A partner at the pianoExpanding musical and performative expressions in a duo with a vocalist

Ester Mellberg

Music Performance, master's level (120 credits)

2022

Luleå University of Technology

Department of Social Sciences, Technology and Arts

AbstractThe aim of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to be anexpressive and interactive pianist, and expand those skills in duo performance with a vocalist.The research questions that guides the project are:

In which ways can I deepen and enhance my expressive skills as a pianist?

In which ways does the arrangement process affect our joint expression in duo performance?

How can our interactions in performance become further developed into a shared voice?

The structure of the results chapter is organized as I present the process behind searching foranswers to each research question. The results, though, have emerged simultaneously, whichhas made the reflections lead to a deeper understanding of expressiveness and interactiveness.

The main artistic methods have been improvisation and transcription. Improvisation forreflecting on my already possessed knowledge and as a way of interpreting the score.Transcription to find new ideas and new ways of applying the ideas. Stimulated recall andopen coding have been used both as a way of creating arrangements and to analyze the jointexpressions and interactions in the musical outcome.

The project emerged in collaboration with Sofie Andersson (2022) as we createdarrangements on three songs, recorded them, and analyzed the interactions and jointexpressions. The arrangement process, starting by a verbal collaborative interpretation of thelyrics, contributes to our joint expression as we listen-through-Hera (our duo) and how wewant Hera to express the intended interpretation. By communicating verbally and non-verbal,we could understand each other's interpretations and find a joint expression. We found thattrust is a key to a successful collaboration. The way we interact attentively to each other'svoice and impulses, and the way we are part of each other's extended body schema createsour shared voice.

AcknowledgementsThis project could never be done without my best friend and duo partner Sofie Andersson,who always supports me and challenges me so I can grow.

I would also like to give a special thanks to my supervisors Arne “Basse” Hagström, ÅsaUnander-Scharin, and examiner Stefan Östersjö, who have bid me some of their greatexpertise and knowledge.

Thank you Robert Svensson, Viktor Fagerlund and Mathias Lundqvist for your support andengagement in my piano progress during my years at Luleå University of Technology.

Thank you all for great conversations, good advice and cheering for me and Sofie during ouryears at this school and especially during this project.

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Table of content:Abstract I

Acknowledgements II

Table of content: III

1. Introduction 11.1. Being part of a duo 11.2. Arrangements and interpretations 21.3. Tools and techniques 31.4. About this project 3

2. Aim and research questions 4

3. Theory 53.1. Collaboration 53.2. Artistic research and knowledge in music 6

3.2.1. Embodied knowledge 63.3. Voice 73.4. Music and emotions 83.5. Interpretation in music 103.6. Improvisation 10

4. Method 124.1 Artistic methods 12

4.1.1. Finding expressive tools and techniques 124.1.2. Duo collaboration 12

4.2. Research methods 134.2.1. Documentation and analysis methods 14

4.3. The outline of the result chapters 16

5. Expanding piano expressions 175.1. Transcription 17

5.1.1. Example of transcription to re-arrangement 175.1.2. Example of transcription for interpretation of the score 19

5.2. Learning a new style 205.3. Improvisation as interpretation of a score 215.4. Free improvisation as an exercise 22

5.4.1. Improvising to pictures 225.4.2. To play what you “hear” 23

5.5. Verbal and non verbal communication by the piano 245.6. Concluding remarks 25

6. Working in a duo 276.1. Creating together 27

6.1.1. The mental picture-method 276.1.2. Start from an emotion 28

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6.1.3. The abstract graph-method 286.1.4. Follow for following 29

6.2. The arrangement process 306.3. A Case of You 32

6.3.1. A collaborative rearrangement of A Case of You 336.3.2. Performing A Case of You 34

6.4. Smile 356.4.1. A collaborative rearrangement of Smile 366.4.2. Performing Smile 37

6.5. I Shall Be Released 386.5.1. Collaborative rearrangement of I Shall Be Released 396.5.2. Performing I Shall Be Released 41

6.6. Performing without score 426.7. Joint expression 436.8. Concluding remarks 44

7. Improving Hera and developing a shared voice 467.1. Shared voice 467.2. Searching for a shared voice 487.3. Body schemas interacting 507.4. Concluding remarks 51

8. Conclusion 528.1. Methods 528.2. Creating collaboratively 528.3. Ideas for future research 53

References 55

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1. IntroductionDuring the fall of my second year of the masters program I sat down and read a book byStephen Nachmanovitch (1990). While reading “Free play”, as it’s called, I caught myselfthinking “just one more year, then I don’t have to play the piano anymore”. The realization ofthat thought first moved me to tears, but then instantly made me want to change my behavioraround the piano, change my relation to the piano. Certainly, the piano isn’t just a tool to usefor me, it is something I have a relation to, it’s even an extension of myself. This thought wasconfirmed by a sentence I found in the same book; “if I think of the piano, the pen, thepaintbrush, the computer, or my body as objects to be controlled by a subject, an I, then bydefinition they are outside of me. My limited and self-limiting I is, of its nature, tied up inknots” (Nachmanovitch, 1990, p. 144). I realized this relationship has been toxic for a lot ofyears and I haven’t cared to nurture it. The solution was both easy and not:

Unless I surrender my identity, the instrument’s identity, and the illusion of control, Ican never become one with my own process, and the blocks will remain. Withoutsurrender and trust - nothing. (Nachmanovitch, 1990, p. 144)

I didn’t want to stop playing the piano. I had to make a change quickly and just by realizing itand starting to talk about it immediately with friends and teachers I have confidence in, Icould start to reverse the trend. Up to then I had tried to find things to learn by looking ateverything I didn't know. During that period I had a list of “good to know that I don’t knowyet” above the piano, but with zero inspiration to learn it since it didn’t come with a contextor goal. It was overwhelming since there is infinite knowledge to find. Instead I made myselfsearch for what I needed. What do I need to express this? What do I need to play this song?To transcribe this? I could finally see how much knowledge I possess and how I can fill ingaps in my artistic knowledge by searching for just that one thing I want to know now. I startwith the expression and focus on what I need to express, and then learn that thing. One step ata time.

I am therefore very grateful for this project. It started out like a project just as any other, butthis one has made me like the piano again, like myself at the piano again. I don’t think this issomething someone could have taught me. Nachmanovitch (1990) writes about a student andsays: “Any knowledge he gets from someone else is not his own. The knowledge, the art, hasto ripen of its own accord, from his own heart” (p. 174). I had to start to own my knowledge,make it mine. This is where I started my final year at the masters program, more willing thanever to find new and healthy ways to learn what I need now on the piano, and about myself atthe piano.

1.1. Being part of a duoSofie Andersson (vocals) and I have since 2017 a duo together named Hera. We met at thebachelors program in jazz at the School of music in Piteå at Luleå university of technologyand quickly became friends. We started the duo because we wanted to play more outside ofthe school, for a different crowd, and see if the music we like to play works there. Ourrepertoire consists of jazz- and blues-influenced arrangements of pop music and Swedish folksongs. Even from the start we have focused on the musical expression, and on each song wetry to find something in the lyrics to base our verbal collaborative interpretation on. We bothhave found the lyrics to be a forgotten part of the songs during classes, it’s as if it's just the

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vocalist's job to tell the story. Instead, we wanted to make the piano playing a bigger part ofthe storytelling by including the verbal collaborative interpretation of the lyrics in thearrangement.

Ever since we started playing together we’ve got compliments for our interaction in concertperformance. The people in the audience have said that they hear our friendship and therespect we have for each other in the way we play and act on the stage. This is something wecherish and want to explore even more by learning more about collaboration. We want tobecome even more interactive during performance and understand how interactions and theconcept of voice relate.

1.2. Arrangements and interpretationsArrangements and interpretations go hand in hand as we create our versions of songs. Whenstarting to make an arrangement we, obviously, start by choosing a song. I transcribe thechords and learn the melody by ear and Andersson learns the melody and lyrics. Often we’vechosen a song because we have an idea of what we want to do with it, like one sentence wewant to underline or a style we want to try on it. Other times we come up with a differentstory within the story which we base our collaborative interpretation on. If our interpretationis better understood by changing the order of the parts in the song, we do so. A commonchange we do is to wait with the chorus for another verse or interlude to have time to set amood. If we decide a groove from a certain genre or subgenre we might change some chordsto make it more suitable. Often the melody stays quite the same for legal reasons but withchanged rhythms, frasings and ornaments. Most of the arrangement ideas, such as thedynamic changes, tempo variables or register and groove, are based on our verbalcollaborative interpretation of the lyrics.

By searching more carefully in the lyrics for a collaborative interpretation, we can find adifferent meaning than what may be found at the first read through. The verbalizedcollaborative interpretation becomes our shared vision of the song's meaning for us, and laysground for the creation of our so-called “mental pictures”. The concept of creating mentalpictures, or mental images, is common in vocal teaching classes. The teacher asks questionsof who the performer is in the lyrics, who is sung to, how does it feel, etc. It leads to a deeperunderstanding of the story which in turn leads to a clearer vocal expression. As we haveworked with Kjell-Peder Johansson, director and teacher in stage awareness, we have learnedto use it as an ensemble to reach a joint expression. When we use the mental picture method,we create a made up place where the story from our verbal collaborative interpretation of thelyrics emerges. This picture helps us to create a shared vision of the expression so we canmore easily find how we would like it to sound. It works well for us, but we’ve mostly used iton songs with a softer groove or slower tempo. One challenge for us is to play songs that aregroovy, like really bluesy or with a gospel feel since we haven’t played that as much. We aremore acquainted with jazz and pop styles.

The use of the mental picture method has, during rehearsals, opened a different way tocommunicate about our interpretation instead of just talking about the musical elements in thearrangement. We can speak about the persons in the lyrics and how they feel and see if themusic matches or not. Our musical background and experience lies ground for the musicalchoices we make to perform the interpretation. We are, of course, also influenced by howHollywood movies use music as soundtracks in movies to create atmosphere and thereby

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enhance scenes and lines. In a similar way we can use predictable elements to create anatmosphere or mood around our interpretation.

1.3. Tools and techniquesTo express something in music one needs to practice their tools and techniques. To motivatethe practice of tools and techniques one needs somewhere to use it for expression. In myexperience the link between expressing something and the practice of piano performance areseparated in the teaching, at least in my genre. I’ve learned a lot of crafts such as musictheory, chords and scales and how to use them for improvisation. The problem is that we’verarely practiced the use of the crafts or improvisation in an expressive way. One practicestechniques to play fast, loud or to understand complex harmonies but forget the part where touse the crafts to express something. Still, one has to acquire technique to do anythingartistically, but “you create through your technique and not with it” (Nachmanovitch, 1990, p.21).

In this thesis I will separate the crafts by mentioning them as tools and techniques. Theexpressive tools are the musical aspects such as the melodies, voicings and chords. It is what Iplay, the function and music theory based knowledge. The expressive technique is more aboutthe physical, how I play it. The practical in embodying it and “learn it in the fingers”. It couldbe how I use the dynamics and how I play in relation to time. I see it as the expressive toolsand techniques are crafts I use to express myself in music. They are the ones I will focus onfinding, exploring and learning to use for a more expressive piano performance.

1.4. About this projectThe project has been done through autoethnography (Chang, 2008) since it’s based onknowledge and findings in and through my own practice and reflection. Parts of this study iscompleted in collaboration with Sofie Andersson (2022). We have made two independentstudies where I focus on piano specific topics, and Andersson focuses on vocal technicalaspects. In the collaborative part, Andersson focuses on the joint expressions while I tend tofocus more on the interactions. We both share the verbal collaborative interpretations of thelyrics, more or less deeply, as it lays ground for our arrangements.

Read more about the vocalist perspective of the musical and collaborative outcome inAndersson (2022).

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2. Aim and research questionsThe aim of this study is to deepen my understanding of what it means to be an expressive andinteractive pianist and expand those skills in duo performance with a vocalist. To achieve that,I need to answer the following questions:

● In which ways can I deepen and enhance my expressive skills as a pianist?● In which ways does the arrangement process affect our joint expression in duo

performance?● How can our interactions in performance become further developed into a shared

voice?

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3. TheoryIn this chapter I present the theory behind this project. I start by presenting the theory behindcollaboration and mention how the use of language is affected by our shared knowledge. Iexplain embodiment and how the body schema can be extended with tools such as aninstrument. The concept of voice is described and also research of music and emotions inmusical performances. The chapters of interpretation and improvisation describe the conceptsand how to apply them in the field of jazz and pop music.

