>Why is it so hard for some people to accept the obvious fact that
>musicians improvise?? The old music is written in melody only. Not only
>can you vary the lower parts infinitely, you can actually find different
>chords that work for the same tune. And when you repeat a tune, you can
>change the chords!!
Perhaps it's because "traditional" is a pretty vague term. Some traditions
are more hidebound than others. I heard a piece on public radio the other
week about Basque immigrants teaching their language, dance, and music to
succeeding generations. One musician interviewed said that if he changed a
single note, all the dancers would stop dancing, stare at him, and tell him
to play it right. That wouldn't seem to leave much room for improvisation.
Did anyone else hear the same news item? Do you think the tradition is that
rigid, or were the dancers in question treating an acquired culture with
extra reverence?
Just curious,
Ellen James