Tonal duo improvisation

This is not an exercise as such, but a truly improvised short piece for violin and piano, using a musical idiom that reminds of nineteenth-century styles. The pianist starts an accompaniment, the violinist joins with a melodic theme. Nothing is agreed upon in advance, except for the key: both melody and accompaniment are improvised. Tonal harmony tends to follow specific patterns, and the piano accompaniment is strongly guiding the violinist. But exactly which harmonic progressions are chosen, and how they are arranged, depends on the possibilities offered by the melody of the violinist. His melodic gestures create expectations as well, resulting in the accompanist choosing for one of the harmonic options available at a specific moment. In this way the improvisation really is an ongoing process of giving and taking.