A Journey into Improvisation - MTAW · A Journey into Improvisation Lauren F. Bevilacqua, MT-BC March 28, 2015 WHY ARE WE HERE? How will this work? Part I: Deﬁning Improvisation

Grab an Instrument and Play!

A Journey into Improvisation

Lauren F. Bevilacqua, MT-BCMarch 28, 2015

WHY ARE WE HERE?

How will this work?

❖ Part I:

❖ Defining Improvisation

❖ General Clinical Improvisation Techniques

❖ Part II:

❖ Musicianship

Learning Objectives❖ Participants will be able to differentiate between

improvisation and clinical improvisation

❖ Participants will define and demonstrate at least 3 improvisation techniques discussed

❖ Participants will define and demonstrate at least 2 basic styles of music on piano, guitar, or percussion

❖ Participants will identify at least 2 clinical applications of improvisation techniques and/or musical styles.

Defining Improvisation

Ken Bruscia - Defining Music Therapy (2nd Ed)

Improvisation is when the client makes up music while playing or singing, extemporaneously

creating a melody, rhythm, song or instrumental piece

Susan Gardstrom - Music Therapy Improvisation for Groups: Essential Leadership Competencies

Clinical Improvisation is the process whereby the therapist and client(s) improvise together for the purposes of therapeutic assessment, treatment

and/or evaluation. In clinical improvisation, client and therapist relate to one another through the

music, and the improvisation results in a musical product that varies in aesthetic, expressive and

interpersonal significance.

Side by Side

❖ Client creating music spontaneously

Improvisation Clinical Improvisation

❖ Client AND Therapist

❖ Relating to one another

❖ for a SPECIFIC purpose in the therapeutic process

❖ Aesthetic quality may vary

Improv as a Model

Model - comprehensive approach to assessment, treatment, and evaluation which

includes theoretical principles, clinical indications, and contraindications, goals,

methodological guidelines and specifications, and the characteristic use of certain

procedural sequences and techniques (Bruscia, 1998).

Improv as a Method

Method - a particular type of music experience used for assessment,

treatment, and/or evaluation (Bruscia, 1998)

Improvisation Techniques

Technique - A single operation or interaction that a therapist uses to

elicit an immediate reaction from the client or to shape the ongoing,

immediate experience of the client (Bruscia, 1998).

Clinical Techniques

Clinical Techniques

❖ Techniques of Empathy

❖ Structuring Techniques

❖ Techniques of Intimacy

❖ Elicitation Techniques

❖ Redirection Techniques

❖ Procedural Techniques

❖ Emotional Exploration Techniques

❖ Referential Techniques

❖ Discussion Techniques

❖ *# Dialoguing Techniques

*Kalani# Wigram

Techniques of Empathy


❖ Imitating

❖ Synchronizing

❖ Incorporating

❖ Pacing

❖ Reflecting

❖ Exaggerating

❖ *#Matching

❖ *Marking

❖ #Mirroring

*Kalani# Wigram


❖ Imitating: The therapist echoes or reproduces a client’s response, after the responses has been presented. Must be used selectively and carefully (in a way that does not convey mimicry).

❖ Synchronizing: The therapist does what the client does as the client is doing it, timing the process so that their actions coincide.

❖ Incorporating: When improvising with the client, the therapist takes a rhythmic or melodic motif presented by the client and makes it a theme in his/her own improvisation.

Techniques of Empathy❖ Pacing: The therapist matches the client’s energy level, by

using the same intensity and speed of effort as the client.

❖ Reflecting: The therapist expresses the same moods or feelings that the client is expressing. The chief modalities of reflection are music, lyrics, verbalization, and movement.

❖ Exaggerating: The therapists exaggerates something that is distinctive or unique about the client of what the client is doing.

Techniques of Empathy❖ Matching: Improvising music that is compatible or fits

in with the client’s style of playing while maintaining the same tempo, dynamic, texture, quality and complexity of oner musical elements

❖ Marking: Momentarily synchronizing with the music the client(s).

