Re: This is your brain on jazz -- MRI studies of improvisation

[andy butler <akbutler@tiscali.co.uk>]

Krispen Hartung wrote:
 
> However, I have to say that much earlier on as I was learning to 
> improvise, I had to prime the well of creative waters with my technical 
> knowledge of phrases, scales, phrases, theory, etc. It was sort of 
> improvisational mimicry...randomly regurgitating pre-conceived ideas to 
> simulate free improvisation (many listeners wouldn't be able to tell the 
> difference).  That only occurred for a short time and soon became a 
> detriment (constraint) more than a benefit; once the well was primed, I 
> threw all the prior knowledge aside and was able to spontaneously create 
> the ideas on my own.
>  

Somewhere there's a Stockhausen quote about imitation coming before 
innovation.
Probably from a book that was in our local library before it burned down, 
so
no way to trace it.
I think there was even an intermediate phase of "transformation" (taking 
the imitated stuff 
and changing it).

So it seems for most musicians, it starts with imitation of others 
(perhaps using 
transcription), and then may progress to working variations on other 
peoples 
ideas before ending up as innovation.

The other side of the coin might well be those who innovate because they 
lack the
ability to imitate. 

andy butler