Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Improvisation

If it does exist, I imagine the school crest is something like duct tape, a paper clip and a mullet

rileyray3000 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:09:30 -0800

Is there a REAL MacGyver School in the world? Is there the equivalent of a MacGyver School anywhere in the world? Say tomorrow I wanted to learn, for lack of a better term, “Improvisational Engineering”…where would I go? Is there a real class anywhere out there or a major or even a specific school that teaches these things? Even if it’s an informal collective of engineers that occasionally takes apprentices, that’s fine.

Tell me about competitive music

bjrn — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:41:48 -0800

Which other musical styles besides rap have battles, and for how long have they been around? The wikipedia article on freestyle rap says that battling originated in the early 1980s, but I know very similar forms have been around for a lot longer than that. Within calypso there's the very similar format of picong (terrible, short wikipedia article) has been around for over a hundred years at least. Picong is very much like a battle, except that the rhymes are sung instead of spoken. Calypso also has extempo and extempo war.

Are there other musical styles which have similar competitive improvisational forms, and how long have those been around?

Question about Miles Davis at Lincoln Center's Philharmonic Hall

sour cream — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:41:50 -0800

How much of the Miles Davis concert recorded on Feb. 12, 1964 at Lincoln Center's Philharmonic Hall was (not) improvised? Available in various cuts on a number of CDs (My Funny Valentine, Four and More, The complete concert...), this is commonly regarded as one of the great Jazz concerts in history. The line-up is Miles Davis, George Colemen, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams.

I've listened to this recording many times. I think the concert is pure genius, but recently it struck me that it is so perfect that I wonder how much of it is improvised and how much is, well, rehearsed. This is at least true for the not-so-up-tempo standards of the concert, such as My Funny Valentine, All Of You, Stella By Starlight, I Thought About You, There is No Greater Love, maybe not so much for the other tunes.
Some of the exhibits:

* The arrangements are more complex, in terms of harmonies and tempo, than in other recordings, even by Miles with other sidemen.

* The execution is too flawless. Usually, in a solo, there'll inevitably be instances where the soloist is temporarily lost - if only for split seconds - and you can hear how he is trying to get back into the song. Not so here, even though the solos (especially sax and piano) are extremely complex including phrases and musical thoughts that seem to me longer than usual, they never miss a beat.

* There seems to be more coordination in the rhythm section than in other Jazz combos.

For example, compare this version of Stella By Starlight with the one recorded by the same rhythm section on Ron Carter's "Third Plane". The latter sounds much more improvised, whereas the Lincoln Center version sounds much denser, more thought out and more ... meaningful.

Or take the end of the sax solo / beginning of the piano solo in All Of You: there is this coordinated figure of bass and piano which ties in perfectly with the end of the sax solo. Then at the beginning of the piano solo, Tony Williams not so much echoes, but underlines some of Herbie Hancock's figures, like he knows what's coming.

So what gives?
Is my hunch correct, that there is actually less improvisation going on at this concert than at other great Jazz concerts? If so, how much of the solos are rehearsed? All of it? Just some? How'd they do it?

Improvisation in Singapore: Where?

WalterMitty — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:52:52 -0800

What's the Improv scene in Singapore like? Help me get a more optimistic picture than the one Google provides. I first got interested in improv theatre & comedy while attending university in the UK. I'm going to Singapore for the duration of this summer vacation and would like to keep in practice, but Google is failing me here when I try looking for "improv comedy in Singapore" (and its variants).

I've found one group (the "Madhatters Comedy Company"), but they seemingly have no upcoming shows - they had one show in May, but no sign of any more.

An offshoot of Improv Everywhere has recently appeared - "Mission: Singapore" - but I'm looking for an actual performing group (at the very minimum, one which has regular performances or, even better, workshops) rather than one that seems focused on flash-mobbing.

There's apparently a workshop in late June, but that also looks like a one-off. Plus I'm not really looking for Improv 101, but rather something more regular.

Help! Is the improv scene in Singapore really as dead as Google would have me believe? Say it ain't so.

Could you recommend some good - i.e., musically talented - jam bands?

