In flux by Tobias Andersson

In this research project, guitarist and improviser Tobias Andersson investigates compositional tools and techniques to create flexible harmonic frameworks for improvisation. In a strive for music that stays in an improvisational state the reseach project also adresses questions on the quality of coherence in the music. The research project investigates how the application of theoretical concepts associated to the 20th century western classical music and post-tonal theory can be useful when composing for improvisation. By taking a close look on the musical material itself, the author starts to compose music where all harmonic and melodic material is derived from a small original set. The results of the investigation is a series of compositions for different ensembles, spanning from solo work, via smaller settings a large ensemble of wind instruments. The compositions are analysed in regard to the initial questions of coherence and harmonic flexibility, sharing insights to how the compositional approach influenced the musical results.

Hammer is a composition that I arranged for four electric guitars during the autumn semester of 22.

The music was recorded live at a performance at HSM on the 25th October 2022. On stage: Tobias Andersson, August Estberg, Edward Sundkvist and Tomàs Gubbins.

This piece is centered around a conflict between being static and forward movement illustrated by a constantly present B-major chord hammering a steady beat on top of a pedal note: A. This B over A relationship is also present in the melodic material consisting of B major pentatonic phrases. The tension is increased further by a change to F#-major over A-major. The bi-tonal aspect is also organized register-wise, A-major in a low register and F# on top. A theoretical background on bi-tonality and polymodality can be found in Persichetti.

The pentatonic scale is something that is strongly connected to the guitar by the way it is tuned, E, A, D, G, B, E is in fact an E minor (or G major) pentatonic scale in fourths. So giving this material to four guitarists comes with the advantage of a lot of improvising phronensis. Because the form is already set from the start, the musical development has to happen within the framework and therefore is dependent on how well the musicians know the material, how much ”vocabulary” they have. Choosing to work with the pentatonic scale when arranging for guitarists was a way of getting some of this vocabulary for free. It is interesting to compare with the synthetic construction of Moineaux that confronted the ensemble with more unfamiliar material. At the same time the poly-modal construction added a kind of strangeness to the music that I liked, maybe because it prevented the song from going into guitar clichés. Strange or not, the way the materials are connected gives a sense of coherence and it was interesting to explore a feeling of both familiarity and strangeness within one single material.

There is lots of room for improvisation within the framework of the score and this can be heard when listening to the recording. As an example, if we take a look at the opening (from 01:00 ca) there is a lot more happening than the just the pedal note ”A” as the musicians add texture and movement to the sound through use of pedals. At letter B the group are instructed to add more subdivisions and a slow crescendo throughout the whole section, but the way this is interpreted has an element of improvisation to it as well. At the ending of the piece, the ratio of improvisation gets bigger. The score provides a framework to play within but it is also something that must be tried out in rehearsals to allow for the musicians to find a role within the music they feel comfortable with.

I was happy with the sound of this piece because I felt it got a strong identity of its own, not only because of the unusual instrumentation but also from the way it was composed. The composition definitely has a stronger position hierarchically compared to the improvisation but this music could only come to life in the hands of skilled improvisers.

HAMMER

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