CLASSIFICATION OF TYPES OF IMPROVISATION, BASED ON CONCEPTS OF BAND ARRANGEMENTS.
We have mentioned elsewhere (see post 399) that the types of improvisation based on the musicology of band arrangements that we include are
1) Single instrument, stand alone, with or without chords. Improvisation is either on the chord progression, or on the melody or both. For this improvisation among the 3 internal centers (mental, emotional, kinaesthetic) , there is not fixed pattern at the mental center, nor an external sound listened pattern stored in the emotional center. But there may be stored patterns both, in the mental and emotional center
1.1) When improvising chords, usually a string instrument is required. E.g. a 4-string instrument (ukulele, bouzouki etc) tuned in an overtone tuning like the troll tuning. And when we improvise chords, the concept of chromatic arpeggios apply, which also gives melodic improvisation. E.g., finger-picking guitar, or Estas Tonne improvisation method.
But when improvising a melody , a wind instrument , or a violin is appropriate.
1.2) If we are in a solo instrument, like a wind instrument that cannot play chords, the concept of triangulated melodic improvisation, over total, subdominant and dominant is very well applicable.
2) Predetermined harmony and chord progression by a musicians and improvisation in the melody (counter melody) by another musician. Usually in a band. E.g. what the musician playing the bass is doing, or another solo player as well. The gradual learning of it is
2.1) Improvisation of melody over a single chord
2.2)
2.3) Improvisation of melody over 3 chords (triangulated case). (e.g. blues. In ancient music with ancient power chords without intervals of 3rds, the 3 chords are 1,4,5, tonal, subdominat, dominant, thus trianglated harmony)
2.4) Improvisation over any known chord progression
2.5) Improvisation over any unknown chord progression, but known scale. (if we use ancient power chords without intervals of 3rds, then this case reduces to traingulated harmony improvisation as in 2.3)
2.6) Improvisation over any uknown scale and unknown chord progression.
3) Improvised harmony by a musician and improvised melody by another or more other musicians. Sometimes in jazz.
E.g. Mile Davis band. It is difficult, as each musician must be in alert coordination with the others. That is why in such cases, the solo musicians play very short melodic phrases, with large time intervals of silence between them. If the band agrees to play only in a single scale (bebop scale) but any chord progression, the situation is much simpler.
4) Two musicians improvising parallel counterpoint melodies within one or more scales.
4.1) Often in early New Orleans jazz, where 3 parallel melodic lines are improvised over a known song.
4.2) But the two musicians may improvise 'a capella" not over a known song! Usually they do so in meditative improvisation E.g. Shastro and friends.
5) A musician improvising a new adaptation, on melody and even on chords, over a predetermined song. Very common in Gypsy jazz.
ETC.
