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Improvisation, kreativitet och musikaliska gester: En studie av musikelevers improvisatoriska val

Ahlqvist, Manuel (2022) MUHN96 20221
Malmö Academy of Music
Abstract
This study focuses on a group of music students’ improvisational choices over the Vchord leading to the I-chord when improvising over major II V I chord progressions. The
raison d'etre for this study is the high number of II V I-progressions being used as musical
building blocks in genres that have improvisation as an integral part. Although it was not
within the scope of this study to establish the causality of the students’ improvisational
choices it is nevertheless interesting to compare such factors as students scale-theory test
results, their personal tonal preferences when listening to scales and their performances
when given the opportunity to improvise freely, choosing between different scales. What
we see is that the... (More)
This study focuses on a group of music students’ improvisational choices over the Vchord leading to the I-chord when improvising over major II V I chord progressions. The
raison d'etre for this study is the high number of II V I-progressions being used as musical
building blocks in genres that have improvisation as an integral part. Although it was not
within the scope of this study to establish the causality of the students’ improvisational
choices it is nevertheless interesting to compare such factors as students scale-theory test
results, their personal tonal preferences when listening to scales and their performances
when given the opportunity to improvise freely, choosing between different scales. What
we see is that the students develop strategies that demonstrate coherence between their
theoretical knowledge, their listening preferences, and their performances, although some
exceptions do occur. The study starts with the students being interviewed on their
knowledge of possible scale choices for V-chords and a listening test where they are asked
to choose which ones, of several phrases, they prefer, these phrases being made up of
either notes from the Mixolydian scale or the Super Locrian scale. The focus of the
teaching during this study was on the implementation of the Super Locrian scale on Vchords resolving to major I-chords where students’ performances were continuously
recorded to determine the extent to which they would use either the Mixolydian scale or
the Super Locrian scales when given a free choice. These recordings were also analysed
for use of improvisational ‘gestures’ and how the students’ individual performances
developed over time. The results showed, perhaps not surprisingly, that the students that
did not appreciate listening to Super Locrian phrases in the initial interview, were less
likely to use this scale in their own performances. The results also showed that the
repeated use of musical ‘gestures’, commonly used by professional improvisers, are also
used by beginners of improvisation. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Den här studien undersöker en grupp musikelevers improvisatoriska val över
dominantackord som leder till tonika i improvisationer över II V I-progressioner i dur.
Studiens fokusområde motiveras av den höga andel II V I-progressioner som används
som musikaliska byggstenar i genrer där improvisation förekommer i hög grad. Även om
det inte ligger inom räckhåll för den här studien att undersöka kausaliteten kring vad som
påverkar elevernas improvisatoriska val är det ändå intressant att jämföra sådana faktorer
som elevernas teoriprovresultat, deras personliga preferenser när de lyssnar på skalor och
deras improvisationer när de får improvisera fritt och välja mellan olika skalor. Det vi ser
är att eleverna utvecklar strategier som... (More)
Den här studien undersöker en grupp musikelevers improvisatoriska val över
dominantackord som leder till tonika i improvisationer över II V I-progressioner i dur.
Studiens fokusområde motiveras av den höga andel II V I-progressioner som används
som musikaliska byggstenar i genrer där improvisation förekommer i hög grad. Även om
det inte ligger inom räckhåll för den här studien att undersöka kausaliteten kring vad som
påverkar elevernas improvisatoriska val är det ändå intressant att jämföra sådana faktorer
som elevernas teoriprovresultat, deras personliga preferenser när de lyssnar på skalor och
deras improvisationer när de får improvisera fritt och välja mellan olika skalor. Det vi ser
är att eleverna utvecklar strategier som visar ett samband mellan deras teorikunskaper,
deras lyssningspreferenser och deras improvisationer, även om undantag förekommer.
Undersökningen började med att eleverna blev intervjuade kring sina kunskaper om
möjliga skalor att använda vid improvisation över dominantackord. De gjorde även ett
lyssningstest där de fick svara på vilken, av ett antal olika musikaliska fraser som bestod
av toner ur antingen den mixolydiska eller den superlokriska skalan, de föredrog.
Undervisningen som ägde rum under studiens gång fokuserade på användandet av den
superlokriska skalan över dominantackord som leder till durtonika och elevernas
improvisationer spelades kontinuerligt in för att kunna analysera i vilken utsträckning de
använde den mixolydiska eller den superlokriska skalan när de fick välja själva. I
inspelningarna analyserades även förekomsten av improvisatoriska gester och hur
elevernas improvisationer utvecklas över tid. Resultatet visar, kanske föga förvånande,
att de elever som inte uppskattade den superlokriska skalan, när de fick lyssna på den i
intervjun, var mindre benägna att använda den i sina egna improvisationer. Resultatet
visar även att upprepad användning av musikaliska gester, som är vanligt förekommande
hos professionella improvisationsmusiker, även förekommer hos nybörjare i
musikimprovisation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ahlqvist, Manuel
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Improvisation, creativity and musical gestures: A study of music students’ improvisational choices
course
MUHN96 20221
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Improvisation, Kreativitet, Musikaliska gester, Superlokrisk, II V I, Jazz, Creativity, Musical Gestures, Super Locrian
language
Swedish
id
9078689
date added to LUP
2022-04-25 13:19:54
date last changed
2022-04-25 13:19:54
@misc{9078689,
  abstract     = {{This study focuses on a group of music students’ improvisational choices over the Vchord leading to the I-chord when improvising over major II V I chord progressions. The
raison d'etre for this study is the high number of II V I-progressions being used as musical
building blocks in genres that have improvisation as an integral part. Although it was not
within the scope of this study to establish the causality of the students’ improvisational
choices it is nevertheless interesting to compare such factors as students scale-theory test
results, their personal tonal preferences when listening to scales and their performances
when given the opportunity to improvise freely, choosing between different scales. What
we see is that the students develop strategies that demonstrate coherence between their
theoretical knowledge, their listening preferences, and their performances, although some
exceptions do occur. The study starts with the students being interviewed on their
knowledge of possible scale choices for V-chords and a listening test where they are asked
to choose which ones, of several phrases, they prefer, these phrases being made up of
either notes from the Mixolydian scale or the Super Locrian scale. The focus of the
teaching during this study was on the implementation of the Super Locrian scale on Vchords resolving to major I-chords where students’ performances were continuously
recorded to determine the extent to which they would use either the Mixolydian scale or
the Super Locrian scales when given a free choice. These recordings were also analysed
for use of improvisational ‘gestures’ and how the students’ individual performances
developed over time. The results showed, perhaps not surprisingly, that the students that
did not appreciate listening to Super Locrian phrases in the initial interview, were less
likely to use this scale in their own performances. The results also showed that the
repeated use of musical ‘gestures’, commonly used by professional improvisers, are also
used by beginners of improvisation.}},
  author       = {{Ahlqvist, Manuel}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Improvisation, kreativitet och musikaliska gester: En studie av musikelevers improvisatoriska val}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}