Thirteen original transcriptions and subsequent analysis of improvised solos performed by Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. The transcriptions are analyzed in three categories: harmonic vocabulary, technical devices, and motivic use. Pervasive harmonic and melodic themes are presented and compared with phrases from improvisers such as Sonny Rollins and Charlie Parker, as well as compositions by J.S. Bach and Johannes Brahms. Observations from the transcriptions regarding performance practice and techniques unique to Pedersen as well as the influence of the physical characteristics of the double bass are discussed. Pedersen's use of motivic development within a single solo is analyzed.

The purpose of this project is to use different improvisational and compositional methods to compose music for a duo, trio, and a quartet. The goal is to explore the possibilities of each setting regarding the different improvisational methods and if it has an impact on decision making as an improviser. One of the factors of changing the setting is the possibilities of the various roles of each musician in each arrangement.   The combination of the ensembles:  Duo: Tenor saxophone and drums. Trio: Tenor saxophone, drums, and bass. Quartet: Tenor saxophone, drums, bass, and guitar.  Three improvisational methods will be compared to each other:  Improvisation through a melody, without written chords.  Improvisation over a traditional form: Melody – solos over written chords – melody.  Collective improvisation.  Compositional methods: Open arrangements. Using the main instrument to compose.  There will be a discussion about the different roles of the musicians in each setting and how the roles may affect the arrangements in various ways. One of the factors is to avoid the common roles as an accompanist and a melody instrumentalist in each setting. Two of the settings do not include a chord instrument and that will lead to a certain role for me as a saxophonist along with the different roles of the rhythm section. There were six rehearsals planned in total, followed by an examination concert in Nathan Milsteinsalen, Kungl. Musikhögskolan on February 23rd. / <p>Björgvin Ragnar Hjálmarsson - Tenorsaxofon</p><p>Bjarni Már Ingólfsson - Gitarr</p><p>Johan Tengholm - Kontrabas</p><p>Henrik Jäderberg - Trummor</p>

This paper analyzes composer Aaron Cassidy’s 2014-2016 ensemble work The wreck of former boundaries, focusing on Cassidy’s compositional approach to sonically simulating interactive modes and sonic ideals featured prominently in mid-20th century recordings of free jazz artists such as Albert Ayler (Bells [1965]) and John Coltrane (Ascension [1965]). Because these musical conventions can be heard as socio-political simulacra in and of themselves, I argue that Wreck’s sonic simulations dissimulate the anti-hegemonic implications of the sound of free jazz, depicting spontaneous, hetero-original confrontations with socio-political constraint as symbolic and insubstantial. In my conclusion I argue that while an apparitional circulation of free jazz simulacra seems to de-politicize free jazz musical conventions, Wreck can be understood more precisely as critically analyzing the history of revolution. Heard through the interpretive lens of a broader history of hegemonic improvisations that absorb and displace open expressions of political defiance, Wreck appears to pessimistically reimagine free jazz as a novel form of symbolic, musical constraint.

In my master’s project I investigated an interdisciplinary musical practice based on my artistic and educational background in art, music and philosophy. I chose one concept per discipline: non-idiomatic improvisation from the field of music, the non-productive attitude from art, and pluralist aesthetics from philosophy. I used the three concepts to find materials for my project: both musical materials, for example live improvisation and recordings, and non-musical materials, for example photographs and texts. The materials I found made up the components of a performative piece of music and became musical through contextualisation and metaphor. The photographs, recordings and texts were collected from different periods in my life and represented my interests, relations and values during my different educations. The ensemble that I assembled to perform the music consisted of people that were close to me on both a personal and professional level to emphasise that the music was based on my educational background and personal narrative. Initially I was less interested in the sonorous outcome of my project and I would have accepted it based solely on its interdisciplinary motivations. During my studies I realised that involving musical parameters to a greater extent enhanced the interdisciplinary and non-musical aspects of my project. An important learning outcome of my project was that focusing on the musical particularities of my artistic practice strengthened its interdisciplinary character. This is something that I wish to investigate further as a continuation of this project. / <p>Seduced by (a) last year (Larsson 2020) </p><p>Andreas Hiroui Larsson: composition, cymbals, drums, text, and voice</p><p>Johan Jutterström: saxophone, speaker, USB, and voice</p><p>Johanna Arve: beamer, speaker, USB, and voice</p>

