Day 124: Improvisation
36yearsago.com
Vienna 1971—A Student Journal
A year of music, study, travel, sightseeing &
friends.
Day
124 — Improvisation
04-December-1971
(Sat.)
TRANSCRIPT
The whole day was involved in electronic music—a new
working project with Dieter Kaufman. Improvisation.
In the morning we experimented with different
improvisation models. It was quite an enlightening
experience because I learned that intelligent
improvisation is somewhat of a skill—if you want an
intelligent (able to be used for music) result. We
used simple sound sources and different taping
techniques and ideas. As a group, we began to learn
how to improvise together. Practice makes perfect.
Results: some pretty good. Also, some “speaking”
exercise turned out excellent (theatrical).
Afternoon. Lunch was upset by a stupid old prejudice
(long hair). A Wiener frau [woman] really angered me.
The world will be better off when people like her are
gone.
Afternoon. Spent experimenting with how to make
different models (or composing techniques), using the
morning’s results. This was also extremely difficult,
not only musically, but technically. Many interesting
possibilities—tape lag, repeating, etc.
REFLECTIONS
Improvisation.
As I
discover, improvisation is a skill or art that has to
be practiced and learned. In contemporary music,
improvising is a skill that might take the form of
vocal improvisations such as a type of musical
theater or vocalizing, or the form of instrumental
improvisations such as creating interesting sounds on
traditional instruments, prepared instruments
(“prepared” piano), or found-sound instruments
(sounds made by common objects, such as metallic or
wooden objects). In Vienna, we were experimenting
with vocal improvisations, if I remember
correctly—the results were good. Remember that
contemporary music in the style of avant-garde,
musique concrete, or electronic music, often dealt
with interesting “soundscapes”—exploring textures,
layering, and manipulating sounds into compositions.
Other
improvisation. Of course,
improvisation exists in other genres of music, most
notably that of jazz, where melodies are improvised
over harmonic and rhythmic musical beds. You
improvise over a harmonic progression, for example.
In pop and rock music, instrumental solos inserted
into a song are often improvised. Improvisational
techniques can be found in Baroque and Classical
music (cadenzas, theme and variations). Finally,
audiences today are familiar with comedy
improvisations often seen on TV shows.
Prejudice.
My hair is
long now. I’m not a hippie, but I have long hair.
Boy, something must have happened at lunch that
really upset me, and it’s probably related to my long
hair. Certainly, this was an isolated incident. I
don't remember having any problems during my entire
year in Vienna. Most people were usually wonderful
and very friendly. It’s a shame, the world would be a
better place without prejudices.
John
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