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In this bachelor thesis, I am exploring vocal improvisation through analysis of three different scatsolos. I am reflecting on rhythmic, melodic and harmonic elements. I am also learning and writing Vocalese for all scatsolos. My ambition was to improve as an improviser. I am presenting some methods which have been useful in order to master the jazz vocabulary found in the scatsolos. I have also been recording with an ensemble while singing my own written Vocaleses. In the last part of the thesis, I have concluded that the three chosen scatsolos are different from each other. One include more arpeggios, while another contains more chromatic. One is more improvised “outside” the chord changes while another is more improvised “inside” the changes. Furthermore, I have concluded that learning and analyzing solos has resulted in a clear vision of how the chosen exercises can be helpful for me as an improviser. The exercises are presented in contexts that motivates their function. I think Call and response is the most effective way to develop improvisation skills. Moreover I conclude that writing my own Vocaleses made the process of learning the solos more motivating and profound since I used my own creativity!

Syftet med denna studie är att få inblick i musikers syn på traditionens och genrens påverkan och betydelse för det egna musicerandet. Jag har under min studietid blivit intresserad av att ta reda på hur genrer påverkar musikers musicerande och vilken betydelse det har för musikens utförande. Studien utgår från ett sociokulturellt perspektiv, vilket innebär att musicerande ses som en social aktivitet, där kunskap finns i kommunikation och de redskap som har växt fram i samhället. Datamaterialet består av kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra aktiva musiker. Resultatet visar att distinktionen genrer emellan inte nödvändigtvis behöver vara särskilt stor. Litteraturen i bakgrunden visar emellertid det motsatta. I litteraturen framställs jazzmusiker som gehörsmusiker som inte behöver ta så stor hänsyn till notbilden medan klassiska musiker anammar den med perfektionism. I min studie visar det sig att jazz- och klassiska musiker är lika beroende av traditionen, men hur verk tolkas och bearbetas är individuellt beroende av situation. Det visar sig vidare i studien att begreppet musikalisk frihet har olika betydelse för jazzmusiker än vad det har för klassiska musiker, det är upp till var och en att definiera vilken betydelse den musikaliska friheten har gentemot genren. När informanterna definierar sin respektive genre, förklarar de klassiska musikerna att klassisk musik förvisso är notbunden och studeras inom strikta ramar, men därmed inte sagt att musikerna måste definieras av sin genre, inte nödvändigtvis. En klassik musiker anses också vara experimentell gehörsmusiker, skriva sin egen musik eller improvisera på flera olika sätt. / The purpose of this study is to get an insight into what kind of influence and meaning traditions and genres has on musicians. I have, during my period of study, developed an interest in finding out how genres and traditions affect musician´s musical performances. The study originates from a socio-cultural perspective, which means that playing music is considered as a social activity where a great deal of knowledge comes from communication with other people. The data consists of qualitative interviews with four musicians. The result shows that the distinction between genres is not necessarily great. The background literature however proves the opposite. In the literature, jazz musicians are described as having a good musical ear; they do not pay that close attention to the written note, whilst classical musicians do the opposite. My study shows that jazz musicians and classical musicians are both equally dependent upon tradition, but the way they interpret music is individual and depends upon the situation. Furthermore, the study shows that the term musical freedom has a different meaning for a jazz musician than it has for a classical musician, but it is still up to musicians to define it for themselves within his or her genre. When the interviewees were asked to define their genre, the classical musicians answered that classical music is supposed to be played strictly the way it appears on sheet music within a clear framework, but genre does not always automatically shape a musician nor how they think as individuals.  A classical musician can, according to the result, also experiment and with a good musical ear compose their own music and improvise in many different ways.

Jag har länge tyckt att soundet från en stråke är häftigt. Det finns inspelningar med jazzstråk, men det är inte jättevanligt och jag undrade varför. Är det för att det finns för många svårigheter att hantera med stråken? Eller var det kanske så att det fanns massor med möjligheter som inte många tog vara på? Syftet i mitt arbete har varit att ta reda på vad det finns för möjligheter och svårigheter med att spela stråke på kontrabas i jazzmusik. I arbetsprocessen har jag valt ut låtar och spelat in dessa låtar med ett band bestående av trummor, el-gitarr, tenor saxofon och viola. Sedan har jag skickat låtarna till verksamma stråkbassister så att de kan kommentera och ge tips. Utifrån kommentarerna, tipsen och min egna analys av låtarna har jag gjort övningar som har gjort att jag på bättre sätt har kunnat ta vara på möjligheterna och hantera svårigheterna. De tankar jag hade i början av arbetet angående vad som skulle vara möjligheterna med stråken och vad som skulle vara svårigheterna har visat sig i vissa fall inte stämma alls, i vissa fall stämma delvis och i vissa fall stämde de helt. Ett exempel är att jag tänkte i början av arbetet att få till bra rytmer skulle vara en svårighet, dock visade sig rytmer även vara en möjlighet då man kan ha större rytmisk variation med stråken än med fingrarna eftersom man kan hålla ut en ton längre med stråken. / For a long time I have been thinking that the sound of a bowed tone is cool. There are recordings of music with jazz bowing, but it is not very common and I wondered why. Is it because there are too many difficulties with bowplaying? Or are there a lot of opportunities that only a few bass players take advantage of? The aim of my thesis is to figure out what the difficulties and the opportunities with bow playing on the double bass are in jazz music.  In my research process I have chosen a couple of songs, rehearsed and recorded them with a band including drums, guitar, tenor saxophone and viola. After each recording session, I sended the recordings to a couple of active bow playing bass musicians, which answered with comments and advices.  Based on the advices and my own analysis of the songs, I did exercises that taught me how to handle the difficulties and how to fully use the opportunities with bow playing in jazz music.  In the beginning of the project I had some thoughts about what the opportunities and difficulties would be. Some of the thoughts came out to be, in some cases incorrect, in some cases partly correct and in some cases fully correct.  An example is that, beginning my research I thought that playing rhythms with a bow would be difficult, but as it turned out, playing rhythms could also be an opportunity. I then could use more versatile rhythms than with my finger, since the bow allows me to hold a tone for a longer time.

The purpose of this essay is to inspire and find ways to incorporate different time signatures in jazz dance education. Through literature studies, a focus group and an own analysis leading up to the meeting with the focus group, I founded a base of knowledge, but also material to analyze. By comparing my different sources of information, I found that the different time signatures, have different qualities, but they are also affected by other factors such as the instruments, singing and how it is performed. During the meeting with the focus group, I also found that music and dance is personal and that feeling calm and secure with the music is important to be able to move freely to it. In the discussion I could see that there are a lot of ways that you can use different time signatures in jazz dance education. Some examples were to expand your musicality and musical knowledge, but also to highlight and use certain qualities in the different time signatures to develop your dynamic practice.