Zugl.: Diplomarbeit

In this essay I tell my story on how I created my debut album ”Efterskalv” with my band Ingo. I describe the entire process, from the first song ideas to the released CD.  The group started as a school project, where I had a vision of creating a group that could play my music. I wanted a sound that could be described as Swedish popjazz, influenced by Swedish bands like Klabbes Bank and E.S.T. I wanted the group to be well-rehearsed and its members to be comfortable with each other to set a good foundation for working together, in order to lift the energy of the music to the next level. I wanted to write Swedish lyrics, as opposed to English lyrics, as I felt I could express myself better that way.  I present my band members, all of whom studied at KMH with me. I chose Tobias Johansson on the piano, Mauritz Agnas on double-bass, Tobhias Gräns on drums, Hampus Adami on the trombone and Jonathan Stribrny on the trumpet. The musicians started out not knowing each other very well but have over time grown into a tight group, all contributing to the music with their own style and thoughts. I give an insight in my composing process. The first ideas to a song, being mostly melodic in the beginning of my songwriting days, have now become more rhythmic and harmonic. Sometimes starting only with a lyric and creating music from there. I give an idea of where the inspiration to the songs came from, and how I worked to get to a finished song with form and arrangements for the horn section. I then tell a bit about the rehearsal process and how that affected the music, playing live and getting feedback from more experienced musicians and from the audience, and finally recording the album over two days. After that I give a description on how the mixing and the mastering process went as well as the work leading up to the release in terms of booking and marketing. I finish by reflecting on the result – how it turned out compared to my expectations and comparing how the songs sound on the recording to how they sound live. I give examples of what could have been done better, most of which would have been solved with more time and money. I conclude that the record is a reflection of myself, vibrant, filled with emotions and straight-forward.

During this project I have studied piano music by Franz Schubert (1797-1828) to thereafter use a couple of his harmonic structures as a foundation for composing music for piano trio. To write music that encourages improvisation and interaction between the band members has been a central focus while the broad goal of the project has been to develop myself as a musician and person. The project started in the fall of 2017, a senior recital was performed in Lilla Salen at KMH the 28th of February and was followed by time for reflection which can be found documented in my paper.             Something I wanted to try with this project was to create according to a partially predetermined method. I wanted Schubert’s music to have an impact on my compositions and from there I decided to transcribe harmonic structures on four of his works to rework these into new compositions. I hoped that this method would bring a forward motion to the work and in retrospect I believe it did. Composing with a few guidelines contributed with a sense of comfort to the process and made me stay on track through passages of low inspiration.             Reflecting on my work I feel that it became a good closure to my studies at KMH. A hybrid process showcasing different musical expressions, skills and sides to my personality with a work method that felt exciting. / <p>Examenskonsert</p>

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In ”Gå på feeling – att ta det osäkra före det osäkra” guitar player Simon Löfstedt investigates intuitive musical composition with the guitar in focus. Löfstedt describes his previous compositions as detailed and complex. In this project het akes a step away from this, letting himself being ruled by intuition when composing music. He achieves this by using simple, short fragments of music, playing these with a selected group of musicians. A thorough description of the process describes choosing musicians, rehearsals and listening to recordings of these rehearsals. Here Simon outlines the fragments growth from embryos to full compositions during/post rehearsals and how the other musicians affect the final outcome. He also describes setbacks during the process in form of doubt and inner conflict. Simon describes himself being determined in finding a way of mixing different types of guitar techniques and genres while still maintaining a focused artistic approach. He also describes his musical background, which mainly derives from rock’n’roll, and how this has a major influence on the final outcome. Löfstedt’s focus on guitar sound is constantly present and he presents a thorough description of guitars, effects and amplifiers. Here he explains the choices that he makes when putting together his final setup, which is customized for the final musical result. In the final reflection Löfstedt describes his musical journey from past to present and the conclusions that he has made finishing this project. / <p>Repertoar:</p><p>Someday - Simon Löfstedt</p><p>Euphoria State - Simon Löfstedt</p><p>Lightspeed - Simon Löfstedt</p><p>Bells - Simon Löfstedt</p><p>Gold - Simon Löfstedt</p><p>Swan Song - Simon Löfstedt</p><p>Valley - Simon Löfstedt</p><p>Medverkande:</p><p>Ludwig Gustavsson - trumset</p><p>Gabriel Dahl - elbas</p><p>Simon Löfstedt - elgitarr</p>

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I detta arbete har jag undersökt det förhållande jag upplever mellan en text och det musikaliska resultat som kommer av att bearbeta denna text. Detta kom sig av ett livslångt intresse för både text och musik, och en önskan att fördjupa mitt kunnande i ämnet. Arbetet gick till så att jag valde en text – ”The Waste Land” av T.S. Eliot – och skrev ett tjugo minuter långt, instrumentalt musikverk med texten som förlaga. Jag bearbetade texten från olika vinklar och med varierande grad av trogenhet, från att följa språkrytmen stavelse för stavelse till att försöka återge den övergripande känslan av ett parti text i min musik. På så sättfick jag ett flertal perspektiv på min kreativa process, vilket kom att vara mycket hjälpsamt i analysfasen. När jag var klar analyserade jag de fem olika kompositionsprinciper jag använt och försökte identifiera för- och nackdelar med dem. I diskussionsdelen drar jag slutsatser om min kreativa process, och den kreativa processen i stort. Jag talar mycket om begränsningar, och hur det kommer sig att begränsningar kan vara så inspirerande trots sina negativa associationer.

The aim with this thesis is to investigate how the creative element of the compositional process can be improved, and to research how a composer can develop and sublimate his or her aesthetics. As a part of the research process two pieces of music have been composed, one for the chamber ensemble Norrbotten NEO and one for the symphony orchestra NorrlandsOperans symfoniorkester. The compositional processes of the two pieces are described in detail and the thoughts and ideas that emerged during the two separate composing processes are the main basis of the concluding discussion of this thesis. The thesis also contains a more theoretical section where creativity, learning styles and the aesthetics of the modernistic era, among other things, are discussed. The final section of the thesis is a concluding discussion that argues that one effective way to improve the creative flow in the compositional process is to initially not work with exact pitches. Regarding aesthetics the thesis claim that aesthetic values are uttermost personal and that it therefore is pointless for a composer to try to acclimatize to the surrounding world. The thesis contends that it is preferable for a composer to try to understand his or her own aesthetic values and thereupon, in a personal and genuine way, share them with the rest of the world.

Syftet med detta examensarbete är att ta reda på hur man kan arbeta med elever/deltagare som saknar förkunskaper i låtskrivande. I denna studie har jag använt mig av kvalitativa intervjuer med ett par musikpedagoger och av tidigare forskning som berör ämnet. Kapitlet om tidigare forskning innefattar litteratur som berör kreativitet, frågan om huruvida vi alla har förkunskaper eller inte, eventuellt användande av digitala verktyg, musikskapande i skolan och andra närliggande begrepp. Den tidigare forskningen ställs sedan mot resultatet i diskussionskapitlet. Undersökningen utgår inte från skolans musikundervisning och dess läroplan utan fokuserar istället på hur man rent generellt kan arbeta med nybörjare och komponerande. Jag vill undersöka och förhoppningsvis få verktyg i hur man lär ut skapande av musik, av att skriva låtar. Slutsatserna av min undersökning visar på det komplexa arbetet pedagoger utför för att få elever och kursdeltagare att komma igång, hitta inspiration och kreativitet rörande låtskriveri. Flexibilitet, lyhördhet och innovationsförmåga verkar vara tillgångar som är essentiella för pedagogers undervisningssituation.

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