Improvisation is the process of developing an observing ego. This ego learns to be without censorship. Rather it observes the notes, phrases, and concepts emanating from within. The "within" is the unconscious.
In the process, the ego, as a part of consciousness, begins to understand what comes out from the unconscious. As it does so, what comes out is altered - organized into themes and motifs.
These themes and motifs organize into pieces and songs that seemingly have lives of their own. The more respect one has for their natural nature, the more it adheres to Plato's Goodness, Truth, and Beauty.
These lives may exist within one performance never heard by any but the improvising composer, or they may repeat again and again, often in differing forms and contexts.
When the piece stops changing, it stops presenting itself to consciousness and effectively dies. Its death, more often than not, is characterized by an ever-decreasing frequency of presentation to consciousness.
At this point, it has been worked through. The lessons learned continue on in future pieces as well as the action and thoughts of the rest of the life of the composer.
Improvisation is self-analysis.
