The Big Improv Book Announcement including an Interview with Terry Logan
BIG NEWS!! - Really excited to say that I'm currently working on a new book - an improvisation manual - scheduled for a June release.
As part of this project, I've been speaking with many of my musical contacts and getting their thoughts on improvisation. To wet your appetites, over the next couple of months, I thought it would be great to share some of the interviews (which are very heavily edited in the book) in their entirety. Everybody was basically asked the same questions, but this led to very different answers.
Rodrigo's words from last month I found truly inspiring. Here are another fabulous set of answers from my good friend and long-term collaborator Terry Logan. Thanks to Terry and to everyone who is putting time in to make this book happen.
Q1. What makes a great improviser?
I think a great improviser is in tune with their thoughts and feelings. They are also able to tune in to others and what is happening around them. An ability to be flexible and sensitive to mood is essential. It’s also important to have a certain freedom of mind and not be afraid to make what may be perceived as mistakes or even to create some of your own rules or original style. Improvisation in it’s highest form comes when we get out of the way of our own expectations, thoughts, desires or in other words, our own ego.
Q2. How did you learn to improvise?Â
I’m not sure how much you can teach or learn improvisation, in as much as it’s something that must come from within and there aren’t necessarily many strict principles to learn. The best way to develop improvisation is by experimenting with different styles, sounds and feelings. It’s also important to deeply listen to how others may interpret things too. The short answer is, I didn’t really learn, I experienced.

Q3. What advice would you have for those new to improvising or trying to improve their existing practice?  Don’t be afraid to try everything and anything as that’s the only way you will ever learn what is your own natural style. I believe it’s more important to be led by feeling rather than theory as this is the key to true creativity and true creativity is at the heart of improvisation. You must be able to listen acutely as well as being able to lead in what is being created. Like anything new, remember that you will always get better with time and just to enjoy every moment.
Q4. When you are improvising, how do you know what to play? Â
The best improvisation comes when you don’t think and you don’t consciously know, you just let the music play you.
Q5. Have you ever struggled with confidence when improvising and if so, how have you worked through that?
Nearly every time I’ve improvised, I have felt an insecurity, but I think this isn’t a bad thing as it means that you are allowing yourself to be vulnerable. As long as you don’t let those feelings overwhelm you, I think the best music comes from this place as you are more open. It’s not necessarily a sense of confidence that I feel when I feel surer of what I’m doing, more a sense of inevitable joy and celebration.
Q6. What do you get from improvising in a group that you don’t get when making music alone?
You get the benefit of new ideas and energy flows. You get the benefit of being able to create a symphony instead of a solo. Both have their distinct benefits, but there’s something really special about playing with others which I believe, develops you more individually.
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