Playin’ in the Band: A Qualitative Study of Popular Music Styles as Clinical Improvisation: Volume Three: The Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Monograph Series

Kenneth Aigen

Print ISBNs:  1-891278-30-4 or 978-1-891278-30-3



$39


Through its text and accompanying DVD, Playin’ in the Band details the remarkable changes in a disabled young man over the course of seven years in music therapy. The study illustrates how he develops from being able to sustain fleeting moments of active musical participation to improvising musically in an organized and expressive manner for entire sessions. The book traces his development on the drums, guitar, and piano as he acquires the ability to play them in blues, jazz, country, and rock music. Interwoven with the story of his development are extended discussions on the therapeutic and musicological theory supporting improvisational work in these various groove-oriented forms of music.(ISBN 10891278-30-4) 362 pages plus DVD, $39.)



Table of Contents
List of Video Excerpts xi
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction 1
Self and Other 1
Researcher’s Context 3
Sources of Explanation and the Use of Language 8
Thoughts on Style Definitions 11
Words and MusicBWords and Pictures: The Role of Video Recordings 18
Reflexive Thoughts on the Nature of this Monograph 21
Case Study and the Dissemination of Knowledge 21
Presentation and Persuasion 24
Theoretical Considerations 26
Structure of this Book 28
I Getting into the Groove 30
II We’re Jammin’ 67
Clinical Origins 30
Working on the Guitar 1: Groove and Rhythm Section
Therapy 		33
Groove 33
Country to Rock 37
Musical Style, Style Characteristics, and Shared Conventions 43
Working on the Drums 1: Origins and Rocking 49
Working on the Drums 2: Swinging 53
Participatory Discrepancies and Groove 53
Jazz Drums 59
The Turnaround 63
Assessing the Development of the Ensemble 65
Attributes of Jamming in Rock and Related
Styles		 67
Energy, Intensity, Force, and Tension in Improvisation 71
Working on the Guitar 2: Jamming 76
Working on the Guitar 3: Internal Explorations and
Expressions 		82
Melody and Identity 84
Transitional Musical Space 88
Liminality and Communitas 91
III Moving toward Mutuality 100
Vital Drive 100
Working on the Piano 1: Establishing Stability 103
Working on the Piano 2: Variations in Style and Phrasing 106
Working on the Piano 3: The Evolution of Style in Developing Identity 110
The Rock Style and Identity Formation 110
Style Extensions 112
Developing an Individualized Style 113
Bringing Lloyd into the Musical Foreground: Stylistic Maneuvers 116
Participation and Participatory Consciousness 124
Conclusion 127
Epilogue 131
References 133
Subject Index 135
Author Index 139