BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
12789 / 18210 · Workshop 101 — Arrangement as a Generative System: Rules, Constraints, State Changes, and How to Design a Performance That Can Recreate Itself← prev⊞ allnext →

101.159Conceptual “Mack the Knife” system

Without reproducing copyrighted melody:

Identity

repeated-chorus escalation.

Rules
  • first chorus two-beat
  • walking cannot begin before second statement
  • each chorus adds or changes one major texture dimension
  • modulation occurs only after escalation is established
  • final chorus uses widest texture
  • coda recalls early cabaret sparseness

Now the arrangement can vary every performance while retaining the story.