Research Project

The intention is to recreate as far as possible an aural approach to learning music and improvisation.

My hypothesis is:

1) That memory was much more highly developed in the 17th and 18th Centuries than it is today

2) That musicians would absorb the style of the music which surrounded them through memory, while listening and playing.

3) That imitation, guided by knowledge of musical possibilities stored in musician’s memory, when combined with the imagination to test the limits of style, would lead naturally to improvisation and composition.

Hence listening, performance, composition and improvisation would not be regarded as separate, but integrated as part of the creative process.
In my research, I attempt to recreate this integrated approach, leading from a way of analytical awareness, through memory, to being able to improvise using given style as a basis.

What methodology do you use?

I posit a method of aural analysis, carried out through practising and listening, which entails awareness of musical elements, types of figurations, and their function within the larger melodic and harmonic structure. This awareness helps to define what a style is, and creates tools which can then be transferred to stylistic improvisation.

How does it link with your artistic work and how do you present the research?

My research will be largely based on case studies, for example,
Improvising on a tenor in the style of Tinctoris, or looking at what Bach does with the C minor passacaglia or Goldberg variations so that we are able to improvise using the same musical elements but with a different result.
In all cases, there is an analytical part which determines the musical elements we use, practical element which experiments with ways of using them, chronicled with recorded examples, and an evaluation, which comments on problems we may face and explores the improvisation process.

What is the relevance of your research project?

The research is not just about improvising in an idiomatic way. It leads to greater control of musical elements, in particular which are constant and which are being varied, which in turn leads to greater range of possibilities for the improvisor. The research could therefore help towards developing an improvisation method.
The research also explores links between composed music and improvisation practices, so the attitude of the improvisor could have an effect on playing existing pieces.
The research leads to hightened awareness of style, awareness of what the composer is doing musically, and greater ease of memory, since one only has to memorise the framework of a phrase, and the smaller figures come naturally when you play with understanding of their function.