Introduction to Improvisation

Improvisation is the art of creating new music spontaneously. Musicians often improvise during live performances. This important skill may be applied to most styles of music, and is essential to jazz, blues, and rock. The development of improvisation skills can help you in many ways:

Performance Improvisation skills aid in working through performance problems. If you are able to create your own music spontaneously, you may use your improvising skills to play through a lapse in memory.

Composition Creativity in composition and songwriting can be enhanced through improvisation. Music composers often try out musical ideas directly on an instrument before writing the notes down on paper.

Expression When you are improvising, the only thing between you and the music you are playing is your instrument (as opposed to reading a piece of sheet music). This allows for greater expression and spontaneity in your performance.

Technique Improvisation aids in the development of good technical skills. If you try taking a different path to the grocery store, you may discover the new music store that is a little out of the way. If you play a musical scale using a variety of note and rhythm patterns, you may discover that you are developing the ability to move around more freely on your instrument.

Terms:

improvisation: the act or art of creating new music spontaneously

improvise: to create new music spontaneously