Hi
Improv is a fun thing - sometimes, very occasionally, something happens that is utterly unique - a phrase or sound or chord that I've never played before... just hit it and see what happens...
however, more often than not, I'm working with ideas that I've had for a while in a new way... taking a chord shape or sequence and breaking it up, taking a new rhythmic approach, using a new sound and seeing where that goes... reordering the material, like having a conversation, just trying to judge what should be happening at that moment...
group improv is another level in that you are reacting to what the other person might to, and you can get used to their way of thinking... often improv involves revisiting and idea in a new context. I've taken fragments of ideas from my duo CD with Jez Carr, and thrown them into improvs with Michael, and then end result has been very different. An interesting comparison to make is to listen to the first Attention Deficit CD, and 'Book Of Flame', and see how some of the ideas that came up in the improvs have made their way in a morphed form into Michael's tunes... and it helps that both albums are fantastic...
best way into it is to just play til you run out of cliches and take it from there..
some jazz background helps too - if you're having lessons have a look at the way jazz is formed - chord changes that are malleable, melodies that are phrased differently by everyone, solos that use a particular language but are still distinct...
feel free to post a follow up question - this has all been a bit general...
most of all, as always, have fun!
cheers
steve
www.steve-lawson.co.uk