Cette thèse propose l’introduction de scénarios temporels pour guider ou composer l’improvisation musicale homme-machine. Ce travail étudie la dialectique entre planification et réactivité dans les systèmes interactifs dédiés à l’improvisation : des systèmes informatiques pouvant générer de la musique en relation directe avec le contexte produit par une situation de concert. On cherche ici à appréhender l'improvisation pulsée et dite « idiomatique ». En s’appuyant sur l’existence d’une structure formalisée antérieure à la performance dans de nombreux répertoires improvisés (une « grille d’accords » par exemple) ces travaux proposent : un modèle d’improvisation guidée par un « scénario » introduisant des mécanismes d’anticipation ; une architecture temporelle hybride combinant anticipation et réactivité et permettant la synchronisation du rendu multimédia avec une pulsation non métronomique ; et un cadre pour composer des sessions d’improvisation idiomatique ou non à l’échelle du scénario en exploitant la généricité des modèles. Ces recherches ont été menées en interaction constante avec des musiciens experts, en intégrant pleinement ces collaborations au processus itératif de conception des modèles et architectures. Ceux-ci ont été implémentés dans le système ImproteK, utilisé à de nombreuses reprises lors de performances avec des improvisateurs. Au cours de ces collaborations, les sessions d'expérimentations ont été associées à des entretiens et séances de réécoute afin de recueillir de nombreuses appréciations formulées par les musiciens pour valider et affiner les choix technologiques. / This thesis focuses on the introduction of authoring and controls in human-computer music improvisation through the use of temporal scenarios to guide or compose interactive performances, and addresses the dialectic between planning and reactivity in interactive music systems dedicated to improvisation. An interactive system dedicated to music improvisation generates music on the fly, in relation to the musical context of a live performance. We focus here on pulsed and idiomatic music relying on a formalized and temporally structured object, for example a harmonic progression in jazz improvisation. The same way, the models and architecture we developed rely on a formal temporal structure. This thesis thus presents: a music generation model guided by a ''scenario'' introducing anticipatory behaviors; an architecture combining this anticipation with reactivity using mixed static/dynamic scheduling techniques; an audio rendering module to perform live re-injection of captured material in synchrony with a non-metronomic beat; and a framework to compose improvised interactive performances at the ''scenario'' level. This work fully integrated frequent interactions with expert musicians to the iterative design of the models and architectures. These latter are implemented in the interactive music system ImproteK that was used at various occasions during live performances with improvisers. During these collaborations, work sessions were associated to listening sessions and interviews to gather numerous judgments expressed by the musicians in order to validate and refine the scientific and technological choices.

In seeking to further exploration on the relationship between jazz improvisation and creativity, this study describes the pedagogical beliefs and practices utilized by jazz educators for the teaching of improvisation as a creative process. Improvisation has been an integral feature of the jazz performance tradition for well over a century. However, the field of creativity studies has only recently come to recognize improvisation as a site for the creative process. While the jazz performance tradition has traditionally operated with a more collaborative and community-based pedagogical model based on various playing opportunities such as apprenticeships and participation at local jam sessions, the growth of jazz courses and degree programs has raised questions on the efficacy of current teaching practices within academia. The following central research question guided this study: What is the relationship between jazz improvisation and creativity? A qualitative methodology served as a theoretical underpinning for framing two supportive research questions: (1) What pedagogical beliefs do jazz educators hold in how they conceptualize improvisation as a creative process? (2) What are the pedagogical practices utilized by jazz educators in teaching improvisation as a creative process? This study utilized Moustakas’ transcendental, phenomenological research design and defined the phenomenon as the process of teaching jazz improvisation. Seven expert jazz educators situated in a variety of teaching contexts throughout Northern California were selected as participants using purposeful, snowball sampling strategies. Twenty themes emerged and were organized through four features of improvised music found across a variety of genres: creative, spontaneous, social, and accessible. These findings challenge de-socialized ways of teaching and learning creativity and add to the knowledge base on the teaching beliefs and practices of jazz educators within the fields of creativity, jazz, and music education. In providing valid data through semi-structured interviews, observations of the participants in a teaching context, and documents such as syllabi, student handouts, and music recordings, this study is intended to inform jazz educators and academics of the importance of collaborative, fully-immersed learning opportunities for the development of the skills needed for jazz improvisation.

