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1
26.04.2021
On the Problem of Inferential Ambivalence in Musical Meter
1986
The title may be cryptic, but the problem discussed basic, and probably experienced by all musicians on any level of proficiency: How can we know how our fellow musicians/listeners/dancer perceive the meter of the music in the same way as I do?
Written as a discussion between Jan-Petter Blom and me, we explore different possibilities in connection with a Norwegian gangar tune.
Journal of Ethnomusicolgy
2
06.06.2021
What is a Musical Instrument?
2008
In this paper, the concept of ‘musical instrument’ is explored, and it is shown that the concept is quite difficult to define in a precise way. Some existing definitions are discussed in relation to different themes, such as how to define the limits of the in- strument object in relation to other objects and to the performer, and how to handle the relation between object and agent. Instead of offering new definitions of the concept of instrument, it is argued that different perspectives and interests call for different definitions. Finally, an alternative perspective inspired by the perception-action-loop concept is introduced.
Svensk Tidskrift for Musikforskning
3
15.06.2021
Den norske sekkepipa: historien om et prosjekt
2016
A history of practicalities, musicalities and project development issues when I decided to play Norwegian tunes on a bagpipe, and, in the process, develop a "Norwegian bagpipe". The article is in Norwegian, but many of the topics are covered in entries in the blog.
There is a newer, English version of the article:
@Bagpipes for the Norwegian Folk Tradition
Musikk og tradisjon
Norwegian tunes on bagpipe – why bother?
Norwegian tunes on bagpipe – why bother? Part III
»Norwegian bagpipe» – «Tune from Agder» – «Setesdal tradition»: The archivist’s headache
Den norske sekkepipa – ?
The Norwegian Bagpipe (?) Vol 2
4
15.06.2021
”Musical Instruments and man-machine-interaction, or why play the Tin Whistle when you got a Synthesizer?
1992
Paper made from a presentation at the American Society of Cybernetics in 1984 - my first presentation of ideas about musical instruments that I later developed into a doctoral theses. Beside an argument that musical instruments are good examples of man-machine-interaction, I try to develop a way to compare playing technique on all instruments.
Cybernetics & Human Knowing
5
21.06.2021
Geografi og musikk. Arkivarens hodepine
2008
The paper discusses how traditional music is perceived as connected to specific geographic locations. Such views are an integral part of prevailing ideologies of traditional Norwegian music, and found on many levels. The paper takes the perspective of an archivist, and different possible connection of music and place are discussed. Also, some of the implications for cultural policy are mentioned towards the end of the paper.
Musikk og tradisjon
6
05.07.2021
Fenomenet asymmetrisk takt i norsk og svensk folkemusikk
1999
A survey of research on the asymmetry in metrical structures n Norwegian and Swedish folk music, with some additional measurements of beat length variation. Most research traditionally try to assign some fixed value to the relative lengths of the three beats in the music in question, the perspective in this paper is more on the variation of beat lengths. This perspective is evenmore pronounced in Mats Johansson's later thesis hythm into Style: Studying Asymmetrical Grooves in Norwegian Folk Music from 2010.
Studia Musicologica Norvegica
7
06.07.2021
On variability in the performance of hardingfele tunes - and paradigms in ethnomusicological research
2007
English version of the revised and much expanded thesis on how to understand variation in the performance of hardingfele tunes.
Instead of a reprint of the original thesis, I chose to make a large introductory chapter where I give my version of the research and social context of the early 70ties that formed the thesis; a concluding chapter where I discuss in more depth different theoretical implications and alternatives; and, not least, a running commentary in the margin of the original text, where I comment and criticise my own text. It was a real pleasure to do this, knowing that the original author would never retaliate! I could not find a publisher for such a specialised text, so I did its myself - you can find it on Lulu.com.
8
07.07.2021
Hunting for the Gold at the end of the Rainbow: Identity and Global Romanticismm. On the Roots of Ethnic Music.
2001
On the concepts of national romanticism, global romanticism, identity, and the distinction between 'folk' and 'people'.
Popular Musicology Online
9
07.07.2021
Musikk, identitet og musikkformidling. (With Even Ruud)
1996
Perhaps the most read article I wrote; this together wth Even Ruud. About how your perception of music is influenced and formed by your cultural background and identity.
Reel Date - and album with Irish and Norwegian traditions combined
10
09.09.2021
Svevende intervaller – og svevende begrep
2012
The article discusses the term “svevende tonalitet” (“floating tonality”) that is frequently used in descriptions of Norwegian traditional music. The term refers to variations in intonation patterns, but is used in different and, not always very precise, ways by different authors. Common to most descriptions, however, is the view that “floating tonality” in some way is a sign of an older and, therefore, valuable musical practice. Several possible interpretations of the term are mentioned, and the article then proceeds to discuss what little empirical evidence there is available in the literature. Most authors are concerned with possible more or less fixed systems of intonation that may lie behind and explain the observed performances, but little attention has been given to how intonation patterns are learned. It is proposed that intonation patterns are as much a product of learning as of strict laws of music and/or physics, and some possible consequences of such a view are discussed.
