C. Playgrounds

The two techniques we’ve covered so far (Play-Listen/Listen-Play and Constraints and Dimensions) are highly effective in themselves. But they can still leave you prone to feeling overly-limited or overwhelmed, especially when just starting. Either you try to come up with Constraints yourself, and it can be hard to know which to use—or if you just stick to those spelled out in the exercises above, that’s limiting in the same way as the traditional rule- and pattern-based approaches to improvising.

Let’s fix that, by helping you to establish your own sets of Constraints that you enjoy and find useful, and a way to think about them which can let them become a continual source of creative activities for you.

When we were designing the Expansive Creativity framework, my two daughters were both under five years old. We were living in Valencia, Spain, which is blessed with an abundance of children’s playgrounds. They’re dotted all around residential areas, not just limited to parks like in most cities.

As I watched them playing one day, I was suddenly struck by how elegant a concept the playground is. We want our children to explore freely, and push the boundaries to learn what they’re capable of. But of course, as parents what we want most of all is for them to be safe and avoid any serious injury.

As I saw my girls run and jump and climb and dangle themselves from all of the rides and structures and equipment, protected from the surrounding roads by a certain fenced-off area and cushioned by the rubbery flooring, I realised how beautifully playgrounds achieve both goals together: the children get to feel (and be) free and adventurous, but everything is designed to still keep them safe.

This is why we call the third component of the Expansive Creativity framework “Playgrounds”. They allow you to explore freely, in a way that’s well-matched to your current abilities, while keeping you “safe” by helping you play things that will be musically satisfying to you (and others).

Here are some examples of creating Playgrounds:

• Any of the exercises in the previous section can be considered a Playground! The Constraint(s) are stated at the top, and the steps constitute the “activity’ to do with those Constraints.
• Dimensional Exploration: Choose one or more Constraints for one of the four Dimensions (Pitch, Rhythm, Timbre and Dynamics). For example, using only the notes of the C Major Pentatonic Scale (Pitch). Now improvise, focusing on each of the other three Dimensions in turn, pushing the boundaries of what’s still possible. Finally, combine what you liked along the way to create a final improvisation more intentionally.
• Backing Track Constraints: Put on a backing track (you can find many free ones online or in the Additional Resources) and improvise from start to finish. The first time through, try to respect the Constraints on Pitch and Rhythm suggested by the track (e.g. its key will suggest certain Pitch choices, its meter will suggest certain Rhythm choices). Then repeat, but intentionally defy those implicit Constraints! Then go through a third time using a mix of both approaches, according to your own musical taste and what you’ve discovered.
• Repertoire-Based Improv: Select a song or piece you’ve learned, and choose a particular section (e.g. the chorus of the song, or the B section of a piece) to replace with something improvised. You can use the Key and meter to influence your Pitch and Rhythm choices, and might even like to use the “Melody-Inspired Improv” exercise from earlier to modify that section of music rather than replacing it from scratch.
• Interpretation Improv: Select a song or piece you’ve learned and play the notes as written… But see how creative you can still be! Play it slow, play it fast, play it cheerfully or gloomily, play it carefully or loosely. This is a glimpse of what we’ll explore much more in Chapter 17: Expression.
• Building Blocks Improv: For any of the Pitch and Rhythm building blocks you’re practicing with (see Part II), select from those building blocks as your constraints. You may have already tried this in some of the improv-based exercises in those chapters!
• Challenge-Based Improv: Play a challenge-yourself game. Take any other Playground but set yourself particular creative challenges. For example: “How many different ideas can I come up with in 5 minutes?”, “How different can I make each time through?”, “What if I only change one thing each time through?”, “How can I make my improvisation sound like classical/rock/jazz/blues/dance music—or like my favourite band/artist?”, “What if I tried improvising on an instrument I haven’t yet learned to play?”
• Form-Based Improv: Create musical Form by moving through a series of Playgrounds: Choose a set of Constraints to begin with, then change them slightly (or entirely!) for each section.
• External Inspiration: Choose a song or piece you love, or a piece of poetry, or a life experience. Identify any Constraints implied (for example, the Rhythm of the poetry, the mood of the life experience) and then improvise accordingly.

As you can see, Playgrounds can be hugely varied, but each one helps guide your creativity, to both eliminate overwhelm and allow satisfying musical choices. Some are suited to particular musical contexts (for example the “Backing Track Constraints” Playground) while others can be used very widely.

There are three important guidelines to keep in mind:

1. Don’t limit yourself to the examples above! They are intended to illustrate what Playgrounds can be, and to get you started with this approach.
2. Choose and extend them to match your own abilities, Musical Core, and Big Picture Vision. For example, you can tailor them to perfectly match your current focus in Ear Training or Active Listening, or integrate them into practicing Playing By Ear or Songwriting. Choose Constraints which provide you with that “sweet spot” where you feel safe (i.e. you can easily play things which sound good to you) and you still feel creative freedom.
3. Create your own! Jot down the Constraints and activities you find most fruitful, and incorporate those favourite, personalised Playgrounds into your regular practice. More on this below.

If you follow these three guidelines you’ll find that Playgrounds truly live up to the name, allowing you to develop your Improvisation skills gradually, enjoyably, and quickly.