Chamber Groove

Overview

Researcher: Alice Knight

Playing together is an embodied, social experience, the success of which is built upon artistic cohesion and mutual groove. I am fascinated by the idea of ‘togetherness’ in chamber music, and explore in detail how performers play together, groove together and feel ‘together’, to find a way for musicians and scholars to talk about this phenomenon. 

My project aims to understand what it is that enacts this musical ‘togetherness’ – how musicians feel that they are playing not just simultaneously, but really ‘with’ each other. In exploring this topic, I aim to discover not only what defines groove and togetherness, but also what makes it so important to musicians – from artistic and psycho-social perspectives. 

Current groove literature focuses on popular and jazz music, with my own research adapting these frameworks to the unique contexts of chamber performance. I engage directly with performers in conducted and unconducted chamber groups through observation and interviews, allowing me to understand the specific impact of embodied rhythmic experience on chamber musicians in a range of contexts. My research is presented through a short film that combines rehearsal footage, performance footage and interviews, which will be premiered at a concert event that includes performances from the involved chamber groups.

Image: by Binyan Xu