Jazz Pianist Chick Corea tried to understand Composer Béla Bartók‘s „game“ to create his own music.

Here is Chicks quote:

„Sometimes when I listen to great composers and players, I will be inspired to compose something. Rather than listening to the actual notes and sounds, I try and trace back the intention and spiritual game that the creator of that music was into when he was making it. I can see different kinds of games that composers will play with their tools. Maybe I try the same game and, for sure, the notes and sounds will come out completely different, although the game is the same.

For example, I’ve been a fan and student of Bartok‘s string quartets for years. There is a certain game that Bartok seems to play when he wrote those quartets. Part of the game, I think, was trying to make a string quartet sound like an improvisation. He was having things flow very linearly without a lot of attention to harmonic and melodic rules which existed before it in music. Through the game, he was able to transcend any previous rules of melody, harmony and rhythm and get into a pure flow from himself. I‘ve composed all kinds of different things using that game.“

Chick Corea, composer & pianist

Who‘s GAME could you try to understand to find your own ideas?