I hate improvised music

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3dot...
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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by 3dot... » Mon Dec 14, 2009 1:22 pm

there's thought over the structure... which musicians improvise over...
sometimes it's a closed structure and sometimes more open...
I don't get it...how can one like Jazz and not like improvised music... Jazz IS improv....99% live recordings...
how can one make such a genereral exception ...do you dislike improv across all genres ?!
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davepermen
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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by davepermen » Mon Dec 14, 2009 1:26 pm

well, i guess he's just bored of someone who endlessly looped and randomly let the glitch vst plugin over his loops.

no clue. but i guess he means something like this :)
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LoopStationZebra
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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by LoopStationZebra » Mon Dec 14, 2009 1:57 pm

Honest to fucking God.

If this is the kind of music thread we can expect, I vote that we get back to OT threads IMMEDIATELY because they are infinitely more intelligent and interesting.

ffs.
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supamonsta
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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by supamonsta » Mon Dec 14, 2009 2:06 pm

I hate improvised music
really interesting. and we all run in this vacuum hole. :roll:

guess we have time to lose

(I really should better get harrison mixbus working with jack and live instead of masturbating like we all are here :lol: )

ok I'm :arrow:

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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by AceLuby » Mon Dec 14, 2009 3:04 pm

I love improvised music. In almost all forms. Music w/ zero improvisation tends to bore me.
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stringtapper
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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by stringtapper » Mon Dec 14, 2009 3:10 pm

Jekblad wrote:i usually don't like improv music because it simply enhances the effect of people not listening to each other. Improving is an art and a language, and you rarely find people who speak it. And when you do, those people tend to be so lost in it, and INTO it, they won't learn parts. Making them useless for most projects.
You need to hang out with better musicians. I know the type though. The ones who can never stick with a part when that's the kind of music they're supposed to be playing usually aren't as good at improvising as they think they are.

Competent players should be able to improvise, write set parts on the spot, learn pre-written parts by rote, read down charts (chords and notation), all of it.
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Sage
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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by Sage » Mon Dec 14, 2009 3:34 pm

q.musgrove wrote:
Sage wrote:Used to play in a band where shows were predominately improvised. We never sold ourselves on it ever because we were just being lazy and could get away with it.

Improvising is just pick up an instrument and start playing notes, not difficult at all.
wrong, and I'd love to hear your definition of "getting away with it".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiYKpmwzSjM

from three minutes on it is a improvisation based on the squarepusher tune that is being played. The guitar player and I have been playing for 5/6 years and we were having a conversation in this video that is improvised, all those changes at the end and all. Oh yeah, and we can still play parts. Did I mention I was partial!? :lol:
Sadly I don't have any recordings. What I meant by "getting away with it" was that people seemed to like it and not be aware we just making it up.
And yeah, I got used to the conversations on stage, people would think we were having huge arguments :lol:

I still improvise a bit in sets, it's not something that goes away.

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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by LoopStationZebra » Mon Dec 14, 2009 4:29 pm

The most exciting and rewarding shows I've seen are where the musicians get on stage with no game plan whatsoever. It can go magically right, or horribly wrong; often both within the same performance.

There's solo improve and ensemble improve. Two very different animals, of course. Ensemble is only going to work if the musicians have 2 qualities:

1. Sensitivity and respect for the piece and other musicians
2. A high degree of humility

Whether your are a trained musician or not doesn't really matter. Grandstanding is what ruins most ensemble improve performances.

For solo improve, more often than not anything goes. With many ensemble shows you usually get a more 'formal' song structure that the musicians are working within. Solo improve performances are where you are more likely find more abstract musical experiences. Certainly not always, but usually.

The challenge of any improve performance are the preconceived notions that the audience brings with them. What are you there to see? What baggage as a listener are you bringing to the experience? Are you wanting something very familiar and tight and composed? Are you looking for something with a 4/4 time signature? Are you wanting a performance in which the sounds created are treated as art?

