The topic of this audio is a subject I’ve spoken about with my peers as well as my students over the years. And that is the subject of composing.
You see, throughout musical history, the musician / performer was not only expected to be versed in various songs, but it was also expected that he/she would present new songs. Either for the enjoyment of the public or of the royal courts.
Royalty not only wanted to be entertained but they wanted to the symbol of culture in their respective kingdoms. Thus, the appearance of the court composer. This was usually a man hired to compose music to the King’s liking.
In days gone by, many European classical musicians composed music as well.
Today, most classically trained musicians don’t compose their own music nor are they expected to.
Today, jazz musicians don not only improvise but are also expected to at least be able to compose a simple blues. Many jazz musicians do a lot more than that.
Many jazz musicians have even become film and television composers as well as arrangers in the pop music world.
I’ve personally stressed on my improvising students the importance of being able to compose (at least) a blues tune. Understanding how to form a melody and develop it is key to improvisation.
The PDFs available at my Patreon page explain a very simple method as to how you can compose many Blues themes with very little material.