5. Findings
I will now explain the findings that this artistic process uncovered by presenting them under the themes that were used during the data analysis.
Textural structure of the music
Only two or three loops can make an ambient guitar texture a complex and a fascinating one. The key is to have diverse musical registers, different types of musical and sonic sounds with both volume swells and single notes at play while the differences in the loop lengths are keeping the texture alive and evolving. Each element in an ambient texture should provide its own function to the music so that similar elements don’t clash together in the mix too much. A balanced texture needs contrasting elements. The traditional background foreground arrangement should also be used with caution. If playing a melodical improvisation against the overall texture, one should focus on playing in a way that the playing blends in with the texture rather than rises on top of it as a foreground element. Volume levels should also be in balance. Although there can be differences in volume levels in order to create depth, an ambient texture does not utilize dramatic changes in volume for maintaining the calming effect in the music. Melodic patterns that repeat frequently in the same exact way should also be used with caution, since they tend to sound like they need to change into something else over time. If loops sound too much like riffs, pretty soon they will create a restlessness around them. Instead, loops should be consisting of musical material that can be on playback for a long time without having the need to change into something else. One effective way for making melodic and repetitive patterns to provide motion to the texture is to have the notes of the melody spread out on two loops in different lengths so that the repetitions are every time slightly different from another. This type of evolving pattern can then be on playback for a long time without sounding restless after a while. These guidelines help to create balanced textures in ambient music.
The link between one’s mindstate and the music
Improvised ambient music reflects the state of the mind with every sound and every loop. A relaxed and inspired mindset can result in a more experimental and adventurous approach in the music creation process, whereas an unfocused and a restless mindset often results in repeating more familiar musical patterns. To be able to move from one atmosphere to another smoothly, the performer has to remember what notes were put on what loops, therefore being fully present in every moment of the slowly progressing creation process is crucial in improvised ambient music. Although a trained musician can hear what notes are playing in the texture, the musical material might be so scattered across the loops in a complex array of sounds, that it might be difficult even for the performer to tell what sound is on what loop if the recording process was not done deliberately with careful attention. If the performer is not in a relaxed state of mind, it is easy to start adding too much musical material on loops that might have also been left too short in loop length, thus resulting in a restless atmosphere. The key is to slow the mind down while making the music. Being present every step of the way while gently moving forward with the music. This present moment awareness is then sustained and implemented to the music as carefully recorded and layered loops that in turn further inspire and calm the mind. Here the mind and the music form an interlock, a process where both of these agents work together to calm each other down. This symbiosis is then cultivated through-out the whole performance, resulting in a mindstate where the focus of attention is directed equally to everything around and the bodily movement becomes slow. I call this state ”the slow buzz” because of how it feels in the body. This sensation then stays with the performer for a few moments after a long improvised set of ambient music.
Unexpected realizations
In ”Improv_0113” I created a texture and let the loops play by themselves while I went to the kitchen to drink some water. This was something I had never done before in my music making, since usually after creating a musical texture, I would play a little solo on top of it. Letting go of playing on top of a loop like that, felt like as if I was deconstructing myself as a guitar player, and reconstructing myself as an ambient musician. This shift in thinking was a big event for me, having been played the guitar for about 25 years. Every time I tried forcing myself to make something interesting with my music, I managed to create something boring. Sometimes I felt very frustrated because I realized that I could not achieve my musical goals by striving to achieve them. It was only when I focused on being relaxed in the present and was enjoying making sounds on loops could I create something interesting. I could only achieve my musical goals by enjoying the day-to-day process of keeping the practice routine and the larger season to season process of developing my musical aesthetic. By recording improvised music every day, I then realized that the pressure of having to come up with something great decreases. This is because even if you don’t manage to record anything worth listening, you can always do it again tomorrow, and the day after. Therefore, eventually the attitude shifts from an achiever mindset towards a more adventurous and experimental mindset.