Musical improvisation is a form of expression built through technical skills, mastery of scales, chords, and rhythms, spontaneously but still bound by an agreed musical structure. One musical instrument that is quite closely related to song improvisation is the electric guitar, where this instrument emphasizes chord and melody playing. Blues is a genre that places the guitar as a primary element in the presentation of improvisation, although sometimes also alongside vocals, because blues emphasizes the concept of "call and response" in its musical form. Student perceptions of learning blues guitar improvisation are related to subjective views regarding the level of improvisation difficulty, the learning process, methods, and learning experiences that impact the development of the ability to play blues improvisation on the electric guitar instrument. To be able to describe each part of the electric guitar learning process that shapes these students' perceptions, the researcher chose to use a descriptive analysis method, which can provide an overview of the components that influence student perceptions in learning guitar improvisation. Guitar improvisation activities can utilize an audiation approach. This term refers to the theory put forward by Edwin E. Gordon through Music Learning Theory, emphasizing the importance of audiation, namely the ability to hear and understand music internally before expressing it. Guitar improvisation in blues music emphasizes audiation to help students predict and design musical phrases in a spontaneous yet structured manner. Improvisation in the blues context is not just technical skill, but also involves sensitivity, spontaneity, and the ability to respond to the musical flow in real time. Therefore, understanding students' perceptions is important because it can indicate the extent to which they are able to internalize the expressive elements of blues guitar playing.
Copyrights © 2026