❖ Mirroring: Doing exactly what the client is doing musically, expressively and through body language at the same time the client is doing it.

Demonstration

❖ Imitating

❖ Synchronizing

❖ Incorporating

❖ Pacing

❖ Reflecting

❖ Exaggerating

❖ *#Matching

❖ *Marking

❖ #Mirroring

Structuring Techniques


❖ Rhythmic Grounding

❖ Tonal Grounding

❖ Shaping

❖ *Metric Grounding

❖ *# Harmonic Grounding

❖ *Accompanying

❖ *Reframing

*Kalani# Wigram


❖ Rhythmic Grounding: The therapist keeps a basic beat or provides a rhythmic ostinato as a foundation for the client’s improvising.

❖ Tonal Grounding: The therapist provides a tonal center, scale, or harmonic ground for the client’s improvising.

❖ Shaping: The therapist helps the client to define the length and shape of a complete musical idea.

Structuring Techniques ❖ Metric Grounding: The client initiates play without

suggesting a meter. The therapist experiments to find a distinct meter

❖ Harmonic Grounding: The client initiates a melodic ostinato or melodic play. Therapist explores harmonic grounds

❖ Accompanying: Playing that supports the client’s musical expressions.

❖ Reframing: Changing the musical background or musical environment to change the orientation of the client’s playing.

Demonstration

❖ Rhythmic Grounding

❖ Tonal Grounding

❖ Shaping

❖ *Metric Grounding

❖ *# Harmonic Grounding

❖ *Accompanying

❖ *Reframing

Elicitation Techniques


❖ Repeating

❖ Modeling

❖ Making Spaces

❖ Interjecting

❖ Extending

❖ Completing

❖ *Prompting

❖ *Pairing

*Kalani# Wigram

Elicitation Techniques❖ Repeating: The therapist presents the same rhythm or

melody several times, either in succession or with brief interludes.

❖ Modeling: The therapist presents or demonstrates a target behavior, quality, feeling, trait, etc, for the client to emulate.

❖ Making Spaces: The therapist improvises and provides frequent spaces within the structure of the improvisation for the client to respond or inject sounds.


❖ Interjecting: The therapist remains silent and improvises only when the client pauses, giving the client primary responsibility for the improvisation while also suggesting options for continuation.

❖ Extending: In a musical context, the therapist lengthens the client’s phrase.

❖ Completing: The therapist answers or completes the musical question presented by the client.

Demonstration

❖ Repeating

❖ Modeling

❖ Making Spaces

❖ Interjecting

❖ Extending

❖ Completing

❖ *Prompting

❖ *Pairing

Break?

Redirection Techniques


❖ Introducing Change

❖ Differentiating

❖ Modulating

❖ Intensifying

❖ Calming

❖ Intervening

❖ * Contrasting

*Kalani# Wigram

Redirection Techniques❖ Introducing Change: The therapist attempts to redirect the

client’s improvising by introducing new thematic material, and starting a new section in the improvisation

❖ Differentiating: When improvising with the client, the therapist distinguishes and separates the two parts by playing rhythms, melodies, timbres, dynamics, registers, textural configurations, etc. that are very different from the client’s yet compatible.

❖ Modulating: When improvising with the client, the therapist gradually changes meters or keys.

Redirection Techniques❖ Intensifying: The therapist stimulates the music by

increasing dynamics, tempo, rhythmic tension, and/or melodic tension. Used to secure attention, excite and energize

❖ Calming: When improvising with the client, the therapist relaxes the music by keeping the dynamics and tempo within a moderate range, keeping the rhythm and melody simple and repetitive, and shaping the phrases downward to release tension.


❖ Intervening: the therapist interrupts or redirects fixations, perseverations, or stereotypes, which are manifested in the client’s music, movement, actions or verbalizations.

