Cutting Down On the Material

This item is not in the library — it is a part of: C. Bergstrøm-Nielsen, Intuitive Music: A Mini Handbook.

(from Mauricio Kagel)

Engage in free improvisation for a few minutes. Participants should have only one or two short sound(s) or event(s) at their disposal. This forces attention away from the continuity in one's own playing and toward the sound as a whole. Often, by subsequently listening to a recording of the music (which I strongly recommend!) people will be surprised at how much is nevertheless happening, and it will be evident how the process is clarified when we are not overwhelmed by an excessive density of sound. Playing this way might make people feel frustrated or perplexed — probably because it demands much attention and resolute initiative while at the same time continuous physical playing activity is not possible. Rather, a sort of meditative quietness must be sought after.


The wording above is by Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen, as written in Intuitive Music: A Mini-Handbook, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 (Bergstrøm-Nielsen 2009, 12)



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