Good Reasons for Musical Improvisation

Philos60 · Joined: 02 Jul 2002 Posts: 24

The world of data processing and communication (press, broadcast, film,

television, InterNet) is overcrowded with purposeful and planned

representations of desirable or also deliberately frightful illusory worlds

(advertisement, horror films, Science Fiction).

Spontaneous, natural, genuine and unplanned expression forms e.g. in

music and art are devalued in the commercial world as incalculable and

as having no guarantee of success.

Spontaneous musical improvisations in comparison with constructed and

orchestrated music have special unmistakeable and estimable

characteristics:

1. The individual's different musical ability becomes audible.

2. The emotional tendency of the musician is authentically reflected.

3. A continuous and coherent "tune painting" once created, causes natural

attention from the listeners by reason of its unique character and impact.

4. Personal musical expression in an improvisation is unique and

demonstrates the the individual's characteristics, and the style

of the musician shows appreciation for the listeners and their taste and character.

5. According to a listener's experience, the musical sympathy engendered by

an original and genuine feeling presented by an improvised song,

is more easily and more frequently possible than with a "patchwork of music".

The MUSICAL IMPROVISATION is in the world of music only ONE of several

expressions of such art, but for musicians it deserves a much higher attention,

because of the "personal note" it gives to the musician.

Edited by: Philos60 at: 1/9/03 2:17:36 pm

droolymutt

Hey Philos....

Nice to see you here....!!!

Well, as far as improvisation goes, I'm terrible at it. I think it's my weakest point musically.

But I LOVE hearing good improv... - that's where you hear someone really reveal their feelings - it comes from a place where nothing is hidden.....

Kinda like getting naked......

Hey - once again - thanks for the work you did animating our jpg..!!!!

Philos60 · Joined: 02 Jul 2002 Posts: 24

Hi Droolymutt!

Nice to meet you here again.

What about this gif???

You can use it!

bbchris

Hi Philos!!

I've written lyrics spontaneously whilst music is being played. Sometimes that is the best way for me. It's fun to be spontaneous. I've discovered that I have to feel a certain level of comfortableness with the musicians I'm working with....

Nice new logo for Drooly! hahahahaha

Jane Eliz|Blah Blah|Thinking Out Loud|Today's Song|

LarreeMP3 · Joined: 12 Apr 2002 Posts: 1935

This is an excellent thread! I have been into improvisational music all of my life. I have always loved jazz and the Grateful Dead !!! Many of my recordings are free and loose like that !!!

droolymutt

lolololol!!!!

Philos - that last gif is hilarious......!!!!!

I prefer the simpler one, but that gave me a good chuckle... :cute

bbchris

I find some musicians cannot jam. The Sisters could. The Adaptors could. Thinking Out Loud - I'm trying to educate them. hahahahahaha Smoking Monkeys - YES YES YES! Oh Mike Burn & Friends definitely can jam. :banana

Jane Eliz|Blah Blah|Thinking Out Loud|Today's Song|

droolymutt

OK....

Now this thread is becoming funner and funner....

Our bass player is a far better guitar player than anyone else in the band. He has a side-project called Bokamaru - a Grateful Dead cover thing.

He plays lead guitar in that band. When I go to see them, I watch his face as he goes off on one of those improvising tangents..

You just KNOW he's in the Zone....

It's not just the technical brilliance, - it's the total freedom of spirit that his playing conveys.

His brother is Frank Marino - who has been considered by many as one of the top ten guitarists on the Planet.

Do a Google on Frank Marino - you'll see what I mean..

larre3mp3 · Joined: 09 Jan 2003 Posts: 1

We gotta JAM !!!!!!!!!!!!! :gl

Geosphere · Joined: 21 Dec 2002 Posts: 37

While I wholeheartedly agree with Philos' initial substantiations for improv, one remains clearly unlisted:

Improv due to completely forgetting what your playing in front of a live audience.

Name me ONE muscian who has not improved in that situation.

PANick11 · Joined: 25 Jul 2002 Posts: 402

Drooly!!...I have all of frank Marinos albums...

including

Maxoom, child of the novelty, strange universe, iv,

he's one of my teenage heros!!...really an amazing player...I once sat out all night in fron of the Rainbow Music Hall so I could see him play from the front row!!

LOL!!!

soooo....Improv!!

hmmm....., I had a spontaneous jam trio once that actually got paid to gig!!

it was one of those rare combinations of players where we just clicked on an amazing level....

1 drummer who played an abreviated kit...roto toms, snare, hight hat, floor tom and some ambient percussion things...bells, virbaslap..stuff like that

Two guitars...I played an es 335 and Steve played a herb ellis, so it was pretty clean and warm.

Then....we had a 4 string electric bass plugged in and on a stand between our chairs...and we would both pick it up now and then....though most tunes were just guitar and percussion..

we'd do 20 minuete free form journies...somtimes longer!!

and people really liked it!..we were playing ..I dont know.."fern Bars"..LOL!!...tiny jazz clubs...it was amazing!!..a nearly psychic connection would get going.

Man...I'd love to do that again....

PANick

droolymutt · Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 11:13 pm Post subject: Re: Frank????

ahhh, PANick... - what you're saying..... - I can hear in your playing.

Yeah - Norm (Frank's brother) actually started Mahogany Rush with Frank.

Sometimes, at practice, we take a break to jam. I give Norm my Strat, and take his Precision....bliss...........

But the reason our focus is not there, is that we now care a little bit about the commercial side of music. Thus the cookie-cutter tunes of The Wailing Hobos....

Frank is still working... - just got home from a European tour..

Some other stuff happening, that I won't mention here....

PANick11 · Joined: 25 Jul 2002 Posts: 402

WOW!!!

WOW!! WOW!!! WOW!!!!!

(this is me trying to appear detached and grown up...all the while fighting the impulse to put my guitar in a box and mail it to you and BEG you to get frank to sign it....But I'm much more mature than that....really....much..)

sooo....Franks brother huh?

that's interesting...

ho hum...

by the way...(casually now...easy does it...)

uh..

what's your address?

PANick

droolymutt

er.

Why do I get the funny feeling you're rattling my cage here?.....

Anyhooo.......

I'm in Montreal.....

If you want it, my email is droolymutt@msn.com

bbchris

Er guys I just googled Frank Marino - and found this page:

www.frankmarino.com/whitewall.htm

Jane Eliz|Blah Blah|Thinking Out Loud|Today's Song|