Though the term improvisation by itself simply means making up the music as you go along, there are many systems around it, culturally and historically.
I’d like to present a few of them here, both instrumental and vocally based.
A great video series was made back in 1992 about this topic. You can view parts 1 and 3 here. (Note that parts 2 and 4 are not here, contrary to what is written underneath the 2 videos).
Part 1
Douglas Ewart at Haynes School in Chinatown, Chicago; improvisation in Mozart with Robert Levin, piano and the Academy of Ancient Music with Christopher Hogwood; John Zorn and Cobra; improvisation in religious and devotional music and communities with: Naji Hakim – organ improvisations in Paris; Gaelic psalm singing on the Scottish Isles of Harris and Lewis; and Indian singing with Pundit Hanuman Misra.
Part 3
Concentrating on jazz based and free improvisation. With Max Roach at the Harlem School of the Arts; Butch Morris conducting (with, among others, Shelley Hirsch); Sang-Won Park and Korean music; Max Eastley’s sound sculptures; Derek Bailey (solo and fleetingly with Phil Wachsmann, Steve Noble and Alex Ward); Steve Noble and Alex Ward duo; Nashville musicians including Buddy Emmons; Eugene Chadbourne.
Of particular interest to me are the sections on:
- Part 1 @ 35:44: the 17th century Gaelic improvised psalm singing that still goes on in the Scottish Hebrides. Chrissy Smith says- “The notes are not so important as that singing comes from the heart, and the sincerity of the music is what counts, not so much the music really but of the words, when one sings from the heart you might just draw an octave a bit longer, someone might add a twiddling to it, maybe because they are carried away with the feeling of it…”
-Part 1 @ 41:30 Rajasthan singing with Pundit Hanuman Misra
-Part 3 @ 12:58 Butch Morris and his ‘Conduction’ form of improvisational conducting.
-Part 3 @ 23:25 Sang Won Park and his Korean ensemble- 2000 year old shamanic originated collective improvisation with instruments and vocals
Conduction is practiced by Christine Duncan, from Toronto. For a great example, check her CD, The Element Choir, with 51 improvising voices.
The huge scope of gypsy music might surprise you. It has been largely improvised, and totally enmeshed in the life style of nomadic Romani people from many lands. I highly recommend the 1993 documentary film ‘Latcho Drom‘, which begins in Rajasthan and continues westward all the way to Spain.
Please also check the work of Walter Thompson, who developed something similar to what Butch Morris started. He created universal conducting gestures to indicate musical ideas for the musicians to respond to. It’s called Soundpainting.
CommentBesides my own captivation on the subject, lately I’ve seen a lot of cyberspace interest about how the brain responds to music, in all of music’s glorious elements.
I’ve given a lot of thought to how the brain works in the process of vocal improvisation, since a lot of my work is done this way. Spontaneity seems to be the key. Too much thought and things can potentially deteriorate! Or at least become bogged down. Rehearsal is almost a dangerous activity! And one of the most important elements is emotional delivery, which can or cannot be summoned at will.
Although he wasn’t thought of as an improviser (strictly), I’ll present the oft suggested example of Frank Sinatra. Whether he was your cup of tea or not, he had a certain flare for phrasing that nobody else seems to be able to duplicate. His carefree, sometimes wistful lyrical phrases floated above the backdrop of instrumentation, often as far behind the beat as humanly possible without ever losing the sense of place in the music. He tugged at the heart strings of a generation and way beyond. This sensibility is a gift. Can one even imitate it successfully? I think such a simple approach is not quite enough. It’s challenging to ‘imitate’ any deeply felt emotion with convincing results. It has to come from somewhere deep within. Do you have to personally relate to the lyrics in your own experience? Maybe, but what do the best actors do to fool the public that they are really someone else?
Do we really believe that a singer has just gone through the most painful, humiliating breakup imaginable when we hear the delivery? Maybe it depends on whether or not the song is auto- biographical, and even then, how recent was the actual experience. Of course, cover songs relaying your real life can be quite convenient.
When I recently did an improvisational concert with other musicians (somewhat shamanic in nature), I began making up lyrics on the spot that reflected many of my current frustrations at the time. It felt more emotional and ‘true’ than almost anything else in my bag. It seemed to me that my ‘phrasing’ of this stuff took a flight of its own choosing. How my brain was connected to all this was a bit of a mystery, albeit a fascinating adventure in hemisphere cooperation.
