The Neuroscience of Jazz Improvisation: The Intrinsic Neural Mechanisms, Neuroplasticity and Training, and Interpersonal Real-Time Coordination

Cixin Zhang

doi:10.54254/2753-7048/2026.HT30104

Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public MediaOpen access

The Neuroscience of Jazz Improvisation: The Intrinsic Neural Mechanisms, Neuroplasticity and Training, and Interpersonal Real-Time Coordination

Research Article

Open Access

The Neuroscience of Jazz Improvisation: The Intrinsic Neural Mechanisms, Neuroplasticity and Training, and Interpersonal Real-Time Coordination

Cixin Zhang ^1*

¹ Shanghai Starrier Bilingual School

^*Corresponding author: 18317090358@163.com

Published on 4 December 2025

LNEP Vol.122

ISSN (Print): 2753-7056

ISSN (Online): 2753-7048

ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-553-0

ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-554-7

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Abstract

To explore creative cognition in depth, the perspective that Jazz improvisation brings about turns out to be unique and interesting. Jazz improvisation implies real-time generation, instant evaluation, and immediate execution of novel musical creativity. In this review, the most updated neuroscientific research findings in three core sub-fields, intrinsic neural mechanisms, experience-driven neural plasticity, and interpersonal collaboration, are intensively discussed. Improvisations always involve complex brain networking rather than single reaction in an isolated region, where correlations of dynamic interactions among default modes, executive control, attention, sensory-motor, and reward systems occur at the same time. Interactions among these networks and schemes support the generation of spontaneous creativity, predictive motor planning, and sustained immersive experiences. It has also been discovered that long-term jazz training could lead to the enhancement of structural and functional neural plasticity, which strengthens the white matter pathways, like the arcuate fasciculus, and enhances connections between the prefrontal cortex and the premotor area, enabling professionals to convert internal intentions into smooth musical output. Brain synchronization scanning studies show that ensemble improvisation heavily relies on brain synchronization and error monitoring of predictions as well as emotional resonance, which implies that creativity could be an outcome derived from social processes. Despite of various ways of study have been applied in this area and a lack of long-term data, more and more evidence shows that improvisation is the result of adaptive neural cooperation formed through practice and interaction. This review puts forward a comprehensive framework for the understanding of neural mechanism of jazz improvisation and proposes that multi-model and ecologically valid methods should be applied in further research.

Keywords:

Jazz improvisation, Creative cognition, Default mode network, Neural plasticity, Auditory-motor integration

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References

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References

[1]. Melcher, D. and Piazza, M. (2023) Creative flow as optimized processing: Evidence from brain oscillations. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27(12), 1012–1024.

[2]. Limb, C.J. and Braun, A.R. (2008) Neural substrates of spontaneous musical performance: An fMRI study of jazz improvisation. The Neuroscientist, 14(5), 598–610.

[3]. Pinho, A.L., de Manzano, Ö., Fransson, P., Eriksson, H. and Ullén, F. (2014) The neuroscience of musical improvisation. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 46(1), 185–191.

[5]. Rosen, D., Kim, Y., Poeppel, D. and Kounios, J. (2020) Creativity as a distinct trainable mental state: An EEG study of musical improvisation. Scientific Reports, 10, 77613.

[9]. Vuust, P. and Witek, M.A.G. (2014) Rhythmic complexity and predictive coding: A novel approach to modeling groove. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1337, 125–131.

[10]. Lopata, J.A., Nowicki, E.A. and Joanisse, M.F. (2017). Creativity as a distinct trainable mental state: An EEG study of musical improvisation. Neuropsychologia, 99, 246–258.

Cite this article

Zhang,C. (2025). The Neuroscience of Jazz Improvisation: The Intrinsic Neural Mechanisms, Neuroplasticity and Training, and Interpersonal Real-Time Coordination. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,122,68-74.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

About volume

Volume title: Proceeding of ICSPHS 2026 Symposium: Critical Perspectives on Global Education and Psychological Development

ISBN: 978-1-80590-553-0(Print) / 978-1-80590-554-7(Online)

Editor: Nafhesa Ali, Enrique Mallen

Conference website: https://www.icsphs.org/Huntsville.html

Conference date: 15 January 2026

Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media

Volume number: Vol.122

ISSN: 2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

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