Improv Choir

At Improv Choir, we gather in a small group, and we sing. In some ways, it’s as simple as that! 

 

However, if you tell a group to start improvising, it can be chaotic. So we need some structure, some guidance. Paradoxically, more structure allows for more creativity. 

 

There are many ways to structure an improv session. Over the years I’ve spent leading improv groups and attending gatherings and workshops, I’ve come up with a structure that works. Here are some ground rules and ideas that help us improvise in a way that’s fun, sounds cool, and leaves the door open to magic. 

 

We make Music

Humans can make many different sounds with their voices. At Improv Choir, we stick to the musical ones. We sing notes and rhythms. This isn’t a hard rule, but ‌in general we aren’t making animal sounds, yelling, grunting, or anything like that. Not that those sounds are bad, it’s just not what we’re aiming for in this circle.

 

We do it Together

It’s possible to improvise by yourself in a room full of people who are also improvising by themselves. Yes, your improvisations will be slightly influenced by others in the room, but you can focus mainly on your internal experience. This is not what we want.

 

At Improv Choir, we relate to each other. That means a lot of listening and copying. If there were an audience in the room, we’d want to fool them into thinking we planned everything out. With enough listening and copying, we can create a cohesive piece of music together.

 

Mostly wordless

We break this rule sometimes. But usually we sing melodies, rhythms, and harmonies with no words. We sing with vowels, we hum, or we use simple syllables like “la” “doo” “bay”, etc.

 

Why? I find improvising with words to be a more advanced skill. It’s hard for me, so I don’t expect others to do it.

 

However, sometimes words enter our improvisations, and that can be the most magical moment of our time together. It adds a new layer of meaning to our music.

 

We use Repetition 

Repetition is a gift we give to the group. When we repeat something over and over, it allows others to join ‌us. They could sing the same thing we are singing. Or they could add harmony. Or they could create another repeating part that fits with our repeating part. 

 

When you think about it, most of the music we love is made up of repeating parts. Listen to the radio, and you’ll notice a drum pattern that repeats over and over, with small variations. The bass player and rhythm guitar player in a band often play a repeating sequence of chords. Even the singer of the band is singing repeating melodies, maybe with different lyrics.

 

When we improvise, we sometimes think we have to come up with new stuff at every moment. But repitition often serves the music best.

 

Copying

Copying is another beautiful gift you can give to the group. When you copy someone, you tell them you liked what they sang. You are relating to that person. 

 

Copying allows us to sing together. It’s such a great feeling when a group of improvisers start singing the exact same thing. Sometimes it’s a coincidence. But sometimes one person comes up with an idea, repeats it, and everyone else joins in.

 

This also makes our music sound cohesive. If a group of people all sing different things, the music can sound chaotic. But if a few people join together on a repeating part, and a few others join together on another repeating part, the music has structure and sounds good.

 

Example session

So, what do we do during an Improv Choir session? Every session is different, but here’s an example of a sequence of exercises we might do. 

 

1) Sing the same thing

Have you ever seen improv theatre people play a game where two people say the same thing at the same time? They have to talk slowly and read each other’s lips. 

 

We often start with this at Improv Choir, except we sing. We’ll pick a vowel, like “ooo” or “ahh”, and we’ll all sing the same note. Then, anyone in the group can change the note, and others have to follow. We create a melody as a group, with all of us singing the same thing. 

 

This gets us into the habit of listening and singing together. To play this game properly, you have to listen closely to the whole group to notice when someone changes the note.

 

2) Theme and Variation

Next, we’ll start with a simple theme. I’ll create a repeating melody, and the group will sing it over and over. When you get bored with the melody, you can vary it. You can add more notes, take away notes, change some of the notes, or sing something totally different for a few seconds. But you always come back to the theme. 

 

As a group, we never lose the theme, even though all of us are varying it in different ways, all at once. It’s amazing how interesting a piece of music can get, even though it’s only variations on one theme.

 

3) Two Themes

Then we’ll do the same thing, except with two themes. Two repeating parts that go together. One part might be more rhythmic, and the other might be more legato. 

 

We’ll make up two parts, and each half of the group will sing one of the parts. Then, everyone can vary the part they are singing, just like we did in Theme and Variation. 

 

4) Anyone can create a theme, at any time

Now, we’ll add a little more freedom. We might start with two repeating parts, but that’s just the beginning. At any point during the improvisation, anyone can create a new repeating part. Everyone is listening for new repeating parts to emerge, so they can copy. We try to stick to just two or three repeating parts at a time. And while you’re on a repeating part, you can also vary it.

 

At this point, magic can occur. There’s enough structure that it doesn’t sound chaotic, but there’s enough freedom that allows for unlimited possibilities.

 

5) Free improv, using everything we just learned

Nearing the end of an Improv Choir session, we get the idea. To improvise music together, we create repeating parts that others can copy, and we copy other people’s repeating parts. Now that we’ve practiced these skills, we can create really cool music. We can add meaning to the music by setting an intention before starting. We can add words. We have the perfect balance between structure and freedom.

 

Then we can add one more element: the solo. The word “solo” might bring to mind a rock and roll electric guitar player, showing off his abilities. At Improv Choir, we like to see solos differently. A solo is simply the part of the music that doesn’t repeat. It always changes. It’s not “showing off”, it’s just another element in the music, no more important than any of the others.

 

Solos work best when there is a bed of repetition underneath. Just like in a rock and roll song, the drums, bass, and rhythm guitar are all playing repeating parts, while the lead guitar player solos on top. If everyone in the band started soloing at the same time, it would sound chaotic.

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What's the point?

Good question. The magic that happens when a group is "in sync", "on the same wavelength", or "in the flow", is one of my favourite feelings. It's hard to describe.

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I'm sure neuroscientists have lots to say about this. I've heard the brain comes fully alive when we make music, especially when we're improvising, and especially when we're in community. It does good things to our hormones.

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But that's not why I do it. I improvise every day because I need to. I need to create. I start to go crazy if I don't. It brings me into the present moment, and stops my mind from running in circles. It's the most enjoyable way to meditate. Sometimes I just want to make music, but the perfect song for the moment doesn't exist. So I have to improvise.

 

It's a rare breed of human who has this need. If you're one of them, I hope you nurture this. Don't we need more people who can improvise? People who are comfortable in the unknown, who can come up with weird new ideas, who can turn off their inner critic for a while, and change direction in an instant? These qualities are useful for more than just music.