3.1. CollaborationDepending on one’s personality style, one will create differently. When we collaborate in acreative work we round up and the creativity gets many-sided (Nachmanovitch, 1990).Nachmanovitch continues and emphasizes that:

One advantage of collaboration is that it’s much easier to learn from someone elsethan from yourself. And inertia, which is often a major block in solitary work, hardlyexists at all here: A releases B’s energy, B releases A’s energy. Information flows andmultiplies easily. Learning becomes many-sided, a refreshing and vitalizing force.(Nachmanovitch, 1990, p. 96)

Collaborative relationships could be divided into four collaborative patterns which maychange over time, according to John-Steiner (2000). The first two are distributedcollaboration, common in groups sharing the same interest where discussions of the interestcan lead to new knowledge, and complementary collaboration as groups or partnerscomplement each other's knowledge (John-Steiner, 2000). The collaborative patterns that aremore accurate for us, as Andersson and I have collaborated over quite some time, is thefamily collaboration and integrative collaboration. Family collaboration is described as apartnership where it’s important to develop and cherish common values. It’s a fluidity of rolesand a “trust in each others’ sensitivity and support” (p. 87). The internalization of that supportresults in strengthening both solo and joint works. Integrative collaboration is described as acollaboration that transforms both personal life and artistic work. It’s where artists worktogether and combine their different perspectives and shared passion to shed the familiar.John-Steiner (2000) writes that individuals in successful partnerships “reach beyond theirhabitual ways of learning, working, and creating” (p. 96).

While rehearsing together the language “tends to be adapted to the shared tacit knowledge ofthe musicians who are part of the discourse” (Östersjö, 2017, p. 89). A lot of the artisticknowledge is embedded in the musicians and transmitted in embodied interactions, such as inrehearsals and performances. Östersjö (2017) discusses the philosophical concept of“thinking-through-music” - the way one articulates knowledge through artistic practice. Itcould be used while conversing during rehearsals. In my case I think-through-the piano, withall the affordances and resistances the piano has, hence what I can do with it. The conceptcould also be used as thinking-through-listening or as I think-through-Anderssons vocals. Itconcerns my reflections and understanding through something, whatever that “something”may be.

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3.2. Artistic research and knowledge in musicThe outcomes of artistic research can be situated in three domains; the artistic, the embodiedand the discursive (Östersjö, 2017). Direct interactions between the domains could be createdin artistic research but must be presented in artistic form (2017). I will come back to that, butfirst I will clarify the different concepts.

Figure 1. Figure inspired by Östersjö (2017). Showing the three domains of knowledge in artistic research.

The figure shows that the artistic knowledge appears in between the embodied and thediscursive knowledge. Artistic knowledge is therefore part of one's discursive knowledge andembodied knowledge (Östersjö, 2017). According to SAOB (the Swedish academicdictionary, n.d.) ”discursive” is knowledge gained by logical thinking. It’s perceivedknowledge apprehended successively by concluding the information bit by bit without anoverall view. New knowledge emerges in “the translation between the embodied and thediscursive, and in particular when this translation is put in relation to a documentation ofartistic process” (Östersjö, 2017, p. 91). This project will therefore contribute to the field ofartistic research.

3.2.1. Embodied knowledge

To create we need both “technique and freedom of technique. To this end we practice until ourskills become unconscious” (Nachmanovitch, 1990, p. 73). When we can play somethingwithout focusing on how, we know the technique. It’s like riding a bike, I don’t know how Ido it but I know I can. The knowledge of riding a bike is embodied in me. In cognitivelitterature embodiment is described as a combination of unconscious skills, i.e. interactionsbetween the central nervous system and other bodily systems, that makes it possible for us tohear, touch, move and see (Clarke, 2017). Östersjö (2017) refers to it as tacit knowledge. Thebody and brain knows cognition and creativity jointly and Clarke (2017) refers to it as theembodied distribution. Clarke continues:

Similarly, the possibilities and constraints of the human body and the objects withwhich it interacts suggest a second sense of distribution: between organism andenvironment. In this respect, the tools at our disposal (such as musical instruments) arepart of a distributed or extended sense of creative and cognitive activity, adding theenvironment to the distribution between brain and body. (2017, p. 55)

The instrument isn’t just a tool to use, it becomes a part of one self, a part of one’s bodyschema. According to Stamenov (2005) body schema is the “neural “representations” of thebody and the bodily functions in the brain” (p. 21). Body image represents the understanding

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of the body and bodily functions. Gallagher and Cole (1995) adds to the description of bodyimage with the person’s “perceptual experience” (p. 371) and the “emotional attitude”towards one's body. Stamenov (2005) summarizes by stating that the “activation of the bodyschema in the brain is supposed to lead to body image experience” (p. 21). It could be difficultto separate the body schema from the body image as they rarely operate entirely separate.Sometimes one’s embodiment shifts from one to another, particularly from body schema tobody image (Laws, 2019).

Figure 2. An illustration of a person's habitus and the relations between body schema and body image.

Our body schema can be extended with tools (Laws, 2019). It’s as if one “merges” with one'stool, or in the case of a musician, one's instrument. Laws states that musical instruments oftenare cited as key examples of this but the piano is rarely included. The piano is somethingthat’s played at or is played on. It’s partly because of its size, that it’s so far from one’s bodyand not depending on the breath to sound and that the tone doesn’t emerge from where thefingers touch. A note on the piano can only be played “more or less forte or piano and longeror shorter” (Rosen, 2004, in Laws, 2019, p. 110). Laws (2019) continues:

Nevertheless, we work endlessly to refine these characteristics relatively, so thatdifferentiations of weight and touch become sonically, structurally, and expressivelymeaningful and also come to feel significant: we refine touch experientially but alsocomparatively, in relation to others, through talk about it, demonstrating,experimenting, listening, and feeling. (p. 110)

Despite the size of the piano and the physical separation between the piano and thepractitioner, the pianist still can feel a connection to the instrument's body. The pianist hastheir own sense of touching sound which is bringing melodies to life as they are shaped "withthe hands and by extension the rest of the body” (Laws, 2019, p. 110). Professional pianistshave control over his/hers touch on the piano, it is embodied in us.

3.3. VoiceBefore entering a discussion about voice, it is important to understand the performer's habitus,since that is part of where voice emerges from. The habitus is the practice for “how to behave,act in, and interfere with the outer world” (Coessens & Östersjö, 2014, p. 333). It’s theembodied patterns for action and behavior in a social or cultural context. The cultural context,the performance practice with the traditions and expectations it brings, is also part of the

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performers habitus (Gorton & Östersjö, 2019). The embodied knowledge is gradually built asthe performer interacts with the affordances of the instrument. This is the “heart of theformation of a performer’s habitus” (Gorton & Östersjö, p. 585).

Figure 3. Voice emerges as the performer interacts with the instruments’ affordances. With inspiration fromGorton & Östersjö (2016).

With reference to the theory of affordances, Coessens and Östersjö (2014) observes how an“instrument affords different musical possibilities to different performers” (p. 337) and istherefore dependent on the individual performer and the acoustic properties of the instrument.The voice emerges in the performer's habitus as the performer and instrument areinterconnected in the extended body schema.

Figure 4. Shows the shared voice between two musicians.

Shared voice comes as we listen and respond to each other, taking initiative and responding tothe other's initiative. It “emerges from the process of collaboration” (Gorton & Östersjö, 2016,p. 593). Shared voice could arise as the individual characteristic voices are restricted andblended (Östersjö, 2020) but also as the musicians create “a space for co-existence and acelebration of difference” (Östersjö, 2019, p. 253).

3.4. Music and emotionsEmotions sound differently, just as we show them differently when experiencing andexpressing them. The emotion starts as a reaction in the body that we later can put a name on.As Starobinski (2013) implies; “emotions come before the words that name them” (cited inJuslin, 2019, p. 106). The imperfect words we use to describe them must not be confused withthe emotions themselves (Juslin, 2019). For example, the emotion of sadness might beexplained as the word gloomy for someone and for someone else as the word melancholic.Still, the emotions of both words relate to the emotion of sadness. Emotions contain differentshades just as there are different shades of a color (Juslin, 2019). In music, one emotion mightbe expressed differently depending on who’s playing.

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Even if musicians would be ‘mustering up’ felt emotions before a performance, theperformance might not be affected (Woody & McPherson, 2010). The musicians“expectations bias their perception” (p. 412). By knowing the intention was to be moreexpressive, musicians believe they can hear it in their performances. Woody and McPhersonpropose that it could just be conventions of ‘musicality’ that makes the performance moreexpressive, rather than the result of felt emotion. Still, in everyday life we express theemotions we feel through our facial countenance, body carriage and our voice usage. Byfeeling an emotion it will affect our psychological and physical functioning which can shapemusical behavior and sound (Woody & McPherson, 2010).

Figure 5. Emotions and musical elements (Juslin, 2010, p. 463).

In figure 5. Juslin and Sloboda (2010) have collected some of the most typical musicalfeatures of the most commonly studied emotions.1 They manipulated synthesizers to playmelodies solely according to a given emotion. A listener's test showed that it was quite clearwhich melody was meant to express which feeling. When combining two of these feelings thelisteners weren’t as unanimous, showing the complexity of the emotional and musicalspectrum. As Juslin and Sloboda (2010) conclude, it is rare to perform a song containing justone of these emotions without any shades or correlative emotions. Still, “[a] piece of musicwhich expresses, say, negative valence and evokes a low arousal response will be perceived assad to some extent, regardless of how we may wish to label its expressive character” (Juslin,2019, p. 112). This sad emotion Juslin mentions might not be called sad by the perceiver, evenif it's felt as it.

1 In Juslin (2009) a complete list of “factors correlated with various emotions in musical expression” (p. 270)could be found.

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3.5. Interpretation in musicIn music an interpretation by musicians is the “expression by their performance of theirunderstanding of the part or parts they are playing” (Cambridge Dictionary, n.d.). The needfor interpretation in musical performance can be understood as grounded in the fact that whatcould be heard in a performance is always more than what can be indicated in a score(Benson, 2003).

Benson (2003), who has studied the phenomenology of music making, discussesinterpretation and improvisation. He says that “far more important than the question of simplywhich notes should be played is that of how they should be played” (p. 84). Different genresencourage different amounts of interpretation. For example, in jazz it is expected from theperformer to improvise over the written theme and chord changes, whereas in some classicalgenres nowadays it is expected to follow the score and instructions more strictly. This is atypical example of the performance practice that affects the interpretation. Benson continues:

Of course, an experienced performer is likely to have a relatively good idea of what todo. Yet, this knowledge comes not from the score but from the performer's experience.A performer is able to translate those notes into sounds on the basis of an acquaintancewith a performance practice. Without being steeped in that practice, the notes wouldcommunicate little. And these decisions cannot be simply dismissed as unimportant:for it is precisely what is not to be found in the score that we often most value.(Benson, 2003, p. 84)

It is how the notes are played that makes us prefer one performer over another (Benson,2003). Since the information in my scores are limited, the how and what are both improvised.Following Benson, the way I interpret a score could therefore be described as improvisation.However, the way I interpret the lyrics is still interpretation.

3.6. ImprovisationIn different genres improvisation is used and talked about in different ways. Ingrid Monson(1996) has studied improvisation and interaction in jazz ensembles. She looked at small jazzbands with drums, bass, piano and a soloist. The jazz band's goal is, by interacting musically,to achieve a groove or feeling that “unites the improvisational roles […] into a satisfyingmusical whole” (p. 26). While considering the roles of the musical instruments in the group,and the interacting musical personalities of each group member, they shape the timbral colorand intensity of the journey in a performance (Monson, 1996).

In an improvising band the three most basic musical functions traded around is keeping time,comping and soloing. Therefore the instrumental roles in a jazz ensemble are interdependentand flexible (Monson, 1996). Each rhythm section instrument has peculiar ways of fulfillingthe functions, but behind each instrument “there are always musical personalities interacting,not merely instruments or pitches or rhythms” (Monson, 1996, p. 26). Each individual mayalso have his or her own style and idiosyncrasy (1996) and as Benson states; jazz and bluesmusic provides examples of “the kind of dialogue in which each member is important and hasa voice” (2003, p. 189). The pianist Sir Roland Hanna (1989, interviewed in Monson, 1996)said:

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It isn’t just to a soloist that a pianist has to do a comp. Let’s say an arrangement hasbeen written and the line in the arrangement is a tutti or unison of several instrumentsplaying the same line. The pianist has to be able to fill the gaps in that line with acomp that fits perfectly - so that you don’t feel like you’ve got holes in that line.You’ve got to feel like that little space was there just for the piano to play that certainline. He has to comp in such a way that the comp fits the gap without getting in theway of the line, you know. (Hanna, 1989, in Monson, 1996, p. 44)

At any given moment in a performance “the improvising artist is always making musicalchoices” (Monson, 1996, p. 27). The published chords of a song seems to serve only as aframework as the musicians make use of chord substitutions, alterations and chromatic voiceleading frequently. As this reharmonisation happens the bassist and pianist have to beobservant of each other (1996). Being the only accompanist I have that communication builtin. I chose what the left hand (the bass) does and can follow and respond harmonically to itwith my right hand (as the piano). In addition, I interact with the vocalist just as Hannainteracts with the written lines in the example above.

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4. MethodI’ve divided the methods into artistic methods and research methods. The artistic methodsdescribe the ways I have taken to find musical tools and techniques and how to use them,while the research methods describe the analytical and reflective process behind and aroundthe musical process.

4.1 Artistic methodsThe artistic methods have been used to learn more about the musical, technical, performative,etc. aspects of piano performance and arrangement. I chose to divide them into two parts, myown finding of tools and techniques and the duo collaboration. It proceeded parallel to eachother during the project, and the tools or techniques I found in my own practice were broughtto the rehearsal where I tried it with Andersson and vice versa.