L'objectif général de cette recherche est d'élaborer un processus d'apprentissage d'accompagnement au piano jazz, dans le but de concilier mes deux instruments : le piano, de formation classique, et ma voix, entraînée au style jazz principalement. Elle fait état de mon parcours dans ma quête vers la synthèse de mes connaissances et le développement de ma personnalité artistique à travers la création jazz contemporaine. Celle-ci m'a menée vers l'étude de pianistes chanteurs modèles dont j'ai écouté et transcris la musique. Je me suis interrogée à savoir en quoi la transcription de chanteurs pianistes accompagnateurs peut influencer ma relation voix et piano à travers mes créations. Je suis allée plus loin dans ma compréhension grâce à l'étude de manuels théoriques, de cours maître/élève et de tutoriels. De là, j'ai pu déceler certains types de jeux majeurs en jazz pour l'accompagnement au piano de chanteurs. J'ai réuni ces types d'accompagnement en une typologie qui m'a servie tout au long de mon parcours de création. Dans ma pratique quotidienne, j'ai utilisé la recherche-action, qui se traduisait comme un processus itératif de développement - réflexion - correction. La relation entre mes deux instruments est devenue de plus en plus fusionnelle, créant ainsi un contrepoint polyphonique. Au fil des répétitions quotidiennes, j'ai apporté des modifications à mes créations comme le contrepoint entre la voix piano évoluait en un contrepoint polyphonique circulaire. En groupe, j'ai pu parfaire l'ensemble de mes œuvres, comptant cinq compositions et cinq arrangements originaux. Finalement, des similitudes qui unissent mes œuvres sont apparues, faisant émerger les caractéristiques de ma personnalité artistique. Cette recherche est une invitation aux vocalistes à s'auto-accompagner.

<p>Petter Norbäck - Skin I, Skin II, Skin III</p><p>Video: Lull livekonsert. Medverkande: Petter Norbäck, elektronik; Ivana Dida, piano, elektronik.</p>

Ce mémoire présentera formellement trois pièces représentatives de mon parcours au programme de maîtrise en composition et création sonore. Le thème de la présentation de ces pièces est Le compositeur-interprète : l’influence de l’interprétation et de l’improvisation sur le procédé de la composition. Les pièces seront présentées dans une forme d’analyse formelle avec explications d’influences retrouvées en dehors de la musique classique. Les pièces ne seront pas présentées dans leurs ordres chronologiques de composition mais dans un ordre qui démontre une évolution vers un style de composition que j’espère personnel et original. / This dissertation will formally present three pieces that best represent my time in the Masters in Instrumental Composition program. The theme presented by the use of these pieces is The composer-performer: the influence of performing and improvising on the process of composing. The pieces will be formally analyzed and contain explanations of the non-classical influences shown in them. They will not be presented in a way that shows their chronological order of composition but in a manner I hope shows the evolution of a personal and original style of composition.

The purpose of this research study was to explore the impact of virtual character design on user emotional experience and user behavior in a simulated environment. With simulation training increasing in popularity as a tool for teaching social skills, it is essential that social interactions in virtual environments provide authentic opportunities for practice (Swartout et al., 2006). This study used Interactive Performance Theory (Wirth, 2012) to examine the effect of designing a virtual buddy character with ineffective traits instead of effective or expert traits. The sample population for this study (n = 145) consisted of first year university students enrolled in courses in the fall of 2013 at the University of Central Florida. Data on participant emotional experience and behavior were collected through questionnaires, researcher observations, and physiological signal recording that included participant heart rate and galvanic skin response. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variances (MANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance, and qualitative thematic coding of participant verbal behavior and written responses. Results of the analysis revealed that participants who interacted with an ineffective virtual buddy character had statistically significant higher averages of verbal statements to the antagonist in the simulated environment and statistically significant lower perceptions of antagonist amiability than participants who interacted with an effective virtual buddy. Additionally, participants who interacted with a virtual buddy of the opposite gender gave statistically significant higher ecological validity scores to the simulated environment than participants who interacted with a virtual buddy of the same gender. Qualitative analysis also revealed that participants tended to describe the female buddy character with more ineffective traits than the male buddy character even though effective and ineffective design conditions were equally divided for both groups. Further research should be conducted on the effect of virtual buddy character design in different types of simulation environments and with different target audiences.