Creating a new musical style using Metastates. by Roy Kim. rkim@changework.com
Copyright 1998 by Roy Kim.
To create a new musical style is simple. It is done by combining one musical style with another. This sounds simple, but how is this done? and how do we use our understanding of modeling to do this? For the answer, let's look at examples of musical styles and how they came about.
Many of us are familiar with the various musical styles that exist today. Rock, Jazz, Country, Classical, Reggae, Blues and the offspring and other classes of these musical styles such as Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Hip Hop, Swing, House music, etc. What many of us may not be aware of is how these musical styles have came about. These are examples of "metastates" when a musical style is created.
Here are a few examples from Rock history:
The origin of the "British Invasion" or "British Rock" can be traced to a port town of Liverpool England. From Liverpool, the likes of The Beetles, Eric Clapton and other famous British rock musicians and bands came from there. You may be asking yourself "What does this got to do with creating new musical styles?" Plenty, Liverpool is a port town where sailors would bring their blues albums from America which made their way to the pubs and eventually to the youths who would listen and play what they heard on these records. Before they had these blues albums, the English had English folk music and classical music. When they started to learn to play blues, it was with their background in folk music and their English cultural background that they made their interpretation of Blues. So in effect, "British Rock" is the English interpretation of Blues.
The Band "Santana's" founder, Carlos Santana with his Hispanic culture, loved to play blues and his interpretation of blues and rock resulted in his unique musical style.
The band "The Police", with Sting which came out in the 80's is the British rock and roll interperation of Reggae.
With the understanding of metastates, we learn to look at learning strategy at logical levels. When we look at musical styles as strategies, combining strategies or "metastating" strategies makes logical sense.
Creating a new musical style - how to.
Suppose you wanted to create a new musical style, let's say "Punk Swing."
It's simple to do provided you do the following:
1. Determine the direction of your interpretation. i.e. The Punk interpretation of Swing or the Swing interpretation of Punk.
2. Model the appropriate starting style. i.e. Model several (or one) Punk musician(s) and study the musical style.
3. Practice and rehearse the style you learned.
4. After gaining proficiency with the musical style, model the second musical style with the prior model. i.e. Learn to play swing as a punk musician.
5. Practice and rehearse this new style.
Now, modeling involves more than just practice or imitation. There are three ways you can go about modeling:
1. Deep Trance Identification. - This technique involves going into an altered state and under that state, using all the knowledge about the person you want to model, you become that person your modeling.
2. Imagestreaming - This technique is involves breathing and verbal description. This was developed by Win Wenger and well outlined at http://www.winwenger.com
3. Straight Practice and imitation - Using only this can work, yet will take much longer and you can be missing key insights on interpretation.
To do modeling, get as much information on the person you wish to model. Read their biography, watch their videos, listen to their tapes even if the material is not directly related to music. Get EVERY bit of information you can on who you want to model.
When you learn to model, it will tremendously speed up your ability to learn new musical styles (or anything else for that mater.).
Keep in mind, even with these modeling techniques, there is no substitution for PRACTICE. Physical practice plus mental rehersal will greatly accelerate your ability to learn a musical style and integrate the new musical style you are creating. You can only rehearse mentally what you physically done with your body.
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