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StudyingSomethingYouArePartOf:TheViewFromtheBandstand
(coauthoredwithRobertR.Faulkner)
Beinganactiveparticipantinanartisticworldyouwanttostudybothhelpsandhindersyour
work.Ifyouknowwhatthepeopleyouwanttostudyaretalkingaboutwhentheytalkabout
theirwork,youalreadyknowwhatitmighttakeanoutsidermonthstolearn.Youcanframe
questionsinawaytheyunderstandeasily,identifythingsyoudontunderstand(whichwill
become,asyouinvestigatethem,thegrowingpointsofyourstudy),andparticipateyourself
intheactivitiesyouwanttoobservewriteabout.
Butyouwillalsoencounterobstacles.Youwillfinditdifficulttoaskcolleaguesaboutthings
everybodyknows,becauseaskingwillseemfoolishtothem.Youwillalsobeginyour
researchwithpreconceptions,ideasyoujusttakeforgrantedassoobviousnottorequire
thinkingabout.
Sowehavetomakefurtherdistinctionswhich,treatedasbinary,provokeclassificationsand
helpuscreatetypeswhichcanorganizewhatweknowandwhatwelearn,andalertus,
throughambiguities,tothingswewanttoknowmoreabout.Wewilluse,astherawmaterial
forthisanalysis,ourcurrentresearchonthejazzrepertoire,inwhichweareinterviewingand
observingjazzplayersaboutwhatsongstheyknow,howandwheretheylearnedthem,how
playersusetheirindividualrepertoirestoarriveatacollectiverepertoireforaparticular
performance,howindividualrepertoiresbecomeasharedculturalresourceinacommunity
ofplayers,andmanyotherquestionsrelevanttotherepertoirephenomenon.(Earlyreports
onourresearcharefoundinBeckerandFaulkner2006a,2006b.Ourearlierresearchon
musiciansiscontainedinFaulkner1983,1985,andBecker1973.)
Wearebothexperiencedmusicians,withmanyyearsofplayingbehindus.Faulknerstill
playsprofessionallyseveraltimesaweekandisanactivememberofalocalcommunityof
workingmusicians.Hecanthusobservetheprocessesofperformanceconstructionasclosely
asRoy(2006)observedmachinistscollectiveworkchoices.Onthestandwhenthese
discussionstakeplace,hecanobserveexactlyandpreciselyhowcollectivechoicesaremade,
whatcriteriaareinvoked,whoknowsanddoesntknowwhatsongs,etc.Beckerisnolonger
anactivememberofsuchacommunity,buthasmanyacquaintancesinhisarea,plays
occasionallywithothers,andisinapositiontoaskalotofquestionsandtomakeoccasional
observations.

Ourresearch,itssettingandmethods
Theresearchcoversthekindsofplacesbars,nightclubs,jazzclubs,private
parties,weddingsandothersocialeventswherejazzorientedmusicians
performforlayaudiencesformoney.Wehaveinterviewedandobserved
musiciansinthesesettingsandintheirprivatelives,andhavetaken
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advantageofourownstatusasworkingmusicianstoaskquestionsabout
whattheyplaywitheachotherinpublic,howtheychoosewhattoplay,
wheretheyhavelearnedwhattheyknow,andsimilarquestions.
OurfieldresearchhasbeencarriedoutintheAmherstValleyareaof
Massachusetts,anareawithmanyuniversities,andarelativelylarge
communityofworkingmusiciansandinSanFrancisco,alarge
cosmopolitancitywithanactivemusicallife.Musicofthekindthe
musicianswearestudyingplayiswidelyplayedintheUnitedStatesin
venuesliketheonescommoninthesecommunities,andthesituationswe
describeareprobablyquitecommonelsewhereinthecountry.Asolder
players,wehavespentmoretimewithpeoplelikeusinageandexperience,
buthavealsotalkedtomanyyoungerplayerswhoseexperienceis
somewhatdifferent.Inaddition,wehavereliedonourownextensive
experienceovermanyyearstofurnishexamplesforouranalysis.
ThoughthemusicsceneinFranceissomewhatdifferentfromthatinthe
UnitedStates,MarcPerrenouds(2007)descriptionoftheworking
experienceoflesmusicos(musiciensordinaires}isveryclosetothatof
thepeoplewediscussinthisarticle.

