The theory-heavy approach has seemed stranger to me the older I've gotten. Watching a lot of improvisational players in jazz and jazz-adjacent genres, a lot of

The theory-heavy approach has seemed stranger to me the older I've gotten. Watching a lot of improvisational players in jazz and jazz-adjacent genres, a lot of their playing seems to be "structural" (based on physically where certain notes are, and the direction they're moving in) rather than theory-based. Think "just hold the octave while walking this triad down chromatically" vs. a reasoned series of extended chord resolutions.