The complexity of improvisation

SLIDES    

Abstract. Music is everywhere in human social activities, and is ubiquitous in all societies. Some people claim it’s utter universality - while others posit that the relationship with music is a highly subjective. Regardless of genre or preference, though, some types of musical experiences tend to engage audiences in unexpected – but similar – ways. Musical improvisation, solo or in an ensemble, is one of those experiences - changing our brains, our physical embodiment, and our relatioship to others, both when listening and creating it. But how and why? In this talk, I will present some aspects of musical improvisaton from the interdisciplinary perspective of complexity science. I will show that improvisation can be better undestood when seen from the perspective of emergence. First, I will take a tour of the entropic brain hypothesis, in order to present the effects of improvisation on the brain; then a little detour on the relationship between fractals, information theory, music and creativity; and finally, I will talk about the social and physical effects of music onto an audience, and how improvisation changes the way we move, synchronise with others, and improves how we perceive collective experience.

Presented at Deezer research, Paris, France.

When: 01 Oct 2024, 16:00
Where: Invited talk at Deezer research, Paris, France