is a separate activity from playing an instrument. (Derek Bailey,
115)
Originally we might play eight or ten pieces, probably more, in a couple

of hours. When we were playing freely we would play three or four at the
most. So each piece was tending towards a half hour duration .... We
developed a collective language. (Gavin Bryars, 109)
Tony Oxley evolved a method of superimposing a different time feel

over the original, creating not a polyrhythmic effect but a non-rhythmic
effect. He and Bryars practiced working with this until the feeling of reg-
ular pulse was totally removed .... Having reached the point where the
aural effect we were achieving was one of playing out of time, it began to
seem almost perverse not to actually play out of time .... It was a release
from the dogma of the beat.
... the experience of playing freely soon had the effect, as it always
does, of producing a set of characteristics unique to that particular group-
ing of musicians and producing an identity only a small proportion of
which was established by the technical, purely musical constituents.
(Derek Bailey, 104-5)
The "tension and release" myth upon which most scalar and arpeggio
patterns, phrases, and designs are based seemed to us no longer to be
valid. In these closed systems there is a circular quality to the improvisa-
tion which means that the release is built into the tension, that the answer
is contained in the question. (Derek Bailey, 104)
That the shape of improvisational pieces is often predictable, especially with

large groups, is well known among the players. As a result, form is often a subject
of discussion. There is the ubiquitous arch form followed in frequency by the
"big bang" ending. This has led to some interesting discoveries about form
itself. Form seems to be largely conditioned by how one ends, more so than how
one begins. Thus, it is strongly linked to the cadence. Take a piece that is largely
static and tack on a short build to a climax and it will be perceived as the "big
bang" type. Take a big bang piece and tack on a thinning texture and dimin-
uendo and, eureka, an arch results. Therefore, these two types may be charac-
terized by their endings: the getting-softer and getting-louder endings.
The arch and "big bang" probably recur in improvisatory pieces because of a
lack of preordained forms and cadences. Scored pieces are often shaped by these
formulations. Sometimes the problem in group improvisation lies in the "how
and when do we end this?" syndrome. The simplest, and therefore often used,
solution is to thin and die out. Another is to build up to a climax and stop
abruptly.
As one would expect, the constituents of an improvisation ensemble largely
determine its outcome. Schooled performers often are not good improvisers.
They do have the advantage of knowledge and control of their instruments, but
much of this is bound to conventional idioms. Many are unwilling to reach
beyond what they already know or are so used to the conventions that they can
play nothing else. Some even regard instrument exploration as a violation of
sacred ground, e.g., the prevalent attitude of classical pianists toward the pre-
pared piano. The well-trained performer who is still open to exploration and
improvisation is a rarity but is worth seeking out.
Unschooled musicians are often less limited than one would expect and often
make fine improvisers. One who is musically talented, perceptive, and open to
exploration is an ideal member for an improvisation ensemble. Such musicians
have not had their imaginations thwarted, don't have the learned prejudices
about music that schooled musicians have, are mostly uninhibited and unintimi-
dated by improvisation, and have a great deal of fun improvising.
An ensemble made up of a mix of trained and untrained musicians can be an
excellent combination as long as the "professionals" don't carry a superior and
condescending attitude. Perhaps the ideal improviser, whether trained or not, is
one with an insatiable desire to make music, who is developing techniques on a
variety of instruments, and is an acute listener. The last is most important. The
professional would do well to listen to talented, even if untrained, improvisers
and work with them as equals, for he can learn from and even be enlightened by
them.
Perhaps surprisingly, the number of players in an improvisation ensemble has

a profound effect on its outcome. Control is inversely proportional to the
number of players. As the number increases the following has been observed:
a. There is more demand for prestructuring and scoring
b. There is a greater trend toward unifying elements, such as pedal points,

tonality, rhythmic and melodic motives, etc.
c. There is less variation in individual parts
d. There is greater individual restraint
e. There is more demand for leadership
Is there an ideal size for such an ensemble? This is a difficult question to

