When I experience a great piece of art, I have a feeling of expansiveness. I am moved and touched, but less transcendently, I often have trouble understanding—on a visceral level—that another human being, or a few of them, just some other sacks of skin and bones, made up the thing that has me shivering, shuddering, and elated. It came from inside them. It didn’t exist, and then it did. They brought it to life.

I feel the same way when I hear an incredible improvisation. Most of the recorded musicians I return to again and again, however, learned to play their instruments and to understand music in a different way than me. Whether they received formal training in music theory or instrument technique or they play full-time in professional bands or they are immersed in a specific musical scene or tradition which has built and imbued its own rules.

If I want to learn how to improvise better, there are a million books about counterpoint and chord progressions I could read. There are scales I could learn and backing tracks I could play along to. There are masters I could imitate. But I’m interested in learning from my bandmates, people who—when the collective energy of the group is behind them—I have heard take expansive, head turning solos again and again, regardless of their musical experience.

With that framing, I am wondering if you would be willing to talk to me on camera about how you approach solo improvisation. I’m not sure just yet what final form this will take, but I’m writing to you because you are someone I want to learn from, and suspect others might want to as well. Whether you have training or not, your playing has presence, and I’d love to hear if there are any tactics you used to get yourself to solo in the first place or things you do to grow and challenge yourself as an improviser in an ongoing way. Are there mantras you repeat to yourself? Do you have a rule that you always accept a solo when asked? Do you have a specific note ready for certain songs? Or a riff? Do you try to imitate solos you’ve heard and loved?

Let me know what you think, and we can try to find a time.

warmly,

-s