Cognition in Jazz Improvisation: An Exploratory Study
David J. Mendonça, William A. Wallace · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · 2004
This research investigates thinking processes of duos of jazz improvisers in performance. Of particular interest are cognitive processes related to creativity and to reasoning about time, since both activities are fundamental to improvisation. Data sources are the group members' retrospective verbal protocols, collected after the performance of each tune. One result of this work is that cognition related to reasoning about time and creativity varied little either within or across groups, regardless of the type of tune being played. This result is further investigated by examining some of the statements from the protocols themselves.