Definitions of improvisation and jam

For me, jam and improvisation are the same: do what comes to your mind following certain scales, sometimes with some riffs in the middle, or in the soloing time of a song; and let you go by the music.

A good example is live Deep Purple.

you'll get no arguements from me on those definitions, they sound just about right,

improvisations are usually better suited in a live setting, therefor you wont have as many bands that specifically put out pure in-studio improv albums, though there are plenty to be found,

Edited by mithrandir - May 07 2006 at 17:20

Jam session is a slang term for improvisation session - although a subtle difference seems to be that a jam session carries the implication that songs will be written as a result of the improvisation.

I've always thought that:

Improvisation = a section inside a song when all the instruments but one or two play a chord progression repeatedly and the remaining instruments improvise playing on that accompaniment; at the end of the improvised section the song continues normally.

Jam (session) = a piece of music that is completely improvised by all the members of the band (however following a predefinite chord progression or basical structure): some instruments play the accompaniment and others play the solos, and after some time the roles are inverted and so on.

Jam to me means the instintaneous music of rock bands.

someone post a list of their top 5 improvisational songs, that aren't jams, that would make me happy

 

Aaron

I thought all improvisational songs are jams, but there are jams that hasn't got much improvisation, i heard people say that in DT's A Chasnge Of Seasons album the last songs are Jams, but they are playing songs already composed and then linking it with some arrengments.

According to what i could figure out listening other people talking about it, this are my definitions:

As far as I understand it, the difference is as follows :

Your definitions of what a Jam and what an Improvisation is sound very correct, no doubt that they are. But my understanding of the two has always been that they're almost the same thing. A Jam is a gathering where people play what they feel like at the time, it just flows as you go on. Many Jam sessions have heaps of Improv. as well as pre-meditated riffs and the like.

IMO they're basically the same thing, but everyones different.




Edited by Mr. Sanchez - May 12 2006 at 10:28