New..

[Jae.]

Yeah i 'm new to all of this music stuff..

can somone please explain to me what ad libs exactly are ?

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

To do something Ad libitum means to do it freely and with no restrictions. So in music ad libbing is making it up on the spot.

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[Massive Master]

I have to admit, that's NOT one of those "over-asked" questions here...

 

[bennychico11]

So in music ad libbing is making it up on the spot.

actually.....i'd say that's more improvisation. i've always considered ad libbing is an embelishment of what is written (at least in music). so if you're holding a long note, you ornament it with a little fun diddly....ad libbing on the original composition.

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

actually.....i'd say that's more improvisation. i've always considered ad libbing is an embelishment of what is written (at least in music). so if you're holding a long note, you ornament it with a little fun diddly....ad libbing on the original composition.

I've always taken it to mean improv and used it in the same way although what you've described I would refer to as both ad libbing and improv also.

That funny diddly bit you describe is improvised and 'made up on the spot' after all.

Semantics can be a real pain can't they? , according to the original Latin meaning I think we're both right.

 

[bennychico11]

hahhah...very true. i guess both of the words are synonymous. i just think of jazz when i think of improvisation. the piano player says to the saxophonist "improvise over the B section, man!" you would hardly ever hear him say "adlib over the B section, man!"

i don't know. i guess they can mean two different things to two different people