abstract: This project sheds light on trombonist Andy Martin's improvisation and provides tools for further learning. A biographical sketch gives background on Martin, establishing him as a newer jazz master. Through the transcription and analysis of nine improvised solos, Martin's improvisational voice and vocabulary is deciphered and presented as a series of seven thematic hooks. These patterns, rhythms, and gestures are described, analyzed, and presented as examples of how each is used in the solos. The hooks are also set as application exercises for learning jazz style and improvisation. These exercises demonstrate how to use Martin's hooks as a means for furthering one's own improvisation. A full method for successful transcription is also presented, along with the printed transcriptions and their accompanying information sheets. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2013

Syftet med studien är att belysa musikpedagogers upplevelser av improvisation i sinundervisning, samt hur de arbetar med improvisation i pedagogiska situationer.Utgångspunkten i studien var de möjligheter som finns med improvisation som strategi förlärande och de tankar som förekommer huruvida improvisationen kräver någraförkunskaper eller ej.För att nå ämnets syfte har kvalitativa narrativa intervjuer genomförts med sexinformanter som är verksamma musikpedagoger. De utvalda pedagogerna arbetar medimprovisation främst i gymnasieskolan men även i kulturskolan. Studien riktar sig varkentill något specifikt instrument eller specifik genre. Resultatet presenteras i form av tioteman: Att erhålla frihet; Att erfara vardaglig instinkt; Att uttrycka sig idiomatiskt; Attutgå från den musikaliska verktygslådan; Att behärska musikens hantverk; Att hindras avsjälvkritik och rädsla; Att vara spontan; Att greppa improvisationens värld; Att upplevagenom lyssning; Att följa till kunskap. Dessa teman skildrar innebörder av pedagogernasupplevelser av improvisation i undervisning. Resultatet reflekteras över med hjälp avbland annat Stenströms (2009) begrepp fri/idiomatisk improvisation och hur den kankopplas till genrekännedom; Nachmanovitch (2010) spirituella syn av improvisation;Berkowitz (2014) syn av genreorienterade improvisation; samt von Wachenfeldts (2015)avpassning av den mimetiska processen.

Nous souhaitons penser l’improvisation théâtrale « libre » dans une continuité de nature avec le théâtre à deux temps. L’improvisation théâtrale s’est en effet déterminée au cours des quarante dernières années comme un champ à part, avec son histoire et ses règles propres. En nous consacrant à l’improvisation « libre », nous considérons une improvisation qui ne fait pas intervenir a priori de structure d’ensemble, de règles formelles ou stylistiques, qui laisse aux improvisateurs la responsabilité de les déterminer eux-mêmes. Si ce type d’improvisation est courant en musique ou en danse, il reste rare ou ponctuel au théâtre. C’est à travers la notion d’acteur-créateur, telle que l’ont définie Alain Knapp et le Théâtre-Création, que nous la retrouvons. Ce groupe (Lausanne, 1968–1975) a été l’un des premiers en Europe à produire des spectacles improvisés sur des thèmes proposés parle public. Alain Knapp, en héritier de Brecht, nous aide à penser un acteur-créateur qui se distingue de l’improvisateur contemporain par son autonomie créatrice, et par l’attention qu’il porte à l’inscription de ses actes artistiques dans un contexte et une histoire. Revenant à aujourd’hui, nous réinvestissons cette notion d’acteur-créateur à travers celle de performativité. Un ensemble d’expériences et un laboratoire de recherche-action centré sur les perspectives (viewpoints) nous permettent de développer une conception pratique de l’improvisation comme étude d’un contexte par un répertoire. Enfin, ayant explicité quelle liberté est à l’oeuvre dans l’improvisation « libre »et comment la reconnaître, nous décrivons le continuum qui relie cette dernière à la représentation verrouillée. / We want to think of free-improvisation in theater in a continuity with traditional theatre. Theatrical improvisation has indeed grown over the last forty years as a separate field, with its ownrules and history. By dedicating ourselves to free-improvisation, we concentrate on an improvisation that does not involve a preconceived overall structure, or formal or stylistic rules, which leaves improvisers with the responsibility to decide them on the spot. Whereas common in music and dance, free-improvisation is rare or occasional in theatre. It is approached through the notion of actor-creator, as it was defined by Alain Knapp and the Théâtre-Création. This group (Lausanne,1968-1975 ) was one of the first in Europe to perform improvised plays on themes proposed by the audience. Drawing a lot from Brecht, Alain Knapp’s actor-creator has a creative autonomy and pay great detail to the way his artistic acts are inscribed in a given background and history.This distinguishes him from contemporary improvisers. Back to the present, we renew the notion of actor-creator through performativity. A set of experiments and a laboratory focused on Mary Overlie’s Viewpoints allow us to develop a practical approach to improvisation as a study of a context through a repertoire. Finally, having explained which idea of liberty is at work in free-improvisationand how to recognize it, we describe a continuum that connects it to set performances.

