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Nov 21, 2014
Breaking Down the Barriers to Improvisation
By Brian Grimm
Below are excerpts from Brian's blog. Read the whole article here.
CONVERSATION = IMPROVISATION
Music Improvisation workshop with BC Grimm
Sundays from 12-2pm
Nov 11/23 11/30 Dec *12/07 12/14 @ Madison Music Foundry
SESSION FOCUS
When it comes to improvisation, sometimes people freeze… “what do I play next?”, “I can’t think of any other ‘things’ to play…”, “what if it doesn’t ‘sound good’?”, etc. ad infinitum… This can easily be overcome by shifting the approach from the narrow field of ‘note/genre based’ improvisation, to the wide universe of ‘sound/conversation based’ exploration.
EVERY TIME WE HAVE A CONVERSATION, WE ARE IMPROVISING!
Every single person who uses language is an improviser… So, everyone already possesses the skills required for group-improv. When you sit down to free-improv with a group of musicians – even if you’ve never played with them before – it should be natural, music is a language. We’ll work on communication skills in order to have a conversation in sound.
WHO SHOULD SIGN UP?
Any age. Any instrument(s). From experienced improvisers to beginners, all are welcome. I’m especially interested in reaching people who are “afraid to fail” in improvisation, so we can break down that barrier.
First and foremost, anyone, at any skill level can participate – together. This workshop will shift the participant’s perspective on what improvisation is. We’ll take it from simply being note/genre focused and transform the player’s approach to being sound/conversation focused. It will greatly broaden who the player can improvise with, how long they can play, and how creative they can be!
*Update! We have lowered the price of this workshop to just $24 for each 2-hr class. You can still sign up for the whole series ($90) – OR – sign up for a one-time class on December 7th ($24)!
BC GRIMM
“ ... compositions [that] are both classical and experimental, both disciplined and exploratory.”
- Isthmus, The Daily Page (June 2012, ‘Redolent Spires’ album review)
“Madison-based multi-instrumentalist Brian Grimm specializes in playing the guqin and guzheng, Chinese zithers that sometimes run as large as a small canoe. He’s also a classically trained cellist and, under the name Brain Grimmer, produces adept and twisted instrumental hip-hop. In performances with Julian Lynch’s band and various jazz and improvisational groups around town, Grimm draws on both formal music studies and avant-garde extremes.”
- Arts Extract Podcast, Scott Gordon (June 2014, ‘The Ideating Knell’ album review)
BC Grimm is active professionally as a composer, improviser, performer, sound designer, electronic musician, & multi-instrumentalist on cello, bass guitar, & Chinese String strings: 古琴 guqin, 古筝 guzheng, 琵琶 pipa, 二胡 erhu, 高胡 gaohu. A frequent collaborator in Madison’s avant-garde music scene, he is also passionate about exploring music traditions from around the world. After earning a Bachelor of Music Composition with honors from Butler University, BCG has found a niche composing, performing, and recording scores for dance, theatre, & film.
Tags: jazz (2)