What about when there are no lyrics? For example, in wordless improv situations where vowels, nonsense syllables and the inclusion of overtones provide all the components? (with inspiration from the background music). Isn’t the singer then NOT dependent upon the potentially limiting emotional quality of lyrics? Does this offer a greater degree of freedom? Perhaps. Does the right brain take over? (ha ha, that could be taken as ‘right’ as opposed to ‘wrong’).
In any case, here’s some great writings I’ve found on the topic of the brain and music, including the thoughts of a few famous musicians:
Book review: This is your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, by Daniel J. Levitin (go to Amazon.com for paperback or Kindle version)
NY Times article- To tug hearts, Music first must tickle the neurons
NY Times article- Between the lines, where Music’s soul resides
CommentArtist busking is a topic with many opinions, pros and cons. The legalities of busking differ greatly from city to city.
I live in Prague. Just yesterday, there was a big public demonstration to legalize busking. I didn’t attend, and I don’t know how successful they were. I’ve seen musicians busking at various places in Prague, usually very low key, and in places not likely to be noticed too prominently, until moved along by authorities. They are generally regarded as being one step above beggars.
In Tokyo, where I lived, if you busk in the wrong place, you can get shooed away by the yakuza (mafia). The most successful busker I saw there was a Scottish bagpiper in full regalia. His sound echoed far and wide and drew huge numbers.
In Vancouver, where I also lived, in order to busk, you have to apply for an audition once a year, which is juried by some panel who decides whether you are good enough to get a license. If you are one of these fortunate few, you must display this license in full view when you busk. There are signups for time slots at the most prestigious locations.
In Galway, Ireland, busking is highly regarded. Especially during the Galway Arts Festival in July. The only drawback is trying to find a spot where you won’t get drowned out by your neighbors. Lots of these buskers use battery operated amps.
And there are the buskers with huge shows (a lot of magic tricks, juggling swords and flaming torches on unicycles, etc.) They recruit audience members to embarrass. These folks can make a lot of money. Often you will find this type as signed on with various fringe festivals and the like.
On the topic of financial rewards, buskers have the potential to make way more money than so-called professional musicians at clubs. In the old days, a professional musician used to be paid by the owners of such clubs. Throughout the years, this gradually shifted to “You get to collect at the door”. They refuse to pay for the privilege of having entertainment attract people to their establishment who buy their food and drinks. Don’t get me started. Oh yeah, you even stand a better chance of selling CDs if you busk.
One can come across a lot of undiscovered gems in the busking world. Definitely not mainstream, which is precisely the reason you will find them on the street. Maybe they play really unusual instruments, or very avant- garde stuff. Diamonds in the rough. I’ve even hired a couple of these players right off the street into the studio.
An experiment took place in a Washington CD metro station in 2007, where one of the best classical violinists, Joshua Bell, played Bach on a Stradivarius during the morning rush hour. Most hurried by. This may be a common attitude among the public, who are in their own worlds or don’t want to feel obligated to donate.
The whole story is here.
With technological advancements has come the age of online busking. It was only a matter of time. There is TheStage.tv, where a friend of mine takes it very seriously. Even makes money at it. But to make it worthwhile, he has to spend enormous amounts of time at it. Which he enthusiastically does. It does bring with it a great deal of freedom of self-expression.
In my own experience, the only time I ever busked was in Galway during the Arts Festival. I met a Czech acoustic guitarist a couple of hours prior to setting up. We decided to do a completely improvisational act with me overtone singing. Well, this was highly unusual for Irish pedestrians. Generally, they didn’t know what to make of it. I’d say that most of the acts along the street were quite conventional. But I managed to bring tears to the eyes of a French woman, who bought both my CDs. And a group of four Swiss men, who also bought my CDs. An interesting experiment.
I’d like your opinion of busking. Do you approve of it? Should it be regulated to weed out the tone deaf and talentless? Is location a factor?
Are you a busker? I’d like to hear about your experiences.