answer, since much depends upon the specific constituency and experience.
However, my own experience indicates a size range from two to five is best.
The following are three recorded examples, of which the first two are
enclosed on a cassette recording with this issue. They are illustrative of some of
the discoveries mentioned in this section and some additional ones as well. Two
different ensemble improvisations and one solo are represented.
1. Transition: The End of September (1978)
Transition is an ensemble I have directed since 1977. This improvisation had a

minimal amount of directives. Essentially, it is a sample outcome of the
"match timbre" exercise (A2) described in the next section of this article
along with some other parameters. Three ideas were used as the basic frame-
work: (1) the layering of diverse pulse rates, (2) the control of slow timbral
changes (IKlanfrbenmelodie) primarily by means of dynamic balance, and (3)
a constant, strummed chord on the guitar. The piece has the often used arch
structure, and although the guitar provides a constant strummed chord as a
backdrop, there is much "playing out of time."
2. Larry Solomon: Casio Impmisation No. 1 (1983)
This music is a solo on an inexpensive Casio MT-40 digital synthesizer using

tape loops. The result reflects my interest in process, i.e., letting process sug-
gest its own structure and compositional possibilities, combined with the spe-
cial attributes of music that can be achieved through extemporization. This
piece evolved from a two-hour recording session of experimental improvisa-
tion with the synthesizer and tape loops. It became clear on playback that as I
had worked my perception had changed. What started as fragmentary trial
and error gradually became more and more like a finished composition as I
learned what could be done with this particular process and material, e.g.,
playing in and out of phase with the tape loop time. The piece is the very end
of the original recording. There is no other editing or overdubbing. Every-
thing was done in "real time."
3. John Zor: Archery (1979) (Parachute 17/18). Two-record album available

from New Music Distribution Service, 500 Broadway, New York 10012.
This is an excellent example of the possibilities of controlled improvisation

and its attendant discoveries. A dozen musicians exhibit great ensemble skill
here; side 2 (archers pictured) is especially virtuosic with very fast timbral and
spatial changes. There is seldom any sense of a beat with the instruments in
complex rhythmic counterpoint that is far from random. The energy level is
high, as is the level of listening, and there is effective use of silence and texture
change. The music has an overall plan whose fascinating evolution is
described by Zor in the liner notes.
There's no time line in any one of my pieces, where you'd begin at

point A then move on to point B, C, and end at Z. Instead it's a set
of rules, kind of like game theory, that is meant to spark rela-
tionships among improvising musicians who then fill in their own
music in the gaps. (Domw Beat, February 1984, 45)
IV. METHODS
There may be as many improvisational methods as there are improvisers, but it is

always interesting to compare their methods. Additionally, I think there are
some methods in common use. The following are some activities that
improvisers I have worked with incorporated. These can be practiced in the form
of exercises for an ensemble, to develop improvisational skill.
A. IMITATIVE SKILLS
1. Match pitches, then two tones, three, etc.
Improvise a piece based on unisons, moving slowly in and out of tune,

creating beating phenomena. Use this unison beating as the basis of the
overall structure.
2. Match timbres and textures, similar sounds.
Create a piece where the timbres of the instruments gradually evolve

and change in texture using dynamic balance as the principal mover.
Listen to the recorded example, The End ofSeptmber.
3. Match rhythms.
Take turns creating rhythmic motifs that serve as the basis of a piece
where others imitate and develop the idea.
4. Match harmonies.
Use a repeating harmonic progression or bass progression as the basis of

a group improvisation.
5. Play short to long unison melodies in simple to complex rhythms, slow

to fast.
Base an entire improvisation on unison and octave movements.
B. ENSEMBLE CUEING SKILLS: PRACTICE:
1. developing body language signals
2. balancing attacks
3. anticipating attacks (use eye contact)
4. varied endings
5. unison attacks
6. fast coordinated changes
C. RECORDING AND CRITICAL DISCUSSION
Recording and listening to playbacks of ensemble sessions have proven valu-

