Learning to improvise, improvising to learn: a qualitative study of learning processes in improvising musicians

With the growth of free improvisation as a field of study within academic institutions there is a need to investigate the fundamental musical and psychological processes that lie behind this creative form of social activity. This chapter presents interviews with eight expert free-improvising musicians. The interviews focused on how the participants developed their creative skills, and offer insights into their learning processes. Thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews highlights three main learning modes: autodidactism, mentoring and learning in a social context. These areas of learning influenced conceptual and practical approaches to performance, and participants emphasised the importance of mentoring and group learning as critical elements in their becoming improvising musicians. The experiences of the interviewees reveal the socially constructed nature of musical development and creativity, and the nature of the social environments in which learning can take place.