This study examines the improvisational strategies of eight professional Swedish jazz horn players as they navigate unexpected musical situations. Each musician participated in two 8-minute studio recordings, accompanied by pre-recorded bass and drums, with the study’s author on piano. The first recording required the musician to improvise without prior preparation, while the second used the same background but with the chords provided. The musical structure included modal rubato sections and up-tempo passages featuring a more complex chord progression.

The musicians’ performances were transcribed using specialized software, and the transcriptions were analyzed in interviews utilizing stimulated recall to explore their decision-making processes. Results indicate that many musicians rely on aural perception, while others employ idiomatic playing, as well as “inside” and “outside” playing techniques to navigate musical challenges. The identified strategies were then structured to understand better how musicians react in real-time. None of the participants perceived open-ended improvisation as difficult; rather, they found it engaging and stimulating. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of jazz improvisation and the cognitive strategies employed by experienced musicians in spontaneous musical interactions.