[NewMusic] Improv ideas

[Jon Raskin]

Seems like a slow time on the list.


Here are some ideas about form using improvisation, evolving music using
strategies, games, or instructions.  

Some Definitions:
The collective voice-  This is the voice of the group.  It is formed out of
spontaneous playing. 

>From the Collective voice come musical ideas that can turn into
compositions. 

This is collective composition which formed from the group aesthetic.

Individual composition would be from a single point of view.

The goal of composition is to achieve a result where the sum is greater than
it's individual parts and allows each individual to explore and develop
their own personal voice.

What is the relationship of improvisation and composition? 

Improvisation means to me the notion of "Playing", living in the moment with
the past and future present.  It is a response of the individual to the
situation.
  
Composition would be the rules to follow.   Rules that enable the discovery
of  many possible musical variables by limiting the parameters.  Composition
helps create an environment to feel apart of and can contribute to with the
knowledge that you can return to it at a later time.  

So the relationship is the different possible gradients of play and rules. 

Things to keep in mind-  Listen, have patience, be brave, know before you
go, if it's happening it keep happening,  join in, add something new,  use
dynamics, rhythm, counterpoint, melody, noise and space.  Use the world
around you for inspiration.  

GAMES
1	Triadic Dualism- for three players, Duo's for trio that always pivot
on one player.  The pivot player keeps the same area against the player on
either side.
2	Trio Game- For 4 or more players, only three people can play at a
time.
3	Cycler- state a rhythm and play it until you or someone else
changes at which point you  change as well. 
		4) 	Duo game 1- for 2 or more pairs of players, one
person of each pair plays a rhythm that the other player imitates. From then
on either player can change to a new rhythm.  The duo's play at the same
time.  At any point a solo can be signaled by a player against the other
remaining players.
		5) 	Duo Game 2- for 2 or more pairs of players.  One
person of the pair plays a freely stated idea that the other player picks up
and carries to where it leads.  Only one player of each duo plays at a time.
		6) 	Follow the Leader- One player cues and is the
leader.  They play a mixture of long tones,  note sequences of various
velocities,  a short duration rhythm motives.  The other player matches as
close as possible.
		7) 	Rocks in a Box- Any number of players, each player
contributes a single musical idea.  Any idea can be played by any other
player.
		8) 	Chord Game 1- For any number of pairs.  Each pair
changes long tones at the same time.  Choose who decides when the changes
are.  The duo's are independent.
		9) 	Hocket- 2 or more players, play any material after
the person before you.  The next person must wait until you are done.  Best
if the material is of short duration.  t can work with overlapping material
as well, or a mixture of short and overlapping material.
		10) 	X Game- for 4 players.  For two duo's, it starts
with a chord by both duo's and a person from duo "a' improvises.  A player
from duo "b" cues a short sound event with the his/her partner.  This is a
signal for the player one from duo "a" to change material and have the
second player from duo "a" repeat what the first player just did.  Duo "b"
cues again and the "a" duo freely improvises.  The next duo "b" cues starts
the game over.  this time the roles are reversed from duo "a".
		11) 	Witch Gong Duo- for 4 players in two duo's.  One
player of each duo cues which player plays of their duo( one or the other or
both) and when the other duo stops.  It is a duo dialogue so to speak.
		12) 	Rhythm Swap- Duo game where one player starts w/solo
idea and drops into rhythm.  The next player either takes a solo or drops
into the rhythm (or   polyrhythmic) idea. Either player can than be the next
solo statement.  The lengths should vary. Variations: change timbres i.e.
slap tongue, pizzicato, pontecello, multiphonics, col lengo,  vibrato, etc.
		13) 	Tuttis w/ solo-  Soloist with chords, sounds, short
rhythmic motifs.
		16) 	X Factor/Virus- A hocket game were each the first
musician plays a long tone or an upwards glissando.  If the first musician
plays a long tone the second musician can play a long tone or an upwards
glissando.  If the second musician plays a long tone the third musician can
play a long tone or an upwards glissando.  The upwards glissando always cues
the end of the chain.  The virus is a short idea that is repeated and the
whole ensemble joins in order.  When everyone is in an upwards glissando is
played that ends the virus.
		17) 	Hand Game- A cued improvisation that adds players
with hand cues.  The first player enters as a solo.  The second player can
either enter as a soloist or as a duo.  The third player can enter as a
soloist,  a duo with the last player in, or as a trio.  The fourth player
can enter as a soloist, as a duo with the last player in, as a trio with the
last 2 players in, or as a quartet.  The material is completely open.

