11 - Improvisation Flashcards

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1
Q

Improvisation

A
  • composition occurs simultaneously with performance

- can be contrasted with 1) composition and 2) performance

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2
Q

Improvised forms in the arts

A
  • improvised music forms
  • contact improvisation (dance)
  • devised theatre
  • improv acting
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3
Q

Structure of improvisation

A
  • guided improvisation
  • constrained by features of the style
  • limited by physical constraints
  • based on patterns, formals, or motor routines
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4
Q

Approaches to empirically study improvisation

A
  • experimental manipulation
  • correlational analysis with non-improv skills
  • corpus analysis
  • interview analyses
  • ethnographic analyses
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5
Q

Theories of improvisation

A
  • Pressing (patterns) = pre-learned patterns, motor routines, formulas
  • Johnson-Laird (procedures) = musical rules and their application
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6
Q

Ways to progress in an improvisation

A
  • associative transitions = musical improvisers may concatenate melodic figures based on a repository of pre-learned patterns; moves along the same thread (typical)
  • interruptive transitions = new thread of musical figures (sudden change)
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7
Q

Entropy

A
  • measure of the absence of structure, order, or predictability in a system
  • the higher the entropy, the less structured, organized, or predictable a system is
  • represents musical diversity
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8
Q

Conditional entropy

A
  • measuring the diversity of transitions between pitch classes
  • a higher conditional entropy means a higher variety of pitch-class transitions (i.e. less predictable transitions)
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9
Q

Types of constraints in improvisation

A
  • cognitive

- music-theoretic

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10
Q

Goldman - Study

A
  • jazz musicians
  • improvise over a backing track
  • improvisations were pooled by factor
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11
Q

Goldman - IVs

A
  • within-subject (2 x 2 x 2)
  • key = B-flat (familiari), B (unfamiliar)
  • hand = right, left
  • function = melody, bass
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12
Q

Goldman - DVs

A
  • entropy of the pitch classes
  • conditional entropy of the pitch classes
  • diatonic proportion (Major key diatonic pitches/total pitches)
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13
Q

Goldman - Main Results

A
  • entropy = main effect of key; higher entropy in familiar key
  • conditional entropy = main effect of hand and function; right had higher than left, melody had higher than bass
  • diatonic proportion = main effect of key; unfamiliar key had higher diatonic
  • interactions = 2-way interaction between key and function for diatonic proportion; key had a greater effect on the melody line than bass
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14
Q

Norgaard - Study

A
  • analyzed 48 of Charlie Parker’s solos
  • corpus from a transcribed collection (low error rate)
  • control corpora = random, computer-generated
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15
Q

Norgaard - Procedure

A
  • pairs of pitches converted into directional intervals (size and contour)
  • pattern = sequence had to occur twice or more in the corpus
  • can not include = long rests, note values longer than 4 beats
  • each note considered a possible start point
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16
Q

Norgaard - Notation

A
  • perforated brackets = pattern repeated in the corpus, but only once in the solo
  • solid brackets = repeated in corpus and solo; number in the bracket = times in the solo
17
Q

Norgaard - Main Results

A
  • 99.3% of all of the notes in the corpus were parts of patterns consisting of 3 or more intervals that occurred two or more times
  • 82.6% of the eligible notes in the corpus began a 4-interval pattern that occurred two times
  • the value was 57.6% if rhythm was included in the definition of a pattern
  • 5-interval patterns had the highest number of unique patterns
  • the mean length of interval patterns was 7.3 intervals after eliminating overlapping patterns
  • the longest interval pattern was a 49-interval pattern that occurred twice, both times in the same solo
  • the longest patterns occurred uniquely in single solos, but most mid-length patterns (15-29 intervals) occurred in multiple solos