Why Don't Classical Musicians Improvise?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
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Jazz and Blues music are known for improvisation but the practice goes back further than that. Bach, Mozart, Clara Schumann and Chopin all improvised as part of their performances. Today, classical musicians rarely improvise. So what changed?
Nahre Sol and LA Buckner improvise together while talking about the reasons why classical musicians no longer improvise. It's one big jam, that ends with tips on how to improvise better in your own playing.
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Hmm, what is western music?
Good stuff!
I’m still waiting for the Bachata video
@@SuviTuuliAllan Music of European composers, mostly. You know. B,B,B, and M.
Sound Field 7
LA keeps teleporting around the room like he is actually a character in Nahre's head. One that personifies her wild improv side.
this is a really good comment.
He is so into improv that he wants her to get her it too.
Thank you
@@deardeer1998 i think you'd love mr. robot
He is Bing Bong the elephant from the movie Inside Out
I love how he gets so excited when she plays
I'd love for LA Buckner to lead his own band and write the kind of music he wants to write given his eclectic background
maybe too exciting,
@@africanhistory What makes you say that
Living for LA stank face man haha.
Also, as every musician knows, a stank face is the highest compliment you can give another musician. Another great one guys :)
It really is the highest compliment getting that look from LA or when he calls you cheese
Pink
Stank face and a laugh.
When someone in my band plays something really awesome, the rest tends to start laughing, in a sort of joyous surprise
Edit: And when it instantly inspires someone else they start shouting: "KEEP DOING THAT KEEP DOING THAT!"
E
Nahre Sol: *_makes the most impressively dramatic improvisation of the barney end song_*
"or something like that idk lol"
Been studying too much Beethoven
None of my classically trained friends can improvise. They read sheet music insanely well, sight reading crazy written solos. In our Jazz group, when a solo isn't written they look at me, a not at all trained musician, to improv. Works great. Our group sounds great
@Kevin Votaw Let's not forget that Horowitz probably got bored of Hungarian Rhapsody 2 and so he improvised to give to this world a beautiful abomination of notes.
I’ve often felt over the years that maybe I missed out, or robbed myself by not learning to read music. And I tried, I really did. But I’m a drummer; my notes are different from the notes of a melodic instrument. When I read “A”, I can’t hit anything on the drum set and hear an A. So, I wasn’t ever able to associate notation with sounds, and I gave up. HOWEVER. There’s definitely a flip side to this coin, and this pianist reveals it. None of my classically trained musician friends seem to be able to improvise. You know, being presented with an idea and having the musical vocabulary to create a response. Take away the notation and they are done. Yet, they can play friggin Beethoven. This left me with the feeling that too much theory is actually not helpful to someone striving to be a fully rounded player. One needs to be able to tap into that mysterious stream- of-consciousness state that allows one to simply hear, and react. You know, groove. This girl is doing the opposite: she is THINKING. Stop thinking and just play!
@@TheArrangment Get your racist crap outta here!
@@TheArrangment This critique actually shows how shallow your musical depth is and quite possibly your social depth as well. Open your ears and heart man
Depends on how people learned music. My gf can sight read and play Chopin, but is completely lost if i give her a chord progression and ask her to improv something. And i can't read music
Casually refers to the 1700s as *back in the day*
The passion you have for the art is the kind of playful exuberance that makes the nature of human life worth living,somebody surely said that to Vivaldi *back in the day* ...
Back in the day 300 years ago lol
@@teamyordle23
Yep back in the day 2020 years ago, little Baby Jesus our saviour was born, a great star in the night sky shone and three wise men...
@Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
...You still use...
Too many notes.
The last point you made is the most critical one - music as a communal activity as opposed to a soloistic and individualized one - is the real key to enabling musicians of all genres, not just classical, to explore improvisation. The simplest answer to why don’t classical musicians improvise is just that they are rarely given the opportunity, direction, and motivation to do so. It’s akin to the difference between having a conversation between people (improvised) and performing a monologue.
Your videos are fantastically made and inspiring. Hope to meet you in person one day to collaborate!
@Carl Roloff It's shocking how many classically-trained pianists can't read simple chord symbols or even build basic triads. I was lucky that I started with a few years of pop organ before I switched to piano, so I had that much knowledge at least.
