Composers & Arrangers

It's an honor and a unique experience to be among such a large group of composers. Just to throw out a topic -- wondering how many practice improvisation as well as composing, and how do the two relate for you?  I've been surprised to realize that even though I think of the two as variations of the same activity, my improvisations (I should call them merely personal doodlings) rarely turn into compositions, and in writing music I rarely use improvisation as a tool.  I suspect that's not at all the case for others. How widely do people's experiences vary on this?

Almost all of my compositions have started out as improvisations, in the same way that I come up with a lot of ideas for writing essays by free writing. For me, I find that my composition quality is higher when I come up with different motifs and ideas through improvisation. I mainly compose Baroque-style music though, so this might be different for people who compose in different styles of music.

It's an honor and a unique experience to be among such a large group of composers. Just to throw out a topic -- wondering how many practice improvisation as well as composing, and how do the two relate for you?  I've been surprised to realize that even though I think of the two as variations of the same activity, my improvisations (I should call them merely personal doodlings) rarely turn into compositions, and in writing music I rarely use improvisation as a tool.  I suspect that's not at all the case for others. How widely do people's experiences vary on this?

It's an honor and a unique experience to be among such a large group of composers. Just to throw out a topic -- wondering how many practice improvisation as well as composing, and how do the two relate for you?  I've been surprised to realize that even though I think of the two as variations of the same activity, my improvisations (I should call them merely personal doodlings) rarely turn into compositions, and in writing music I rarely use improvisation as a tool.  I suspect that's not at all the case for others. How widely do people's experiences vary on this?

I appriciate you bringing this topic up very much. I had been wanting to see if anyone on here would be interested in a improvisation specific community since it is such a unique and underdiscussed topic. I had been writing a response to this question that quickly became rediculously long of which I will spare you from. this however made it all the mroe evident to me of the neccesity of such a  community.

to put things short however when composing I try to write "my" Music. I dont know quite what that means but once I begin a piece I can feel the right next note even if it takes weeks at a time. I actively try and create music that doesnt rely on prexisting theoretical idioms or patterns. I of course dont abandon them entriely but try and use them in new and unique ways and make msuic inspired by and not based on the music of the past.

when I improvise however it is quite different as I genrally focus on immitation rather than original "new" music. I can of course improvise in something simbilant of my "style" however these improvisations usually fall short of my compositions and even of other imrpovisations where I might be immitating say the stle of Bach or even Messiaen. I think the underlying cause is that improvisation for me is much more rooted in harmony and theory (even a-tonal improvisation follows some kind of logic) and I simply dont understand my own music on an intellectual level high enough to reproduce it. This is mostly because I am lacking enough of my own msuic to identify patterns in but also because since I actively avoid cliches I often have to just follow my gut when composing which results in music which follows some system of course as all good msuic does, but a system never the less unknown to me, and until I can propery understand this, Improvsation will be an act of immitation for me rather than a original endeavor.  (This isnt to say imrpovising in past styles is lesser than anything else of course. I will be forever profoundly amazed by anyone who can even begin to imrpovise something like a 4 voice fugue.)

on the other hand I do often use improvisation to compose and ideas from my compositions in my improvisation. This is why I appriciate your comment as I actually have no definitive answer for you but I am perhaps one step further on my journy of improvisation after having considered this.

It's an honor and a unique experience to be among such a large group of composers. Just to throw out a topic -- wondering how many practice improvisation as well as composing, and how do the two relate for you?  I've been surprised to realize that even though I think of the two as variations of the same activity, my improvisations (I should call them merely personal doodlings) rarely turn into compositions, and in writing music I rarely use improvisation as a tool.  I suspect that's not at all the case for others. How widely do people's experiences vary on this?