Is improvisation acceptable in polite company.

dale.rogers · Post by **dale.rogers** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 7:07 am

Ok so I'm new to whistles. Ive been working on my nursery rhymes well all of them that I can remember and also some hymns. God knows how I remember hymns as its been a long time since I went to church.

Anyway, I am finding that my most favourite whistling is improvisation. I just love to play around and discover little patterns that sound pleasing to my ear and then mix them up and vary them and play around with them. adding in silly little trills and so on. Then a friend said to me hey what song is that one day. And I said it's nothing I was just making it up on the fly and she said that's silly I should be practicing real music. Is there any conventions for this sort of thing. I don't want to commit a faux pas.

Also another time I was playing around with my little improvised patterns and my friend said "hey thats the music from 'Lord of the Rings'" I was somewhat baffled and said "I don't think so I just made it up then." Of course now she doesn't believe me. But I did make it up on the spot. Or is my brain playing tricks. I know I have watched Lord of the rings so I must have heard the music. Though I don't distinctly remember the music. Not like I do the music from Star Wars for example. Is it possible that my subconcious stored the Lord of the rings music away for me or did I just create a parallel pattern?

Regards

Dale

satyricon234 · Post by **satyricon234** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 7:32 am

There was another post about a similar thing awhile back. I dont know what it was though. Your mind may have been playing tricks on you.
I remember I thought I had made up a great tune when I was around 14. Later I heard that same tune on the radio. It was Knights in White Satin by Moody Blues. I can only figure I had heard it and didn't know it.

On the other hand history is full of examples of simultaneous invention so maybe you did invent the same tune.

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 9:44 am

Question: Do you enjoy the improvisational doodling?

If yes, then keep doing it. If no, then stop.

Life is very simple sometimes.

Okay, it gets a little more complicated. If you want to play with others, you'll either have to learn their tunes or get them to learn yours. Either way can be fun.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 9:48 am

Play what you like. Avoid polite company.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 12:14 pm

Bloomfield wrote:Play what you like. Avoid polite company.

Exactly. If you have to ask, you aren't going to take any notice of the answer anyway.

Whilst on this serious note, if you are playing tunes you have heard then you are learning to play by ear without even trying. That is a very useful skill to have in all known forms of whistle music. If you want to go on to study and learn a particular style, then just make sure you know what the style is in advance and seek advice from people who play it on how best to learn seriously. That will save you lots of time in the medium to long term but the ear training and dexterity you are acquiring now can't do you any harm I think.

Oh shucks, I think I just started another flame war.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 12:19 pm

Wombat wrote: Oh shucks, I think I just started another flame war.

You're a nice guy, and I have deep respect for you, but you come on too strongly.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 12:24 pm

Bloomfield wrote:
Wombat wrote: Oh shucks, I think I just started another flame war.
You're a nice guy, and I have deep respect for you, but you come on to strongly.

Daryl · Post by **Daryl** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 12:27 pm

Bloomfield wrote:
Wombat wrote: Oh shucks, I think I just started another flame war.
You're a nice guy, and I have deep respect for you, but you come on to strongly.

{Taking a slow, deep breath, closing eyes and reciting....}
. You're an arrow, I'm a pillow
. You're an arrow, I'm a pillow
. You're an arrow, I'm a pillow
.
.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 12:32 pm

Daryl wrote:
Bloomfield wrote:
Wombat wrote: Oh shucks, I think I just started another flame war.
You're a nice guy, and I have deep respect for you, but you come on to strongly.

{Taking a slow, deep breath, closing eyes and reciting....}
. You're an arrow, I'm a pillow
. You're an arrow, I'm a pillow
. You're an arrow, I'm a pillow
.
.

You can take that metaphor a little farther, you know: You can suffocate pleople with a pillow. And say there is a young innocent whistler about to be raped by a big bad man and you're trying to shoot him with your arrow to save her, but someone keeps jumping up and down with pillows everywhere and your arrow gets stuck in the bloody pillow and then, then the big bad man....

Daryl · Post by **Daryl** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 12:37 pm

.
Bloomfield, you're giving me another story idea for that CD competition.
.
.

.

BillChin · Post by **BillChin** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 2:42 pm

Dale, what you experienced is common. Both possibilities are likely, that you memorized the tune after watching the movie(s), or that you came up with it while noodling around. Understand that all the great melodies have been written, seeing as there are only seven notes. When you "find" a pleasing melody, it has been done before, probably many, many times before. Your own rhythms, tempo and accents may set it apart enough to make it original, but do understand that it is a virtual certainty that the sequence of notes is out there.

What I sometimes experienced is another kind of vanity. I start playing a known tune and then improvise off that. Or I play a known tune half an octave lower than what the sheet music says. It just "sounds" better to me. The notes on the recording or sheet music are not as pleasing to me as my improvised version. I know that playing my arrangement in some circles will result in the gnashing of teeth and throwing of rotten fruit. However, like Bloomfield suggests, I avoid, "polite company."

It see improvisation as a lot of fun and a talent unto itself. However it is a apart from learning tunes, or technical proficiency, or technique. As for what I think about other people telling me what I should or should not play, I can not share those thoughts in polite company

As always, enjoy.
+ Bill