Some people don’t see creativity as an industry. Some approach art with catharsis in mind, not commerce. The act of creating brings well being and healing, it helps resolve problems, but not necessarily by integration into community, sometimes simply the process itself is enough, and this positivity can be got alone as much as in a group activity.
I think recent breakthroughs in technology (regards communication through software) have helped knock down some of these isolatory factors these companies built for themselves through the creative arts. Expression through art is no longer a monopoly controlled only by big company funders. A little money saved and well spent on a necessary computer and software can open the entirety of a world community with similar interests to a lone artist.
@Carl Roloff I think it is much easier to start jamming if you have some kind of a framework, not just "let's play something in E minor" - maybe decide the chord progression in advance or start with an existing tune as the basis of your jam session. Improvisation doesn't have to be 100% free, and it usually works better (especially if you don't know the other musicians and aren't that comfortable with improvising) if you have something to start the improvisation with. It's kind of like putting two complete strangers in a room and telling them to have a conversation without giving them any kind of a topic vs telling them to talk about a specific subject and maybe even letting them prepare some questions beforehand that they would like to ask from each other.
Having something to start with kind of lowers the bar, because you don't have to create stuff out of thin air - you have some kind of chords as a reference, or maybe even the main melody of a tune. Free improv only works if everybody is really comfortable with playing with each other. Improvisation requires being able to react to other people's playing, and if all of your energy goes into coming up with music in E minor (because improvisation just isn't something you have done a lot), you aren't going to react to anyone's playing.
Some additional thoughts to my previous post... Improvisation isn't really creating something out of thin air. You can improvise because you have practiced certain things on your instrument - you know what generally works. You may know some typical licks that you can repeat, and you also know some typical rhythm patterns that work in the style, etc. Basically, you already have some "reference material" that you can use in your improvisation. You also know about your role in the band, i.e., what is the common role of your instrument - what kind of stuff usually works on it in a band context. You also probably know how other people may react to your playing and can also read other people's cues and react to what they are playing. This is all "silent knowledge", and it's something you learn by just playing a lot with other people.
Now, when a classical musician comes to a jam session and they have little band playing experience, first of all, they may not know their role in the band - they may not know what kind of stuff works on their instrument, i.e., what they are "supposed" to play. They may also not be that familiar with the music style in general (i.e., what kind of stuff works in that genre) because they may never have played that style of music. This also means, they don't know certain common licks or (melodic or rhythmic) phrases in that genre, so they have no "reference material" to use in their improvisation. And if you have little band playing experience, you also probably can't read other people's cues (playing in a band is something that you can only learn by doing it). And this makes it difficult to play anything else than just the tonic chord on the first beat. What else are you supposed to play if you don't know any of the "rules" of the style?
Also, figuring out who you should follow and when you should take the lead aren't self-evident things - they are things that you only learn by jamming with other musicians. Many times in amateur jam sessions when an inexperienced player starts playing, they usually play too much - they basically play over other people, and they play a solo when they should be comping and let someone else play a solo. And stuff like this is what makes it difficult for someone without much experience in jamming/playing in a band to just start playing something in E minor.
This is why starting from an existing tune, or at least a chord progression, makes things a lot easier - it gives you some reference material to work with. And if you are feeling uncomfortable, you can always go back to the reference material in its simplest form.
Improvisation is not about creating something totally new. There are boundaries to improvisation. Nobody can "just start playing" - that is just the result of knowing a lot of musical phrases and having a lot of experience playing with other musicians. And sure, everybody knows musical phrases if they have played an instrument. But there's a difference between knowing musical phrases and knowing how they are usually applied to improvisation.
Now, when it comes to classical musicians, what may limit them is also the fact that they are often used to practicing things until they perfect those things. A lot of classical musicians are perfectionists. And this may make them afraid of improvising, because you don't know where the music may be going and you are most likely going to make some mistakes. So, even if they could improvise just fine, they may be afraid of playing anything that they aren't 100% comfortable with.
In short, they aren't allowed because it's for the sake of the so-called "tradition" that you would only follow, and be limited within the restrictions of sheet music.
Not unlike jazz......
You forgot the most important reason... because classical music competitions force musicians to abide by rigid guidelines for interpretation, reducing the need for creativity to 0.
No creativity for just making Arpeggio pieces with same pattern , in every single pieces that u Made ,you just make arpeggio + octaves and chord and u call it "EPIC" personally ,i'll call it a trash
@@devosiagian9578 Uhhh that burn...
