Really? No bar lines? Why would we want to do this? Aren't the bar lines necessary in organizing the music? Isn't the form of the music and the cadential motions within it dependent on the ability to feel and sense the bar lines? Pretty much a "yes" to all of the above eh? But ... what if ... the bar lines go away?
So what do we gain by "making the bar lines go away?" The main gain is a "seamless highway" groove for our musical ideas to travel upon, a free flowing almost surrealistic rhythm to motor our ideas and to hang in when blowing. That by eliminating the barline "bumps" in the road, our artistic ideas often take on a new sense of freedom and are less susceptible to the compartmentalization that often comes with composing within the traditional American forms. This is especially true at the structural cadential points in the music, which for a player who has evolved to this level, begin to kinda resemble and feel like "speedbumps" in the groove.
And for our listeners...? So, does a more seamless, bar-line-less groove create a more fluid thought process for our listeners and dancers that shape our musical sounds into physical motion? Does the idea that if there are no "rough" edges in the groove translate into a no rough edges for the thought process? Sound magical?
Author's note. This reshaping of musical form has historically been a key aspect in the ongoing evolution all of our fine arts over the last couple of thousand years ...? That the artistic intellect that expands the existing forms is so often indicative of an advanced cognitive ability. Legendary trumpeter Wynton Marsalis has discussed this "evolution of form" as one essential doorway into the future evolution of our music. Got any ideas ...?
Any artistic considerations to consider "when the barlines go away? Well, at this higher level of "no bar lines" thinking and playing, lots of things to consider artistically for sure and of course, so much depends on which of the musical styles we are creating eh? Certain American styles and combinations, such as the rockers and blues players, often depend on and create a physical presence of the bar lines to help work the magic of their rhythms, to get the music and listeners up and dancing. Folk players often organically make the bar lines go away, but so often it is in the telling of their stories that masks the presence of the bar lines in their music. Jazz players, especially the more modern and advancing players, are often the artists that create a seemless morphing of the melodic and harmonic colors. Often using an infectious Latin rhythmic samba groove to propel the lines, the conscious ability to make the bar lines go away is no easy task in performance, and writing music that "organically" makes the bar lines dissapear is oftentimes even a more daunting and elusive task. Of course, the faster tempos of some jazz music will "blurr" the barlines, but even then the challenge to play such tempos is often a formidable task in and of itself.
Of course there are various degrees of "no bar lines" and the music created by this technique. On one end of this spectrum we find the so called "new age music." Here we often find a "wash" of musical colors in softer tempos. The word "amorphous" comes to mind pour moi in describing the veiled and dreamy new age sounds. Towards the other end of this "no bar lines" spectrum we find the modern sounds of the Latin jazz players. Usually based on the 16th note prolation, the smaller rhythmic values more easily allow tying the sound across the bar line, without disrupting the flow of the lines.
So, how is it done, to "make the bar lines go away?" Well, lots of ways really but in essence a large part of the magic is simply based on supressing or passing over in silence the pulse or beat of the music as it falls on the first beat of a new measure. So no pulse or instrumental sounds on the first beat of each measure ... mmm ... I once heard a "soft rock" mostly vocal group in Christchurch, New Zealand use this simple technique to wondrous effect. Simply to tacet ( silence ) on the first beat of each measure.
In this next idea, we simply elide the cadence over the bar line. Here we simple "tie our pitches over the barline, "covering up" the first beat of the new measure. Example 2.
Cool huh? It's tricky to do, especially in this digital format. When the chords or melody pitch changes, we can elide the cadence two ways n'est pas? Carry the sounding color over into the next barline or present the new color just a wee bit early. Both are very effective in helping to make the bar lines go away. Modern jazz guitarist Pat Metheny is a master in making the barlines go away, creating a seemless musical journey for all to enjoy. Just about any and all of his records contain a ton of this kind of musical magic. Hip to Mr. Metheny?
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Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. Theodore Roosevelt
