Individual vs Group Creativity

Question 1

What is Sternberg’s (2018) theory of musical creativity?

Answer 1

Triangular Theory

Question 2

What did Sternberg (2018) argue in his Triangular Theory?

Answer 2

Context and defiance are important for creativity

We need to consider context in which creative work is produced

Question 3

What 3 ways do creative musicians have to show defiance in order to be creative and break tradition?

Answer 3

Defiance against crowd

Defiance against self

Defiance against zeitgeist

Question 4

Who are the ‘crowd’ in Sternberg’s (2018) triangular theory?

Answer 4

Friends, family, fans

Question 5

Why does one have to defy one’s self in order to be creative?

Answer 5

Need to be versatile and able to come up with new ideas

Need to avoid becoming a ‘one-idea person’

Question 6

What is a zeitgeist in Sternberg’s (2018) triangular theory?

Answer 6

Dominant paradigm

General tradition

Question 7

What is a criticism of Sternberg’s (2018) triangular theory?

Answer 7

Focuses on creativity as a property of the ‘lone genius’

Thinks that the only way people can be creative is alone

Question 8

What is Csikszentmihalyi’ (1988) model of musical creativity?

Answer 8

Systems model of creativity

Question 9

What does Csikzentmihalyi (1988) consider in his systems model of creativity theory?

Answer 9

Considers that the individual creator is always part of a broader system, rather than looking at lone geniuses

Question 10

What are Bourdieu’s 3 concepts in the systems model of creativity?

Answer 10

Fields

Capital

Habitus

The creative person has to defy fields, capital, and habitus.

Question 11

What is the concept of fields?

Answer 11

People work in different fields which have certain specific traditions etc. The creative person has to defy these traditions.

Question 12

What is habitus?

Answer 12

Habitus is the environment that you are born in to

Question 13

Why do songwriters acquire the habitus of songwriting?

Answer 13

They have a knowledge of songs and music and become completely immersed in musical history

Question 14

How can media regulate the extent to which songwriters operate?

Answer 14

Music that is played on the radio or is trendy can have an influence

Whether or not you want a recording contract can have an influence

Question 15

How was Yesterday created by the Beatles?

Answer 15

Based on a tune dreamt by McCartney

Mozart-style inspirational composition

McCartney might have unconsciously borrowed elements of other songs without being aware of it

Question 16

How are classic songs commonly created?

Answer 16

Music is constantly borrowing from the past, whether conscious or unconscious

Re-interprets past music

Question 17

What created a unique habitus for creative output in relation to the Beatles?

Answer 17

McCartney’s family background

The Beatles’ intense and eclectic repertoire

Question 18

How does creativity play a role in improvisation?

Answer 18

As long as the music stays in key and in beat then musicians are flexible/free to play whatever they want

Freer than a classical work in which you have to get the notes in the right order etc. because that is what the audience is expecting

Question 19

What are habitus’ of jazz improvisation?

Answer 19

Typical jazz harmonies have a typical nature

Primary jazz form structures

Question 20

What are jazz improvisations often based around?

Answer 20

Based around repertoire of motifs

Question 21

Which genre of music has least freedom in terms of creativity?

Answer 21

Classical music

Audience expects reproduction of formal scores

Can expressively vary to make the classical performance more creative

Question 22

What did Chaffin et al. (2007) study in terms of Bach and creative performance?

Answer 22

Studied 7 repeats of Bach’s Italian Concerto by the same pianist

The music was the same/similar each time

Analysis revealed non-random and structurally-related changes

There does seem to be certain ways in which performers are putting a different spin on the music, even if they are faithfully reproducing the notes.

Question 23

What is the idea of a 3rd performance?

Answer 23

When performers repeat a performance, there is a magic 3rd performance which becomes the best

Conscious and unconscious elements combine to produce a magic third performance of the work (things the performers know that they are doing well and things the performers don’t realise that they are doing well)

Second performance = some mistakes (maybe). But 3rd = more conscious of mistakes (maybe)

Question 24

Are different musical traditions associated with different musical creativity?

Answer 24

Perhaps

Africans filled a song with counter-melodies and improvised harmonically

Brazilian songs were inspired by foreigners or one’s own ancestral spirit

Communal songs in Peru were produced through brainstorming motifs and variations until full agreement. People came up with ideas and worked on them as a group.

Question 25

What is an example of the systems theory at work?

Answer 25

Various constraints and opportunities are afforded by broader cultural concerns, such as what is trendy at the moment in Western pop music context and what certain people are allowed to do at certain times in a more traditional context

Question 26

What is another theory of creativity?

Answer 26

Collective creativity

Question 27

What is the assumption of collective creativity?

Answer 27

Assumption that group improvisation is based on a ‘central controller’ that guides others

Group of people can be creative - one person guides the other people because it is difficult to improvise collectively

Question 28

How many orchestral musicians claim not to look at the conductor / central controller?

Answer 28

15% did not look at them. Perhaps this could be because in classical music you are tied to your score and the main thing you need to look at is your music.

Question 29

What did a string quartet study find about collective creativity?

Answer 29

Wells (1990) found that when the lead violin made a mistake, string quartets have a way of collectively teaming up and rescuing the performance. Similar thing happens if someone doesn’t come in at the right place etc.

Communicate with each other and perform collaborative manoeuvres when a performer makes a mistake

Question 30

How can artists involved with popular music influence the creative process?

Answer 30

Through technology and recordings

Through online collaboration

Through an open studio (can involve audience)

Question 31

How do other people influence the creative process in producing popular music?

Answer 31

Sound engineers

Producers

Both play vital creative roles and give huge creative input into the recording that comes out.