@@devosiagian9578 what are youtalking about? what kind of music
@@IgnacioClerici-mp5cy hm, i'm talking about his music...
There is actually creativity needed for a great interpretation, just look at the differences between interpretations of the same piece from different musicians
I want to hear the complete "Barney's theme concerto" so bad now !
I'm also interested in that.
"I Love You" is the rondo finale.
I'm intrigued I wanna hear it too.
Me too😄
We all do
I have lots of friends who are concert pianists (classical) who improvise. One example: Ioana Ilie (Switzerland). She can play anything of the classical repertoire and is an incredible improviser. She has improvised several times at my organization and other concerts throughout the world. Someone in the audience can make a suggestion of a subject and she comes up with something incredible. One of her improvisations is being published by my company. At the end of these concerts, someone can come up with a well-known tune and Ioana creates a wonderful improvisation. An example. The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn. Someone in the audience suggested she improvise on this familiar tune: th-cam.com/video/Kct2lX6QtLQ/w-d-xo.html She also teaches improvisation so that the perception that it is a lost ability disappears. Another example is Phillip Keveren, the main arranger of Hal Leonard Corporation. He is classically trained. He improvised several times at my events. The statement in the video, "So why have classical musicians stopped learning how to improvise?" They haven't. Of course, classical musicians will play a piece as written by the composer at a concert because the audience expects that. If you were to have titled your video "Why Don't Most Classical Musicians Improvise," that would have made sense. However, the title alludes to "all." It does note "rarely" in the subject area. Here is an example of my friend, Kevin Olson (Classically trained) who volunteered to improvise with Jon Schmidt of The Piano Guys. th-cam.com/video/CoXtoW6cSBk/w-d-xo.html Another example is Jackson Berkey, (Masters/Juilliard/Classical) the co-founder and pianist of Mannheim Steamroller. I could go on but will leave this as just a few examples.
One type of classical musician who still need to be really good at improvising are church organists.
Mnnvint , how true. Indispensable for communion, late clergy, delayed weddings.
Not all. Certainly not me.
Many of the church organists I've known were great improvisers. They would include some of the day's hymn tunes in improvisations, and sometimes even sneak in popular melodies for humorous effect.
@@musical_lolu4811 I recommend having a look on TH-cam at William porter's organ improvisation class in Smarano Italy. It's a huge help to get started improvising.
It depends on the organist. If you think of a traditional pipe organist, who play in big churches yes definitely. It’s need to help carry the procession along so they had to create one in the theme of the hymn. While more Baptist do improve well but it’s more towards jazz
I don't know what to say. I watched an entire video by a classical musician from beginning to end and was captivated. The explanations were interesting and within seconds I completely overlooked that the musician was a classical artist. The way that you play is inspiring no matter the genre. I can tell by your playing that you really enjoy music but what's more impressive is that you're able to transferred your joy to the listener via your style and technique. Music is music and when played well it makes the listener feel the emotion of the artist. I'm a beginner on sax and not much more than just the owner of a keyboard. I'm a fan of jazz but you have opened my ears to hear beyond genre. I'm motivated to become a better player on both instruments. Thank you for sharing.
Ah, fantastic stuff. That last jam was excellent. And man, LA's enthusiasm is infectious.
Miss penis envy - I did not say that.
Nobody - You THOUGHT that though.
I don't even know how long I've been watching Nahre Sol and she STILL amazes me with her playing
Also Nahre's improv sections really shows off all the time she spent doing her scales and counterpoint exercises! You're fantastic! I love the way LA has the chops to just smash all over the drum kit and lead but he knows how to sit back and really fill the music out
I love LA, he's so genuine and sweet. I wish I'd be as free and open in showing my emotions as he is.
Her improv of barney's theme was nuts!
That moment when Nahre was improvising a cadenza on the Barney theme song - both Nahre and LA’s interplay and infectious energy made me imagine the of you two as cartoon characters. I adore this channel and the both of you for putting in the work in sharing this knowledge with us all.
PBS, make an animated version of Sound Field you cowards!
the guy's reaction to classic improvisation is the best lmaoo
hes like daaaaamn guurrl u made that up just now?
can we get some of you two jamming in every episode? it's awesome to see your musical compatibility grow each time!