4.1.1. Finding expressive tools and techniques

In finding my tools and techniques for expressive piano playing I have used several artisticmethods. I transcribed others, both the three songs we chose for recording, but also pianists orsongs I like the expression of. I imitated and learned the phrases, fills or rhythms that Itranscribed so I could use them in the arrangement process or in performances. However, it isimportant to remember what Ingrid Monson (1996) says about transcribing recordings:

If I were to transcribe the notes and play them on the piano, they wouldn’t sound verymuch like the conversation on the recording, for it is the relatively non-notable timbraland dynamic inflections produced by the players that are the principal means ofsignifying the iconicity. (Monson, 1996, p. 208)

In other words, transcribing to sound like someone else might be difficult considering theperformer's touch and techniques. Taking inspiration from their touch, techniques and melodicideas is preferred. In that way one can still explore and enhance one’s own voice instead oftrying to copy and play someone else's voice. When I transcribe another musician it is oftenwhat they play that’s easiest to find. How they play is created as they have explored theirrelation between themselves as performers and the affordances of their instrument.

Improvisation has been used both in my own practice but also in duo collaboration. In myown practice I used free improvisation with the goal of just playing something, spending timewith my instrument. This led to a greater acceptance of the knowledge I already possess andin that way led to a greater love for the piano again. Improvisation has also been used whileinterpreting the scores and, as Hanna (1989, in Monson, 1996) said, filling in the “holes inthat line” (p. 44).

4.1.2. Duo collaboration

In the collaborative process of creating arrangements, Andersson and I have mapped ourarrangement process, which is described in chapter 6.2. As we explored the parts in thearrangement process we could more easily understand where the ideas came from. Some ideascame from our verbal collaborative interpretation of the lyrics and other ideas were interestingto perform in itself. We kept the ideas that made the arrangement reach the intended and jointvision.

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The musical outcome of this project is presented in three songs, recorded with audio andvideo. Each song was picked for different reasons. A Case of You by Joni Mitchell2 (1971)was the first one to be chosen. We wanted to practice the mental picture method where bothcan follow the lyrics as the story unfolds. We have performed this song before but wanted tomake a new interpretation of it since we weren't satisfied with our previous one. We listenedto other musicians performing the song, and perceived the interpretation similar to our oldone, all with a sad romantic touch. Diana Krall's live version from 20023 is the one I’ve takenmost inspiration from and transcribed parts of the chord changes and movements on thepiano.

Smile, by Charlie Chaplin,4 is definitely the most experimental arrangement in this project.We used it for expressional exercises such as to follow each other, and to explore outside ourcomfort zone regarding dynamics, tempo and emotions. Instead of basing the mental pictureon just the lyrics we created a mental picture based on the mood of the song, which allowedthe arrangement to stay experimental and expressional. We used both A Case of You and Smileto find dramatic tools and techniques.

As a contrast to the two more dramatic arrangements we wanted to challenge ourselves withan energetic and more groovy song. Andersson found the song I Shall Be Released, written byBob Dylan5 (1968). It’s often played in a calm and peaceful manner but we wanted it toexpress happiness and freedom. We used keywords such as release, freedom and happinesswhile creating the arrangement. Those keywords led to the gospel genre and its elements,such as groove, rhythmics and attitude, which became the tools and techniques we enhancedduring the progress.

4.2. Research methodsStimulated recall is a research method that encourages the participants to reflect on theircognitive process and share their experience that emerged during an event which is recordedwith audio or video (Turnbull, 2009). In this project, stimulated recall was used whilepracticing, learning the songs and creating the arrangements.

5 Listen to I Shall Be Released by Bob Dylan at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0pkHBVznLA4 Listen to the original of Smile at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps6ck1ejoAw3 Listen to Diana Krall's version at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaz0xbI2tAg2 Listen to A Case of You at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YuaZcylk_o

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Figure 6. A map over our stimulated recall. Created in collaboration with Andersson (2022).

When we listen we shift from listening in 1st person perspective, or the performersperspective as it is called, and 3rd person perspective. We noticed that the 1st personperspective gave us details about the performance, such as techniques we’ve used, frasings,movements in the melodies, pitch, register, etc. We listened-through-our instruments. Whilelistening in 3rd person perspective we listened to the overall version and interpretation. Itcould be about the mood, how the lyrics and musical and expressive choices relate, theinteractions between vocals and piano etc. We have used both audio/video recordings but alsojust audio recordings. As we discussed the outcome of our listening we had an intersubjective2nd person perspective towards each other. What could be changed to reach the interpretationwe want to achieve? How does each of us apprehend the interpretation and what needs to bedone in order to achieve that? The discussion was both verbal and non verbal. The secondcomes with bodily movements, gestures, faces and sounds in an attempt to describe what weneeded or felt.

We have analyzed our verbal and non-verbal interaction and collaboration while making thestimulated recall sessions. We have looked at how we talk to and interact with each other bothin the music and between. When mentioning collaboration I refer to the work done outside ofperformance, while interaction refers to performance situations.

4.2.1. Documentation and analysis methods

To document the musical outcome of this project, the final versions of the three songs, weused audio and video recording. We created our own studio and used four cameras and severalmicrophones.

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Figure 7. The four cameras in the studio.

The cameras were used as follows:Number 1: closeup on Andersson.Number 2: what I saw of Andersson (communication).Number 3: closeup on the keys.Number 4: what Andersson saw of me (communication).

Figure 8. The pictures from the cameras.

When we analyzed the material we used the method of open coding interspersed withstimulated recall. The open coding sessions were done both alone and jointly. When weanalyzed together we created a document notating the timecode in the recording of the songwhere something happened. Then we went back to the coded time and tried to find out whatwe reacted to. When we analyzed together we could find out from each other what wasplanned and what was not. We could also find how some initiatives and reactions relatedwhile performing, just as Östersjö (2020) did when searching for a joint expression in

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intercultural collaboration. Apart from the audio and video recordings I have used a logbookto keep track of my own practices and thoughts during this project.

4.3. The outline of the result chaptersThe result chapters present the process behind searching for answers to each researchquestion. It is organized as follows:

Figure 9. The structure of the result chapters.

I have divided the result chapter into these headlines to make it easier to see the results of theproject. As I mentioned before, the project has proceeded with several parallel processes. As Ihave developed piano specific expressions, the joint expressions have been affected. Thesame goes for Andersson. As each of us developed our own skills, we have more to searchfor, and react to, while listening to and interacting with the other’s voice.

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5. Expanding piano expressionsI have used several artistic methods regarding finding ways to deepen and enhance myexpressive skills as a pianist. The methods are described thoroughly with note examples andrecordings. This chapter focuses mostly on my individual progress and improvement ofpianistic tools and techniques.

5.1. TranscriptionIn blues, rock and pop music it is common to transcribe the songs one wants to play instead offinding a transcription in a book or online. The transcription could then be written down incharts. Often it’s the form, chords and some important rhythms or fills from the originalversion one keeps, depending on what one wants to do with the original information. I createdcharts from my own transcriptions on the three songs used for this project, which I willdescribe thoroughly in the chapters under each song title. As I transcribed the three songs andother artists' versions of the songs I found some lines, licks or fills I liked and transcribed. Iimitated them and learned them so I could use them during a performance of the song. I alsotranscribed recordings of myself with the same purpose. A benefit with transcribing oneself isthat one can listen to, and study the performance from a third person perspective and cantherefore be more critical and constructive of what one played.

To find certain piano techniques for e.g. groove it’s important to find recordings of pianists asthe only accompanist, at least in some parts of the song. Immediately when one adds bass,drums or a guitar to the recording, the pianist will choose to play in a certain way tocompromise with the space and role of the other instruments. However, it is also good tolisten to and try to imitate songs with a full band and not just play as the pianist in that sessiondoes. Listening and transcribing bass lines, guitar rhythms and the groove from the wholeband can lead to really interesting results. I did this on some songs with a higher tempo, sinceI have found that it’s something I’ve been avoiding to play as a solo accompanist. Not onlydid I transcribe and learn it as the original goes, I also arranged it for piano and vocals just tosee what advantages and problems I had to, and could, work with to keep the essence and therecognition of the song.

5.1.1. Example of transcription to re-arrangement

I transcribed the song I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston6 (1987). You canlisten to my version here.7 I found the most important parts in the intro to be the melody, thebass line and the harmonics.

Figure 10. My transcription. Intro of I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

7 My version of I Wanna Dance With Somebody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Djx1M3VURo6 Listen to I Wanna Dance With Somebody with Whitney Houston here.

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I didn’t find the bass to stand out as much as it does in the original so I changed it tosomething that takes a bigger place in the sound, using sustain pedal to make it bigger:

Figure 11. My transcription. Alternative rhythm.

The problem now was that the second bar had rhythms coming at the same time, which madethe whole groove stop:

Figure 12. My transcription. Red marks the rhythms played at the same time.

Since the second bar's bass rhythm isn’t critical for the recognition of the song I chose to playsomething else there, like straight on the fourth note or syncopize where I could.

The verse is played with the new bass rhythm but without sustain to create a contrast to theintro and also to get the rhythms clearer. Since a tension is built in the original in the bridge, Ialso added to the bridge’s intensity by adding some quarter notes in bar 1 and 3 and eighthnotes in bar 5 in the example below.

Figure 12. My transcription. The bridge of I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

The chorus intensity in the original song is enhanced by, e.g. the drummer playing sixteenthnotes on the hihat, compared to the eight notes in the verses. To follow their build-up on thesong I added the sustain pedal again to make the sound bigger. I also added some rhythms in

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the right hand to fill out more. The rest of the driving energy comes from the vocalist with therhythms in the melody.

Figure 13. My transcription. The new rhythm is written under the original one in the first bar.

The rest of the song is arranged like the original, same order of the parts and same build-upbetween the parts.

5.1.2. Example of transcription for interpretation of the score

I made five playlists with recordings of mostly duo settings with piano and vocal and namedthem the five main emotions8 just to have something to work from. At first, I tried totranscribe the songs generally by hand. I thought I would find general insights in what theydo, like register, movement etc. so I could create a template to transfer to other songs. Ifollowed these steps on two songs I found in the “sadness”-category.Notate the..

1. song’s form2. right hands rhythm, chords in one color and fills in another color3. left hands rhythm, and if the octave shifted up or down I added an arrow4. chord progression in roman numbers5. function of the highest note in the chord (like “3” for the third on top).

Figure 14. My transcription. The second chorus of the song Falling by Harry Styles (2019).

I realized quickly that this only shows what they play and not how they play it. To confirmthis, I brought the chart to one of my piano teachers and asked him to play something basedon what I’ve written, without knowing the song I transcribed. He played it in three different

8 Refers to the expanded list in Juslin (2009).

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ways, none of them like the other in style or feeling and none of them like the original. Listento his interpretation of the first four bars of the song here.9 We agreed that tempo, rhythm andchord progression isn’t what’s most important when trying to express an emotion. The idea ofcreating a template didn’t work this time. I guess the list of musical expressions of emotionsare the closest thing to a template we can get in this respect.

The transcription method, though, is a great way of finding new knowledge and learning fromall who went before us, no matter if it's transcription and imitation from the playlists based onemotions, or if it’s transcriptions of other pianists or bands whose expression one likes or styleone wants to learn. As I am the only accompanist in our duo, I have the responsibility tochoose the harmonics to fit the melody and to keep the groove going while the vocalist has abreak. Transcribing what other pianists do to keep it interesting between the lines is one wayof finding out what can be done in those parts.

5.2. Learning a new styleDuring the project I realized I lack knowledge regarding, for example, the gospel genre. Therhythmical structures, language (scales and common phrases and where to add them), timingand coordination. It’s especially in songs with a higher tempo that needs a high precision witharticulated rhythms and groove that I felt somewhat frightened. It’s easier to hide behind asustain pedal where every little hesitation won’t be heard as clearly as when keeping a grooveand a missed sixteenth note somewhere leads to losing the groove. Practicing structuredcoordination exercises helped me “clear a path” for the rhythm combinations in my head andmade it possible to bring it forward when needed during a performance.

Robert Svensson (2011) has created a document with funk coordination exercises. It’s rightand left hand rhythms that all can be combined with each other:

Figure 15. Example of right hand rhythms. Rhythm nr 1 of 16 is just quarter notes repeated. Copyright RobertSvensson 2011.

Figure 16. Example of left hand rhythms. Rhythm nr 1 of 26 is a whole note. Copyright Robert Svensson 2011.

It is challenging since the rhythms get increasingly more complex to combine. While Ipracticed this, often in a slow tempo, I repeated the rhythm combination I found difficult until

9 Link to my piano teachers interpretation of Falling: https://youtu.be/UUo-JLfCFxI

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I could play them more or less effortlessly. I raised the tempo and if I could keep it correctand feel a groove in the pattern I could continue to change either the right or the left hand'srhythm. This exercise is a concrete way of learning to be free in both hands, making itpossible to combine rhythms and trust that each hand will play what I expect when I expect it.I could play more freely as I had more tools to use concerning the rhythms and coordinationwhile improvising during an accompaniment or during a piano solo. It’s a typical example ofembodiment, as I am aware of the movements (body image), repeating them, until the “skillsbecome unconscious” (Nachmanovitch, 1990, p. 73). As they “become unconscious” they aregetting embodied, closer to the body schema.

