Free Jazzing and Riffing

Originally posted in my old blog in September 2008

What is free jazzing? What is riffing? What’s the difference? How many contexts can they apply?
Fundamentally, free jazzing is more open ended and perhaps more spontaneous than riffing. I free jazz in speech when I start to put forth a theory about something without giving more than a micro-second of thought as to what I am going to say. Something deeply internal prompted me to start speaking without knowing where I am going and the concepts, words and sentences come out as if from somewhere else, with little or no conscious thought behind them.

Free-jazzing in music (typically jazz or some other improvisational style) is very similar in that anything played is perhaps relative to the thing just played, but maybe not. Beyond some fraction of an idea that was inspired from what came before (or not), there is no pre-determined or planned structure.

Riffing on the other hand is based on a previous idea or agreed-upon structure. I riff in speech when I get in the groove with the conversation style and play directly off ideas of others in the conversation. My statements are variations, clarifications or similar to the general style of the conversation.

Riffing in music is best seen in traditional jazz where a specific harmonic structure and melody is stated followed by solo variations that re-state, re-phrase, invert, or create any number of combinations of the original melody OR jump completely away from the original melody with new melodies based on patterns, scales or musical quotes that fit within the original harmonic structure of the tune. In the best of improvisational skills the spontaneous melodies created are consistent stylistically and theoretically throughout all solos.

Things are much more interesting of course when we combine free jazzing and riffing. Each has its own attraction and stimulation, but when they are mixed, whether in speech, writing, art, music or live comedy/theatre, they can be very powerful exercises in living in the moment.
Just don’t let free-jazzing devolve into gaffes or let riffing devolve into mindless, trite repetition. Use that familiar inner voice to guide either expression to its natural goal, whatever that is. Above all, be spontaneous!