Ever wonder how exactly some people are able to improvise music? Musicians across the board have used improvisation for generations in order to impress, create, and express. It is basic in its concept, the spontaneous creation of music, but complex in the way that it works, and not very well understood. I came across this video of scientist, and musician Charles Lamb, who has recently begun to study the science of creativity. Using a functional MRI machine he is able to measure brain activity, and contrast activity between memorized and improvised performances. Specifically, he is studying jazz pianists, and rap free-stylists. This might seem boring, or stupid, science, whatever, but first off, Lamb is a great speaker and is really able to keep the audience, as well as the viewer, pretty engaged so props to that, and secondly, this study really is fascinating and I'm glad someone is taking the time to do it. In this age of technology and the assumed omnipresence of the human mind, we really do know very little about ourselves and the world around us. I was really impressed by this video, and I think anyone interested in the improvisation of music should take the time to understand, at least, the basics behind what is going on in the brain.
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