5.3. Improvisation as interpretation of a scoreIn the context of performing or practicing a song I improvise both when I perform a solo onthe form and given chords, and as a I interpret the score since “what we hear in performanceis always much more than can be indicated in the score” (Benson, 2003, p. 80). As can beseen in figures 17 and 18, my scores are rarely filled with so much musically notatedinformation.

Figure 17. Example of score 1. Without melody. The song is in 4/4.

Figure 18. Example of score 2. With melody in the original key of F major while the chords are in Eb major.

I have information about the arrangement written in everyday words, or classic musical terms,around these bars. Sometimes I have parts of the lyrics, instructions of low or high register,intensity, expressive annotations such as “curious” or “butterflies” or other instructions thatprobably only I would understand. All my charts contain the title of the song, chords and theform, but each song has different extended information. The instructions aren’t specificenough that other pianists would understand exactly what I mean. In songs where we workedwith the mental picture method I have leadwords reminding me of the mental picture. Apianist who has not been part of that collaborative interpretative process isn’t likely to findthese reminders fully comprehensible.

While improvising I use my embodied, discursive and artistic knowledge on the piano. Theideas I get in the moment are most likely made of combinations of patterns and melodies I’veexperienced. To expand my toolbox of expressions used in improvisation I can practice itsystematically, finding new melodies, combinations of patterns, tools and techniques. If Inotice difficulties of improvising a solo on given chords I play the chords one at a time,without a set tempo. Then I try to find which notes I can use, which notes that are known formy ear or challenges it, to create melodies to use on and between the current chord and thenext one. It’s important to practice the solo not only on one chord at a time but also as thechord leads to the next one. Isolating one chord is good in the beginning and creating loopswith two or more in a row is a good next step. This is a common practice among jazz

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musicians. The more musical tools I gather, the more I can use in my improvisation.Recognizing scale degrees on different chords is definitely a good tool to have, and one canalways get better at it. It helps when I accompany Andersson during a vocal solo or as shemakes different variations on the melodies. It also helps for me to get a varied way of playingon a chord progression, or when I change the chords to the melody during a performance.

5.4. Free improvisation as an exerciseImprovising freely on an instrument, without requirements regarding the quality of theoutcome, can be very meditative. In such a situation, my approach is to play anything, maybesomething that I need to reflect on through music or a feeling I want to express. It’s a goodway to explore flow, allowing oneself to keep on playing however it sounds. It also invites toexplore moods and modes - moods being an emotional state and mode a key or an interestingscale one wants to explore. The free improvisation could be made into an exercise by addingframes to restrain it. In my case I added pictures to improvise to.

5.4.1. Improvising to pictures

To find expressive tools and techniques I narrowed down and steered the free improvisationby improvising to pictures. I created a soundtrack to the events in the picture and saw whatnew ideas I came up with. The exercise was divided into two parts. The first is where Iimprovised freely and the only restraint was that the inspiration should come from the eventsin the picture. The other part was to try to create small compositions using materials generatedthrough improvisation. This could come by transcribing an idea from the recorded session offree improvisation in the first part. The difficulty here is to not expect me to make somethingperfect the first time. Just try to play something and see where it leads and how it gives menew musical ideas to dig deeper into and learn. Creating compositions requires me to reallyprocess the ideas, listen to what I played and explore the ideas even further.

This exercise is a good complement to how to practice the mental picture method by oneself.Instead of creating a story to improvise around one can just see the story in front of oneselfand try to play what one sees. The same exercise can be applied to emotions but are oftenimplemented since the pictures might evoke a few specific emotions. Combining these two Isearched on www.pixabay.com using names on emotions. As I searched for the word “sad” Ifound a picture I started to improvise to.

Figure 19. Picture for improvisation. www.pixabay.com

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What I saw in the picture was a worried and stressed girl. The hopelessness in her bodylanguage told me that something had happened before the picture was taken that she couldn’tstop thinking of. It was as if she’s at a crossroad and torn between two possible decisionswhere she prefers neither of them. Apparently, it’s not so much of what could be seen in thepicture but more in the story I created around it. Listen to it here.10 A comment from mylogbook concerning this session:

Figure 20. Draft from my logbook on 17 January 2022.

No matter if I found the music to correspond to the picture or not, it still brought meinspiration to perform something on the piano. Someone else might think the music Iperformed suited perfectly to the picture, or would start to imagine their own pictures as theylistened. Sven Bjerstedt (2014) has interviewed Peter Asplund, who said:

The improvisation will make some person think of something and feel something allthe time. [...] It comes from images and feelings that you have yourself when you aretelling a story. [...] I definitely think that you draw power from your own experiences,and perhaps, unfortunately, also from the Hollywood movies... [...] So I find it veryhard to think that you could play something that did not immediately turn into images.(Asplund in Bjerstedt 2014, p. 223)

As I said in the introduction we are definitely affected by music in Hollywood movies andtheir way of using music to create moods and enhance feelings in movies. It’s somethinginherited from musical accompaniment that evolved during the era of silent film (Kalinak,1992). Improvising to pictures could therefore be extended to improvising to moving images,where the performer would get more visible impressions to create improvised music to.

5.4.2. To play what you “hear”

Another exercise, common for jazz musicians, is to catch an idea that emerges whileimprovising. Listening actively to what one plays while playing makes it possible totranscribe it immediately and interpret it again in new ways. Of course this skill comes frommany hours of transcribing melodies, chord progressions and rhythms both with and withoutthe piano. Repeating improvised ideas occurs every time I accompany someone or perform asolo on the piano. For example, it appears in the solo on Smile and in the recorded freeimprovisation mentioned in chapter 5.4.1. In the solo on Smile (4.01)11 one can grasp thesmall pause caused as I acknowledged the idea before I repeated it. In the free improvisationthe repeated chord progression in 0.59,12 the different ostinatos in the third version,13 and thechord progression and rhythm in the beginning of the fourth version14 are just a few examplesof an improvised idea that I catched, repeated, and created something from.

Being able to react to the ideas from the improvisation leads to an alert ear. Soon one canrecognize melodies played in one's head, transcribe while performing and perform it. To reactto the ideas improvised on the piano or in my head I have to unblock the obstacles that’s in

14 Link to improvised rhythm and chord progression: https://youtu.be/Q7tdCuPXcOI?t=19213 Link to improvised ostinato: https://youtu.be/Q7tdCuPXcOI?t=12712 Link to improvised chord progression: https://youtu.be/Q7tdCuPXcOI?t=5911 Link to improvised solo on smile: https://youtu.be/IR-qyioWxRk?t=24110 Link to my improvisation of the picture: https://youtu.be/Q7tdCuPXcOI

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the way, by learning the crafts needed or by accepting the ideas I get. Nachmanovitch (1990)writes:

How does one learn improvisation? The only answer is to ask another question: Whatis stopping us? Spontaneous creation comes from our deepest being and isimmaculately and originally ourselves. What we have to express is already with us, isus, so the work of creativity is not a matter of making the material come, but ofunblocking the obstacles to its natural flow ... The only way out of the complexity isthrough it. Ultimately, the only techniques that can help us are those we inventourselves. (Nachmanovitch, 1990, p. 10)

For me an obstacle has been the acceptance of my voice and earlier in my career aboutaccepting the more simple ideas that came. As I started to study the, for me, newly discoveredgenre of jazz, I thought it was expected of me to perform more advanced melodies andrhythms than I could master. I neglected the simple ideas that came and got filled withperformance anxiety. With the pressure and expectancy from the performance practice inmyself I thought my ideas were too simple. I thought I would lose the respect from others if Iperformed simple melodies instead of the complex ones that more experienced jazzperformers played. With time comes maturity and I realized I can’t compare myself withothers, professionals or not. Someone who is not me will have other affordances andresistances than I have and will play different styles, rhythm combinations, and melodies,with greater or lesser ease. If someone is raised with just one style and only performs thatstyle, he or she will of course perform it with greater excellence than someone who playsseveral styles and is raised differently. Even so, what is even an “excellent performance”?Isn’t that subjective?

Nachmanovitch (1990) has many examples of meditational practices to use with one’sinstrument, but in the end it all comes down to loving what I do. As I wrote in theintroduction that hasn’t always been obvious to me, and I guess to many other musicians aswell at times. Sometimes it works to try to clean my head from thoughts and play whatevercomes to me, body or mind. Sometimes I hear a melody in my head I want to play, and othertimes I let my body play whatever it wants to play, trying to accept whatever comes outwithout a critical ear or mind. As long as I play something and let the inspiration start to flowI know I’m getting one step closer to the love of myself in the music.

5.5. Verbal and non verbal communication by the pianoIn chapter 5.1.2 I transcribed a song and showed the score to Robert Svensson whointerpreted it. As I showed how the original pattern of the transcribed song was performed, aconversation emerged (2:58,15 in my translation from Swedish to English):

E: But that’s what I mean, this could also be done like… If I just play…R: Yeah, right!E: Then it’s something different than that…R: Yes exactly, and what did you do differently?E: Well, dynamics. And the attack.

15 Link to the conversation: https://youtu.be/UUo-JLfCFxI?t=178

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Without listening to the performance of the piano, it is impossible to obtain a completeunderstanding of this exploration of the arrangement. The transcription of our verbalinteraction gives an incomplete representation, but it contributes with guidelines as the pianoperformance occurs simultaneously. My thinking-through-the piano was guided by hisquestion posed in the discursive domain, while I am informed by his artisticpre-understanding. “What did you do differently” with the answer “dynamics. And the attack”isn’t actually a full answer to the question. How did I change the dynamics and how did Ichange the attack? It wasn’t answered verbally because of the silent understanding of us bothknowing what happened in my body while I performed it on the piano. It’s a mutualunderstanding coming from experiencing touch, seeing and listening to the touch of otherpianists (Laws, 2019) that we both have experienced.

As Östersjö (2017) describes it’s when the translation from embodied knowledge to discursiveknowledge occurs in relation to documentation that new knowledge can emerge. The fact thatdynamics and attack will affect the outcome may not be brand new knowledge but thereminder of the effect it has and the possibility to apply this knowledge to creatingarrangement is still of good use. While creating arrangements I’m interested in finding outhow the emotion of sadness can be played without what Juslin (2010) describes as “low soundlevel” or “slow tone attacks”, which are the two I mention in the conversation above. Theknowledge I gained while experimenting with dynamics and attack could then be applied toother elements, giving me even more tools and techniques to use while creating arrangementsand performing. That is an example of the “mode 2 knowledge production” (Greenhalgh &Wieringa, 2011, in Östersjö, 2017) that appears in the discursive domain but is used as Iexplore tools and techniques on the piano, being aware of my touch and movements (bodyimage). This shows how the embodied and discursive knowledge are interacting and movedsometimes without translation in and out from the artistic domain, creating a deeperunderstanding of the process and the possible outcome of the process.

5.6. Concluding remarksThis chapter has concerned my first research question: in which ways can I deepen andenhance my expressive skills as a pianist? I thought I would find typical things that make aperformance expressive, but instead I realized that playing in one way may be perfect for meat that performance but not in the next one. Therefore, the answer wasn’t what expressions Ifound on the piano, but how I found them. The answer to the research question is to use mymethods, such as improvisation and transcription. While using the methods I will find severalnew ways of being expressive as long as I accept the musical ideas that come from myself.

Transcribing others is a great way to access new ideas of what one can do while performing.Transcribing one’s own instrument performed by another artist makes it possible tounderstand the differences in the performers affordances and resistances and try to find newways to reach a similar result. In my case I had to stop restraining myself as I listened toothers and accept that if I try to imitate them I might be able to play in a similar way, even ifit’s a groovy accompaniment pattern. As I transcribed and rearranged I Wanna Dance WithSomebody, performed by a band, I had to be playful to find ways of replacing the differentinstruments parts that created the groove. To make room for variations I had to find the mostimportant rhythms and add syncopations around it where I found it suitable. Lastly, bytranscribing oneself it is easier to understand what one plays and how it is articulated. As Ilistened attentively to myself while performing I could catch some ideas and reuse them. Thisis mostly done as I improvise.

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By improvising it is possible to find what I already know or what I am trying to perform. Bylistening to my inner voice, as well as to what I perform, I can catch the ideas I might notknow I had. These ideas are part of myself and by catching them I can reflect upon them andimprove them even more. While exploring improvisation and catching the ideas that appear, itis important to have an open mind and accept the ideas that come. Being critical to the ideasmight make oneself create distance and damage the relationship to one's instrument, as it didfor me.

To be able to express what I want to express I have to have good coordination. Practicingcoordination exercises makes it possible to play more freely, both while accompanying andwhile performing an improvised solo. Improvisation is a big part of how I interpret a score. Ifound that my transcriptions, which I have notated, tell me what to play but not how. How toplay comes from what I find fitting from our verbal collaborative interpretation of the lyricsand improves as Andersson and I perform together and discuss the mental picture. This, andhow we communicate verbal and non-verbal, will be further explained in chapter 6.