Wecandistinguish,first,whatwe,asresearchers,knowfromwhatwedontknow.Wemay
thinkweknowthatthereisastandardrepertoireforjazzplayers,andthatweknowwhatit
is.Butweimmediatelyrecognizethatwemay(1)thinkweknowsomething(researcher
thinkscondition)butinfact(2)mayormaynotactuallyknowit(researcherknows).If
wereluckywediscoverthisfromourobservationsandinterviewsanditmakesusrethink
whatweknow.Thisdistinctiongeneratesfourtypes.IcancorrectlythinkIknowsomething:I
doknowwhatIthinkIknow.IcanthinkIknowandbewrong:IdontknowwhatIthinkI
know.And,conversely,IcanthinkIdontknowsomethingIactuallydoknow,orcorrectly
thinkthatIdontknowsomething.Intheformofatruthtable,thisis:

Rthinks

Rknows

realknowledge

falseknowledge

falseignorance

realignorance

Eachsituationhasitscharacteristicadvantagesanddisadvantages.Withoutcataloguingallof
these,wecannote,forinstance,thataresearcherwhobasesaninterviewquestiononfalse
knowledgemaybeembarrassedbyamoreknowledgeableinterviewee.Ontheotherhand,a
researchercanuseaccurateknowledgetoposequestionsthatwillprovokeanintervieweeto
explainsomeaspectofhisworktheresearcherwouldliketoknowmoreabout.
Wesoonseethatthesetermsareinsufficientforwhatweknowandwanttotalkabout.Keep
inmindthatinanysituationofinterviewingorobservation,weareinvolvedwithoneor
moreotherpeople,andtheyalsomayknowornotknowthethingsweareinterestedin.This
addstwomorecolumnstoourtable,whichisnowatableaboutresearchersubject
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interaction:thesecondpersonmaythinkheknowsandmayactuallyknow,oreitherorboth
oftheseconditionsmaybefalse.
Rthinks

Rknows

Sthinks

Sknows

Andsoonthroughallsixteenpossibilitieswhichtheadditionofthenewvariablescreates.
Eachadditionalvariabledoublesthenumberofpossiblecombinations.Somewillbe
empiricallyunlikely,butanythingcanhappen,andusuallydoesinthefield.Themore
variables,themoredifficultitistothinkupnamesforthesituation.Thefirstmightbecalled
sharedknowledge,butafterthatourimaginationsstoppedworking.
Thisanalysisofwhatcanhappeninthefieldletsusidentifysomecommonproblematic
situationsforresearchersintheartswhoarethemselvespractitioners.

Explanationofmusicalterms
Inwhatfollows,wedescribemanysituationsandremarkstakenfrom
ourfieldnotes,inwhichpeopleusethesharedlanguageofthemusical
communitiesinwhichthesedataweregathered.Herearesomeshort
explanationsoftermsthatmaybeunfamiliar.
MusicallanguagevariessomewhatbetweentheUnitedStatesand
France.Inparticular,Americanplayerstypicallyrefertothetonalityin
whichasongisplayedasitskey,andidentifythembytheletters
A.B.C.,etc.,whileFrenchmusiciansrefertothesamenotesasLa,Si,
Do,etc.
Ingeneral,however,asPerrenoud(2007)showsclearly,musiciansof
thekindwestudiedresembletheirFrenchcounterpartsinmany
respects.Theyplayinvaryingcombinations,oftenwithpeoplethey
dontknowwellandwithwhomtheyhavenotplayedoftenoratall,they
oftendonotknowwhattheothersknowmusically,andmuchofwhat
theydomustbeorganizedatthetimeoftheirperformance.Theydo
thisbyrelying,inlargepart,onasharedknowledgeofsongswidely
knownintheirmusicalcommunity.Theyplaythesesongs,improviseon
them,andconstructaneveningsprogramoutofthem.
Thesongstheyuseinthiswayareoftenreferredtoasstandards,
usuallysongsoutoftheAmericantraditionofpopularsongfromthe
1920sthroughthe1960s,sometimesreferredtoasTheGreat
AmericanSongbook,songswrittenbysuchwellknowncomposersas
ColePorter,JeromeKern,GeorgeGershwin,andIrvingBerlin,but
oftensongswrittenbylesswellknowncomposers.Theyassumethat,
ingeneral,theywillplaythesonginthestandardkey,i.e.,thekeyof
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theoriginalpublication.Inaddition,theyrelyonthebluesform,which
consistsofatwelvebarpatternsofchords,whichcanbeplayedinany
key(sothatitissufficienttosay,BluesinBb[Sibmol]foreveryone
toknowwhattheyareplaying.Countingoffeightbeatsindicatesthe
tempothesongwillbeplayedin.Thus,ifaplayersaysAllTheThings
YouAre,mostwellsocializedplayersofacertaingenerationwillknow
thattheyaregoingtoplaythatsonginthestandardkeyofAb[La
bmol]atthetempoindicatedbyavocalcountorbysnappingones
fingers.
Becauseofgenerationalchangesinthenatureofpopularmusicinthe
UnitedStates,jazzhaschangedfromawidelyheardandunderstood
musicaccessibletolaypeopletoanmuchmoreesotericartmusicin
whichplayersmoreoftenplaytheirownoriginalcompositionsorthe
worksofwellknownjazzcomposerslikeWayneShorter,John
Coltrane,ChickCorea,andothers.Musiciansofdifferentgenerations
knowmanyfewersongsincommon,sothatthissystemofperformance
basedonasharedrepertoirehasbecomemoredifficulttocarryout.