Mitt intresse för soloimprovisation kom när jag för några år sedan såg en video på YouTube med en trummis som heter Joey Baron. I klippet spelar han en solokonsert på cirka 40 minuter. Det gjorde att jag själv ville utforska improvisation. Syftet med mitt examensarbete har varit att utveckla och sammanställa övningsstrategier för soloimprovisation på trumset. Detta för att kunna bli en bättre improvisatör med fler verktyg än vad jag hade innan och få bättre förståelse för trumsetet som instrument. Jag har utforskat trumsetets olika sound, orkestrering och melodiska möjligheter genom övningar som jag har hittat på internet eller fått av lärare. Det hela mynnade ut i en solokonsert som hölls den 23 februari 2017 i Piteå.

Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka hur olika typer av instruktioner kan strukturera, påverka och bidra till fri musikalisk improvisation i ensemble och vilka olika typer av instruktioner som kan användas. Det utforskar också hur olika slags instruktioner påverkar den fritt improviserade musiken och hur de påverkar musikernas sätt att improvisera, individuellt och kollektivt. I arbetet undersöks frijazzens historiska bakgrund och hur den här typen av fri improvisation med instruktioner har bedrivits tidigare. Utifrån denna undersökning så skapades tre skrivna instruktioner. Dessa instruktioner användes sedan för att spela in tre fria improvisationer, som senare gavs titlarna Tid, Jazz och Kunskap. De tre inspelningarna analyserades musikaliskt och musikerna blev intervjuade om hur de upplevde inspelningen. Resultatet visade hur instruktioner kan påverka improviserad musik och hur den här typen av instruktionsbaserad fri improvisation kan både begränsa och inspirera kreativiteten hos dess framförare. Det visade också den stora mängden möjligheter som finns för att skapa den här typen av instruktioner och musik i framtiden, och hur frijazzens kulturella kontext har förändrats sen dess uppkomst.

This thesis discloses how I explored free improvisation through minimalism and composition.  My initial aims were to merge minimalism with free improvisation. I wanted to combine the hypnotic and meditative effect of the former with the co-creative aspect and element of surprise of the latter. In continuing experiments together with fellow musicians, I tried out different kinds of composing for improvisers, focusing on for instance repetition and motivic development. Experiments were recorded and reflected upon throughout.  However, halfway into my studies I wanted to focus more on co-creation in-the-moment and therefore left composing behind, but instead used my compositions as practice tools for free improvisation. At this pivotal part of the process, new challenges regarding “improvisation vs. composition” emerged. These were overcome thanks to a change of mindset.  As a result of these studies, I expanded my vocabulary as improviser, for instance a creative use of repetition, a broader range of interaction and a deeper understanding of free improvisation in general.