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6. Working in a duoThis chapter describes some of the artistic methods that led to creating the arrangements ofthe three songs, A Case of You, Smile and I Shall Be Released. The process of creating, and byextension performing, the arrangements is also described. Our interpretational ideas of eachsong is outlined and the whole chapter is generally a description of our joint work. ForAnderssons perspective on the collaborative outcome, one can read her thesis in Andersson(2022). Further I discuss performing without score and how interpretation and improvisationhave a big part in our arrangements. I end this chapter by discussing Anderssons and myfriendship that lays ground for our joint expression.

We have noticed that by knowing the other performers' musical language we canlisten-through-the other’s instrument during rehearsals and performance. When one of uslearns a new musical craft (such as a tool or technique), or finds new ways to use it, the otherone has to find how to adapt to that tool or technique. The success reached by one of us leadsto searching for similar crafts, and by extension success, for the other. John-Steiner (2000)says that “the self develops in the context of important relationships” (p. 79) and we think it isimportant to keep on searching for development in each of us to be able to improve Hera.

6.1. Creating togetherThis chapter describes four artistic methods that have been put into practice during rehearsal.They lay the ground for our creation of the arrangements. The exercises drawn from themethods have been designed with the intention of enhancing our interactions, improve howwe listen-through-the other’s instrument and further get a deeper understanding of ourarrangement process.

6.1.1. The mental picture-method

The mental picture method creates a backstory to the lyrics which widens the interpretationaldirections one can choose. We answered questions such as: What happened before the firstline? Where are we? Who’s the song about or who’s experiencing it, me or someone else?How does it smell, sound, feel where I am? What do we want to say with that? Answering thequestions creates a clearer character and storyline than what the lyrics in itself might say. Thesong Happy Birthday doesn’t say anything about the performer in the lyrics, it only tells usthat it’s the receiver's birthday. Therefore, if Happy Birthday was interpreted as if theperformer sings by a gravestone, it will be performed differently than if the performer sung asa mother to her long-awaited child in its cradle. It’s the same song with the same lyrics, butthe backstory, and therefore the interpretation, is different.

By deeply studying the lyrics of a song we can find different meanings and interpret the lyricsin different ways. We find it easier to remember the arrangement and backstory if we create amental picture of it. Picturing ourselves by the gravestone or by the cradle brings morepresent feelings to involve in the performance. The interpretation of the lyrics and backstorygives us ideas to use in the creation of arrangements. Depending on the story and storyline weadd different musical and expressive elements and can follow the changes in the story withthe music. As Andersson (2022) mentions, we “share a deeper, shared understanding of whatthe song means, how we want to express it and what to expect from each other duringperformance” (p. 43). However, the pictures we come up with aren’t always shared with theaudience. They might be shared occasionally to invite the audience to the mood we intend toshare, but it’s mostly used as a tool to make us perform more together.

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6.1.2. Start from an emotion

By analyzing the list of emotions16 and its correlation with musical expressions we could findwith which emotions we were most familiar. We made a test, playing two songs five timeseach starting from each emotion without looking at the list, a kind of blind test to see if ourintentions agreed with the list. We found that our interpretations of the emotions agreed to themusical expressions written in the list. We also found that emotions like happiness andsadness were easier to express for us with more variation, than anger and fear.

The feeling of anger is an emotion both Andersson and I find more difficult to express in oureveryday life since neither of us stay in the angry feeling for long. We haven't played so manyangry arrangements in our setting either. When we feel angry we both tend to change theexpression of the emotion to maybe a cry and frustrating movements instead of the more,generally speaking, screaming and maybe throwing things as expression. I also try to leavethe angry feeling as fast as I can when experiencing it since I find it uncomfortable. To findthe musical tools and techniques to express the angry feeling we created a “mental picture”containing a scenario where we had something to feel angry about. This raises the emotion inus so we could stay in it and try to express it. The expressive elements of the angry feelingweren’t so obvious to us as the sadness or happiness had been.

After just one rehearsal we found that the list of elements can be a huge help to find moreexpressive tools and techniques by searching for songs expressing the emotions we aren’t asfamiliar with. Transcribing the songs, imitating and learning the tools used to express theemotions could broaden our toolbox of musical expression. Transcription and imitation is alsoa great way of reaching more ways to express the emotions we are more familiar with.

6.1.3. The abstract graph-method

A new method we’ve tried and developed during this project is the “abstract graph” method.It is an exercise that challenges us to follow or contradict each other. We drew abstract graphson the whiteboard without saying what the parameters were, other than that we started theverse at the left side of the graph and had passed through the graph (following the x-axis) atthe end of the verse. The parameter of the y-axis would differ between contradicted emotions,such as happy and sad, it could be dynamics, tempo, sound color for Andersson, register etc.We drew the graph, followed the form of the song simultaneously and interpreted the graph inan optional way. After one playthrough we discussed how we interpreted it and how it felt tointeract with it at the same time as we interacted with each other.

Figure 21. and 22. Abstract graphs where the timeline throughout the verse is following the X-axis.

We challenged our instincts by practicing to do the opposite of the others’ artistic choice tosee what tension or expression it created. For example, as one raised the dynamics the other

16 Refers to the expanded list in Juslin (2009).

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one lowered hers. We needed to follow each other to know the duration of the process, howfast and at what point in the verse the changes would come.

Figure 23. Inverted graphs.

These graphs were mostly used as an interactive exercise but they also made us consider theparameters we could do more or less of. As we tend to follow each other's expressions inmusic, this was a good exercise to see what happens as we contradict the other ones musicalintentions. We needed to be alert in our listening to analyze in which way the other oneinterprets the figure and react to it in the opposite way.

6.1.4. Follow for following

From the previously mentioned methods we have created interactive exercises. This hasbenefited us as we have become even more responsive to each other and the other's voice.When we decided who led the exercise, it was easier to acknowledge the small nuances thatappeared. The more nuances we learn about the other, the more we will apprehend whileperforming and be able to react to. The more expressive tools and techniques one of us learns,the more new nuances the other one will have to recognize while performing to react to it in apreferable way. It is therefore important to keep on practicing these exercises so we areupdated on each other's improved and expanded voice.

We created an exercise where we followed each other, using emotions (happy/sad) aschanging parameters. Unlike the abstract graph method, where we knew the parameters wouldchange according to the drawing, we didn’t know what nuance to expect from the other whileperforming this exercise. This was done both with and without a pre-decided leader. We alsopracticed to perform the opposite emotions from each other, using mostly happy and sad inthis exercise as well. One difficulty in performing two opposite emotions in this case, was thedifference in timing. The happy expression contains a fast tone attack while the sadexpression has a slow tone attack. We had to find new ways of performing the emotionswhere we could be closer to each other in the timing so it didn’t sound as just two differentvoices performing at the same time.

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Figure 24. Opposite exercise. X-axis shows the chosen parameter, Y-axis shows the duration. If Ester performsthe red, the blue is performed by Andersson.

When we created the arrangement on Smile, as I describe in chapter 6.4., one of the firstexercises we tried was to follow each other while playing. One of us led the other in emotionslike happy or sad, or in dynamics from low to high. The most difficult part of the exercise forme was when I followed Andersson and her phrases ended with just a long note, leaving meplaying in between the lines without knowing where we would go next. Otherwise in songswe know roughly how the next phrase starts so I can prepare for it, but in this case I couldn’t.I had to focus on listening to the small details in the vocals, how she ended long notes, howshe inhaled, her sound color and if it sounds like she smiled while singing or not. Whilepracticing this we didn’t look at each other, instead we relied on what we heard.

6.2. The arrangement processDuring our years of playing and performing together we’ve developed a model for how tocreate our arrangements. We haven’t been aware of each step of it until we really dug into itduring this project. Knowing the different parts of the process helps us understand what’sneeded for an expressive arrangement, and helps us understand what exactly we talk aboutwhen we discuss some parts of the arrangement.

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Figure 25. A map over our arrangement process. Created in collaboration with Andersson (2022).

When creating an arrangement we start with a verbal collaborative interpretation of the lyrics.This is when we start to discuss the story and begin to create our mental picture. Dependingon the interpretation we choose which musical and expressive elements to apply on the score.

If the verbal interpretation contains something happy, we choose elements from the happyexpressive crafts we possess. The expressive skills contain musical skills, body movements,visible interaction (with audience or co-musician) and gestures (Andersson, 2022). It’s whatwe add to support the expressions from our interpretation. Some of them are consciouslyadded and others are subconscious and notated as we recall the session. Some could beperformed as a consequence of another choice, which is also noted in a stimulated recallsession. That could be bodily movements that come with the visible interactions or with amusical skill.

The musical skills are the techniques needed to perform the musical expressions. It’s the craftand precision of the musical choices needed to express the interpretation. Behind the musicalskills the performer's habitus is shaped through the performer's practice, musical background,affordances of its instrument and the performer's technique. Sometimes, the musical skills gounder the expressive skills since we add the musical choices for expressions, but other timeswe add musical skills because we like it, find it interesting to play or because it sounds goodto us. The musical skills may be satisfying to perform, and at times that reason may exceedthe expressions. Therefore it has its own category.

The score of the song consists of the form, chords, melody and lyrics. Often, the lyrics arewhat we collaboratively interpret first and create our story to. The score is the basis and

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constitutes the conditions for how and which expressive and musical skills could be applied.The score might need to change to match the verbal collaborative interpretation, or as we addexpressive or musical skills. Some things we add might, for example, cause a change in theorder of the song's form.

The score, our interpretation of the lyrics, our added expressive and musical skills form ourarrangement which we make a musical interpretation of. The arrangement is partly writtendown and can consist of chords, bars, form and keywords of the interpretation or mentalpicture. Even if not so much information is notated in the score, the verbal collaborativeinterpretation informs me how I can fill the bars while performing.

As we have a stimulated recall session of a recording during practice, we search for how thearrangement and the verbal collaborative interpretation corresponds. Even if we both agree tothe intended interpretation, we still might need to change the choice of expressive or musicalskills in the score in order to achieve it, or else, the interpretational idea might need to beclarified. However, if we like the expressive or musical skills we added and want to explorethem even more, we do so, and put the verbal collaborative interpretation of the lyrics asideuntil we have more in our arrangement to work with. This happened while working on I ShallBe Released, as the collaborative interpretation of that song were just leadwords, creatingroom for musical interpretation.

During the arrangement process we communicate verbally and non-verbally. Andersson(2022) shows an example of it in this17 video recorded during practice. We use sound andgestures to express ourselves and it happens all the time during practice and in dailycommunication and collaboration. It’s like an extension of what I described during the lessonwith Robert Svensson in chapter 5.5. In both examples the goal is to express something that’sobviously easier to express with non-verbal actions than verbal. The verbal language acts likea glue to combine the alternative expressions to an understandable context. Clearly the verballanguage isn’t as expressive as an expression in itself could be, therefore we must use otherconvenient tools than just words to express ourselves.

6.3. A Case of YouA Case of You, written by Joni Mitchell (1971), was the first song we chose for this project. Ithas been in our repertoire for a few years and our earlier interpretation of the song was a storyabout a romantic couple who had many difficulties. Reasons for that interpretation could befound in the lines of the first verse:

Just before our love got lost you said"I am as constant as a northern star"And I said, "Constantly in the darknessWhere's that at?If you want me I'll be in the bar" (Joni Mitchell, 1971)

We wanted to do something different than we did before so we searched for another meaningin the lyrics.

17 Verbal and non-verbal communication (Andersson, 2022):: https://youtu.be/5hJT71rWZg0

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6.3.1. A collaborative rearrangement of A Case of You

Andersson (2022) read about other people's interpretations of the lyrics and while readingabout other sad romantic interpretations she came up with an idea. What if the song was abouta woman and her relationship to her father? Some lines got a lot clearer with that in mind:

Oh, you're in my blood like holy wine

'Cause part of you pours out of me

We decided that our version would follow the lyrics and therefore change scenes in ourmental pictures depending on what happens in the lyrics. We decided that the woman’sbackstory contained a father who abused the relationship with her, coming and going just ashe wanted and never cared enough to stay with her. Andersson explains the background of thestory even further (see Andersson, 2022, p. 32). As the song starts we picture ourselves beingthat woman sitting in the bar, who just hung up the phone with her father who called for thefirst time in many years.

To set the mood for the song a good intro is needed. When I tried to find what to play Irecorded three rehearsal sessions and a live version before the studio session. I explain moreabout what we try while creating an intro in this video here.18

We made a change to one part of the story so that her father called to say he’s dying. Thiscauses another dilemma in the woman, making her evaluate the promise she made to herselfabout never letting him in again and therefore never get another chance to fix things with herfather again, to the second option of giving him another chance and gamble with thepossibility of getting her heart broken again. The mood changed to a much lower intensity asthe thoughts she fights with are heavier than before. We changed the key to B instead of Bb toget out of habits and muscle memory phrases that might have appeared.

I will present some of the lines in the lyrics that made us make certain musical choices in thearrangement, based on the interpretation we wanted. At the same time I try to explain ourinterpretation of the lyrics and the story we created around it. In my charts on the song there’sjust the lyrics and the chords standing next to them:

Figure 26. My charts on the first verse of A Case of You in Bb, but is performed in B in the studio recording.

