What is Improvisation?

tovo
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:35 pm
Status: Offline

Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:56 pm

It strikes me that many people think that "improvising" is playing stuff that you have never played before. I read comments like "Copying licks is not the way to go, you need to learn to improvise".

For me that makes no sense. Surely improvisation is knowing plenty of licks, riffs and being able to link them together in a way that sounds cool. It's about having the skill to travel the fret board in an unplanned manner.

What it ISN'T about in my mind is playing notes in combinations you have never played before. How could that ever work?

Any thoughts?


BigBear
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 11:02 am
Status: Offline

Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:49 am

"Improv" is simply making up music as you go using music theory (or your perception of theory) as your guidelines. Maybe" un-scripted" is a better word. Rather than playing note-for-note per the sheet music, you use scales, patterns, beats, rhythms, modes and tempos to make your music. You aren't necessarily breaking any musical rules (although you could if the sound works) just mixing and matching as you go to make your own sound.

Jazz and the blues are two excellent examples of music that lends itself well to improvisation. You could care less what the guy that wrote the song was thinking, you only care about how you feel the music and what sounds good to you. Improv is totally free-flowing.

Cheers mate! :cheer:


willem
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:53 am
Status: Offline

Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:50 am

tovo wrote:
It strikes me that many people think that "improvising" is playing stuff that you have never played before. I read comments like "Copying licks is not the way to go, you need to learn to improvise".

For me that makes no sense. Surely improvisation is knowing plenty of licks, riffs and being able to link them together in a way that sounds cool. It's about having the skill to travel the fret board in an unplanned manner.

What it ISN'T about in my mind is playing notes in combinations you have never played before. How could that ever work?

Any thoughts?

I think you said it perfect and I agree,,but can't it be like ''playing like BB KING but then in your own way''? Oh and what we see Neils doing in his abstracts that is pure improvisation but he study'd the fret board..It would be great to find our own melody's on the top three strings combined with the bass notes ,,

Willem


willem
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:53 am
Status: Offline

Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:55 am

BigBear wrote:
"Improv" is simply making up music as you go using music theory (or your perception of theory) as your guidelines. Maybe" un-scripted" is a better word. Rather than playing note-for-note per the sheet music, you use scales, patterns, beats, rhythms, modes and tempos to make your music. You aren't necessarily breaking any musical rules (although you could if the sound works) just mixing and matching as you go to make your own sound.

Jazz and the blues are two excellent examples of music that lends itself well to improvisation. You could care less what the guy that wrote the song was thinking, you only care about how you feel the music and what sounds good to you. Improv is totally free-flowing.

Cheers mate! :cheer:


Wow Rick,,,thats it..


BigBear
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 11:02 am
Status: Offline

Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:06 am

Thanks Willem! I would add that once a song is tabbed or put to sheet music it is no longer "improv". Improv is the basis, or starting point of much great music. A song writer gets an idea, maybe a snippet of a riff, and builds the song from there. If the riff or song is easily repeatable it is no longer improv. Perhaps by definition, an improv'd tune is never played the same way twice.


willem
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:53 am
Status: Offline

Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:26 am

BigBear wrote:
Thanks Willem! I would add that once a song is tabbed or put to sheet music it is no longer "improv". Improv is the basis, or starting point of much great music. A song writer gets an idea, maybe a snippet of a riff, and builds the song from there. If the riff or song is easily repeatable it is no longer improv. Perhaps by definition, an improv'd tune is never played the same way twice.

I alway's like the ''improv'' from a lead/solo in a song were I alway's hear a bit of the vocal/melody but just a bit diffrent,,,I said ''hear'' not that I can do that!!! but I wonder what the solo player is hearing in his head/mind while he does that..

W.


Hydroman52
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:52 am
Status: Offline

Fri Sep 07, 2012 7:45 am

tovo wrote:
What it ISN'T about in my mind is playing notes in combinations you have never played before.
In my mind, that's exactly what it's all about. It's the mother of invention. The ability to create something totally new, on the spot. Theory is one tool that helps make this happen as does experience. Think about it...... how do you imagine people come up with new songs and unique riffs and vamps if they aren't improvising?

This is my "secret" goal. To be able to sit down with a group with a blank slate, play something over the top of the music they are playing, and make it sound good. All on the spot without ever hearing it before. All free form and totally by feel. I'm getting closer to this every day.

Just my thoughts.

Hydroman52


tombo1230
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:27 am
Status: Offline

Fri Sep 07, 2012 11:57 am

Improvising a lead is to just let yourself go and play the notes that you are feeling fit the moment at that particular moment. In a way it is to be symbiotic in expression with the chords being played in the rythmn. :blink: :dry:


Tom N.


tovo
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:35 pm
Status: Offline

Fri Sep 07, 2012 7:26 pm

Hydroman52 wrote:
tovo wrote:
What it ISN'T about in my mind is playing notes in combinations you have never played before.
In my mind, that's exactly what it's all about. It's the mother of invention. The ability to create something totally new, on the spot. Theory is one tool that helps make this happen as does experience. Think about it...... how do you imagine people come up with new songs and unique riffs and vamps if they aren't improvising?

This is my "secret" goal. To be able to sit down with a group with a blank slate, play something over the top of the music they are playing, and make it sound good. All on the spot without ever hearing it before. All free form and totally by feel. I'm getting closer to this every day.

Just my thoughts.

Hydroman52
I get what you are saying RIck, but just making it up as you go, well for me it seems like speaking in tongues. Pure improv but not likely to make a lot of sense. "Unscripted". I like that word from the other Rick. For notes to sound good it must surely be the result of knowing what notes sound good together and that has been learned through practice. I just think that players would rarely play combinations that they have never played before.


Post Reply Previous topicNext topic