I use improvisation for many reasons. It can spark rich ideas for composition, for it gives us a more intimate sense of raw materials of sound. It provides an astonishing physical and emotional release, and helps develop the kind of spontaneity that can transform the way we play Bach or Mozart or Bartok. It creates a more direct personal relationship with an instrument that can melt square-shouldered bravado into keen-eared listening.
–Eloise Ristad, A Soprano on Her Head
Unfortunately, a too-early emphasis on reading has kept many music students from developing this vital skill. But there’s another good reason to begin independently of notation. This approach enables you to concentrate on the physical aspects of playing. Good technique requires a relaxed body, and it’s a lot easier to be relaxed when focusing on one thing at a time. If you’re not familiar with the symbols of music, learning to play through notation is like rehearsing a new dance step while trying to read a description of it—in a language you don’t know. Reading is a valuable skill. It’s simply out of place in the earliest stages of learning. … Begin by making music from the heart, and by building the connection between ear and hand. Begin by learning to play.
– Bruce Siegel, “Learning to Play is Learning to Speak”
The ability to improvise freely is a common skill applied whether in conversation, role-play, movement, dance, or the playing of games, and yet it is an ability that is seemingly suppressed through the conventions of music training. – Jonty Stockdale, “Reading Around Free Improvisation,” The Source: Challenging Jazz Criticism 1 (2004), p. 112
