Impro-Visor (Improvisation Advisor) is an educational, music notation program designed to help musicians compose and hear solos similar to ones that might be improvised. It helps to musicians improve their understanding of tunes based on chord changes and solo construction. The software is particularly oriented towards jazz solos.
Use Impro-Vistor to create improvised solos, tunes, transcriptions, or bass lines in the form of lead sheets (chord symbols with melody). The software also generates styled accompaniment automatically from chord progressions, and provides a database for storing and retrieving licks. It creates new licks and full solos based on a user-modifiable grammar that can be learned from transcriptions.
Music information is stored as open text files.
Features include:
- Lead sheets and solos can be constructed through either point-and-click or using a plain text editor (one is provided, but any editor can be used).
- Automatic note coloration shows whether notes are consonant or dissonant with chords and scales.
- Chords may also be entered quickly through a “roadmap” editor, which also analyzes chord changes for implied keys and idiomatic progressions (“bricks”).
- Harmonic note entry option guides the user to select notes that are consonant with harmony. Similarly, transposition options provide chromatic or harmonic transposition.
- Solos or solo fragments can be played back immediately with automatic rhythm section accompaniment.
- Database capability for creating, saving, and recalling licks.
- Lick generation capability based on a user-modifiable grammar.
- Auto-generated playback accompaniment in various styles.
- Style extraction (from MIDI) capability.
- Chord-voicing tool.
- Leadsheet notation.
- Export solos and heads to MusicXML and as MIDI files.
- Musical knowledge, including lick generation, database, lead sheets, styles, and other information, is represented as text files, permitting the tool to be customized.
Website: www.cs.hmc.edu/~keller/jazz/improvisor
Support: FAQ
Developer: Bob Keller and other contributors
License: GNU General Public License v2.0
Impro-Visor is written in Java. Learn Java with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Return to Scorewriters | Return to Educational Music
| Popular series | |
|---|---|
 | The largest compilation of the best free and open source software in the universe. Each article is supplied with a legendary ratings chart helping you to make informed decisions. |
 | Hundreds of in-depth reviews offering our unbiased and expert opinion on software. We offer helpful and impartial information. |
 | Replace proprietary software with open source alternatives: Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Autodesk, Oracle, Atlassian, Corel, Cisco, Intuit, and SAS. |
 | Awesome Free Linux Games Tools showcases a series of tools that making gaming on Linux a more pleasurable experience. This is a new series. |
 | Machine Learning explores practical applications of machine learning and deep learning from a Linux perspective. We've written reviews of more than 40 self-hosted apps. All are free and open source. |
 | New to Linux? Read our Linux for Starters series. We start right at the basics and teach you everything you need to know to get started with Linux. |
 | Alternatives to popular CLI tools showcases essential tools that are modern replacements for core Linux utilities. |
 | Essential Linux system tools focuses on small, indispensable utilities, useful for system administrators as well as regular users. |
 | Linux utilities to maximise your productivity. Small, indispensable tools, useful for anyone running a Linux machine. |
 | Surveys popular streaming services from a Linux perspective: Amazon Music Unlimited, Myuzi, Spotify, Deezer, Tidal. |
 | Saving Money with Linux looks at how you can reduce your energy bills running Linux. |
 | Home computers became commonplace in the 1980s. Emulate home computers including the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, ZX81, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum. |
 | Now and Then examines how promising open source software fared over the years. It can be a bumpy ride. |
 | Linux at Home looks at a range of home activities where Linux can play its part, making the most of our time at home, keeping active and engaged. |
 | Linux Candy reveals the lighter side of Linux. Have some fun and escape from the daily drudgery. |
 | Getting Started with Docker helps you master Docker, a set of platform as a service products that delivers software in packages called containers. |
 | Best Free Android Apps. We showcase free Android apps that are definitely worth downloading. There's a strict eligibility criteria for inclusion in this series. |
 | These best free books accelerate your learning of every programming language. Learn a new language today! |
 | These free tutorials offer the perfect tonic to our free programming books series. |
 | Linux Around The World showcases usergroups that are relevant to Linux enthusiasts. Great ways to meet up with fellow enthusiasts. |
 | Stars and Stripes is an occasional series looking at the impact of Linux in the USA. |