Initially, I was cautious of using the term ‘improvisation’ in this program as it is often associated with random music where one could just play anything. While this may be one element of improvisation, improvisation could also be considered a spectrum..

Just play anything: doesn’t matter what you play, everything is good.

Free improvisation: improvising musically in response to observations

Graphic Scores: Interpreting abstract visuals into musical representations

Solos: Melodic solos over harmonic structures

Improvising accompaniment: accompaniment based on chord progression

Improvised structure: Selecting specific structural elements depending on the presentation and responses of the client e.g. looping around A Section until client is ready for B Section or skipping B altogether and going straight to C

Real time adjustments: small adjustments, e.g. tempo, dynamics or articulation in direct response to client, more than a typical interpretation for a recital.

There is a great amount of mystique surrounding improvisation (Deas, 2007; Levine, 1995). Mark Levine (1995) famously introduced his seminal The Jazz Theory Book with this statement: “A great jazz solo consists of 1% magic and 99% stuff that is: explainable, analysable, categorizeable and doable”. This bold statement was Levine’s effort to dispel the mythology surrounding jazz, and improvisation, specifically that although it is not written down in a prescriptive manner, improvisation within a structure such as a chord progression requires a comprehensive knowledge and a methodical approach to the rules governing harmony, melody, phrasing, structure, texture and all of the elements of music. This notion of intricacy is greater than jazz music, and applies to all forms of improvised music (Brockman, 2009; Krout, 2008; Nordoff & Robbins, 2007; Deas, 2007; Lee, 2003; Aigen, 2002).

Improvisation... what is it?