O papel das representações mentais de levadas rítmicas para a elaboração de arranjos em diferentes estilos musicais brasileiros por um pianista

Abstract

Research Question/Problem

Mental representations of Brazilian rhythmic patterns are patterns of information that include certain rhythmic groupings, accents and systematic micro-rhythmic variations associated with each musical language. For example, the samba pattern is characterized by a syncopated pattern and its third and fourth semiquavers are discreetly anticipated in relation to a regular rhythmic structure, and this anticipation is linked to the samba dance step (Haugen & Godøy, 2014). In this way, the rhythmic complexity involved in various Brazilian musical genres requires the performer to have comprehensive knowledge of different temporal relationships and extra-musical elements. In this sense, mapping the interpretative intentions and meanings of pianists who are experts in Brazilian rhythmic patterns can reveal important cognitive aspects for the process of preparing solo piano arrangements.

Objectives

We aim to investigate the role of mental representations of rhythmic patterns in the creation of arrangements in different Brazilian musical styles by an expert pianist.

Method

A case study was conducted with a 33-year-old expert pianist, internationally recognized for his awards and albums recorded with renowned artists, including Toninho Ferragutti and Vanessa Moreno. In two observation sessions (an average of 20 minutes each), the pianist reported his thoughts using the think-aloud protocol (Ericsson & Simon, 1993) while initially learning the piece "Telephone" by Roberto Menescal and Ronaldo Bôscoli. In this type of protocol, the participant verbalizes their thoughts out loud while performing a certain task. After fully learning the piece in samba style, he reinterpreted the same piece in five other styles: forró, frevo, xote, choro and samba-canção. Both sessions were recorded in audio and video. The verbal reports were transcribed and subjected to content analysis (Krippendorff, 2019) in order to categorize the variables related to the participant's creative strategies.

Results

According to the verbalizations, the participant was based on: (1) in the rhythm of the zabumba in forró; (2) in the rhythm of the snare drum and brass phrasing in frevo; (3) in the rhythm similar to jazz in xote; (4) in the phrasing of the seven-string guitars in choro; and finally (5) in the slower, more relaxed samba rhythm in samba-canção. The content analysis indicated that the strategies were adapted for the piano, considering the patterns of tempos, rhythmic groupings, micro-rhythmic variations, accentuations, articulations and emotional character of each musical style addressed. In addition, during the execution of each style, he hummed a constant internal pulse that guided his body movements.

Conclusions

It is concluded that the mental representations of the rhythmic patterns were creatively reorganized and re-signified for each musical style from the piece recently learned. Furthermore, the pianist's rhythmic ability was related to the mental representation of an internal temporal structure, which led his sensorimotor system to consistent self-organization and self-monitoring (Witek, 2023). Future studies could involve other pianists and their strategies, as well as other pieces from the Brazilian repertoire, with the aim of proposing didactic mental representation strategies for the acquisition of expertise in Brazilian rhythmic patterns for solo piano.