by Nigel Yandall

Dear Bart,

Following up on the very interesting session on improvisation on Sunday
afternoon 1 march in the Reflective Conservatoire Conference, I thought I would make a few brief comments on the question of whether free improvisation actually exists
- the email challenge you set the group!

I am far from expert in this so my views should not be counted in any sense
as empirically informed, but are based almost entirely on personal
experience. It does seem to me that the question posed is at least in part
a question of semantics; if music is created/improvised in an open and free
setting, and is the result of the creative imagination responding to aural
and other stimuli present, it could fairly reasonably be described as free
improvisation. However, this does not take account of factors which inform
the musician’s (or musicians’) choices at any one time, and the fact that
there is, however large or small, conscious or subconscious, a vocabulary
and repertoire that to some extent is likely to play a part in the creative
process and be drawn upon in a not necessarily completely free manner.

What might be interesting to consider is how ‘free improvisation’
intersects with formal musical training - and if there are degrees of
validity. An expert musician’s vocabulary and technique would seemingly
provide greater opportunity for more advanced interactive improvisation
than say that of a child just beginning to study, who would be somewhat
limited by the range of skills he or she possessed. However, the question
might be asked whether the value of free improvisation should be assessed
primarily in terms of the external musical results (e.g. audience
appreciation) or whether the intuitive communication and interaction
between the participating musicians is not at least as valuable. Perhaps we
are talking about the quality of two musics - one of which is audible and
one which isn’t…..

It would be be good to hear what others have to say.

Best wishes, Nigel