One of the most enjoyable aspects of playing a musical instrument is playing "by ear" or improvising. There are many so-called classical musicians who feel they are unable to improvise and have a large fear associated with playing anything other than notes they see on a printed page. It is interesting that the musicians of past centuries improvised as a normal part of their fundamental musical skills. Why this is no longer the case is open to speculation and theory, let us simply say that the skill fell away from classically trained players and into the hands of folk and popular musicians. In the Baroque era (1600-1750) music notation assumed that players would add improvisations and ornamentation to the written music. "Figured Bass" is the term used for the numeric code that composers placed above notes in the piano or continuo part to give clear indications of the harmonies that were to be used in support of the melodies. In popular and jazz music of the twentieth century chord symbols have taken the place of figured bass. These indications such as C7 are a specific code for indicating harmonies for each composition. Unfortunately single line players such as flutists rarely see this code and naturally develop a fear of such things.

As instrumentalists have gotten better and better over the decades we seem to have become more "tunnel visioned" and less interested in the surrounding rhythm and harmony we are playing. This is probably just another aspect of the "specialization" syndrome that occurs in most fields. It is humorous but sad that often single line players are only aware of their part and don't have a clue about the accompaniment. There have been notable exceptions in the history of musicians who were equally at home playing written music and improvising. It would be easy to assume that such players were enormously talented and therefore were able to do both things. On closer examination I would like to propose that the major ingredients in being able to play "both sides of the street" are time and dedication. If you want to do it, all you have to do is get the best information available and put in the time. The problem is that to play an instrument well in either genre, an enormous time commitment is required. To do both, simply double the practice time and you will find a player who can play well, both classically and “by ear”.

Why improvise? There are many reasons but the best one may be the joy and freedom that this skill brings to your playing. There will be many fringe benefits that come from developing this skill, not the least of which is a more solid understanding of music theory and harmony. This alone will bring a deeper understanding of your classical compositions, but in addition your ability to memorize and truly learn a piece will be greatly enhanced. Maybe the most significant reason for improvising is the automatic smile that a young player gets on their face the first time they improvise a simple phrase that sounds good. It is the intention of this teacher/flutist to bring lots of smiles and understanding of music. Use improvisation methods as vehicles for making progress in one of the mystery areas of music. It will not be very long before the secret code of improvising is broken for you and you are able to sail off into the glorious musical sunset, creating your own melodies and improvisations.