Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥

The musicians who were the subject of the study were Paul Chambers (1935-1969) and Ron Carter (b. 1937). Creativity was measured as the repetition of melodic patterns: the fewer repetitions of the same melodic patterns in the bass lines, the more creative the bass lines were considered to be.

Among jazz musicians, the lack of repetition is considered one of the hallmarks of a good musician, which is why it is a natural way to measure creativity in jazz improvisations.

The study provided preliminary evidence that tempo and the frequency of chord changes had either little or negligible effect on the creativity of the jazz bassists who were the subjects of the study.

The results also showed very little repetition of melodic patterns in the bass lines. On average, only 33% of all four-note melodic patterns appeared at least twice in Paul Chambers's bass lines. For Ron Carter's bass lines, the corresponding figure was 16%.

The repetition of melodic patterns between different bass lines was also low. For Paul Chambers's bass lines, only 17% of all repeated four-note melodic patterns appeared in at least two different bass lines (11% for Ron Carter’s bass lines). The results indicate that pre-learned melodic patterns (i.e., the so-called licks) only had a small role for both Paul Chambers and Ron Carter in these bass lines.

The research contributes to knowledge on different types of creativity, the role of pre-existing knowledge in musical creativity, and the relationship between temporal constraints and musical creativity. The results of the study can also be used in the training of jazz musicians.

This dissertation was funded by the Eino Jutikkala Fund of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, Oskar Öflunds Stiftelse sr, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, and Alfred Kordelin Foundation.

MA Mikko Nurmi’s dissertation "Temporal constraints and creativity in bass lines of eminent jazz musicians" will be examined on 2.9.2023 at 12:00 in auditorium M103 (Musica). Opponent is Professor Erkki Huovinen (Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden) and custos is Professor Petri Toiviainen (Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥). The event is held in Finnish.

Link to publication:

Further information: Mikko Nurmi, mikko.m.nurmi@student.jyu.fi, 0505534084