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Author: allencole
Date: 2004-10-17 17:43
One reason that free improvisation hasn't been mentioned is that a young girl is inquiring about it without having previous experience in it. For this reason, we are trying to offer her some logical starting points for exploration and share with her some of the commonly accepted learning processes associated with it.
I can't speak to your knowledge or experience, Markus, without hearing more about you, but most knowledgable players who work without written music don't view scales, tonality, or form as a jail cell. They have learned how to use their constraints with the maximum flexibility.
I'm sure that at one time, someone tried to pull a wagon with multiple independent horses. As a result teamsters soon equipped their horses with harnesses and blinders. Four horses, properly regulated, could provide a towed vehicle with great speed and power. Independently, they would most likely draw and quarter their freedom-loving driver.
Likewise, groups of musicians need a central focus when operating in tandem. This was as true for the latter day Coltrane quartet as it is for a mediocre dixieland band. It's just a matter of degree.
Most attempts that I've seen at aleatoric [sp?] music and free improvisation have been nothing short of pathetic--often performed by musicians who neither understand nor respect the supposedly pedestrian music where improv actually works. What they don't understand IMO is that the freer one player is, the more constrained the others are--if, of course, you want the music to be coherent. Conventional jazz improvisation uses structure in order to allow the most flexibility to each player within his/her own particular sphere. (your trumpet soloist might've been free on the Haydn Concerto, but I feel certain that the accompanying orchestra was pretty much in lock-step)
The rules and structure that you describe as formalism aren't arbitrary. They are based on the observation of successful work over hundreds of years.
And to address another poster, I would be careful of the viewpoint of improvisation as spontaneous composition. I think that the process is more analogous to arranging or ornamenting. In a group situation each person is only creating part of the total package.
And I think that this is why most group-playing conventions are still accepted and used in the mainstream today. If anyone is interested, I'll tell you about a 13-piece 100% improvisational big band who makes it work. (borrowing from 1930's technology)
Allen Cole
Post Edited (2004-10-18 06:03)
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psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't as |
2004-10-06 21:31 |
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Sarah |
2004-10-06 21:50 |
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msloss |
2004-10-06 22:03 |
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diz |
2004-10-06 22:18 |
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hans |
2004-10-06 23:05 |
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Tom J. |
2004-10-06 23:36 |
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mkybrain |
2004-10-06 23:44 |
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BG |
2004-10-07 01:29 |
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mkybrain |
2004-10-07 01:49 |
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Tara |
2004-10-07 02:57 |
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klarisa |
2004-10-07 07:34 |
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William |
2004-10-07 15:00 |
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SGTClarinet_7 |
2004-10-07 16:38 |
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Carol Dutcher |
2004-10-07 17:31 |
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Alseg |
2004-10-07 20:48 |
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mkybrain |
2004-10-07 22:45 |
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JMcAulay |
2004-10-09 01:58 |
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mkybrain |
2004-10-09 03:38 |
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allencole |
2004-10-09 06:14 |
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psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't as |
2004-10-10 17:10 |
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allencole |
2004-10-10 19:42 |
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EEBaum |
2004-10-10 21:18 |
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3dogmom |
2004-10-10 21:36 |
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katchow |
2004-10-15 16:12 |
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Markus Wenninger |
2004-10-16 06:21 |
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Hank Lehrer |
2004-10-16 11:25 |
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Re: Improv! Now isn't this a GREAT subject? new |
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allencole |
2004-10-17 17:43 |
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psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't as |
2004-10-18 06:11 |
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3dogmom |
2004-10-18 10:52 |
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Markus Wenninger |
2004-10-18 07:24 |
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Hank Lehrer |
2004-10-18 11:06 |
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3dogmom |
2004-10-18 11:14 |
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Hank Lehrer |
2004-10-18 12:40 |
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psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't as |
2004-10-18 23:33 |
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allencole |
2004-10-19 06:00 |
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3dogmom |
2004-10-19 10:16 |
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allencole |
2004-10-19 07:01 |
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Markus Wenninger |
2004-10-20 06:57 |
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Hank Lehrer |
2004-10-20 11:07 |
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3dogmom |
2004-10-20 11:50 |
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allencole |
2004-10-21 06:08 |
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Markus Wenninger |
2004-10-21 15:01 |
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3dogmom |
2004-10-23 10:59 |
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Hank Lehrer |
2007-11-05 23:30 |
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allencole |
2004-10-21 17:36 |
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Markus Wenninger |
2004-10-23 18:01 |
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3dogmom |
2004-10-23 18:16 |
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Mark Charette |
2004-10-23 18:22 |
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allencole |
2004-10-23 19:11 |
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3dogmom |
2004-10-23 23:48 |
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allencole |
2004-10-24 15:52 |
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Markus Wenninger |
2004-10-25 12:04 |
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hans |
2004-10-25 14:06 |
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allencole |
2004-10-25 17:21 |
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EEBaum |
2004-10-25 17:45 |
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Hank Lehrer |
2004-10-25 23:08 |
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allencole |
2004-10-27 07:02 |
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bunny.stewart |
2004-10-27 15:34 |
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Hank Lehrer |
2004-10-28 02:42 |
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Markus Wenninger |
2004-10-28 06:42 |
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Hank Lehrer |
2004-10-28 10:21 |
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Katfish |
2004-10-28 13:41 |
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Markus Wenninger |
2004-10-28 20:14 |
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Hank Lehrer |
2004-10-28 20:20 |
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Camanda |
2004-10-28 21:17 |
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3dogmom |
2004-10-28 23:55 |
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allencole |
2004-10-31 01:00 |
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