In terms of ensemble improve work within a formal song structure, The Bays are where it's at. They have exciting fucking shows in which nothing is rehearsed. It's performance at it's finest.

http://www.thebays.com/

All of you who don't understand improve music - and there are quite a few of you - should watch this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=posuULAK ... re=related

More bays live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avlerYbS ... re=related

Johnny Vegas HATES The Bays, lol "They are universally hated and they're fuckin shite." lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRvSCW4S ... re=related
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citizenchris099
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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by citizenchris099 » Mon Dec 14, 2009 6:58 pm

LoopStationZebra wrote:Honest to fucking God.

If this is the kind of music thread we can expect, I vote that we get back to OT threads IMMEDIATELY because they are infinitely more intelligent and interesting.

ffs.
Completely agree w/LSZ on this one.
I had take a break from this thread after the [ot] onslaught of late only to return to this sort of thread. It's rather disheartening to say the least.

starving student
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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by starving student » Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:37 pm

Rabalder wrote:If the music is good, thats great.
If it sucks, to bad..
If its improvised or not.. Who gives a shit?
I could settle for this,

mikemc
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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by mikemc » Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:49 pm

tonight, i will improvise a track entitled "mr ergonomic hates this song".
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starving student
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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by starving student » Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:50 pm

LoopStationZebra wrote:The most exciting and rewarding shows I've seen are where the musicians get on stage with no game plan whatsoever. It can go magically right, or horribly wrong; often both within the same performance.

There's solo improve and ensemble improve. Two very different animals, of course. Ensemble is only going to work if the musicians have 2 qualities:

1. Sensitivity and respect for the piece and other musicians
2. A high degree of humility

Whether your are a trained musician or not doesn't really matter. Grandstanding is what ruins most ensemble improve performances.

For solo improve, more often than not anything goes. With many ensemble shows you usually get a more 'formal' song structure that the musicians are working within. Solo improve performances are where you are more likely find more abstract musical experiences. Certainly not always, but usually.

The challenge of any improve performance are the preconceived notions that the audience brings with them. What are you there to see? What baggage as a listener are you bringing to the experience? Are you wanting something very familiar and tight and composed? Are you looking for something with a 4/4 time signature? Are you wanting a performance in which the sounds created are treated as art?

In terms of ensemble improve work within a formal song structure, The Bays are where it's at. They have exciting fucking shows in which nothing is rehearsed. It's performance at it's finest.

http://www.thebays.com/

All of you who don't understand improve music - and there are quite a few of you - should watch this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=posuULAK ... re=related

More bays live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avlerYbS ... re=related

Johnny Vegas HATES The Bays, lol "They are universally hated and they're fuckin shite." lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRvSCW4S ... re=related

the bays is a pretty bad example, watch the second clip you posted where there explaining what they do and then start playing, first of all i don't know how many times one must say it but that's not what dude is talkin about, the bays are a jam band, they find grooves and stick to them and then move to the next groove and even their own definition of improvising is incorrect, look at how one of them says they are "like a dj cause a dj just has a crate of records and he doesn't know what he's going to play" wtf if you call that improvising then apparently we are REALLY talking about many different things in this thread.

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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by chapelier fou » Mon Dec 14, 2009 9:00 pm

I totally agree that we are not all talking about the same meaning of improvising. Me at first. Sorry. I was more talking about the live approach of electronic music than improvising electronic music. For instance, in my music, on stage, I tend to do the most possible things in live, although don't improvise so much, or I improvise with real instruments.
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chapelier fou
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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by chapelier fou » Mon Dec 14, 2009 9:03 pm

And, someone reffered to Fennesz, I've seen him on stage, and I was very disapointed (I'm a fan though). He his probably really improvising, but who cares since he has got no live approach. By this I mean any "spectacular", or "risky" way of performing.
Just an example, and a personnal one, I admit.
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mikemc
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Re: I hate improvised music

Post by mikemc » Mon Dec 14, 2009 9:46 pm

There is only one meaning of improvising: making it up as you go along. You improvise comedy, improvise theatre, improvise poetry, improvise music by making it up as you go along.

What seems to be many DJs', or even computer-based musicians', strong desire to be considered artistically equivalent to traditional instrumental musicians should not be allowed to re-define the term "improvising music".

[edit] you can appreciate what goes into improvising a performance, and still not like it. i saw a 'band' improvise some theatre along with some music, they were neither particularly theatrically or musically talented. they were very bold, much more than i could ever be. Still, i thought they stunk.
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