It occurred to me recently that the musicians on late night shows often bust into improv...and it's not always well known, popular songs or strictly Jazz either. Sometimes it really is classical improv! I think it's amazing what you are doing! It's so important to keep pushing the boundaries of the musical style you love, no matter how old and "solid" in its ways it has become!
I want Nahrae and LA to star in a buddy comedy together.
On improvisation, my friend Kristy Kaffenger said "stop playing from memory and start playing in the moment" as well as "stop following where the music leads and start feeling where it could go"
Good advice
As every one knows, J S Bach was the greatest Improvisator at his time.
He is said to improvise fugues on the cembalo and stuff.
Improviser
Maddy29 No, improvisator.
TwoMenAndATank he improvised the word.
Please, get it right... im-prov-i-sa-ti-ca-tor.
I wanna hear the full version of that jam session at the end, sounded great.
We'll put it up on our subreddit! are you on there? www.reddit.com/r/SoundField/
@@SoundFieldPBS Now I am, thanks guys.
I could watch Nahre and LA jam all day. =)
@@JuliaAllenHesse agreed
Here is the link to it! www.reddit.com/r/SoundField/comments/e6mv4l/full_fibonacci_jam_from_our_episode_why_dont/
I could listen to Nahre improvise standards all day.
Love it. Education and inspirational.
May I suggest doing an episode on "the pocket?" The pocket as in being in the pocket
That's awesome that you say that! A year ago today before the show even started, we all sat in a room and pitched ideas for episodes and that was maybe the first idea that came up.
You could do that episode toghether with Adam Neely. He seems to be the right guy to explain the more scientific side of being "in the pockett".
not sure how "the pocket" can be taught. one of those things you feel and understand by association and just solid jams. Great challenge for Sound Field. hehe.
I didn’t realize that some cadenzas were improvised until I listened to different recordings of the Haydn trumpet concerto and I was very surprised to hear the different cadenzas at the end of the first movement. I’m glad someone else also appreciates classical improvisation.
He's right, it's hard for classically trained musicians to chill. It's a damn shame. He's also right about the "correctness" being intimidating.
@Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lmao dude
We need lots of folk like you in schools teaching music. Society might calm down and chill man!
Sounds like Nahre had a lot of fun this episode. Especially at 2:26 probababbly.
Real nice video, can see how much Nahres musicianship has changed.
Keep it up
I love hearing musician talk shop. As someone who wasn’t fortunate enough to be born with any musical talent, I live through them. I was hit with the genes to do engineering and do great in that career. But I love music and lord knows I tried my hardest to learn how to play. Just isn’t what I’m good at. But I live through artist like this who really push the boundaries of their understanding and knowledge.
I think you are right, but there is another reason: the symphony. I am a singer, french horn player and organist. A singer should be able to do easier improvisations. You are often trained as a solo singer and therefore have more focus on being able to do your own interpretation of a song than acting as part of a collective in a choir.
A large part of the education for the organist is about improvisation. You must be able to improvise preludes to psalms. There can certainly be different traditions in different countries. I saw in a coral book from Germany that there were written preludes to the psalms. Thats not the case in Sweden where I come from; all preludes are improvised.
However, when you learn to play an orchestral instrument such as French horn, you are usually trained to become a musician in an orchestra. The symphony has somehow become the norm for classical music. With forty to one hundred musicians playing at the same time, there is no room for improvisation, but instead it requires very precise note reading.
Well, I've never come across forty to one hundred musicians freely improvising at the same time... but if I try to imagine it, and the inevitable cacophony, I can start to understand why most Jazz musicians play in ensembles and not Richard Strauss size symphonic orchestras all doing their own thing... I don't think the symphony is the reasons for non-improvisation, in fact many composers never wrote symphonies. I guess written music is the cause of not-improvising... should we get rid of musical notation?
A Koster: Many composers use great elements of improvisation in their works. I was at a fantastic concert with music by Stockhausen a month ago. It was wonderful free music. What I mean is that the symphony orchestra has become the norm for the education of instrumental musicians.
@@richardwieland5865 I guess the cadenzas in the concertos of Mozart and Beethoven are the remanents of giving soloist improvisation skills room to shine... but I'm not aware of cadenzas being used by today's soloists for on the spot impovisation... it seems usually a prepared cadenza is used instead. I'm sure Mozart, as soloist, would have improvised during his piano concertos, for example.
