Improvisation in music: Is that what your soul says or are you just regurgitating?
As a fan of all kinds of music, I’ve seen my fair share of concerts ranging from the heaviest metal to the quietest folk to the funkiest jazz. I enjoy all kinds of concerts, but there are always a few that stand out as extremely compelling and exciting. These concerts are the ones that involve a lot of improvisation. There’s something significantly more exciting about a dynamic, constantly changing show than a show where you know the band probably played almost the same, note for note, the night before. I believe that without improvisation we are losing the sense of music; be an expression of the soul.
What is improvisation?
When you improvise in music, you are basically making it up as you go or writing music on the spot. Instead of following a set structure or pattern of notes, you develop your own melody or countermelody on the spot as you play the song.
You see improvisation in its purest form in jazz because jazz relies on multiple soloists each taking turns improvising something compelling. Classical music has the least amount of leeway for improvisation because you typically perform a piece of music as it is written. Still, by developing your own interpretation of dynamics and expression, you can still inject some new elements into your performance. In modern rock and roll, you typically see improvisation in the form of solos or lead parts, though not as much these days as it was in the ’60s and ’70s.
No matter what kind of music, what you add to and develop during your performance is what makes your performance livelier, more dynamic, and more exciting.
Why does music need improvisation?
Music seems to be the most direct connection between the human soul and the “real world”. He crosses all boundaries by evoking emotions and communicating ideas without necessarily using words or language. Musicians can evoke and express any emotion they choose by playing the correct notes with the correct inflection.
In a live performance, simply by changing certain aspects of a song, certain inflections, a musician can take the same song and evoke a new emotion with each performance. These changes are a direct expression of the musician and a direct link to his soul. Improvisation allows the greatest range of freedom of expression for the musician, allowing him to express exactly what he wants at any given time.
Without improvisation, whether through the smallest changes in inflection or large changes in chord progression or melody, a live performance is just an outdated reproduction of what the composer intended and was written/recorded. Why go see a live performance when you can hear the same when listening to the recording? The music needs improvisation to allow the musicians to interpret the piece as an expression of their soul and provide dynamic and exciting performances.
Why should you develop improv skills?
As a musician, it is important to develop and practice improvisation because it makes music more enjoyable to play, allows for more expression, and increases your skill. Music lives in the soul and by adding a bit of improvisation to our music we can take an ordinary song and turn it into an expression of our soul and what that song means to us.
Improvisation also makes performances much more dynamic and unique. Anyone can practice a piece a million times and play it perfectly, but it’s just a regurgitation of what they’ve learned, it has no soul, emotion, or feeling. Real musicians take that piece and make it their own and then when they play it for an audience, that audience gets to see a glimpse of the musician’s soul and passion as the musician takes the song in whatever direction they see fit.
Improvisation is basically writing music out of nothing and therefore it can also help you with your songwriting or composition. It can help you learn your instrument better as you begin to recognize what effect certain techniques have on how music sounds, and what kinds of emotions they seem to evoke. So when you want to evoke those emotions to express how you feel, you will know which techniques will be most effective.
How can you develop improvisation skills as a musician?
The easiest way to improve improvisation is to practice it. This can be as simple as taking a practice session and instead of listening to a piece again, play what you feel. You can try writing a melody and then improvising on top of it, start with an existing song and add your own touches, or just start from scratch and let your improvisation flow freely.
Be sure to play with others or with a background music track. This helps control time and develop the skills to be able to express exactly what you want on command. It’s easy to improvise something effective when you have time to work on it, but being able to do it during a song when necessary takes practice.
Try and listen to all kinds of music, as you can find small note progressions and improvisational techniques that you can develop, expand and use in your own performance. At the same time, don’t get too caught up in what others are playing. Each person is unique and therefore the way they express themselves through an instrument will be unique. You don’t have to use a million notes or any specific technique just because that’s how your idol plays. It is important to develop your own style.
Don’t be afraid to take risks with your game and be adventurous. Those moments where we let go, risk everything, and take chances with our playing are pure expressions of the soul.
It’s important to have fun and play what you like, but also to be open to new techniques, otherwise your musical progress could stagnate.
Learning to improvise on any instrument requires time and a thorough knowledge of the instrument. It’s not easy, but over time your instrument can become a direct link to your soul, so that when you want to express yourself, you can do so easily and freely.
Conclusions about improvisation:
For me, music without improvisation isn’t really worth it. A robot or machine could easily create the same effect. However, when a musician improvises, that makes the performance dynamic, exciting, and what keeps me going to concerts year after year.
As a musician I can attest to how difficult learning to improvise on any instrument can be, but the way it allows you to express yourself is well worth it. There is no greater feeling than being able to take a song in a new direction and add your own emotion and soul to it on the spot.
If you are a musician, I encourage you to further explore improvisation within your music and recognize its importance. If you’re not a musician, perhaps this has inspired you to become one, or simply to recognize the importance of improvisational works in creating powerful and dynamic music.
