Paige Gabhart is a classically trained composer, on the composers forum compdecomp@...
From his posts, he seems to be very accomplished. He asked this question.
I answered a best I could. Maybe some of you could help him out as well.
Paige,
Can someone explain what "groove" means. It seems to be used to mean a
persistent, repetitious rhythmic pattern. Is this correct?
Dave,
If you think of focusing a camera lens to the point where the image is crystal clear, you have a beginning in the understanding of what a groove is. Here, I'm thinking in terms of a group of musicians improvising music.
Next, imagine a group of musicians playing together who equally share that exact same focus.
Within that commonly shared focus they can sense each others emotional intent. It's a biological connection, a commonly shared awareness.
Without anything intellectual getting in the way, their energies combine in focusing the common intent of the music they're playing. Their emotional intent becomes one single powerful focus.
Emotions have a dramatic effect on rhythm choices, and how those choices are articulated. If the musicians create a happy groove their combined rhythm choices and their articulation will reflect happiness. If the intent is anger, sadness, provocative,challenging, or comic, the common intent of their feeling will reflect those feelings.
Keeping a good groove, means keeping the common focus intact, and even deepening it during the performance. If the character of the emotional intent shifts around through different feelings, the whole group makes the shift together.
Well, this is the best I can do in explaining my conception of what a groove is.
Dave Woods www.musictolight.org
