Preparation for improvisation

live completely alone for four days
without food
in complete silence,
without much movement
sleep as little as necessary
think as little as possible

 after four days, late at night,
without conversation beforehand
play single sounds

 WITHOUT THINKING which you are playing

 close your eyes
just listen

Thankfully the approach suggested in Goldstraub from Stockhausen’s Aus Den Sieben Tagen is not the only method of preparation, it was too extreme for the Cologne and Paris musicians who recorded other sections of the text works, and I imagine the same would apply for the majority of modern day improvisers. Many questions, over and above that of preparation, arise from these text scores; does Stockhausen’s intuitive music have a tendency towards particular sonic characteristics?  Will the product change with social and technological advances? How does the personnel of a group affect the outcome of intuitive music? Should these questions interest you I suggest you start with the following article:

http://stockhausenspace.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/aus-den-sieben-tagen.html

I find Rolf Gehlhaar’s account of the skills and approaches of the performers in selected recordings particularly revealing.

In order to provide a framework for preparations that should be made for improvisation I am going to use an educational construct, the six C’s: critical thinking, collaboration, content, creative innovation, communication and confidence.

Critical thinking is a process of observing, reflecting and synthesizing ideas gathered through observation, reflection, reasoning and involvement with material that guides our actions. For some this may be seen as the polar opposite of intuitive improvisation, but in reality the skills of a player like Aloys Kontarsky are very much influenced by consideration like muscle memory, technical expertise, discussions on interpretation of music. Such skills cannot be discarded in any musical performance however intuitive. It might be argued that contemporary improvisation based on texts or graphic scores are open to non-musicians, a point which takes us back to Cardew and the Scratch Orchestra and the second of the six C’s, collaboration. Playing a kettle or large metal spring makes inclusion possible and it doesn’t exclude critical thinking. The use of empathy within a group makes the use of each sound valuable when it finds its natural place. However a group of unexperienced musicians given the opportunity to make sounds with everyday objects are unlikely to make music (however broad your definition) and more likely to show at best a willingness to communicate.

 Critical thinking means that there is no option but to immerse oneself in the styles of music that interest us and determine what is valuable and usable, that of course doesn’t prevent you from taking up the kettle as an instrument should you wish to do so. Collaboration takes us much further than inclusion.

Having the opportunity to work with like-minded improvisers assists the process of critical thinking. Having your musical expression challenged may not be a pleasant experience but honest and open exchanges are always valuable. Of greater importance is the opportunity to be involved in creative innovations through the use of texture. Observing the work of musicians like Rhodri Davies or Keith Rowe who have extended their expertise with instruments through electronics adds to the ever expanding syntax of improvisation.

https://youtu.be/7pGbI69kCGQ

https://youtu.be/Eb-GPdnfbyI

Critical thinking about collaborative improvisations may also inform us about the balance of activity, who leads, how to avoid dominating a texture, escape procedures (knowing the cues of when to rest or stop a performance). These are very much the concern of content; historically the fabric of improvisation has concerned itself with rhythmic play, question and answer, call and response, decorations to melodies, melodic extension and fragmentation over a constructed harmonic progression, modal variation and much more. Content suggests material that is to some degree planned or precomposed; once again we have to recognise that we carry with us varying degrees of musical information that will emerge during improvisation. It may be permitted to arise like some form of automatic writing, if so it is necessary to consider the context in which it is placed if it is to improve on the base definition of unrelated sounds showing an attempt to communicate. Should automatic writing be unfamiliar to you look up Andre Breton’s poetry, here is a sample:

j’ai distribué des prospectus aux plantes, mais toutes n’ont pas voulu les accepter. Avec la musique j’ai lié partie pour une seconde seulement et maintenant je ne sais plus que penser du suicide, car si je veux me séparer de moi-même, la sortie est de ce côté et, j’ajoute malicieusement: l’entrée, la rentrée de cet autre côté.

I've distributed some pamphlets to the plants, but not all were willing to accept them. I've
kept company with music for a second only and now I no longer know what to think of suicide, for
if I ever want to part from myself, the exit is on this side and, I add mischievously, the entrance, the

re-entrance is on the other.

You can determine for yourself how much of this writing is unplanned and how much resides in a style of writing honed from years of reading and critical thinking.

Communication above the base level means that you are engaging with your audience, in the past this has had a bias towards entertainment but the mid 20^th century onwards has challenged and informed listeners introducing them to a whole new world of sounds. Such a journey is exciting in itself, but there is always a danger that innovation takes over from communication. In previous blogs the notion of working a single composing intention has been used as a valuable guide to clarity in music. Improvising contemporary music benefits equally from having clear and achievable goals, and in a context of group improvisation simple contexts work better at creating a crucible for multiple personalities, musically expert or not.

Showing confidence in your musical statements is vital to the way you communicate with an audience. This is particularly the case with solo improvisations where a critical audience will expect levels of competence, direction, identification with musical cues as well as entertainment and engagement with the soloist.

I have abstained from discussing personal experiences of improvisations with jazz and contemporary musicians, its use in classrooms, good and bad concerts, but what I will share is the fact that the engagement with musicians on the immediate level of improvising can be enthralling, and should the opportunity arise involve yourself, but be prepared.