18 Link to intro: https://youtu.be/cKnbSFERC-0

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The rest of the arrangement is based on our collaborative interpretation of the lyrics. Wefollowed each other through the story and placed ourselves in different mental picturesdepending on where she was in the story.

6.3.2. Performing A Case of You

Listen to our version here.19 The red words or syllables in the following text are playedtogether rhythmically. As I describe above, she is sitting at the bar and having all thosethoughts and feelings blurring in her head and she starts to draw (01.27):20

I drew a map of CanadaOh, Ca-na-da - followed by an upward melody representing the nostalgiaWith your face sketched on it twice - same chord structure again for “twice”

Marking Canada with both voice and instruments is used in the original by Mitchell. DianaKrall does it too but not as marked. The chord progress in the original is I-V-VIm, but bothDiana Krall and I go via the third in the base and get I-V/3-VIm. The base moving down in ascale brings another feeling to the phrase, a longing for the lost time living there.

The woman notices how he is in everything, every part of her life is influenced by him sinceshe is a part of him (01.49):21

Oh, you're in my blood like holy wine - thoughtful with an underlying desperationYou taste so bitter and so sweet - “tighten my jaw on ‘bitter’ and open up again in‘taste so sweet’” (Andersson, 2022, p. 41)

She starts to question her commitment of never trusting him again, but is afraid of getting hurt(02.04):22

I could drink a case of you - followed by some soft fillnotesAnd I would still be on my feet - clean chords, not ringing over each other

In the original the guitars follow the voice on the words case of you, and it’s something we’vekept in our arrangement too.

The interlude could represent her thoughts, deciding and then questioning the decision again.When I played it I mostly let the listeners digest the lyrics Andersson just shared with them bystaying in the feeling and then preparing them for what’s coming (02.50).23

Oh, I am a lonely painter - piano stops playing, she is really lonely→

And I'm drawn to those ones that ain't afraid - plays fragile

You said, "Love is touching souls" - piano raises the volumeSurely you touched mine - upset about it, and then realize how she’s affected by him

23 02.50: https://youtu.be/krRfSGs2VMA?t=17022 02.04: https://youtu.be/krRfSGs2VMA?t=12421 01.49:https://youtu.be/krRfSGs2VMA?t=10920 01.27 into our version: https://youtu.be/krRfSGs2VMA?t=8719 Link to our version of A Case of You: https://youtu.be/krRfSGs2VMA

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'Cause part of you pours out of me - played softly as she consent to it

In pop music (and other genres) it’s common to build the dynamics gradually during the song.By starting off quite soft it’s easier to raise the dynamics and intensity and make a greatdifference in nuance. With that in mind, the next chorus is a bit more upset as she realizes thedifficulties in her dilemma. In the last sentence I would still be on my feet (04.22)24 and thefollowing interlude implies she has decided that she can’t let him have this much impact overher.

Figure 27. From the open coding session of A Case of You. Interlude before third verse.

The interlude25 is played with more attitude - a more distinct touch, a flow in the melodiesleading forward. And then again, the hesitation returns as soft dynamics and lower tempo. Butas she makes a new effort to the last verse, the piano starts to lean forward again in tempo,dynamics and intensity. In the last verse she searches for help from no other than his mother(her grandmother) (04.48).26

I met a woman - pause for the statement of doing what’s rightShe had a mouth like yoursShe knew your life - lower register on the chord preparing for next sentenceShe knew your devils and your deeds - lower register because of the dark meaningAnd she said, "Go to him, stay with him if you can - more sustain to show thedifficulties of staying with himBut be prepared to bleed"

In the last chorus (05.14)27 the intensity is high since she once again asks herself if an oldpromise to herself is more worth than seeing her father and maybe fix things as it might betheir last chance. It’s desperation in both the piano and the vocals as the dynamics andintensity is high, and the dragging in the tempo between the lines makes the dilemma beheard. In the other half of the chorus (05.29)28 she decides what to do. She knows she will beaffected by him if she sees him, and she hopes she still can stand on her feet if she does meethim. The calmness of having made the decision lies over both the vocals and the piano.

6.4. SmileFor quite some time Smile was just exercises for us, and it demanded something more from usto create an arrangement of the song. We wanted the interpretation to be experimental andtherefore have loose frameworks to fill with what we had practiced. We took inspiration from

28 05.29: https://youtu.be/krRfSGs2VMA?t=32927 05.14: https://youtu.be/krRfSGs2VMA?t=31426 04.48: https://youtu.be/krRfSGs2VMA?t=28825 Interlude: https://youtu.be/krRfSGs2VMA?t=26524 04.22: https://youtu.be/krRfSGs2VMA?t=262

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Quint and Bells version of Smile29 since we found their interpretation to be dramatic andexperimental. The mental picture consisted of a girl in shock, inspired by the contradictions inthe text.

Smile though your heart is achingSmile even though it's breaking

We wanted to play the soundtrack of her standing in the middle of a chaotic place, justhearing this loud beep as if something just blew up beside her.

6.4.1. A collaborative rearrangement of Smile

As we continued to rehearse the song we made the picture even more specific. At first shemoved through the song. Starting in this chaos unaware of her surroundings, leading to herbecoming more aware of the war around her, ending with her running over a hill as in theending of the ‘sound of music’. Knowing she would survive and life would go on, we endedthe song. This interpretation is completely based on our imagination and the mood we wantedto create during the song. One day it changed as the line you’ll see the sun come shiningthrough stood out. We imagined the girl laying under a collapsed house during war, justseeing this little light shining through some cracks. While lying there she thinks of life anddeath, of the unfair fate she encountered, and at last accepting it and giving up her last breathin the last sentence. The listeners won't know our interpretation and will probably not get thesame mental picture while listening to the song. We created our shared mental picture for thecause of our interactions.

We separated the song into the following sections:

introverse 1verse 2soloverse 3verse 4outro

Verse 1 and 3 have the same text, as do verse 2 and 4. However, they are performeddifferently and therefore I use different numbers to explain. We wanted the song to start softlyand be more dramatic as the song continues. The arrangement is inspired by the exercises weperformed on the song. The overall keywords for the different part were as follows:

Intro: Improvised vocal solo over a set chord changeVerse 1: Not so dramaticVerse 2: More floatingSolo: Continue but add some rhythmsVerse 3: Super happy until “you’ll get by”, then it becomes dramaticVerse 4: Bb left in left hand, solo vocal, I join the last 4 bars in a high registerOutro: high register with the chords Eb, Eb7, Ab/Eb and then low register Abm/Eb and Eb.

29 Quint and Bells version of Smile at https://youtu.be/6-fO4VmW33U

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Since we specified our collaborative interpretation from a girl that stands in the middle of awar, to a girl who dies under a collapsed house “it suddenly became much easier to find asuitable intro that would enhance a fragile and uncomfortable expression” (Andersson, 2022,p. 29). The whole arrangement changed when we added extended piano techniques, playingdirectly on the strings, the body of the piano and adding a whiteboard pen on top of somestrings to create a more metallic sound. Andersson asked what could be the correspondingthing for her to do, as I could add tools to my piano. She started to explore her effect pedaland started to blow in the microphone with a lot of reverb, pitch shifter and delay on it. It wasa perfect way to set the mood! Suddenly we had so much more to work with than just thetraditional way of playing our instruments.

6.4.2. Performing Smile

In the final version30 the intro was dedicated to set a “rough and unpleasant mood”(Andersson, 2022, p. 29) using extended piano techniques and effects on the microphone withAndersson blowing in it. I continued to play in that way while she presented the theme of thesong. I improvised over a chord progression taken from our previous version of the intro, butexcluded the last one.

Figure 28. The chord progression from the intro before extended techniques were added.

As the Bbm chord’s third is the minor seven in Eb, I thought of an Eb7 chord but avoided theminor seven when the melody rested on the major seventh note. As one may notice, I stayedin one octave during the intro. I did so to be able to, with my left hand, press down just thekeys which strings I wanted to resonate when picking on them with my right hand. The phraseyou’ll see the sun come shining through stand out as it is the first time one hear the pianosound like it used to sound.

Figure 29. From the open coding session on Smile. The mood changes when the piano enters.

Verse 2 was performed as we followed each other in the expressive movements such as tempovariations, phrasings and dynamics. Overall the second verse isn’t as extreme in the changesas the later verses are.

Figure 30. From the open coding session on Smile. Verse 2.

30 Final version of Smile: https://youtu.be/IR-qyioWxRk

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The solo starts out quite still, making room for small dramatic movements to appear bigger.The mental picture was still of the girl under the collapsed house, so the “intention with thepiano solo was to symbolize the girl's dreams while she is unconscious” (Andersson, 2022, p.30). The second chorus in the solo (4.29)31 is played more rhythmically with some fastphrases, changes in the dynamics and tempo, less sustain ending in a softer tempo, withsustain and calm ostinato over the basenotes of the last four chords.

Figure 31. From the open coding session on Smile. Piano solo.

The soft and stillness in the end of the solo is quickly changed to a happy start of verse 3where Andersson sets tempo with her breath. Fun fact noticed when having the open codingsession was that Andersson has already inhaled (5.27)32 and uses the breathing just as anindicator for when I should enter and in which tempo. The change and overlap to the dramaticplace is inspired by the exercises we performed on this song, where we built the drama anddynamic and suddenly pauses, and continue softly to the fourth verse where Andersson singsover the ringing bass note from the last chord. I entered the last bars in the verse (7.10)33 in ahigh register, playing the chords slightly behind Andersson in time. I did not want to be toofast in my touch, and hearing that Andersson used a lot of air made me wait even longer. Iwas prepared for the words to be aired in the start too, making it possible for me to perceivethe air as the striking of a note.

6.5. I Shall Be ReleasedI Shall Be Released, composed by Bob Dylan34 (1968), was chosen just a few weeks beforethe date of our recording. Andersson stumbled across a version by Joni Mitchell, Cass Elliotand Mary Travers and suggested we should play the song. We listened to a lot of versions butI transcribed the chords from Nina Simone's version35 and Andersson listened mostly toMaroon 5s version.36

36 Listen to Maroon 5s version at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKI0VrXEDww35 Listen to Nina Simones version at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyCn8IC5RpE34 Listen to I Shall Be Released by Bob Dylan at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0pkHBVznLA33 Enter the last verse https://youtu.be/IR-qyioWxRk?t=43032 Andersson inhales: https://youtu.be/IR-qyioWxRk?t=32731 Second chorus in the piano solo: https://youtu.be/IR-qyioWxRk?t=269

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Figure 32. The chord changes the chorus transcribed from Nina Simone’s (1969) version of I Shall Be Released.The only difference to the verse is the Cm in bar 7 which is an Eb in the verse.

The versions we studied had quite a slow tempo and the general mood is quite low. We cameup with the idea of creating keywords using the title. The keywords we thought of werefreedom, happiness and release. What styles do we associate with those words? We thought ofgospel music.

6.5.1. Collaborative rearrangement of I Shall Be Released

Neither Andersson nor I have performed so much gospel, therefore it became a different kindof challenge than the other two songs. I had to listen to gospel music, ideally with just pianoas accompaniment, and transcribe the idiomatic elements I could find:

Rhythmical structures, such as “conga thumb” - patterns:

Figure 33. example from Step By Step, by Per-Erik Hallin (1987). Triplet-based accompaniment.

Fills in between parts:

Figure 34. Example of fill between verses in Father Knows Best by Kirk Franklin (2019). The song is in Ab.

Dominant eleventh chords (V11) and a lot of chord changes leading to temporary tonics withsecondary dominants and relative IIm-chords:

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Figure 35. Example of temporary key change when the I-chord turns into a V7 and is played with its relativeIIm.

While creating the arrangement on I Shall Be Released, we noticed we needed something tohappen between the verses and the chorus. Instead of using the same chord progression inboth parts we kept the original chords on the verses and applied the chord progression fromDaniel Adams Ray’s (2021) cover of Cry No More Tears37 in the chorus. I had to do someadjustments on the chords to fit the melody of I Shall Be Released but the result was clearlyan improvement.

Figure 36. The reharmonisation of the chorus, based on transcription of Daniel Adams Ray’s version of Cry NoMore Tears.

To find inspiration for the style to play I listened to Father Knows Best by Kirk Franklin38

(2019), Sara Bareilles’ (2007) song Many the Miles39 and Daniel Adams Ray’s (2021) versionof Cry No More Tears. It was quite challenging to find the groove, but using stimulated recallhelped us in the process of creating the arrangement. We listened to recordings performedduring practice and made the changes we heard were needed.

Form by Nina Simone: Our form:

Chorus a cappella

Intro Intro

Verse 1 Verse 1

Chorus Verse 2

Verse 2 Chorus

Chorus Solo

Verse 3 Verse 3

Chorus ending with ritardando Chorus

39 Listen to Many the miles at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-0uUSHa8wY38 Listen to Father Knows Best at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCdSaIdyFDo37 Listen to it Cry No More Tears at http://youtube.com/watch?v=SW2e2b2dmXc

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Chorus a cappellaFigure 37. The form on I Shall Be Released.