CommentWith the viral YouTube videos of Eric Whitacre’s virtual choir pieces, this technological advancement has taken the world by storm. It has now become possible to coordinate any number of singers all over the world to sing together in perfect synchronization, separately, all in the comfort of their own homes. To get involved, one only needs to follow the simple instructions. You sing your given part (according to range) along with a basic piano part while watching him conduct it, then submit your own video of your performance. He avoids a click track, as this would end up sounding too mechanical, without human feel. After compiling the best singers, he then mixes the results, and with some fancy graphic footwork and mastering technology, he uploads the results to YouTube and the rest is history.
Not to mention that his pieces are astoundingly beautiful to begin with. Everybody wants to get in on the action. The deeply moving music has a universal appeal one cannot deny.
I have great respect for this man, who has paved the way for all to follow. Yes, he is a pioneer.
Link # 1: Eric Whitacre’s site with information on instructions for virtual choir projects
Link # 2: Round Square virtual choir project
Link # 3: Oakwood virtual choir project
One thing I wish to clarify is that I feel anyone who uses the same steps in doing a similar project is not a ‘copycat’. You might be pausing right here to think that I intend to use the very same approach. Well, you wouldn’t be wrong. But what about the inventions of the telephone, the light bulb, the television, the social network? Were these mere fads? I say, if it can be done, then do it. Never mind that, with the exponential growth of technology, it will only get easier and easier.
On a more advanced level, live concerts via the internet become quite a bit more challenging due mostly to latency issues. There are actually PhD programs out there that focus on this very technology, in hopes that this type of activity will be commonplace in the future.
Link # 4: PhD research program on virtual choir technology at Manchester
There is also a concept in which guest conductors all over the world participate, being seen on a screen at a performance where a live orchestra follows along. For example, with the ‘Mad Scientist Machine’, the orchestra is responding to lit-up color cues that indicate which way to go in a structured improvisational piece. The remote conductor cues the orchestra by pushing buttons that correspond to what they want to hear from different sections. Here, latency is not an issue, but it does indicate a great leap in technology nevertheless.
Link # 5: Mad Scientist Machine project, Vancouver
That being said, there are infinite possibilities for variation here, regarding genre of music, the inclusion of various instrumental possibilities. One is only limited by one’s own imagination.
My contribution? Progressive music for overtone choir.
CommentIn the late 80′s, someone gave me a cassette with examples of overtone singing around the world at the time. I’d only just heard of overtone singing myself, so none of the names were recognizable yet. Julia Heyward was one of them. She began her career in the 70′s, very early for this type of music, which was minimally seen in those days. She combined performance art, multi- media events which included working with Laurie Anderson. Her latest activities seem to be centered around giving presentations and lectures, most recently November 2010, with new media works.
It is truly avant- garde and over-the-top. The piece of music I have linked here is the only one I had access to at the time. The various textures she created proved to me the vastness of flavors the voice is capable of. Some of it, (third section) I didn’t even realize was a human voice (this might be done along with the nose flute, but I’m not sure). Anyone know for sure? There was no electronic trickery involved. She manages to combine yodeling, overtoning and lyrics simultaneously. She demonstrates not only amazing technique and improvisational ability, but a certain silliness that tends to endear yours truly. It’s in the spirit of child-like innocence and experimentation. Her sheer lack of inhibition is truly inspirational to me. I think that from that point on, my life purpose altered somewhat to include this scope of “I don’t care what anyone thinks!” What freedom!
This attitude has led me down a sideways path of performance opportunities. There are some I’d describe as ‘shamanic’ for lack of a better word. When I’m on stage, whether it’s solo or unrehearsed guest spots with other musicians (particularly percussionists, but the most gratifying has been a few occasions with Tanya Tagaq, Inuit throat singer), I go into a more or less trance state, and the audience barely exists. The body moves of its own accord. Usually this dance like activity only happens in my living room. Every now and then, I’ll poke my head up and remember the wisdom of connecting with your audience. Which seems to shake them up even more.
So, if vocal improvisation is a calling in your life, I highly recommend Julia Heyward as a leaping off point. And BTW, if you ever get the chance to study with Bobby McFerrin, go for it. I’ve been trying for years.
blog post about Julia Heyward from Nov 2010
The most well known track from Julia Heyward- Mongolian Face Slap
A fantastic gigantic resource for avant- garde artists of all descriptions is ubuweb.com
