David Darling used to say it was a great gift to offer someone a steady-unchanging-consistent rhythmic or melodic ostinato.
It’s not an easy gig—to stay with one pattern, to simply “stay with” a pattern. We ‘get bored’ and want to change it up, probably more often—and more rapidly—than we’d like to admit.
Steady state in a group improv asks us to drop the Ego, to not chase squirrels, to be completely happy hanging out in the background and, fundamentally, to sink into the sound we’re providing. Steady state for any length of time asks us to relax fully into the sound and be present.
Steady State is one of the fundamental ‘games’ in the Musicianship and Leadership Program.
Providing a predictable foundation for someone to solo over allows the soloist the chance to listen more deeply to their own voice. It’s especially helpful for people new to improvising or new to their instrument. Knowing they can rely on a steady pulse helps support and give confidence to everyone in your group.
As a personal practice, it becomes meditative and calming. For some it could be a way to come home to the self at the end of a day. If you are easily distracted or regularly seek immediate gratification and would like to train yourself to be bored for a moment, practicing Steady State might be a good place to start.
Steady State isn’t anything exotic. Drummers, bass players, percussionists—this is part of their every day gig. Think the bass line to “Thriller” or the clave in Latin tunes, or the drum riff in Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way.” We know those patterns and we love the familiarity!
The group in this video is Heilung (meaning healing), a Danish-founded group made up of musicians from Denmark, Norway and Germany. They describe their music as “amplified history from early medieval northern Europe.” Their lyrics are based on Runic inscriptions and texts from the Iron and Viking Ages.
They make incredible use of steady state. In fact, you’ll really have to really stay with them and let the sound sink in before anything changes! Enjoy!
You can find them on Facebook and Instagram – @amplifiedhistory.
Try This at Home
Play around with Steady State—and its cousin “Make One Small Change.”
Whether you choose a rhythmic or melodic pattern, it’s a good idea to start by keeping it VERY simple. Remember you have to be able to play it on repeat for awhile. It’s helpful if you stay away from large jumps between notes if you’re creating a melodic pattern—at least to start.
The simpler, the better. Keep in mind the Music for People Mantra: Quality vs Quantity.
As a game, see if you can keep this pattern going for a solid minute—two minutes—five minutes.
As you do, maybe scan your body: where are your feet on the floor? Notice your calves, your thighs. Notice how you are sitting. Maybe scan up your spine. Are your shoulders relaxed?
Notice your breathing. Maybe bring your awareness right into your fingertips. Notice your heart beat, and how you’re now breathing.
The next part of the game is to make ONE change at a time. Just one note. And sink into the new pattern and repeat. Stay with it—maybe even past the point when you feel bored and want to change. And then, at some point change. One Note at a time.
There are many ways to play around with this fundamental form. There’s no wrong way. Enjoy!
Photo of Heilung By Henry W. Laurisch – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76826379