ABSTRACT
Improvisation works as a means of intensifying the experience of making and listening to music and it is to be found almost everywhere music is being played in the world. In the music of North America, improvisation exists in differing forms, depending on the type and style of music. The first type is idiomatic improvisation, which is to be found in most musical idioms Western and non-Western like baroque, jazz, African, Indian, Flamenco, Balinese, Puerto Rican, and so on. Also, in jazz improvisation a working knowledge of music theory, standard performance techniques, and musical styles is required of each performer. However, by the end of the twentieth century, improvisation in Western classical music performance had virtually disappeared. Free-form improvisation is the most widely open and accessible type of improvisation for musicians. As experience in creative music making (CMM) increases, it ought to become evident to participants that right and wrong notes are not what free-form improvisation is all about.
