Improvisation

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Improvisation in music is the art of playing an instrument (or singing) in which the musician or musicians make it up as they play. Improvising is inventing as one does something. Some musicians only play music when they have written music in front of them, but it can be great fun improvising music. It is a way of composing.

In Baroque times all musicians were taught to improvise because composers often did not bother to write all the notes down. Musicians would have improvised lots of ornaments, and even whole sections.

Some great composers like Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were famous for their improvisations.

A lot of people who play folk music improvise. Traditional folk music would not have been written down.

In traditional jazz the musicians usually improvise. It is quite tricky when a group of people are improvising together. They have to listen to one another and get ideas from one another. It can be a very exciting way of making music.

Improvisation also refers to a type of performance. Improvisation (or improv for short) is often used in comedy. Actors or Improvisers will create an entire show that they make up as they go along.