❖ Contrasting: Playing that is “opposite” and differentiated with regard to musical elements.

Demonstration

❖ Introducing Change

❖ Differentiating

❖ Modulating

❖ Intensifying

❖ Calming

❖ Intervening

❖ * Contrasting

Techniques of Intimacy


❖ Sharing Instruments

❖ Giving

❖ Bonding

❖ Soliloquies

*Kalani# Wigram


❖ Sharing Instruments: the therapist and client play the same instrument either independently or interdependently.

❖ Giving: The therapist presents the client with a gift, such as a musical performance, an instrument, a score, a flower, food, or personal belongings.


❖ Bonding: the therapist and client develop a musical theme that symbolizes or becomes associated with their relationship.

❖ Soliloquies: Improvising a song as if talking to one’s self about one’s partner or a group member.

Demonstration

❖ Sharing Instruments

❖ Giving

❖ Bonding

❖ Soliloquies

Procedural, Referential, Emotional Exploration, Discussion and Dialoguing

Techniques

Procedural Techniques

❖ Enabling

❖ Shifting

❖ Pausing

❖ Receding

❖ Experimenting

❖ Conducting

❖ Rehearsing

❖ Performing

❖ Playing Back

❖ Reporting

❖ Reacting

❖ Analogizing

*Kalani# Wigram

Procedural techniques

❖ Enabling: The therapist gives the client instructions, demonstrations, physical assistance, or technical advice.

❖ Shifting: The therapist shifts from one expressive modality to another or from one medium to another within the modality.

❖ Pausing: the therapist has the client “rest” or “freeze” during an improvisation and stay suspended at that point in time until signaled to proceed.

Procedural techniques❖ Receding: The therapist steps back and allows the client

to direct the improvisation.

❖ Experimenting: the therapist presents a structure, procedure, or idea to guide the client’s improvising, as asks the clients to experiment with all of its expressive possibilities..

❖ Conducting: The improvisation is directed by one person through expressive gestures, musical symbols, verbal messages, or other signal systems.

Procedural techniques❖ Rehearsing: The therapists has the client practice part o all

of an improvisation. Used to help master a particular aspect of the medium or improvisation, or to prepare for a performance.

❖ Performing: The therapist has the client do a performance of an improvisation that has been worked out and rehearsed.

❖ Playing Back: The therapist records the client’s improvisation and plays it back, either immediately afterward or at a later time.

Procedural techniques❖ Reporting: The therapist asks the client to report on various

aspects of the improvisation experience, including what actually took place musically and any thoughts or feelings the client had a different points in the improvisation.

❖ Reacting: The therapist asks the client to react to the improvisation itself. Client talks about how they feel about the process itself.

❖ Analogizing: The therapist asks him/her to cite a real life situation that is analogous to the improvisation.

Referential Techniques

❖ Pairing

❖ Symbolizing

❖ Recollecting

❖ Free Association

❖ Projecting

❖ Fantasizing

❖ Story-Telling

*Kalani# Wigram


❖ Pairing: The therapist improvises different musical motifs to selected client responses and then plays the motif every time the client emits the response.

❖ Symbolizing: Having the client use something musical to stand for or represent something else.

❖ Recollecting: Having the client recall or imagine sounds that accompany a particular situation or event, and reproducing them


❖ Free Associating: Having the client say whatever comes to mind upon listening to an improvisation, including imagery, memories or associations.

❖ Projecting: having the client improvise music that depicts a real situation, feeling, event, or relationship.

❖ Fantasizing: Having the client improvise music to a fantasy, story, myth or dream.


❖ Story-Telling: Improvising music and stimulating the client to make up a story.

