Chapter: Improvisation

This is a preview of the educational program A Jazz Improvisation Almanac which is under development for the Outside Shore Music Online School. Feel free to browse this preview and learn what you can from it. For a more completed product, though, check out the original freely browsable jazz textbook, A Jazz Improvisation Primer.

Improvisation is possibly the most important element of jazz, rivaled only by swing in the eyes and ears of most observers. At some point in almost every jazz performance, one or more musicians will be expected to improvise. Improvisation usually occurs in the context of a solo, where one musician is improviaing a melody while others improvise accompaniment. Some performances feature group improvisation more than solos, however. In either case, the improvisation is usually the focal point of the performance.

How does a jazz musician decide what to play when improvising? It is not as mysterious a process as some might think. In many ways, it is similar to conversation. We start with a basic idea of what we are going to say, then we find the words to express our thoughts. The topic we are discussing and the people we are speaking with influence what we say and how we say it. There are also rules of grammar that guide our speech. Most importantly, though, we should have something interesting to say.

Jazz improvisation is not all that different. The style of the composition being played and the personal style of the musicians involved shape the overall sound of the performance. The composition itself will usually specify some parameters for improvisation - usually the chord progression on which a soloist is to base his improvised melodies. Ultimately, though, it is the creativity of the improvisor that determines what he will play. This chapter examines the factors of style, structure, and creativity in more detail.

Copyright 2000 Outside Shore Music
Authored by Marc Sabatella

Chapter: Improvisation