Embarrassment.If,thinkingIamquiteknowledgable,IaskaquestionwhichthepersonIm
talkingtowillthinkIshould,asaresponsibleparticipantintheinteraction,knowtheanswer
to,hemaywonderwhetherandhowheshouldbetalkingtome.(Intruthtableterms,this
wouldbethesituationofXXX.)AmItrustworthy?ShouldIbetreatedasanoutsider
whoneedseverythingexplained?Or,worseyet,amIsomeonewhocannotbetrustedatall?
Andconsiderthiscomplication:ImightasksuchaquestionwhenIknowtheanswerquite
well,hopingmerelytouseitasawayofgettingthepersontotalkatlengthaboutsomething
sothatIcancheckonwhatheknowsandthinksonthispoint.
Atenorplayerwastellingmeaboutsomeofthemusiciansheworkedwithin
NewYorkbeforemovingtoBrazil,andheassumedIknewwhothoseplayers
wereandwhattheyhadrecordedinpart.Ididnotknowwhathewastalking
about,butheassumedIknewsomethingaboutthetypesofrhythmsandtheir
majorproponents(players).So:ImtalkingtoamusicianandhethinksIshould
knowaboutthesematters,asaresponsibleparticipantintheinteraction.When
Ididnthesaid,Doyouwantmetospellthatforyou?Thiswasaparticular
rhythmhewastalkingabout,aboutwhichIknewabsolutelynothing.Talkabout
embarrassment.HethennamedthreeotherBrazilianrhythmsand,seeingthat
Ididnotknowanythingaboutthem,saidOkay,andmovedon,afterI
shruggedmyshoulders.
Hesaid,Therearemanydistinctive,important,andcoolrhythmsinBrazil
besidetheinternationallymuchbetterknownsambaandbossanova.Andthen
hetoldmesomeofthemoresignificantonesare:baiao,chorinho,forro,
pagode,marcharancho,maracatuu,andfrevo.
IdidnotknowanyoftheseBrazilianrhythms.
Cripplingprejudices.Oneofourmosteducationalexperiencestodate,inthesenseof
learningsomethingwedidntknowbefore,camewhenweconfrontedthephenomenonofthe
rapidlyshiftingjazzrepertoire.Thisappearsinthequitedifferenttunesthatplayersof
differentagesknew.Wehavetosayherethatwearebothofanoldergeneration,thoughwe
wouldliketothinkthatwekeepupwithcurrenttrends.Betweenus,wehaveprobablyspent
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overahundredyearsplayingjazzandpopularmusicinavarietyofvenues.So,whenwe
beganourwork,wewerequitesureweknewprettymucheverythingtherewastoknowabout
thejazzbusiness.
Onethingweknew,asmanyplayersofourvintagethinktheyknow,isthatyounger
playersdonotknowallthetunestheyshouldknow.Thisviewwasexpressedforcefullyby
DickHyman,apianistknownforhisabilitytoplayinavarietyofstylesandtoplaytunes
fromtheTeensthroughthepresentday.Inanarticlecalled150StandardTunesEveryone
OughtToKnow,hesaid:
Toooften,youngermusiciansdontknowthetunesthatarestillthecommoncurrencyof
playersinallstylesofjazz....AlthoughIagreethatnotonlyjazzbutpopularmusicin
generalhasbeenfleeingfromthedisciplineofchordchanges,Ibelievethatamusician,andin
particularapianist,isgravelyunderpreparedifheorsheembarksonacareerbased
primarilyontheDorianmode.Soonerorlatersomeoneisgoingtoaskyoutoplay
Stardust.(Hyman1982a.SeealsoHyman1982b).
Butourinterviewsandexperiencessoonshowedus,oncewepaidattentiontowhatpeople
weresayinganddoing,thatyoungplayerswerenotsomuchignorantofanolderrepertoire
astheywerelearningarepertoireofwhatonepianistcalled,inaninterviewwithBecker,and
withbitingirony,jazzcompositions.Thesecompositions,byplayerslikeHerbieHancock,
WayneShorter,ChickCoreaandothers.didnotfollowthestandardpatternsoftheclassical
jazzstandardsHymanlisted,tuneswhich,infact,almostallolderplayersdidknowbutmany
youngerplayersdidnot.
Hymanscomplaintwasmild.ItsmoreoftenexpressedasThesegoddamnkidsdontknow
anygoddamntunes!AnexamplefromFaulknersfieldnotes,recordedafterajob:
Davestartedinonapianoplayerwhodoesntknowanytunesandhastohave
themusicinfrontofhimtoplaybluesinF.Hewasveryheatedaboutthis.
HereisthelineIrememberaswewerestandingaroundfiltchinghors
doeuvres.IsaidtoPaul[pianist],LetsdoAloneTogether,Ithinkthatwas
thetuneIsuggested.PaulsaidIdontknowitbutDavecantellmethechanges
[asweplay].Davesresponsewas,Idontwanttodothat.Ihavetodothat
withapianoplayerwhodoesntknowanytuneswhoshouldremainnameless,
hedoesntknowtunesandIhavetotellhimthroughtheentiregig,thischange,
thatchange.Itsadrag.IfIgetacalltodoRiteofSpringthenIwonttakethat
kindofgig,yougetDonBaldinitodothat,hecanreadthatkindofmusic.You
callmetodoagigwithstandards,tunes....Butifyoucallsomeonetodoagig
andhedoesntknowanytunes,thenheshouldnttakethegiginthefirstplace.
Donttakethegigifyoudontknowtunes,soIenduphavingtotellhimthe
chordchangesoneverytunebecausehedoesntknowthem.