Emotional Exploration Techniques

❖ Holding

❖ Doubling

❖ Contrasting

❖ Making Transitions

❖ Sequencing

❖ Integrating

❖ Splitting

❖ Transferring

❖ Role-Taking

❖ Anchoring

*Kalani# Wigram

Emotional Exploration Techniques

❖ Holding: as the client improvises, the therapist provides a musical background that resonates the client’s feelings while containing them

❖ Doubling: Expressing feelings that the client is having difficulty acknowledging or releasing fully

❖ Contrasting: Having the client improvise opposite qualities or feelings

Emotional Exploration Techniques❖ Making Transitions: Having the client find various

ways within an improvisation to get from one quality or feeling to its opposite

❖ Sequencing: Helping the client to put things in sequential order (improvisation, events of a story, autobiographical information)

❖ Integrating: introducing elements of contrast into the improvisation, then combining, balancing, or making them compatible.

Emotional Exploration Techniques❖ Splitting: improvising with the client two conflicting

aspects of the client’s self

❖ Transferring: improvising duets with the client that explore significant relationships in his/her life.

❖ Role Taking: swapping various roles with the client while improvising

❖ Anchoring: Associating a significant experience in therapy to something that will enable the client to recall it easily or recasting the experience in a modality, medium, or form that will externalize or consolidate it.

Discussion techniques

❖ Connecting

❖ Probing

❖ Clarifying

❖ Summarizing

❖ Feedback

❖ Interpreting

❖ Metaprocessing

❖ Reinforcing

❖ Confronting

❖ Disclosing

*Kalani# Wigram

Discussion Techniques

❖ Connecting: Verbalizing or asking the client how various aspects of the client’s experiences or expressions relate to one another.

❖ Probing: asking questions or making statements to elicit information from the client.

❖ Clarifying: Getting the client to elaborate on, clarify, or verify information that has already been offered.

Discussion Techniques

❖ Summarizing: Verbally recapitulating events in therapy and stating them concisely, or reviewing the client’s experiences or responses during a particular phase of therapy or life situation.

❖ Feedback: Verbalizing how the client might appear, sound or feel to another person

❖ Interpreting: Offering possible explanations for the client’s experiences.

Discussion Techniques❖ Metaprocessing: Having the client switch to a level of

consciousness that enables him/her to observe and react to what s/he is doing or feeling.

❖ Reinforcing: Rewarding the client or withdrawing reinforcement according to the client’s behavior.

❖ Confronting: Challenging the client by pointing out discrepancies or contradictions in his/her responses/

❖ Disclosing: Revealing something personal to the client, talking about oneself during a session.

Part II: Musicianship

POP quiz

Fact or Fiction: Clinical Improvisation

❖ Clinical Improvisation is free and unstructured!

- Ken Aigen

The clinical efficacy of improvisation is not due to the absence of structure, but lies in the fact that it consists of spontaneously and flexibly evolving

structures

FICTION!


❖ Clinical Improvisation is whatever you feel like playing.

- Paul Nordoff

Improvising is not just doing anything you want to do.

FICTION!


❖ Clinical Improvisation must always sound beautiful

- Michael Thaut

In applying PSE… the music has to fit the movement pattern to be practiced [the music

therapist] needs to possess a considerable skill base in musical techniques such as improvisation

in order to execute the musical translations.

FICTION!


❖ Clinical Improvisation must ALWAYS be fresh and new.

–Tony Wigram

Improvisation is most effective and creative where a simple idea is repeated, varied, extended and

creatively expanded

FICTION!


❖ You must be a music theory expert to improvise.

–Victor Wooten

… Notes, pitches, and that’s it! All the fuss about learning music theory… Their music theory only

teaches you how to use notes, and it’s only a theory!… It should be called note theory, not music

theory, because it doesn’t teach you Music!

FICTION!


❖ Clinical Improvisation cannot be taught.

-Kalani

The same learning concept of trial and error applies to… improvisation. As you “practice” improvising, the “process” will inform your

practice and the “improvisation” itself will become your teacher.

FICTION!