Musikk og Tradisjon
11
16.09.2021
Instruments and the Electronic Age
1989
My doctoral thesis; on perspectives of the classification of musical instruments. An important distinction in the title: it is not about instruments IN the electronic age, as one reviewer thought it should be; but Instruments AND the electronic age. In other words, I am not exploring the new, electronic instruments, but how the electronic age (in search of a better concept) opens new perspectives on what an instrument is. A large part of the book is concerned with older classification systems for instruments; then I develop a rather detailed system for the description of what is later called mapping: the relationship between input (what you do with an instrument to control it) and output (what sounds are a result of what you do).
Book
12
31.12.2021
Hva forteller notene?
1985
- or, "What does the musical notation tell us?"
Among my most cited papers, and also one of the earliest. Here, I discuss what kind(s) of information standard music notation (SMN) can offer, compared to the living musical practice. The perspective is from Norwegian fiddle music, written at a time when the large volumes of Norwegian fiddle music (12 large books with several thousand tunes transcribed) were still in the making.
The principles I discuss in the paper are, however, general. The main argument is that SMN is about musical structure, and not about musical performance. I also point out that the transcriptions do not contain information of the practice of variation, and argue that this should be addressed in some way in future transcriptions.
Arne Bjørndals hundreårsminne
13
14.01.2022
On Variability, Ambiguity and Formal Structure in the Harding Fiddle Music
1980
Some (Norwegian Hardanger) fiddle tunes are made of a series of small motifs, each repeated two or more times, before proceeding to the next. In this paper, I discuss cases where the border between motifs is ambiguous. This happens when a motif uses part of the preceding; giving a feeling of gradual development, instead of clear-cut sections. I argue that this is a central feature of the aesthetics of this particular genre, and give an interpretation based on concepts from Gregory Bateson.
Studia Instrumentorum Musicae Popularis VII : Bericht über die 7. Internationale Arbeitstagung der Study Group on Folk Musical Instruments des International Folk Music Council in Seggau, Österreich
14
04.02.2022
Traditions, archives and change
2014
"This is one of the most common ways in which an oral tradition may die; not when writing is introduced, but when published song texts are spread among singers. But our singer does not necessarily blossom forth as a literary poet. He usually becomes [...] nothing at all." (Lord 1967, p. 130)
Building archives of traditional music and dance has always been an activity felt to be of a certain urgency: If we do not document the tradition now, it will be lost forever (see e.g. Ledang, 1975). Yet as we all know, documentation is not enough to keep a tradition alive, and worse, as the above citation from Albert Lord indicates, the very activity aimed at preservation may actually be downright harmful instead. In this article, I will discuss some aspects of the role of documentation and archives in the contemporary scene of folk and traditional music and dance in the Nordic countries, concentrating on music.
In A. M. Fiskvik & M. Stranden (Eds.), Re)Searching the Field - Festschrift in Honour og Egil Bakka (pp. 289-300).
15
30.03.2022
Teknologien og tradisjonen: Noter og opptak, nok en gang
2014
The paper discusses the use and effects on traditional music by the introduction of the technologies of music notation and music recording. Both of these technologies imply fixation and, therefore, also the possibility of recreation of a (musical) event split from its origin. Reference is made to Lord’s discussion of orality vs. literacy, and also to Schafer’s concept of schizophonia. Both these authors see the technologies in a perspective of cultural pessimism that is not shared by this author. The aim of the article is, therefore, not to argue for caution on the use of technologies nor to argue that traditional music becomes less ‘authentic’ through the use of technology, but to describe in more detail possible views of the co-development of use of technology and change in aesthetic focus. Specifically it is argued that there might be a shift from a predominantly art-of-work orientation in the mid 19th century to a more performance-focused contemporary orientation.
Musikk og tradisjon
16
20.05.2022
Jan Garbarek - Jazz, Ethnic Romanticism, World Music or Personal Expression?
1990
The article discusses Jan Garbarek's music. The short version is that the question in the title is answered with "Personal expression"
Nordic Sounds
What is the connection between Jan Garbarek and Ånon Egeland?
17
Bagpipes for the Norwegian Folk Tradition
2022
English version of the older article of my experiments with how to play Norwegian Hardanger fiddle music on bagpipe. You may also hear the practical results on two albums I recorded.
Chanter
Norwegian tunes on bagpipe – why bother?
Norwegian tunes on bagpipe – why bother? Part II
Norwegian tunes on bagpipe – why bother? Part III
Den norske sekkepipa – ?
The Norwegian Bagpipe (?) Vol 2
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