Gregory Hall

Keyboard

TECHNIQUES FOR LEARNING COMPOSITIONAL IMPROVISATION TEMPLATES

For these templates, one motive is presented in three different scales for
every key. The performance ideal is a kind of "written improvisation", where
the eye moves randomly around the page playing what comes to hand, and also
randomly mixing and matching material between treble and bass clefs in a
system. The templates are designed so that everything in the bass clef of a
scale may be played effectively with everything in the treble clef of the
same scale. *

Because of the lack of measures key signatures persist through a scale, but
accidentals only apply to the attached note, and the corresponding clef.
Frequent courtesy accidentals are included, without parentheses to save
horizontal space. Knowledge of the included scales--especially the octotonic
due to frequent chromatic alteration of the key--will be invaluable in
reading these templates. The listed octotonic scale always begins with a
half-step (for C: the notes c, c#,d#, etc.).

Since these templates are not meant to be read in a linear fashion, certain
customary symbols have been left off: brackets, bar lines, beams, etc.
Ultimately, they are meant to be a mix and match affair. The treble clef
outlines the basic melodic cells in red, with idealized harmonizations in the
bottom voice in black. These idealized harmonizations are also shown in a
variety of rhythmic displacements to show the different possibilities
inherent in harmonic rhythm. The octotonic version of the melody has two
harmonizations; the first one dense, the last one simpler. Since the dense
harmonizations are ultimately more useful, they have been included first.
Reminder: all chords and motives may be played in any octave.

(See score for further information)