In the artistic research project “Folk Song Lab” (Rosenberg, 2019-2021) methods for oral composition and improvisation is tested from the concept of the song as being a cognitive framework both when it comes to tonality, melody and lyrics referring to Bronson’s quote: “What was it she had carried in her memory? Not a text, but a ballad: a fluid entity soluble in the mind, to be concretely realized at will in words and music.”(Bronson, 1969:71)

By collective improvising sessions new songs are created in the project, both when it comes to melody and lyrics using rhyme as a vital ingrediency. The cognitive framework being useful both regarding to tonality and when it comes to text-formulas such as rhyme-pattern. The narrative starting point comes from structures that can be found in the Swedish medieval ballads and paring with different returning formulas (Jansson, 1999) such as “the grey horse”, “the green woods”, “the lily-white hand” by rhyming. In the Folk Song Lab project new ballads are improvised where the end-rhyme is a vital part. Also song-games that are promoting end-rhyme is tested in an improvisatory setting to enhance the participants internal knowledge in how to use rhyme as an tool for creating new songs.

How does todays folk singer deal with rhyming as a tool? How can you learn the skills of rhyming? What are the benefits of using rhyme in an improvisatory setting?

This paper presents findings from this ongoing research projects and compares these findings with traditional material. It will also present the viewpoint that improvisatory skills and creativity benefit from using formulas such as rhymes, and that internal knowledge could give room for strategies that promotes being freer in the moment (deManzano & Ullén 2012; Pinho et al 2016). This also reflects on the cognitive framework as useful when creating, and points back to quotation such as Albert Lord’s: “Our oral poet is composer. Our singer of tales is a composer of tales. Singer, performer, composer, and poet are one under different aspects but at the same time. Singing, performing, composing are facets of the same act.”(Lord, 2003).