Warmup improvisation

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Before a recording session. Primarily me getting my hands warmed up and relaxed with a variety of figurations. rather than any attempt to make great music High schmalz content but good fun for me.

[furtwaengler]

Very enjoyable schmalz, and fun for all of us. An operatic fantasy.

[ted]

And can the "kitsch" man actually do what you do better ? Can he improvise better himself ? I wouldn't take any notice of anybody, especially academics and "experts". What do they know about the personal creative mechanisms anyway ? Most of ones I've met can't create anything, "kitsch" or otherwise, and with few exceptions have bugger all rhythm in them. One told me I was an example of a "genuine musical pervert". He meant it as an insult but it's actually a fabulous compliment.

If I were you, I'd give all those old-fashioned composers everybody plays the heave-ho for a while, spend a few months getting to the core of your own musical response, expanding your improvisational vocabulary beyond that one style - which I still find attractive, as I've said before - and I reckon you could build yourself up to something tremendous.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Very enjoyable schmalz, and fun for all of us. An operatic fantasy.

Yes, there's certainly a bit of operatic stuff in there! When listening back to it I heard some Il trovatore and a standard Bellini bel canto figuration. It's appropriate, as I was recording some paraphrases after the warmup.

And can the "kitsch" man actually do what you do better ? Can he improvise better himself ? I wouldn't take any notice of anybody, especially academics and "experts". What do they know about the personal creative mechanisms anyway ? Most of ones I've met can't create anything, "kitsch" or otherwise, and with few exceptions have bugger all rhythm in them. One told me I was an example of a "genuine musical pervert". He meant it as an insult but it's actually a fabulous compliment.

If I were you, I'd give all those old-fashioned composers everybody plays the heave-ho for a while, spend a few months getting to the core of your own musical response, expanding your improvisational vocabulary beyond that one style - which I still find attractive, as I've said before - and I reckon you could build yourself up to something tremendous.

Some interesting points there, ted. When you mention the "kitsch" man I take it you're alluding to my description of one of my previous improvisations ("Kitsch comes naturally to you." said a distinguished musician to me). I wouldn't underestimate his capabilities - he's a good jazz pianist as well as having recorded some of the major works of the repertoire - I've not heard him improvise, but I believe he can. A "genuine musical pervert" - that's priceless.

Re the second paragraph, it's a fair suggestion. I can (and sometimes do) improvise in other styles, but this is the most natural to me. It was also the only style I was going to do at that point, purely on the basis that I was recording stuff in a somewhat related vein immediately afterwards - a project I've been working up to for a while. Of course there is ultimately no reason to not expand one's musical vocabulary.

[ted]

I wouldn't underestimate his capabilities - he's a good jazz pianist as well as having recorded some of the major works of the repertoire

Ooops ! I cannot play jazz and play no "works of the repertoire", major or minor. Better keep quiet about that then !

kitsch -noun
"art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality."

I don't hear that at all in your playing, so a remark best forgotten I'd say.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

What I really meant to imply was that he's a more versatile musician than the sort of person who regurgitates select pieces from traditional repertoire and can do precious little else (the sort of dull academician you were alluding to in your first post). I didn't actually mind his comment in the first place as even I think some of what I do veers towards kitsch.

[ted]

Good oh ! I must be a musical pervert with a kitsch fetish then. Oh dear, how sad, never mind ! I still think you have a lovely, fluid touch for improvising - at one with the instrument. Whereas when I improvise I resemble Iorek Byrnison with piles.