Building improvised music

10 elements of music

❖ Notes

❖ Articulation

❖ Technique

❖ Feel

❖ Dynamics

❖ Rhythms

❖ Phrasing

❖ Space

❖ Tone

❖ Listening

- Victor Wooten

You can’t speak Music with notes alone, but you can speak Music without notes at all!

Without [the other elements], notes are lifeless.

10 elements of music

❖ Notes

❖ Articulation

❖ Technique

❖ Feel

❖ Dynamics

❖ Rhythms

❖ Phrasing

❖ Space

❖ Tone

❖ Listening

Building Basic Styles

Play rules

❖ Play Slowly

❖ No pedal

❖ No Stopping

❖ No Turning Back

❖ No Apologies

❖ No Fear

❖ Keep it Simple

Wigram’s rules for improvising

❖ 1-note, 2-note, 3-note and 4 note improvisation

❖ improvising on a single chord

❖ improvising with just one hand

❖ melody improvisation alone

❖ simple rhythmic dialogue

Styles❖ Pentatonic Children’s Tune

❖ Pentatonic Blues

❖ Organum

❖ Spanish

❖ Middle Eastern

❖ Blues in a Key

❖ Rock N Roll - Contemporary Chord Progressions

Pentatonic Children’s Tune

Pentatonic Children’s tune❖ 5 note scale - F# G# A# C# D#❖ Start with 2 chords: F# (I) ; C# (V)❖ Left Hand - Rocking Bass F# - C# ❖ Right Hand -

❖ Tone Clusters❖ Chunks❖ Single Notes


❖ Variations:

❖ Bass Patterns :

❖ Rocking/Swinging Bass 1 - 5 - 6 - 5

❖ Chunked Bass

❖ Experiment - Less Notes? Full Range of Keyboard?


❖ Clinical Applications

❖ 1. Allows for meeting a child in his/her own music.

❖ 2. Great for those who naturally play black keys

❖ 3. Goes with a variety of instrumental work - reed horns, percussion, piano, & vocal work

❖ 4. Good for setting up rhythm to allow you to focus on client.

Pentatonic Blues

Pentatonic Blues❖ Characteristics:

❖ Three Chords : Eb (I) - Ab (IV) - Bb (V)

❖ Syncopation

❖ 12 bar pattern

❖ I | I | I | I | IV | IV | I | I | V | IV | I (V)

❖ Add A-natural to black keys for dissonance

❖ Beginning Bass Pattern - Broken Octaves

Pentatonic Blues❖ Variations:

❖ Bass Patterns :

❖ 1 - 7 - use different rhythms

❖ Syncopated; sustained

❖ 1-5-1 Rolled - for more grounded music

❖ 1-5-7

❖ Blocked 1-5 to 7

Pentatonic Blues❖ Clinical Applications

❖ 1. Like Pentatonic Children’s Tune but sounds darker and more sophisticated.

❖ 2. Works well with pitched instruments and rhythm work

❖ 3. Can open door for more challenging rhythm work

❖ 4. Vocal Work

❖ 5. Songwriting

Organum

Organum• Characteristics:

• Based in “D” – like dorian mode• D E F G A B C (Bb)• Add a Bb to keep a P5 (or P4) (instead of raising F

to F#)• Syllabic, Neumatic vs. Melismatic• Use:

• Parallel motion (up & down) or just portions• Stepwise motion (occasional leap to a 3rd)• Unmetered vs. Metered

• Left Hand - Drone on 5ths or Octaves• Right Hand - 5ths; Single Note Melodies

Organum

❖ Variations:

❖ Move from pulsing ostinato

❖ Play with the 5th in parallel motions - not necessarily moving at the same time

❖ Try Contrary motion - 5ths and 4ths

Organum


1. Vocal Music

2. Vocal work for those without pitch focus

3. Can be used to modulate the musical environment

4. Can be used with un-pitched rhythmic work

Break?

