|
Finally! I found the Bailey passage on
transcription and improvisation:
"Transcription, it seems to me, far from being an aid to understanding improvisation, deflect attention towards peripheral considerations. In fact there is very little technical description of any kind, simply because almost all the musicians I spoke to chose to discuss improvisation mainly in 'abstract' terms. In fact there was a commonly held suspicion that a close technical approach was, for this subject, uninformative. In general, intuitive descriptions were preferred...." I find this very interesting, especially that the viewpoint was shared by
most all his interviewees (successful improvisers). And this is the original
idea in the book that resonated well with me personally, and my personal
learning experience and history of improvisation. The only thing technical
that has contributed to me being able to improvise is the physical dexterity and
fretboard knowledge I acquired after playing basic and rudimentary exercises for
years and year....sort of like being an athlete and stretching and working out
prior to a competition. Beyond this, my ability to improvise was all
learned non-technically. Musical ideas spontaneously pop in my head
(based on thoughts, feelings, etc), and the question is whether I have the
physical dexterity and mental mapping of my fretboard to be able to
execute them quickly in real time. The intersection of these ideas and my
ability to execute is, for me, the central thrust of my entire improvisational
energy. Everything else is peripheral.
However, I have to say that much earlier on as I was learning to improvise,
I had to prime the well of creative waters with my technical knowledge of
phrases, scales, phrases, theory, etc. It was sort of improvisational
mimicry...randomly regurgitating pre-conceived ideas to simulate free
improvisation (many listeners wouldn't be able to tell the difference).
That only occurred for a short time and soon became a detriment
(constraint) more than a benefit; once the well was primed, I threw
all the prior knowledge aside and was able to spontaneously create the ideas on
my own.
Free and spontaneous improvisation is so fascinating to me. On one hand, it
seems so mystical and hard to pin down; yet on the other hand, doing it is
the most simple, natural, and free thing in the world for me. It is
liberating.
Kris |