What Is Improvisation?

Today I had a lecture on the role and meaning of improvisation in terms of composition, which proved to be very interesting.
So I figured whilst I was here I would throw the question to you fine people.

So in relation to composition, what is Improvisation?

Improvisation is when you create while you play, what you're playing hasn't been previously decided like any other composition, you literally start playing without knowing what's next, or you only have in your mind the very next content but nothing more, is a chain or fast decisions you take according with what you've played so far, it is used in jazz, also church organist use it a lot.

To improvise you build that chain or decisions with a large "library" of material you already have in your mind, so it doesn't become so hard because whatever you played before, you have several choices of musical material could work as continuation of the ideas you've used, improvisation doesn't need to be the entire material you use, for instance you can have a chord progression and only improvise the melody (more used in jazz) or the other way, to have the melody but improvise the harmony as an alternative harmonization of a theme (more in church organ improvisations) or both.

There is also improvisation as a musical form, but I don't know how well defined it is, I only know it in organ written improvisations, where composer writes a close copy of what he improvised in the past, and turn it into a work can be played, published etc, maybe improvisation as form could be used for other pieces, like orchestrating a theme was originally improvised.

Improvisation demands a lot of your musical skills, and it can show yourself how good you are at certain aspects of music, for instance I find easy to improvise in piano, (more as a harmony aspect) but not in saxophone (more as a melodic) aspect because I don't handle melodic lines as good as harmonic progressions.

Hope this vid helps you.

I always improvise at sunday mass exit (when I play it) just I don't play a monster like that, but a much smaller organ.

Improvisation and composition are one and the same; composition just happens much more slowly ;)

Improvisation and composition are one and the same; composition just happens much more slowly ;)

If they're the same, how can it happen at relatively different speeds?

If they're the same, how can it happen at relatively different speeds?

It is the same process but at different rates. What is problematic about that?

improvisation is like composition, except with actual skill involved

It is the same process but at different rates. What is problematic about that?

It is the same process? Man, improvisers...always in a hurry! Never taking the time to sit down and write something thoughtful ;)

that's what they said, is only a speed change, with more time you think more, with less time you think less, decide faster, but at the end is quite similar.

If they're the same, how can it happen at relatively different speeds?

Think about it.  

Improvising gay

Reported for homophobia.

we have nothing to fear but fear itself