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Improvisation – the art of unique and spontaneous expression

There are many definitions of improvisation, but most agree that in music it is spontaneous composition in a context that is unique and largely determined by circumstances. There are of course instrument-specific and cultural considerations, but generally improvisation is a complex process that involves both skill and creativity. As improvised music is a product of the musician as well the music that is played, it reflects everything from personal beliefs and personality to interaction between the performers on a broader than musical level.

For many people, myself included, improvisation is very often related to jazz, and not surprisingly so – jazz musicians have made an enormous contribution to this art form over the years. But although very prominent in jazz, great examples of improvisation can also be found in world, rock, fusion and other expressions of musical thought, attitude and beliefs. With verbal expression, we are exposed to conversation from an early age, and that’s why conversations between people appear natural most of the time. Ideally, with improvisation in music , the same level of proficiency is to be aimed at in order to create freely and spontaneously, and there is no substitute for experience when in comes to improvisation as a native language.

Universally, improvisation can be framed as a philosophical concept. Whether related to Zen or simply incorporating universal philosophical thought, it is ultimately an expression of personality and a particular time or circumstances. The concept of improvisation can refer to music, acting, dance, day-to-day life and creativity in general. Improvisation can also be described by making an analogy to a conversation where participants decide what to say immediately before saying it. What someone says in a conversation is based on previous experience and the flow of the interaction at that particular time. Overall, collective improvisation is both complex and intuitive at the same time.

More contextually, in jazz for instance, improvisation implies knowledge, a titanic commitment to effort and work ethic and brave musical intent. The best improvisers – John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, John McLaughlin and many others bring skill, original ideas and philosophical thought together to create unique expressions of style. A broad knowledge of music theory, knowledge of music in general and the ability of performers to express themselves through music is at the centre of improvisation as a music-related concept.

This introduction to improvisation was created to introduce one of the main topics on this site, improvised music. It is also an open invitation to explore other topic-related categories on this site – Improvised music and Jazz Stories, which include material on instrument-specific ideas as well as general music and  jazz-related topics, books, concerts and, of course, my own improvisation-related experiences.

I hope you find the content about improvisation on this site useful and read the regularly updated posts – from jazz stories to music theory, they are intended to share my jazz-related experiences and thoughts, feel free to comment on them and get in touch. Keep improvising and thanks for stopping by!