able and interesting. This provides a basis for reflection, discussion, and commu-
nication among the players. It also serves to document the history and progress
of the ensemble. However, too much time on this can create the dilemma men-
tioned earlier, i.e., the quest for discovery versus refinement.
The replacement of conventional ear-training methods by an improvisational
approach to solving the problems of aural perception could form the basis of an
entirely new kind of music curriculum, one that would certainly broaden the
scope of study and would, I believe, help to make a better musical world.
Improvisation can serve as an alternative to the training of musical perception
through conventional atomistic "ear-training" methods. Even those who have
been successful with the latter continue to have problems successfully confront-
ing real musical situations in a variety of musical contexts and styles. This is
because of the severely limited (and limiting) scope and unnatural approach of
the conventional methods. Improvisation is much more exciting and interesting
and places the problem of musical perception into actual, musical contexts. It is a
much broader, more expansive approach to dealing with the limitless resources
of the aural art. Additionally, students can create and discover music on their
own terms in groups and as individuals. In the end they are best equipped to
deal with real musical situations in a wide variety of styles and contexts.
NOTES
1. Derek Bailey, Musical Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music.

(Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1980), 5. Subsequently abbreviated
"DB.3"

Improvisation II Larry Solomon

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Improvisation II Larry Solomon

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Improvisation II

Author(s): Larry Solomon

Every historical study that confines itself to the practical or theoreti

E.T. Ferand in Inpronation in Nine Centuries of Western Music

What we write is different from what we play.

Francois Couperin, L'Artde toucher le clecin

W JRITING ABOUT IMPROVISATION iS not an easy task, perhaps because the

some of that elusive quality of "originality." Simply remembering and

The word improvisation is actually very little used by improvising musi-

Definition: Improvisation involves making decisions affecting the composi-

1. Improvisation is different from chance, since decision plays no part in chance.

2. In the quest for refinement, there is a Darwinian tendency to repeat what is

II. THE SCORE

Henry Cowell in American Composers on American Music: A Symposium,

The petrifying effect of European classical music on those things it

As a matter of fact, some of the most brilliant performers on instruments

go completely dead if you ask them to imagine something.... I have to

III. PROCESS AND DISCOVERY

The exclusion of the jazz vocabulary was an emotional act of feeling.

It is the attitude of the player to the tactile element, to the physical

Originally we might play eight or ten pieces, probably more, in a couple

Tony Oxley evolved a method of superimposing a different time feel

That the shape of improvisational pieces is often predictable, especially with

Perhaps surprisingly, the number of players in an improvisation ensemble has

a. There is more demand for prestructuring and scoring

b. There is a greater trend toward unifying elements, such as pedal points,

c. There is less variation in individual parts

d. There is greater individual restraint

e. There is more demand for leadership

Is there an ideal size for such an ensemble? This is a difficult question to

1. Transition: The End of September (1978)

Transition is an ensemble I have directed since 1977. This improvisation had a

2. Larry Solomon: Casio Impmisation No. 1 (1983)

This music is a solo on an inexpensive Casio MT-40 digital synthesizer using

3. John Zor: Archery (1979) (Parachute 17/18). Two-record album available

This is an excellent example of the possibilities of controlled improvisation

There's no time line in any one of my pieces, where you'd begin at

There may be as many improvisational methods as there are improvisers, but it is

1. Match pitches, then two tones, three, etc.

Improvise a piece based on unisons, moving slowly in and out of tune,

2. Match timbres and textures, similar sounds.

Create a piece where the timbres of the instruments gradually evolve

Use a repeating harmonic progression or bass progression as the basis of

5. Play short to long unison melodies in simple to complex rhythms, slow

Base an entire improvisation on unison and octave movements.

B. ENSEMBLE CUEING SKILLS: PRACTICE:

1. developing body language signals

3. anticipating attacks (use eye contact)

6. fast coordinated changes

C. RECORDING AND CRITICAL DISCUSSION

Recording and listening to playbacks of ensemble sessions have proven valu-

1. Derek Bailey, Musical Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music.

You might also like