Improvisation

Hi,

It depends on the context and what is happening.  Some call it this, that and everything else, but there are many schools of thought that deal with "improvisation", and HOW it is done, is an issue.  In general, if you have any "format", or "idea", for what you want in a piece of music, notice I did not say "song", then the improvisational window gets smaller and smaller and the ability to let it fly and die on its own wings, is gone ... it already died in the "format" ... which has a tendency to cut down the abilities.

But there are things that you want to listen to, if you have the musical ability to learn from them, which is where most people fail ... it's missing a beat, it's missing a lyric, it's always missing something!

Examples:
Amon Duul 2, kinda learned their craft in the early days from their "drum circles" that were so big in the late 60's ... and AD2's style, I believe was about taking that free form and just guide it a little bit, and see where it takes you. "Yeti" is their best on this.

Keith Jarrett, specially in his early days, was magnificent at improvisation. Considered a jzzz person, USUALLY means that you are playing around chords and notes, although when you hear "The Koln Convert" you might find that a piece or two appear to sound a bit mechanical and clever, but others are just outright ... free.

Egberto Gismonti, in his early days of guitar playing was more about the sound of the thing and the moods they created. He can also do this with a piano.

Guru Guru, was the ultimate improvisation work in the early days, unffortunately most of it ended with "Dance of the Flames", which still has the guitar going everywhere until it's done with the part it is doing. There is a reason why their early stuff had titles like ... "LSD March" and some other things, but in the middle you get something that is similar to what you probably would want to hear Jimi Hendrix do if he had survived.

CAN, had its improvisational methods kinda worked out from their Berlin music schools, and it was mostly centered around ... no western concepts ... though later, this changed some, specially after Damo left. He himself came from the same theater/film style of improvisation that was so active in the work in Germany, and CAN is almost a follow up to that.

American music, for my tastes, does not have enough improvisation. Mostly they are centered on a theme or a chord, and solos, which not all improvisations are about. It's kinda like Miles Davis, who used to say ... I do my part first, then I pass it to you, then you pass it to him, then we come together, and in between all's fair and love and hate ... and there were some excellent things, albeit some of them are difficult to connect and explain musically, but that is Miles ... a rebel.

The "Fillmore", or "Greateful Dead" kind of experimentation, was not always about the chord or the song, or anything else, as their early bootlegs showed, something that has never made it to CD or album, and it was one of the things that helped a lot of people learn how to do long cuts, and explore the musical side of things. However, because many of these were never recorded, or appreciated by anybody, none of them have been studied for a bigger and better value, than one riff for a song! Personally I find that sad, but in the end, the musicians involved were not as refined in music history, other than just learn anything as you go.

Europe, having a much longer musical tradition, tends to be more centered on musical designs, although, as mentioned, there are music schools that are different on purpose.

Lastly ... the eastern model for "improvisation" is very different, and folks like Ravi Shankar were massive in helping us hear it ... but it's a cold day in heck that many folks that like "progressive, or prog, will ever listen to a huge raga that can go as much as an hour ... and "get something" out of it, without asking ... where's the song? Listening to "raga's" is an exercise in improvisation, and the only goal is to get to a point, where the music and the person are one, and meaningful. This is hard in "western music" because the center of the music is outside of the person, and it always has to be "composed", where the "raga" concept, is not meant to be composed, although both you and I would think that if I were to do it I might want to start with this or that ... and go from there. There is no rock band that is anywhere near doing this, even in India!

The King Crimson, and in general, English style of experimenting is called "guided improvisation" in theater. I, personally, do not think that it is as valid an improvisation, as it is a very detailed and specific way to go about rehearsing and learning to get better! This is NOT something that most musicians ever get involved in!

There is another thread where I have discussed the Robert Fripp/KC style of improvisation. Honestly, compared to others, this is a "result" of an improvisation, and not an improvisation AT ALL in the final product.

But whatever you do, do not comfuse a 30 second chord change as an improvisation ... it kinda counts, but it is not leading the song in new directions. Usually, the point of ANY improvisation, is to find new places for the music to come alive and live. The only issue is, not enough people have an ear for this kind of stuff, and even most (supposedly) improvisational stuff you find here listed in prog/progressive, is not anywhere near the word and its meaning!