Re: Improvising vs. composing

[Are-Jay Hoffmann <fretless808@earthlink.net>]

Title: Re: Improvising vs. composing

on 1/31/04 10:30 PM, Dan Soltzberg at d.ans@rcn.com wrote:

> Hi gang,
>
>
> Would love to hear peopleıs experiences with this dilemma:
>
> Iıve been doing a project, Orange, for a couple years. Tonight, I packed my gear out of a rehearsal space and turned in my keys after 3 months of struggling with trying to take this improvisational project and make it more structured‹ i.e., take stuff weıd made up and recorded at various shows and sessions and re-learn it and make a bunch of songs out of it. I just found I wasnıt enjoying the process of trying to do this.
>
> So it seems Iım no longer very interested in writing and playing songs‹ what I really get inspired doing is going out on a limb and making the music up as I go. I canıt seem to get the kind of spiritual high I get when Iım improvising if Iım playing stuff thatıs pre-structured. Not that I donıt like structure‹ I just like creating it on the fly. 
>
> Problem is, 1. Itıs kind of intense to go to every show having no idea of what Iım going to play, hoping the muse is on the guest list 
>
> 2. Itıs hard to bring other musicians in without having at least some structure.
>
>
> Thoughts? Similar experiences? Solutions?
>
>
> Dan

personally, i dig both-- but if i had to choose ONE-- id be improv. what i love about playing is reaching so many people, without having to talk to each one individually. same with the players im with. i just love the forehead connection and communication thru eyebrow motions. obviously it comes from a deeper part of us--words always fall short when describing emotion. id say realize every musician is differant and some might want to go your way-- totally mental. some might at least need basic form charts. its always worth the wait, though, right? take care. 
 
               a looping bassist/violinist
 
             are--jay hoffmann