What about arabic traditional music?
Great topic. I'm the antithesis of a classical musician and am in awe of players with such control and discipline. And then scratching my head when they have no idea how to improvise. There are reasons, obviously, but it's still a funny thing to see. The best description of musical improvising I've heard is it's basically composing in real time - no going back and 'fixing things.'
Kudos on the thumbnail, first time I've seen Mozart rolling his eyes.
André Silva
Mozart, could OBVIOUSLY mprovise his azz off, if he wanted. U can't compose, like he did, & b a rigid, moron.
Bach, a no-brainer.
Beethoven? REALly?!?
Look..... All 3 of these great geniusez, went up against DUH established normz, of their timez. They had 2 compose 4 strict setz of circumstancez, 2 survive, yet they pushed back against those nstitutionz & ruleZZZzzzzzzz. They mo than helped 2 open da way 2 where we r 2day, where we can do whutever we would like, muzakally.
We now, haveta struggle 2 git away from DUH dumbing-down of Western civilization where da Rockefellerz only wanted education, so peephole could produce their widgetz. Da mind must b opened! Ideaz must b cherished & if valid, helped along. Along da way, rather it b muzak, or a new way 2 do plumbing, I'd LOVE 2 c professionz, where da adherentz, r azz masterful azz Bach, Mozart, & Beethoven. I doubt very many of us, could do any of our professionz, while stone cold deaf!
SMH
Nahre...my goodness that improv of Barney in minor...WOW!
LA’s face is all of us right now 😲
Nahre is goals
Seriously she is amazing
God know why I sat on this video for so long, I can watch you guys improvise for hours
I was also curious about why improvisation was almost non-existent in classical music. Thank you. Also, I would love to see an episode on ska, reggae, and/or dancehall.
Alas! I wish Nahre were a classical composer and gave us the pleasure of hearing a brand new classical repertoire from now on. Please Nahre, you are awesome. I know you're into jazz and other styles but we need you as a classical composer!
There's also an attitude to the classics that they are perfect, as if written in heaven, and to change them at all is sacrilegious. This, despite the fact that we often find different versions of a work by the same composer, see their crossings out and rewritings, and even recordings where they play their own works differently. I can't help but imagine alternate realities where a well known piece like Moonlight Sonata has a few different notes in each, and in every reality people complain if the notes aren't played exactly right as the maestro intended...
It miss one important detail : even classical compositions have sometimes been improvised first by their creator. There is no better way to compose than to improvise, even for written music.
Nahre is my favorite person on TH-cam!! 😍🥰🤩
She is the best!
I can listen to her talk all day, such a cool person
Why don't I get notifications from this channel? I have "all" selected as my notification preference and yet here we are.smh. I love how educational and entertaining each video is.
Nahre, it's so great to see that, despite how talented you already are, you are still so fearless about continuing to seriously challenge yourself. You are an inspiration!
watching her play piano is like watching the rain fall to a cloud, collect into a waterfall, flow downstream and empty into an ocean of wonder... i couldnt hold back the tears on the barney song, and her improv is a joy to behold... more of THIS please, like, Part two perhaps...?
I really enjoyed that jam session at the end. The beginning of it reminded me of Blue Rondo by Dave Brubeck, and then it rolled into something one might have heard from Vince Guaraldi (of Charlie Brown fame).
Is there anything more beautiful on earth than a talented musician with a generous nature? How about two beautiful, generous musicians? This is outstanding. Subscribed.
Your improv piece at the end is wonderful and with excellent possibilities.
Haha. I started cracking up when Buckner started air-violining the Barney Theme song.
Thank you, Nahre! Love your channel! Love you!!!
This guy and girl have such good chemistry omg
We all need to remember at all times about the message said by Victor Wooten in "Music as a Language"
I adore your channel. I've learned so much from what you posted. You're so amazing and it blows my mind. I went to Berklee and there was NO ONE LIKE YOU there.
Have a listen to Jimi Hendrix. He's going after notes that aren't even on his guitar's fretboard
Oh yeah? Lol
Robert Gjerdingen’s book “Music in The Galant Style” is essential reading of you want to have any insight into how improvisation was practiced back in the day. Great and simple practice companion too.
Nobody:
SF: Why Don't Classical Musicians Improvise?
Everyone: They didn't?
SF: They did!
Everyone: Uh.. OK then. Cool!