EVENTS
1	Solo- Unaccompanied solo 
2	Machine sounds- each individual makes a sound that is machine like.
Each musician adds their machine sound to form an ensemble "machine sound".
3	Wave- for 4 or more players.  With the players in linear order, he
player on  one end plays a repeatable idea, the next player in line imitates
the idea and it goes in order to the last person in line who starts a new
idea and sends it back.(a type of post office)
4	Fields- for any number of players.  A static soundscape of material
that creates a "field of sound". Like watching wind through a wheat field,
rain of a lake, a Monet painting.
5	Machine sounds- Any number of players. Repeated machine like sounds,
often layered with more than one from each player.
6	Giant Steps- Imagine you're on a planet with very light
gravitational pull, that you're part of a very large organism that is
moving.  The sounds you make should be like an organic hocket of large
gestures this being would make.  It could be agitated, or relaxed, moving
from rest to activity.
7	Pulse Tracks- written material that can be played at anytime.  It
can be altered in anyway to fit the improvisation. .
8	Keep it simple-  any number of players.  Nothing rhythmically more
complicated than eight notes.
9	Strangeness- for any amount of players, the material should  sound
like it is going in and out of the present reality, now you hear now you
don't. The idea comes from sub atomic physics where it's been theorized that
the "strangeness principle" describes sub atomic particles moving forward
and backwards in time.
10	AB- any number of players, establish an "A" idea than introduce a
"B" idea and continue each idea in juxtaposition to each other.
11	Chord sequence- for 2 or more players.  Each players is given or
makes up a chord sequence they must follow.  The notes of the chord are the
only notes allowed and it is about the melodic interchange between the
chordal notes.  the chords can change at the same time or overlap.
12	Howling Harmonics-  Slow melodies as high as possible, try for
difference tones and work with the sub melody.
13	Channel Surfing- Short ideas that  happen in rapid succession- They
can be repeated (a cue can be used for starting the next event. The cue
signifies that you are going to repeat a previous one and for the other
player to be aware.
14	Statue- Short ensemble musical statement that is made up of short
individual musical statements.
15	Microdrone-  Improvisation around a single tone.
16	Leap frog- for 3 or more players. A quiet free improvisation starts
which the background for a solo chain between the players starts.  Each
player has a solo idea that is louder than the base improvisation.  They can
play it and stop or stop when another player joins playing the same
material.  The second player has to mutate to their solo idea.  If their are
enough players with restraint their could be more than 1 solo idea at the
same time. Chaining is another possibility which is that the solo idea of
one player is played  several players before a new idea is introduced
17	Feldman- Creating a slowing unfolding melodic improv with each layer
only using 2 or 3 notes and constantly shifting the rhythm between them. 
18	Vibrato Improv- chose a note set and improvise  with the width and
speed of vibrato, as a variation add in trills.
19	Torque Improv- Start an musical idea and expand the idea, add in a
second idea and slowly lengthen the time that you play the second idea while
lessening the time of the first idea, continue process.
20	Mutate Improv-  start an idea an mutate it into another idea.
21	tone row improv-  Select a tone set and only use those tones with/
or without octavation.  Notes can be played in any order or manner.
22	Conducting- conduct improvisers.

INTERRUPTORS

1	Intercut- Music that is inserted into an ongoing improvisation.
Usually of short duration.
2	Sound Block
3	Solo Over Group- soloist over group.  It can also mean that the
musicians stay on the material they are playing when the cue was given.  
4	Memory Cue-  When cued each musician remembers what they were
playing.  This material can than be cued back in at a later time.

VARIABLES

1	Freeze-  This signals musician's to keep repeating the material that
they are playing when the cue is given.  The person who cues decides when to
release the "freeze".
2	Tempo- A cue that decides the tempo by speeding up, slowing down or
establishing a tempo(s).
3	Volume- a cue that alters the volume by hand signals.
4	Halve the Music- a cue that signals that everyone cut in halve the
amount of sound they are making.
5	Fade Cue-  This is given in conjunction with a cue that changes
personnel.  The musicians who are playing fade out as the new musicians
enter.
6	

EXERCISES
Exercise's for improvising geared for beginner's.  These are simple ones
that have a focus on a particular technique, skill, or musical parameter.
a	play for length of one breath
b	start a phrase and pace it to another person. Repeat
c	play long tones from a given row.  Add crescendo & diminuendo.
d	Each person play a simple phrase that every one learns  (this can be
the beginning of a group composition)
e	improvise using only staccato notes, extra musical techniques, as
loud as possible, as quiet as possible,
f	divide the group into followers and leaders.  The followers pick a
leader and play as closely as possible to what they are playing.  The roles
can be switched.  The switch can be cued or freely or both.
g	Decide what you want to play and start trying not to listen to what
others are doing.
h	One Minute Game- Everyone play one idea for one minute, everyone
play as many ideas as possible in one minute, play three sounds in one
minute, each player play a one minute solo.
i	Sounds Like Improv- Sound like laughing, crying, rain, thunder,
different animals, etc.
j	Play ahead of the beat, play behind the beat, play on the beat.
k	Play sharp, play flat.
l	Play wrong.


Jon Raskin
Rova Saxophone Quartet
www.rova.org
www.jonraskin.com
http:///www.myspace.com/jonraskin