Spanish

Spanish❖ Characteristics:

❖ Starting on D

❖ Major Chords

❖ tonal center (D major), 1/2 step up (Eb major), 1 whole step up (F major)

❖ Rhythmic - Use articulations on different beats.

❖ Duple, Triple or Quadruple Meter

❖ Left Hand: Root of Chord in Octaves Rigth hand: Chords in Root Positions

Spanish❖ Variations:

❖ Broken Chords in the Right Hand

❖ Accents on different beats

❖ Melodic Right Hand:

❖ D Eb F# G A Bb C

❖ Overlapping Triads

❖ Latin Tango Feel

❖ Right Hand: Sustain chords in Root

❖ Left Hand: 1-5-1-5-1

Spanish

Clinical Applications

1. Vocal Work

2. Instrumental Work with nonpitched instruments (clave, castanets)

3. Movement - Dancing, Clapping, Foot Stomping

4. Use musical turn around to cue a desired response

Middle Eastern

Middle Eastern

❖ Characteristics:

❖ Major Chord and a Minor Chord (1 whole step down)

❖ Right Hand Scale Tones: D Eb F# G A (C)

❖ Can Use Chords

❖ Left Hand: Drone (Octaves of P5s)

❖ Free Meter

Middle Eastern

❖ Variations:

❖ Left Hand Variations:

❖ Rhythmic ostinato

❖ Right Hand Variations:

❖ Melismatic vs. Syllabic melodies

Middle Eastern


1. Vocal Work

2. Non-pitched Instruments

3. Transitions

Blues in a Key

Blues in a Key

❖ Clinical Applications❖ Major Keys - I - IV - V

❖ Blues Scale: 1 2 b3 3 5 6 b7

❖ “Blue” Notes; Syncopation; Dissonance; Surprises

❖ 12 Bar Pattern

❖ I|I|I|I|IV|IV|I|I|V|IV|I|V

❖ Major/Minor 7ths

❖ Ex. F Maj: F, G, Ab, A, C, D, Eb pitched Instruments

Blues in a Key

❖ RH: Blues Scale: 1 2 b3 3 5 6 b7

❖ LH: 1-5

❖ Continue to play scale but add some syncopation

❖ Then play just parts of the scale

Blues in a Key

❖ Variations:

❖ Barrel House Blues Bass Pattern

❖ Walking Bass Line

❖ Play with Tempo

Blues in a Key


1. Songwriting

2. Non-pitched Percussion

3. Pitched Instruments

4. Vocal Work

Chord Progressions

Chord Progressions❖ Characteristics:

❖ Popular Chord Progressions:

❖ I - IV- vi - V

❖ I-V-vi-IV

❖ I - vi- IV - V

❖ I- iii- ii - V

❖ Left Hand - Root in 8ves

❖ Right Hand - Chords

Chord Progressions❖ Variations:

❖ Triplet accompaniment (I - vi- IV- V)

❖ 50’s Rock N Roll/Do Wop

❖ Ballad Styles (I - vi - IV - V)

❖ Arpeggios and Suspended Chords

❖ Up Tempo Pop Songs (I - V - vi - IV)

❖ More Syncopation

❖ Octave bass lines

Chord Progressions


1.Songwriting

2.Vocal Work

3.Recreative Experiences

Other Helpful Skills

❖ Transitioning Between Styles

❖ Building anticipation

Resources

Josh Massicot - Functional piano for music therapists and music educators: An exploration of styles

Practicing!

❖ Create a Clinical Scenario

❖ Practice with your clients in mind

❖ Practice for yourself

❖ Find a practice buddy

“Play like a child with an air guitar.... A child playing an air guitar never plays a wrong note.”

Questions?

Documents

A Journey into Improvisation - MTAW · A Journey into Improvisation Lauren F. Bevilacqua, MT-BC March 28, 2015 WHY ARE WE HERE? How will this work? Part I: Deﬁning Improvisation