We changed the form so we had more time to relax in the groove before the first chorus. Weadded an a cappella chorus in the beginning with inspiration taken directly from the gospelgenres' typical choirs. Going from the a cappella chorus to the intro during practice, I lost thegroove and raised the tempo. This made me realize I changed my body movements to thesong. From having a groove in my body based on the 1st and 3rd quarter notes in the acappella chorus I changed to bouncing on all four quarter notes, losing the calm groove fromthe first chorus. I had to make myself bounce on just the 1st and 3rd to relax and rather keepthe subdivision in my legs or a foot for timekeeping. I needed to strive back in time and try toplay simple but clear and rely on Andersson’s and mine timekeeping skills.

6.5.2. Performing I Shall Be Released

The biggest challenge with this song was the groove and attitude needed to perform it. Wecouldn’t hide behind anyone and as the song is rhythmically challenging, we needed to beprecise and convincing. Listen to our final version here.40

During the recording of the song I noticed that I strived back too much in the tempo. This ledto us both losing the groove. At this time the groove and accompaniment pattern started toreally sit in my body, so now the problem was me holding back instead of releasing theenergy of the song. I had to trust my timekeeping, listen to Andersson and take in her grooveand just focus on supporting it with energy both in my piano playing and with my cheering,constantly moving my body to the groove. During rehearsal I had to really focus on keepingthe time in my body on the 1st and 3rd beat in the bars, which is visible in the performance.“This resulted in a clear visible interaction between the two of us that encouraged each otherto express the groove through our bodies and not only through our instruments” (Andersson,2022, p. 44). When I started to play the piano I immediately started to move to the rhythm(0.30).41 During the solo I recall focusing on my body movements to keep the time (1.57).42

Throughout the song we cheered on each other with “woo” and “yeah”-sounds which gave useven more energy to bring to the song.

Figure 38. From the open coding session on the intro of I Shall Be Released.

42 During the solo: https://youtu.be/sOHtJ5yQevQ?t=11741 When the piano enters: https://youtu.be/sOHtJ5yQevQ?t=3040 Listen to our version of I Shall Be Released at https://youtu.be/sOHtJ5yQevQ

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It was really fun to perceive the cheering while performing. Though we didn’t have anaudience that cheered on us, it was enough to have each other. I immediately felt so genuinelyhappy, it’s possible to see how I smile when Andersson makes a “woo” sound during my solo(2.08).43 The cheering and leadwords of freedom, happiness and release worked well together.It created a feeling of permission to try new and challenging things. I improvised some licksand the first longer one I played is at 1.16.44 My reaction is a big smile and I seekconfirmation from Andersson, receiving it with a smile from her when our eyes meet.

The mental picture method helped us during the recording as we created a scene where weboth would be happy, feel freedom and release. It helped to forget the surroundings withcameras, microphones and lack of energy after the days in the studio. It’s a good trick to fooloneself.

6.6. Performing without scoreWhen we recorded these three songs we performed them without a score or a sheet with thelyrics, since the score doesn’t tell me more than what chords to play in which bar, tempo-feeldirections (like rubato, dancing, calm), and sometimes dynamics. The order of the chordprogressions is often more important than how many bars there are between the chordchanges. Instead, I keep track of the chords in relation to the lyrics. I know when the nextchord comes in relation to where Andersson chooses to begin or end her phrases. Of course itdiffers between different songs and depending on the phrasing Andersson chooses. As I listencarefully to what she does, especially if she does something out of the ordinary, I know if Ican follow or lead when playing the chords or not. I present the second part of the first verseof A Case of You in this45 video clip, where we almost take turns in who leads the phrases.

The melody and text is rarely in my score, instead I know it by ear. These songs are deeplyworked through and the story behind the mental picture we have created makes it easier toremember what part comes next. As Woody and McPherson (2010) say, “it may be easier fora performer to memorize an image of an ocean wave swelling and crashing on the shore, asopposed to the equivalent timing and loudness qualities of an accelerando-crescendocombination” (p. 413). We also find it easier to pay attention to the other one's intentionswhen not needing the visual sense for the score. It is common among jazz and pop musiciansto perform without a score to focus more on the interactions and performance. One issupposed to know the song before performing it, and not depending on a score is a great wayof testing if one knows it or not.

Looking back at the example in chapter 5.1.2, where I transcribed the song Falling, I hadmore information in that score than in the three songs we performed. Even though Falling hadmore information there was still plenty of room for interpretation of the score. I have cut outthe four first bars on each verse on A Case of You where the score has the same chordprogression. Listen to it here,46 and as is the score for the second verse should look like this:

46 Link to score interpretation of A Case of You: https://youtu.be/eY2YoEeLrw045 Link to leading phrases in A Case of You: https://youtu.be/G19dVkFDx_g44 Lick in verse 1: https://youtu.be/sOHtJ5yQevQ?t=7643 “Woo” during solo: https://youtu.be/sOHtJ5yQevQ?t=128

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Figure 39. My transcription. 2nd verse of A Case of You

And a simplified 3rd verse should looks like this:

Figure 40. My transcription. 3rd verse. The main rhythms are notated.

The other verses do have different subdivisions but the chord changes stay the same. I had analternative chord progression that I didn’t use in the recording we chose. I took it from DianaKrall's version:

Figure 41. My transcription. Diana Krall’s alternative chord changes.

She uses it on all verses, for instance here.47 In our version I found it better to use it if Iwanted to underline something complex. In the score it’s notated in the second part of the firstverse, as is visible figure 26 (chapter 6.3.1.). Forgetting to use an alternative chord changecould be seen as a proof of the musical interpretation being partly improvised. Maybe I didn’thear it, or didn’t have time to remember how to play it if I heard it. Having alternative chordchanges ready is a great way of making the arrangement feel fresh after having performed itin similar ways a few times. Even if I haven’t prepared alternative chord changes I know Isometimes change chords while performing, but I often keep it quite simple using parallelchords according to the music theory if I find it suitable.

6.7. Joint expressionI asked the pianist Mathias Lundqvist if music is always expressive? He said no, that it won’tnecessarily have to be performed as an expression, or to express something, but might anywaybe perceived as an expression. He compared it to painting and said:

If I would like to express a horse, I could choose to paint it as a horse. I could paint itas clear and general as I possibly could and people who see this painting would think‘ah, this represents a horse, because it looks like a horse’. Then I could paintsomething that represents a horse without making it look directly like a horse. It mightnot be perceived as a horse but my intention was to express a horse. Then I can paintsomething without the intention to present a horse but someone who sees this paintingmight say ‘this looks like a horse’ though that wasn’t my intention. (M. Lundqvist,personal communication, 2022)

47 Link to Diana Krall's version of A Case of You: https://youtu.be/gaz0xbI2tAg?t=74

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Something doesn’t have to be meant as an expression to be perceived as an expression, and Icould try to express something without anyone perceiving it as an expression. So, do we wantto enhance or improve our expressions by making the intended expression clearer so theperceiver understands what we imply? Or do we want to enhance and improve ourexpressions so we can perceive what we implied? Or do we just want it to be expressiveregardless of what’s expressed? We know we can’t control what the listeners perceive or feelsince personal aspects make separate individuals evaluate the same thing differently,depending on their motivations and memories (Juslin, 2019). A piece of music might “arousean emotional memory, which does not in any way reflect emotions perceived in the music”(Juslin, 2019, p. 57). With that in mind we have focused on enhancing our expressions nomatter what’s perceived by an external person, and at the most what we perceive whenlistening in 3rd person perspective. If we can hear the motivations in the music, we know atleast something is expressed. But again, it mustn’t be perceived as an expression for someonenot susceptible to it.

By using the mental picture method to create interpretational arrangements we can get moreconvinced of what Woody and McPherson (2010) discusses; one doesn't have to feel theemotions to express it. It could be that the expression is “automatically applied conventions of'musicality'; rather than the result of felt emotion” (2010, p. 412). During a rehearsal of SmileI found it difficult to focus on the mental picture. Still I could hear that it sounded as if I did,since it sounded similar to the rehearsal where I could focus on the mental picture. Although Ididn’t feel the emotions from the mental picture, I had obviously obtained the “right” toolsand techniques to share the expressions found in the mental picture. Andersson (2022) noticeda similarity that if “one knows what expressive skills to use to express a mood or a feeling, itis not necessary to feel it yourself” (p. 46). It is, though, important to underline the effectmusic has on the performer's experience and emotions too. Performing something that soundsas if I am happy, making me create happy bodily movements and gestures while performing, Iwill probably feel at least a little bit happy. Then, if I feel the emotion we try to expressthrough the music we perform, the “emotion affects psychological and physical functioning,which in turn can shape musical behavior and sound” (Woody & McPherson, 2010, p. 412).Apparently, small details might change in our performance which could make us prefer onerecording over another.

6.8. Concluding remarksThis chapter has mainly focused on the second research question: in which ways does thearrangement process affect our joint expression in duo performance? The exercises we haveused have focused on enhancing our joint expression, as we have followed or contradictedeach other's expressions. It has led to attentive listening and therefore also improved ourinteractions which is needed while performing a joint expression. As our joint expression hasbeen enhanced, we have also enhanced our individual expressive crafts. Andersson (2022)mentions that it “is important that everyone in a group knows how to be expressiveindividually in order to create a joint expression. To create a joint expression one interactswith the other performer, listens attentively and reacts to the other performer's initiative, boththeir musical initiatives and their body movements” (p. 47). These exercises along with thecollaborative creation of the arrangements has developed our interactive skills.

As Andersson and I know each other well, we understand each other's musical expressionsand therefore know what to expect from our verbal collaborative interpretation of the lyrics.

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The verbal collaborative interpretation of the lyrics will stay the same between differentperformances but the mental picture might change. We make adjustments to the mentalpicture so it suits the mood we intend to share during the performance. When the mentalpicture feels accurate it is easier to remember and perform the collaborative interpretation.The variations we make while performing will be according to the accurate mental picture orto the verbal collaborative interpretation of the lyrics. These changes in the mental picture arepossible to make just before entering a stage or studio since we know each other well. If Iwere to perform with another vocalist and add a sunset to the shared mental picture, I mightaim for the warm and safe feeling it brings but the vocalist might associate it with the end of aday, which might bring a contradictory feeling to the performance.

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7. Improving Hera and developing a shared voiceWhen making expressive arrangements and discussing emotional situations, having trust ineach other is essential. Andersson and I have known each other for some years now and havegradually enhanced our relationship and trust in each other. We are not just musical partners,we are best friends spending time together in and outside of music. Though, at times we havecaught ourselves spending time only preparing for performance or rehearsing together. VeraJohn-Steiner (2000), who has looked into creative collaborative relationships, noticed that theartistic collaborators who “manage to develop ways to protect their relationship” know how to“modulate it, fine-tune it, and, at times, build some artistic distance between each other whiletreasuring their primary connection” (p. 84). We had to schedule time to spend with eachother that didn’t include planning performances or rehearsing. Spending time outside of musicgave us more ways to gain trust in each other.

Trust is built as we spend time together, having honest and caring communication. We try tofind acceptance in our own development, our own voices, and try new things beside eachother knowing that it’s okay to fail. As Andersson said, “to fail in front of someone one caresabout is the scariest” (Andersson, personal communication, April 25, 2022) since what thatone thinks of oneself can be important. We have to “trust in each other's sensitivity andsupport” (John-Steiner, 2000, p. 87) to create the climate we want to have during practice andperformance. The climate of both knowing we have each other's back both while performingand in everyday life. Still we might get into a fight, often due to a stressful period.John-Steiner (2000) emphasizes the importance of also “meeting each other’s emotionalneeds” (p. 74) in creative partnerships. Knowing that we are both sensitive to stress, we canhelp and support the other one, meeting the other one's needs even when the other doesn't askfor it. By finding solutions to our arguments together, we keep on enhancing the trust betweenus.

7.1. Shared voiceThe performer's habitus contains the performance practice and the individual's musicalbackground. The affordances of an instrument is related to the performer, since one performermight have different affordances than another one (Coessens & Östersjö, 2014). Voiceemerges as the performer and the performers' affordances of the instrument relate. Butwithout music to perform, there is no voice. So I have to add one bubble to the picture that isrelevant to the discussion.

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Figure 42. Voice in relation to the music.

The performer interprets the arrangement in relation to the performer’s instrument. In ourcase, I interpret the arrangement in relation to Andersson who interprets the arrangement inrelation to me. Our shared voice can therefore emerge between our shared interpretation of thearrangement.

Figure 43. Shared voice emerges as the performers interact with their instrument and each other in relation to thearrangement.

The shared voice is in the figure called Hera, as it is the name of our duo. So what is it thatmakes Hera sound like she does? What characterizes Hera, what is her trademark? How muchof me is in Hera, and how much of Andersson? Me and Andersson form Hera, but even ifneither of us are playing, Hera still could express something through our silence. It’s as ifHera has her own voice through our voices. To find what Hera is, I searched for ourinteractive dynamics to find our shared voice.

