The hottest Improvisation Substack posts right now

Mike Leigh's filmmaking process starts with no script or story idea, just actors talking to create characters.
Leigh's method involves months of rehearsals where actors improvise to bring characters to life before scripting.
Leigh's unique and time-consuming approach to filmmaking results in fully realized, human characters and unforgettable movies.

AI runs in time as computation but has no subjective "now" or lived sense of duration, so it analyzes musical sequences without experiencing their unfolding.
AI can copy and combine musical patterns well enough to move listeners, but it lacks embodiment, genuine spontaneity, and true improvisational presence, which often makes its music feel derivative or airless.
AI might develop more creative practice if built to iterate, adapt to feedback, and collaborate with humans, otherwise it will mostly reinforce past patterns and risk homogenizing musical culture.

Jazz can be a rich experience with different interpretations from various artists.
Listening to jazz involves focusing on individual instruments and appreciating the interplay.
Jazz requires musicianship and expertise to navigate through improvisation within a structured framework.

Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV) started in the 1960s and aimed to create music for everyone, breaking free from traditional rules and ideas.
Their work involved both improvisation and audience participation, showing a desire to push boundaries and create a communal music experience.
Over time, MEV's approach evolved, moving from collective experimentation to individual performances, but they still sought to maintain a sense of political and artistic freedom.

Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

The author shares a video of improvising on a half-sized guzheng in Te Arai, New Zealand.
The author's poem is translated to English by a friend and featured in China Heritage.
The author expresses excitement to share daily creations with readers after returning from New Zealand.

Jazz is a complex music style where musicians improvise while still following a structure. This allows for surprises and creativity in each performance.
Each listening of a jazz piece reveals new details, like what different instruments are doing. Paying close attention can lead to exciting discoveries.
The interaction between musicians is key in jazz. They respond to each other during performances, creating a unique experience every time they play.

Jazz music allows for reinterpretation and improvisation by different artists.
Listening to jazz involves focusing on each instrument, appreciating their individual contributions, and then the ensemble as a whole.
Syncopation in jazz music adds excitement and surprise, similar to a touch of chili sauce in a salad.

Classical composers like Bach and Beethoven were known to heavily improvise, showcasing a skill akin to jazz improvisation, indicating a long history of improvisation in music.
The invention of written notation wasn't to restrict music to rigid interpretations, but to preserve and transmit musical ideas when recordings were unavailable, highlighting the evolution of music preservation.
Encouraging improvisation over classical compositions can bring new life to old melodies, allowing for personal expression, creativity, and the creation of unique musical interpretations.

Songwriting starts with an idea, usually recorded in voice memos, and then the group collaborates to develop it into a full song.
Ideas can vary in how complete they are when presented to the group. Sometimes one person has a full vision, other times it's just a spark.
It's common to forget good ideas, but the focus should be on enjoying the process rather than getting attached to any single idea.