This master thesis is an artistic exploration into the meaning of the word modal, when describing a certain approach to improvisation and composition in a jazz context, and the attempt to pursue and develop such an approach. The purpose of this work was to gain new knowledge within the areas of melodic and harmonic expression, by means of drawing upon personal musical strengths and ways of thinking about music. Suggestions on how to define a modal approach and what to associate it with, lead to artistic experimentation, which was an important part of both the early and late stages of the process. Such experimentation in regard to mapping out shifts between different modalities, resulted in the creation of a harmonic structure referred to as the Yin and Yang system. This system was then used as a tool for composing and arranging music for jazz quartet and quintet settings. Harmonic progression generated by the system possesses a characteristic sound and invites non-functional melodic improvisation, which were the traits that the repertoire of new music was built around. Work with the Yin and Yang system and the music connected to it, amounted to the largest part of this thesis.

In this thesis, I have studied other instrumentalists (not drummers) vocabulary and tonal language, to find out how it can be translated on the drum kit, and how it affects my improvisation. The purpose is to include these transcriptions in my improvisation and investigate whether they have any impact on my vocabulary. I transcribed solos that included stretched phrases, legato or other elements that I am not familiar with. The important aspect was that these phrases had a strong relation to a pulse. During the process I discovered that the transcriptions led to interesting drum exercises. These exercises were very helpful to work on elements like stretching which is not common for me on the drum kit. I worked with these transcriptions by myself in the practice room, and together with an ensemble. The transcribing did not have any major results to my improvisation. The biggest impact on my improvisation was the melodic influence. The transcriptions made me find new ways to explore orchestration and choose different sound sources on the drum kit. / <p>Jack Aprat – piano</p><p>Oskar Nilsson Bettinsoli – gitarr</p><p>Hampus Westin – elbas</p><p>Isabel Berglund – sång</p><p>Alexander Falkebring – vibrafon</p><p>Jonas Liljeberg – tenorsaxofon</p><p>Axel Nilsson - trummor </p>

In this thesis, I examined how practicing and studying musical motifs affect a jazz musician’s way of improvising.   The main purpose was to investigate how I could get away from old habits and discover new paths in my improvisations with the help of repetition and withholding of ideas.    In the project, I transcribed some of my musical heroes and analyzed their solos on different recordings. I developed ways of practicing with the transcribed material to get motivic development into my playing. I also did a lot of active listening to recordings in search for other musicians’ ways of using musical motifs. During the concert, I played my compositions and compositions written by other musicians. I transcribed and analyzed specific parts from the concert to hear my development.     Practicing and transcribing led to an overall understanding of the concept of motivic development. The actual progress was made through focused listening to recordings and committing to a specific part of improvisation for a more extended amount of time. / <p>Kalle Johansson - Piano</p><p>Olle Lannér Risenfors - Bas</p><p>Johan Förnell - Trummor</p><p>Floater - Carla Bley</p><p>Tautology - Lee Konitz</p><p>Jigsaw - Kalle Johansson</p><p>Cheryl - Charlie Parker</p><p>Ned - Kalle Johansson</p><p>Grew - Kalle Johansson</p>

This thesis is part of the result from an explorative venture into understanding how saxophone multiphonics can be used as tools for improvisation and composition. The focus lies partly on how I found these sounds, personalized them and incorporated them into my artistic language, but more importantly, this is an attempt of thinking through art by letting the experience gained from making creative use of accidental occurrences affect future experience in an open-ended artistic process. This is done in two acts, solo-playing and duo-playing. With the solo-playing I listen for what these sounds suggest in themselves, and through this, create open compositions that are embracing their elusive nature. The duo-playing searches for sounds within sounds in a sonic map, constructed from a co-creative artistic process that allows us to zoom in on details, experience deep and spectral listening through vertical musical motion. Apart from the written words and the compositions, the artistic results consist of several recordings, presented and discussed throughout the text together with connected concepts and contexts revolving around saxophone multiphonics, composition and improvisation. / <p>Komposition: Sonic Map</p><p>Kompositörer: David Bennet &amp; Vilhelm Bromander </p><p>Medverkande: David Bennet, Saxofon. Vilhelm Bromander, Kontrabas </p><p>Konserten är inspelad och bifogas med det skriftliga arbetet. </p>