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Composition and improvisation in cross-cultural perspective
Improvisation and composition are words frequently used in the western world to describe the creation of music. But are they really two distinct processes, or are they aspects of the same phenomenon? In this free course, Composition and improvisation in cross-cultural perspective, we will explore the relationship between the two using examples of Asian music to help us clarify the concepts.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- discuss different perspectives on the creation of music, in particular, composition and improvisation
- understand the basic principles underlying North Indian art music
- understand the basic principles underlying Sundanese gamelan music.
First Published: 09/08/2012
Updated: 15/01/2016
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This course is a great & advanced level course for musical innovation across cultural perspective.
Sorry, might be... because of some technological problems in far-distant views, many comments of mine have been mistakenly left into another course I had learned - An Introduction to Music Research. You knew, when it came to Long-distant further training, something, including problems was beyond our control-abilities... Sorry. it's my fault. However, though it's a mistake, from the root-growing view and methodological perspective, it suddenly made me find an enlightenment by improvising talk (＾＿＾) that I understood the internal working-mechanism and relationship between these two course - They were growing together in a tree - firstly we knew things in common ways and to research common phenomena; after many training and practices, we can bring some methods and jump out to see cultural differences and some common things across cultures... for more understandings, friendships and loves... Finally, we can get back some appreciation and respects of humanity of our life and peace...
In the review part, I was very much like some conclusions, such as 'Something was in common between Asian traditions and composers as Chopin and Berio... ' and many references representing for thinking tentacles' reaches of great musical explorers from Western world... We almost get many agreements from each other across spaces & times, and into operations and knowledge. Maybe still something were different, based on my background, I knew our true loves of music, desires for communications and the understanding & exploration of music are same... which can give us a power to dream some new freely, express something we all know and charish something we have already own. In this course, I have also brought some my styles, into comparisons with two great samples - Veena's Khyal Classroom and Indonesian gamelan music and Western root - Chopin's into thinking, and got some recognized solutions of my long-time confusion (of myself) and answered why to my own heart... So many heart-touched memories... though online and in virtualization...
All in all (though sometimes, my music and piano made me a little bit sensitive, especially in some important moment), it's really an enjoyable experience to join this course. And hopefully, other learners can explore more amazing secrets (treasures) of music across cultures from this innovative course, our discussion-forums online and many indications hidden in common memories... Thanks...
Jason Han - 5 March 2019 6:05am
After this course, another much time got passed...
Indian music's happy & free learning and improvisation ways and Indonesia's Pentatonic collective simple-playing ways still left great impressions in my heart.
Through Western systermatic approach and my classroom piano-teaching practices, currently, I identified my Chinese Pentatonic Impressionism into one educational portal. I self-recognized it as an out-coming gift, which would like to be sent to this beatiful course... thanks:
https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Portal:Pentatonic_Impressionism_(China_Wu_Sheng)_in_the_view_of_Neo-classical_Piano_Techniques-training#F.28Flatten_further_Flatten_G.29
(If you have some problems to open it, please copy and type all lines into your website address part)
Hopefully, it can give you more ideas to make musical innovations. Thanks!