Melody
When do phrases begin to repeat?
How complex are they?
How interesting are they?
Do you notice any patterns being made within the melody?
Simple? Complex?
Major? Minor? Ethnic?
With harmony or against?
Rhythmic?

Harmony
Consonant/In
Dissonant/Out
Chord
Chord progression

Rhythm
Meter, measures, tempo, beat. Etc.
More important is the nature of rhythm - discussed in adjectives:
Danceable
Chaotic
Complex
Agitated
Simple
Elegant
Swinging

Timbre
Characters

Texture
How each part (or character) in a song interacts
The overall hierarchy of parts (melody dominance or other)


Analyze two songs, in terms of their melodic, harmonic and rhythmic features as demonstrated by the differing timbres, in small groups. Put summary of results on chalk board.

How is improvised valued and, also, practiced in the United States? Examples.

In the East:

• West Asian improvised music celebrates freedom (often to the degree that it lacks a meter)
  
• Javanese gamelan music recognizes those that move the most from the model as the most highly esteemed
  

Other types of improvised music:

• Karnatak ragas
  
• German fugue and fantasia
  
• Indian (American) dream songs
  
• Iranian tala
  
• Slavonic epics
  

Good thoughts:
In most cases, audiences evaluate improvisations by their balancing of obligatory features against imaginative departures from them. They also appreciate exceptional virtuosity, either technical or intellectual (Nettl).

Distinctions between improvisation and other forms of music-making have been investigated in research that deals with concepts of risk, competence, dealing with unexpected situations and making positive use of mistakes (Nettl)

Lets explore some common points of departure:
Group or partner exchanges such as those in sub-Saharan African societies where games or activities of call and response exchanges use short refrains while an improviser performs variations of this refrain/theme
West African drum ensembles where any number of simple rhythmic pattern are performed by different performers while the master drummer selects from each and juxtaposes them while turning them into something new


Raga or mode (Sometimes from one raga/mode to another and then back again) - believe it or not, this is not radically different from what most people refer to as straight up "jamming" except the point and context are greatly different

Standards or songs of existing melodies and chords in the jazz tradition

The specific improvisation cultures outlined at the end of the article will be explored in greater depth during the semester.