For the improviser, the physicality of producing sound (the hardware) is not a separate activity from the thoughts, emotions and ideas in music (the software). In the act of creation, there is a constant loop between the hierarchy of factors involved in the process. My … Read Chapter

What is the relevant way of speaking about Treatise? What are the terms? Can one really say anything explicit about it? (Cardew 1971, 102)¹

Introduction

In “The Ground”, I asked myself two questions in response to an invitation to compose for an improvising … Read Chapter

Introduction

Most composers of notation for improvisers are improvisers themselves. This is no coincidence. As composer-pianist and improvisation scholar Vijay Iyer has noted,

The most savvy composers writing for improvisors are those with personal experience as improvisors – those who possess an intimate understanding of … Read Chapter