Still love these videos though ;)
Because being able to improvise will seldom help you get a classical performance gig.
That is exactly right about finding friends but as u already know very very difficult to find who can improvise,after been classicaly trained.
jazz musicians and classical musicians are constantly blowing each-other's minds
It’s just wonderful that you have published this. I have personal experience with this issue. In fact, I livestream improvisational piano music every Thursday night at 7 pm Pacific time on my Facebook page, facebook.com/GrannyRocksOn. The name of the show is Dreams of Peace and people respond. It is very scary, because I sit down and just play with no plan, no chord sequence in mind or anything else. Somehow the music comes and many people are moved by it. I tend to be critical because I keep thinking “Oh no, that’s not right.” Or “this wasn’t perfect”. But actually it is inspired by my connection to the audience. I offered some of my music to a local classical music station and they said they don’t include any improvised music because it’s classical. I studied classical music from childhood till the age of 15, when I became too crippled and chronically ill. At the age of 73, I bought a piano and just started to improvise. I discovered that if I improvise, I can play because my hands are not forced to do anything that hurts too much. I feel free, happy and connected to myself. Thanks so much for encouraging people to improvise. I play by myself because I live in an isolated place and it’s hard to play with other musicians because my music is totally spontaneous. At least I don’t feel so much alone.
Thank you. I always felt like it couldn't be true that classical musicians don't improvise and you proofed me right :)
Someone told me once "composing is impov slowed down and crystallized/penned, while improv is composing in-the-moment".
Many longhairs (the old term for classical musicians) are turned off by Grateful Dead jams and many classical people are too uptight to improv. Just my opinion. The enormous time it takes to memorize a libretto, for example, doesn't leave much time for blues/jazz stylings. I love it all. Thanks for the great vid and brilliant playing.
Thank you !!!!
I've improvised my entire life. Still going strong. I'm fortunate that I've been allowed to and learn from amazing mentors including the late, GREAT - Connie Crothers from Williamsburg.
LA is straight up dressed like Danny Carrey at a Tool concert
Ohhh please do more jams together. No matter what the topic is. Super fun to listen to
can i go to one of your rehearsals and just stand there, appreciating??
same
every time I watch I learn something new. such an inspiration!
Props to you for working on improv and becoming well rounded. Much respects for your dedication to the craft
And the added element of playing together to allow those things of which you speak (the hopefully not too mysterious mysteries of creating on the fly)...
A very interesting video. I think that today we associate "improvisation" mostly with jazz and other forms of popular music, but we should also consider that a lot of the well known composers of the past were also known back in their time to be very good improvisers, and not only in the specific sections left for improvisation (like cadenzas), or in instruments that played a support rule (like the baroque basso continuo). Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Scarlatti, Handel, Chopin, Liszt and many others, were also known in their time to be able of perform full improvised pieces, at a very high level.
Short answer:
They do. Or did. Now the training is rarely sufficient.
Robert Gjerdingen’s “Music in the Galant Style” if u want to learn more about old school improv.
Shorter answer: the ability is trained out of them
@@therasound That was an even shorter answer ;-D
@@fryingwiththeantidote2486 I actually will. From what I know, it's a great book.
Thank youuuuu haha
Yes, yes, YESSSSSSS, this video was much needed. I can't stand attending one more classical concert, listening to the same written stuff over and over, patronizing sheet music robots over and over. Well done, awesome video.
ok that barney theme song improv was amazing
I like when she put the classical style on the Barney theme. I kind of like the exactness of classical musical that way you can distinguish the classical works, being able improvise shows that musician understands music beyond what's written.
Really love your style, Nahre... xx
"why don't classical musicians improvise"
*Julius Eastman enters the chat*
1970s, black, gay, and had the notation of his minimalist songs have entire sections of basically saying "improv this"
was it really necessary to point out his skin color and sexual preference?
Егор Сидоров yes it was, that was a huge part of his music, his philosophy, and gives context as to why his compositions featured improv
@@elsiemabel how did he incorporate gayness into his music lol
@@threnody4955 it's about the culture of the time, not "gayness" in a vacuum - which is obviously meaningless because any concept is informed by its material conditions
@@threnody4955 I mean his most known songs that state terms like "crazy n----r", "evil n----r", "n----r f----t", or "gay guerrilla" and intentionally used the crescendos and repetitions to represent his struggles as a gay black man
Loved this discussion. You guys are amazing. I love this channel. Keep up the great work.