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7.2. Searching for a shared voiceWhen performing or rehearsing, Andersson and I know who we are in relation to each other.Anderssons singing and musical choices affect my piano performance and my pianoperformance and musical choices affect her singing. As we have spent much time together wehave both consciously and unconsciously learned how to read the other one, both the bodylanguage and the musical language. The small characteristic features that create Andersson’sindividual voice are known to me, and vice versa. I trust the experience Andersson possessesand I trust her relation to the performance practice. I know she won’t do something out of theordinary while performing, but if she does something unusual while performing or rehearsingI have to add it to my skills of listening-through-Andersson and learn how to interact with it.

While seeking an understanding of shared voice, Östersjö (2020) searched for initiative andresponse in performance. I did the same to see our interactive dynamics and see how we adaptto each other in order to share the same interpretation.

Figure 44. From the open coding session of Smile. The end of the second verse.

In the second verse of Smile, where the draft from our open coding session is shown above,the lyrics goes:

You'll find that life is still worthwhileIf you just smile

We came from a part with higher intensity, higher dynamics and higher tempo. In the line justbefore the mentioned ones we reverse all three subjects and pauses before 3.07.48 Anderssonset the tempo with her inhale and body language, but the tempo is still open. The phrasingisn’t pre-decided more than that Andersson had planned to perform the “if” by itself. Thephrasing and chords appears performed as followed:

Ebadd9- You'll find

Cm11 Fm11- that life is still worthwhile- If

Bbadd9- you just smile

Each phrase leans forward and slows down as we reach the first vowel of the last word in thephrase. I played an Eb in my right hand repeatedly at least twice in the ending of the firstthree phrases. As one can hear when Andersson sings “is still” (3.10),49 I performed the Eb abit slower, starting the ritardando already during those words. Andersson reacted byimmediately slowing down when starting on, and during, the word “worthwhile”. The Bb in

49 03.10: https://youtu.be/IR-qyioWxRk?t=19048 03.07: https://youtu.be/IR-qyioWxRk?t=187

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my left hand joined Andersson on the first vowel in “worthwhile”, as if it was to see if weboth agreed on which tempo we performed the ritardando.

So starting with Anderssons inhale before the first phrase, she took initiative in tempo andintensity. The intensity is confirmed as she performed “you’ll” with even dynamics. Iresponded by following her tempo with the same intensity. As I wrote above, I took initiativewith the ritardando which Andersson responded to and we performed jointly.

Another example is taken from A Case of You. It’s the ending phrases of the first verse.

Figure 45. From our open coding session of A Case of You. First verse.

In this passage it is much more difficult to tell who took the initiative and who responded.Andersson made a long inhale with a small shake of her head before she started the phrase:

Eadd9 B F#- With your face sketched on it twice

Andersson usually performs a small pause between the inhale and the start of the first word. Itis necessary since the inhale is without tension in the throat and to form the word tension isneeded in the right places in the throat. The length of the pause before the word is performeddiffers. For this phrase the pause and the “with” appears to be used to set tempo together. It isthe initiative needed for the phrase to continue as we want it to. Compared to “you’ll” in thepreviously discussed phrase, where Andersson performed with even dynamic, “your” in thisphrase has a small crescendo, a swell, which directs the phrasing forwards. Still the tempodoesn’t rise. Reaching the last words in the phrase Andersson stays on the “i” in “it”, settingthe “t” clearly and rhythmically slightly behind the tempo she used through the first part ofthe phrase. Andersson made a small nod as she performed the word “twice” and I leaned intothe piano, changing direction as we set the “twice” together. I can’t tell how we knew theother one would perform it at that time and how it then could be performed so tightly. Wemust read more into each other than can be seen from a 3rd person perspective,listening-through-each other’s voices so we can predict what will happen while performing.

As we learn how to listen-through-the other’s instrument, we can even listen-through-Hera.We know how Hera sounds and how we want her to sound. The difficult part is when we wantto improve ourselves and Hera to create and perform music from outside of our comfort zone,trying not to be too affected by the performance practice and see the resistances aspossibilities to create something new. I Shall Be Released is a good example of creating musicoutside our comfort zone. As it is rhythmic and happy and not melancholic as a lot of ourearlier arrangements were, it contained many qualities that helped to improve our duo. Smilehas also challenged us with its nuances and expressions. It used a wider aspect of emotionsthan we are used to performing, which made us realize how much of these nuances wepossess as expressive crafts. Performing outside of our comfort zones is possible as we spreadthe “risk” between us, encouraging each other to take more chances:

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Trust between collaborators often contributes to the heightened self-confidence neededto overcome the weight of artistic traditions. In addition to trust, partnerships cansupport a person’s willingness to take risks in creative endeavors. (John-Steiner, 2000,p. 79)

Trying new things made us improve ourselves and we found new tools and techniques, andnew ways to use the ones we already knew. We found what we can do, what we can’t do andwhat we want to be able to do.

7.3. Body schemas interactingAs I wrote earlier, Andersson and I know the other one’s voice well. The Swedish word“lyhörd” (a responsive and attentive listening) is a great description of how we listen activelyto each other. We are responsive to even the small body movements we see of each other seenin the periphery. We read and react to the movements as if they are our own. The smallcharacteristic attributes create our separate voices. How we interact with each other’s voiceswhile performing creates our shared voice. Östersjö (2020) argues that to create a sharedvoice “the individual character of each performer must be highlighted” (p. 105). I play like Ido because I play with Andersson. It’s as if Andersson's voice is part of my body schema, justas my instrument is a part of mine.

Figure 46. Body schemas interacting.

Anderssons and my body schemas interact with each other without going through ourconscious minds first. That's why it’s important to listen and analyze the material in a 3rdperson perspective. A 3rd person perspective makes it possible to see the interactions thatappear without us reacting to it while performing. A lot that appears while performing feels asif it’s “intuitive” and there is no time for reflecting upon it while performing. However, as Idescribed earlier, it’s difficult to pinpoint the initiative and response even in 3rd personperspective. It’s difficult to know if an initiative comes from the arrangement or as a reactionto something the other one performs. Therefore I think it would be interesting if we wouldhave recorded several performances from different occasions. Studying them would make itpossible to compare the musical expressions and analyze the initiative and response in ourinteractions.

It is important to be clear in the ideas we perform so the other can perceive it and react to it.It’s when an idea isn’t fully carried out that misconceptions may appear and the jointexpression could be lost temporarily. But as long as the idea emerges from the mental pictureand the verbal collaborative interpretation of the lyrics, the failed idea may not cause so muchdamage. It’s probably still close to another idea that the other one may add to solve the tensesituation. When these situations appear while performing, we start to listen to each other in

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another way. Östersjö (2020) describes different modalities of listening while performing, andin this situation I described we use a searching listening method.50 It is a “problematic state inwhich one often finds a conflict between an openness of listening and a search for materialand tools that will allow the performer to contribute to the ongoing music” (2020, pp. 97-98).It affects us by making our focus move from the joint expression to make the music continuesmoothly.

7.4. Concluding remarksThis chapter has mainly focused on the third research question: how can our interactions inperformance become further developed into a shared voice? I have mentioned several times,and find it important to underline that since Andersson and I know each other’s voice andmusical expression well, we can develop a shared voice. As a shared voice “emerges from theprocess of collaboration” (Gorton & Östersjö, 2016, p. 593) it could be found in ourinteractions, where we respond to each other's initiatives during performance. It is possiblesince we can listen-through-each other’s instruments, knowing what is possible, and expected,to be performed by each other. Once again, as one of us improves her voice, the other oneneeds to learn how to adapt to it. Andersson (2022) indicates that “as we have improved ourseparate tools we learn how to apply them, and respond to each other's new ways of using thetools” (p. 45). This is something we encourage since it will improve both of our separate skillsas well as our joint expression and shared voice.

50 The different modalities of listening can be found in Östersjö, 2020, pp. 97-98.

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8. ConclusionFor me, personally, the most important result of this study is the love I gained for playing thepiano again. Searching for what I need to express something instead of everything that I don’tknow yet brings me energy and a forgiving attitude to playing the piano. I have realized Ialready possess many expressive skills and can find different ways to apply them usingimprovisation and during our arrangement process. I would say that I have deepened myunderstanding of what it means to be an expressive and interactive pianist and have expandedthose skills in duo performance with a vocalist, just as my aim implied.

8.1. Methods

To find new ways of using my expressive skills, free improvisation and transcription of othermusicians has been of good use. Improvisation with or without restrictions contributes toaccepting the musical ideas that appear, and to embrace the artistic side of oneself.Improvisation is also used as we interact with each other. We interact with each other'simpulses and react using improvised melodies, rhythms or changing the phrasing.Transcription of other musicians leads to new ideas and new ways of applying ideas I possess.It is helpful to transcribe both one’s own instrument and others, one’s own to find technicalskills and others to find new musical inputs and creative ideas.

Stimulated recall has been used both as we have created our arrangements and also to analyzethe outcome of our recordings. While creating arrangements we have used stimulated recall toget a 3rd person perspective of our musical interpretation. A 3rd person perspective has madeus value our expressive and musical choices as if it was performed by someone else. We cangive ourselves constructive criticism and make the changes we need to reach the intendedexpression. Using stimulated recall during the arrangement process isn’t so different to howwe used it while analyzing the final recording of the performance. As we analyzed theperformance we have been able to see the visible interactions, recall what led to an expressiveor musical choice and notice what we performed without us having planned it. Usingstimulated recall interspersed with open coding has been a great way of reaching a deeperunderstanding of the knowledge we have gained through this project, and also the knowledgewe already possessed.

The three songs we chose for this project were different from each other and easy to applydifferent interpretation ideas to. In A Case of You we both followed the lyrics and the mentalpicture we created from it. Smile became the most experimental one. As we created thearrangement we could practice a lot of interactive exercises, which has enhanced our jointexpression and helped us improve our shared voice. Performing and rearranging I Shall BeReleased has challenged our comfort zone. We have realized that we should trust in our ownknowledge, and in each other's musical knowledge. Trust and understanding of the process oflearning is important when trying to improve oneself in music.

8.2. Creating collaboratively

When we create arrangements jointly we communicate about how we want it to sound. Howdo we want to perform the song? By constantly communicating about it, both verbally andnon-verbal, we can listen for similar performative expressions. Knowing each other,communicating about the arrangement, expressions and interpretation, and performingtogether gives us a deeper understanding for the other one’s musical choices. We learn each

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other's voice and can listen-through-the other’s instruments. The way we trust each other inmusic, the way we interact attentively to each other's voice and impulses, and the way we arepart of each other's extended body schema creates our shared voice. I believe it would havebeen useful to use several recordings of the same song in the search for our shared voice. Itmight have been easier to compare the initiative and responses appearing during performanceif we would have used several recordings, and thereby sort out what’s intended, improvisedand arranged.

Andersson and I release each other’s energy, just as in Nachmanovitch’s (1990) discussion ofimprovisation. We play on a level that I didn’t know I could be a part of but the trust betweenus “contributes to the heightened self-confidence needed to overcome the weight of artistictraditions” (John-Steiner, 2000, p. 79). I understand that this kind of relationship doesn’tappear everywhere so I am truly grateful for the collaboration and friendship I have withAndersson.

The choices we’ve made while creating the arrangement have been supported by ourcollaborative interpretation of the score. One question I raise to myself is how much is playedto represent what we say it represents, and how much is just musical intuitions that we lateron can put an interpretative excuse to? It’s easy to say afterwards that something is played torepresent, for example, nostalgia but in the moment it might just have been somethingperformed to fill in between the lines. Here, the stimulated recall doesn’t help me as muchsince I’ve reshaped my memory from the recording session to what I can find in the recordingafterwards. Still, the most important part is that it gave a result that could be interpreted as aperceiver, no matter if I played the phrase to represent nostalgia or just because I liked it. Iguess the question reaches to how I can know if the knowledge is embodied in me and willappear as we perform the song again? The musical background that may have brought theintuitions is still with me, and is me. So if this is my voice shining through, I guess I shouldbe proud instead of concerned. My voice is with me in everything I play.

8.3. Ideas for future researchDuring this project I noticed my interest in exploring the mental picture method. To study themental picture method more deeply I believe recording one song with different mental pictureinterpretations would be needed. Several recordings make it possible to compare and analyzethe actual differences made between the performances. This could lead to a deeperunderstanding of improvisation and interpretation, and how it relates in jazz and pop music.The mental picture method could also be expanded using inspiration from Hollywood movies,as I mentioned in chapter 5.4.1. Kalinak discusses music in movies, how it’s used to make theaudience feel what the creators want them to feel. By analyzing what music is played inmovie scenes one likes, one can certainly find a lot of tools to use. Taking examples frommovie scenes and studying how expressions in the music relate to the visible might enhancethe mental picture method.

Continuing the search for a shared voice would also demand several takes on the same song.Preferably a similar interpretation so it’s easier to observe what is improvised, what isarranged (but not written down) and how the written parts are performed. Searching for ashared voice in different genres would be interesting, since different genres depend ondifferent kinds of improvisation.

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Overall I find it interesting with artistic research in collaborative relations. I hope to see moreresearch about the kind of improvisation that appears in interpreting scores in the pop and jazzarea as well.

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