To the squares
- Amanda Riddell
- Jan 15
- 1 min read
Look, I'm aware that virtually all of you can't really improvise, and that the ones who can aren't able to write out the details that I can. Glen can, and that's about it. You may notice discrepancies, but the notated music is the result of conscious effort that I (and only I) apply to the music. You might find an improvisation catchy, but either it evaporates, or perhaps it wasn't the thing I had in mind (though it sounds fine). Remember that I'm a really top-level composer. I make compositional decisions that create the unity that my music has. Until I came out, I was mostly known as a composer. So, yeah, it's another skill. You're just shocked by the novelty of the improvisations, while that isn't necessarily what I value as a composer. I apply both processes, for different reasons, and this is normal outside of the ivory tower.
I've got lots of friends that are better improvisers than me, so I'm very modest about my gifts.