0:29, classical musician talking about improvisation pulls out charts and graphs to illustrate improvisation.
HAHAHA i'm dead that's true
It always used to drive me nuts at school when all my classically-trained friends could play the most complex things but couldn’t improvise at all - or wouldn’t even try to improvise. There we were, blues and rock guys with only a fraction of their sophistication, trying to jam from the beginning of our time learning our instruments. Then there were the jazz guys who looked down on all of us. 😆
I'm a classical organ student studying in Rome and at our music school there's a lot of importance placed on improvisation. You can even study an entire degree in organ improvisation. My professor, Father Theo Flury is shown in some youtube videos improvising in all different styles.
Dumb question but do you speak Italian in the class? Or is it English.
Naked Squirtle I’m American so my native tongue is English but yea all of the lessons are taught in Italian so I had to learn it before starting classes.
Another wow for you! I always wondered where the improvisational part of classical went. You guys are great in setting the story straight. Maybe it can come back? And thanks for what you've done for Barney!
Wow this was such a pleasing video to watch. The thought, research and original production that went into it come together in a well executed educational (and recreational) piece. Thank you!!
One often overlooked area of "classical music" where improvisation still happens frequently is church music where the organist will improvise music before, during or after a church service and there also during concerts/recitals. Many church hymanals provide only the melody and the organist will have to harmonise a 3 or 4 part setting of that melody for the congregation.
Now, it's not the case that every organist in every church improvises, but you can find a wealth of material on TH-cam of organists improvising on the organ and some are internationally renowned, and that art form is still hugely popular even amongst younger organists as well.
One thing not touched on is the role of the composer as classical music moved away from an improvisatory tradition. With Baroque era music, we see lots of room for freedom. With Classical era music, the composers began to take a little more prescriptive role in notating exactly how things should be played. Beginning with Beethoven, composers were notating exactly what they wanted to be heard, and by the time you get to someone like Mahler, he is telling you specific directions on how to play a passage from both a technical and an emotional standpoint. Most 20th Century composers followed in the style of Mahler being extremely prescriptive with their directions (we need only look at the serialists where music becomes math and exacting).
Absolutely beautiful dynamics in the improvisation here. Melody, harmony and articulation all on point!
I came into the contemporary music scene in Norway, and over here there’s so much overlap between Classical, contemporary, jazz, and other more popular genres. I think it’s healthy with improvisation. More! Not every classical musician would be up for it perhaps... or perhaps that’s just because of how they were trained. All I really want to do is to create music, but when I asked a classical instrumentalist if they didn’t sometimes feel the urge to make their own music, they just looked at me with a very foreign face.
4:07 LA's right you know. 😂
You are so good at explaining this stuff! Very enjoyable...Happy Trails
If I was a drummer, I would want to play like that guy !
i could listen to an entire hour of that ending jam just progressing on and on with the chords ad ryhmic patterns
There's a good example of it in the movie Amadeus, when Mozart improvises and rearranges Salieri's welcome tune.
I love that jam they were playing at the end of the video...
Check our pinned comment!
The drummer has a soothing deep voice, narrator material.
Someone I really look up to for improvisation is Guthrie Govan... His improvisation over chord progressions thought up on the spot can almost sound planned out and feels incredibly fluid...
I also tend to go back to Gypsy Jazz videos every once in a while, since the way the Genre interprets 'off' sounding notes is incredibly interesting.
I realized abt that improv in cadenza thing while listening to Mozart concerto no 20 (Dm) by Clara haskil, at the end of the first movement, she does a very subtle cadenza, reusing at the left hand some violin melody line which emphasized the beauty of the whole piece. Then I tried to hear that again from different pianists and realized it was never the same.
Classical is so soothing.
There is so much more to improvisation in classical music's history than just cadenzas and figured bass. Improvised preludes used to be played before piano recitals as well as improvised transitions between pieces. Heck, in order to get an organ job in the baroque era you had to be able to improvise a fugue! All of the great composers we know were trained experts in improvisation. Check out the book After the Golden Age by Kenneth Hamilton for more on historical piano performance practice including a lot more on improvisation.
Nice man, great to see this channel diggin in a lil bit. Keep goin keep goin and all the while keep growin!
That outro jam is fire