BartonFink — Sun, 11 May 2008 11:42:54 -0800

Could you recommend some good - i.e., musically talented - jam bands? And some specific recordings to get my feet (ears?) wet? Some caveats: I love the Allman Brothers, and cut my teeth to the Live at Fillmore East record back in '71.

I never cared for the Dead.

What I'm looking for is bands that improvise during their live performances, stretching their recorded work to new heights of musical inspiration. I have no problem with self-indulgence and excess when it comes to soloing.

What career for one who likes these things?

Malad — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:49:32 -0800

Careerfinder: for one who enjoys the following, what career? For someone who enjoys and is good at the following things:

-Asking lots of questions to understand topics or people
-Problem-solving and thinking quickly in the moment to find a solution
-Synthesizing bits and pieces of knowledge into a framework or creative solution over the course of a dialogue
-Being a highly focused and active listener
-Public speaking
-Doing research to find solutions to problems
-The joy of verbal competition in debate
-Helping people see things they hadn't seen before
-The challenge and rush of improvisation
-The magic of experimenting and finding something new; discovery

Possible subject areas of interest: philosopy, law, psychology, technology, but is open to other suggestions.

What career(s)?

BBC4 Broadcast Rights?

ITheCosmos — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:20:57 -0800

Looking for information on the broadcast/screening rights for a four-part special broadcast on BBC 4 in 1992. The program in question is "On the Edge" (you can see parts of it here). It was written and directed by Derek Bailey, and it's about improvised music.

I work for a university research project on improvisation, and we'd like to be able to screen it (on the level).

I contacted channel 4 through their webform, but I'm not sure that'll be any help. Does anyone know how I'd go about finding this information out?

Thanks!

I would go down to the crossroads, but I can't even find them.

Flem Snopes — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 11:44:41 -0800

How can I become a better guitar player? I made it my New Year's resolution (turning 40 this year) to become a more complete guitar player, and start putting myself out there to try to learn some blues standards, and learn to improvise parts over them, but I'm running into a wall.

I'll explain:

I have been playing electric guitar for, yikes, 30 years now. I have been in bands since I was 14, all the way through high school, college, the 90s, and even as recently as three years ago. I have been told that I am an excellent rhythm guitar player, and creative song/hook/part writer.

I have a fairly well-defined style: kind of jagged, very punk/new wavey. Sort of Robert Quine meets Steve Jones. My time is good, and I can pick up songs parts, and stylize them and make them my own with little time to prepare, but... I cannot solo.

I can do the standard blues box at given position on the fretboard, but I freeze up when I have to go up or down the neck, and invariably it ends up sounding like shit. I loose my place in the beat, and hit the wrong note, and end up wishing I had just stuck to my groove. And, when I stay in the one position (pentatonic minor scale, 5th fret for a solo in A), I end up doing the same old trills/double string bending stuff that I learned when I was 12.

It's starting to get really embarrassing for a player of my experience can suck so hard at something that kids in the guitar store seem to do so effortlessly, but I'm not sure where to go. Are there books that can help? Approaches I need to consider? I have some old books with all the modes in them, but for blues, I kind of know what the positions are... I just can't be creative within them.

Can this old dog learn some new (or really old) tricks?

Dans improvisation music

Akeem — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 09:25:55 -0800

Looking for light music with "easy" rhithm for dans improvisation lessons. More specifically:
Rhythm: dynamic, not to fast/slow/difficult for beginning dancers
Mood: happy, encouraging
Length: if possible 5 minutes or longer

Some examples:
St Germain – Montego bay spleen
Moby - Flower
Faithless - Muhammad Ali

Any suggestions appreciated !

Haptain Cook!

Mach3avelli — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 13:37:14 -0800

Any general tips or rules of thumb on how to help improve my improvisational cooking skills? I love to cook, but sometimes I prefer using whatever's sitting around the kitchen than using up 40 minutes to go to the grocer to get just 2 or 3 items. Sometimes I succeed (salad dressing in a sandwich), and sometimes I fail (pasta with eggs). I need some pointers on how to mix-and-match properly, or maybe some key ingredients that work well with everything (garlic powder!).

games

stray — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 17:30:24 -0800

Hey Theatre Geeks! What are your favorite warm-up/improv theatre games? Bonus points if they work well for kids!