Graded Constraints: A Practise Methodology For Solo Piano Improvisation

Abstract

This participant-observer study documents the development of a practise methodology for solo improvised piano performance. Through this research I seek to answer several questions: How can one effect change within a solo piano improvising language to provide for greater expression, agility, fluency and creativity? Can change be effected by a systematic approach to practise and what would such a system look like? How can such change be demonstrated? The personalised, constraints-based approach developed here draws upon the insights and recorded performances of improvisers such as Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Marilyn Crispell and Craig Taborn, researcher/performers such as Vijay Iyer, Andrew Gander, and Phil Slater and theorists such as Jeff Pressing and David Borgo to develop a series of practise tasks I term the ‘Graded Constraints Process’. These tasks emerged from practise sessions consisting of unstructured improvisation. Procedures were developed to extend the musical discoveries that emerged from these practise sessions. The tasks require improvisation within various parameters and represent a step-by-step approach to skill acquisition, and also serve as a repository of tools and devices that can be deployed in actual improvised performance. These tasks are designed to increase improvisational agility and fluency, and to stimulate the generation of new musical material and improvisational pathways. I introduce the term ‘Option Field’ to describe the range of possibilities represented by each task, and recorded and transcribed examples of each task demonstrate the process of skill acquisition in action. A recorded public performance is presented as a culmination of the Graded Constraints practise process, and the effect of the process upon my improvising language is revealed through an analysis of this performance. A studio recording represents a final artistic statement. This research is driven specifically to serve the needs of the development of my personal improvisatory language, and emerges out of my own improvising practice, but it also offers an example of a methodical approach that other improvisers can utilise in pursuing their own unique, creative expressions. Insights from expert performers are collated and contextualised, providing a valuable resource for those interested in exploring approaches to solo improvisation.