Weweremoreeasygoinginourapproachtothisphenomenonbut,eventhoughwehad
learnedsomeofthesesongs,wedidnotfullyknowtheconditionsofworkthatledplayersto
absorbthisnewrepertoireratherthantheolderone.Wedidunderstandandshare,tosome

degree,theheavilymoralisticresponseofDavetothissituation.
Briefly,theplayersofourgenerationworkedinsmallgroups,oftenassembledonanadhoc
basistoplaytogetheronetimeonly,whichputapremiumoneveryplayerhavingaworking
knowledgeofwhatwecancalltheHymanrepertoire.Thesegroupsplayedforparties,for
dancing,asentertainmentinlocalbars,etc.Youngerplayersplaymuchmoreoftenfor
listening,andtheaudiencestheyentertainwanttohear,iftheyexpressthemselvesatall,the
newerjazzrepertoire,whatwecancalltheShorterrepertoireor,equallylikely,original
compositionsinthatstylebythemembersofthegroupthemselves.Thismodelismuchmore

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liketherockmusicmodel,inwhicheachbandhasitsownrepertoire.Whenyouknowthat
repertoire,youarenotequippedtoplaywitharandomassortmentofotherplayerswithout
substantialamountsofrehearsaltime.
Beingabletoobservetherepertoireinaction,onthebandstandandonthejob,ledustosee
thatourinsiderknowledgewaspartial,limitedtotheperspectivesoftheoldersubgroupof
playerswebelongedto.Inthelanguageofthetruthtable,theresearcherswere+(thought
theyknewabouttheyoungergroupspracticesandbeliefsbutdidnt)andtheyoungerplayers
weinterviewedandobservedwere++theyknewandunderstoodtheirownpractices.
Infact,wehavesimplifiedafarmorecomplexphenomenonbydistinguishingonlytwo
versionsofthejazzrepertoire.Infact,contemporaryplayersoftendistinguishbetweenthe
standards,thebeboprepertoire,thepostbop,hardbop,andfreejazzrepertoires,and
thereisnodoubtthatnewkindsofrepertoirewillcointinuetodevelop.(Thesedistinctions
arediscussed,forexample,inBuscatto2007.)
MutualExploration.Wediscoveredsomeinterestingtopicsinourdiscussionswithother
musicians,someofwhichwemightsaythatneitherwenortheyfullyunderstood.Our
discussionswiththemtooktheformofasortofmutualexplorationaswetriedtoseewhat
theanswertothequestionwehaduncoveredcouldbe.Inthesecases,whatwejointly
discoveredwasthateachofusinfactdidknowtheanswer,buthadntknownthatweknewit.
SoitwasacaseofXX.
Beckerwasinterestedinthefairlycommonsituationinwhichsomeoneiscalledontoplaya
songtheydontknowatall.Thisissomethingthateveryoneknowshowtodo,somethingthat
intervieweeshadmentionedandthathadhappenedtobothofus.Sinceitseemslikea
contradictionintermshowcanyouplaywhatyoudontknow?hetooktheopportunityto
askaboutitduringaninterviewwithabassplayerhehadplayedwithinthepast,buthadnow
engagedinamoreformalinterview:
DonandIwerediscussingwhattunesheknewandwherehehadlearnedthem.
Hehasanenormousrepertoire,rangingfromDixielandtunesfromthe
Twentiestoalotofcontemporarycompositions,sothiswasalengthy
discussion.ThenIaskedhimifhehadeverhadtoplayatunehedidntknowat
all.Hesaidthatofcoursehehad,everyonehadtodothatsometimes.Iasked
howhedidit,andhelookedsortofpuzzledandfinallysaidthathewasntsure.
But,Illtellyouwhat,letstryitandseewhathappens.PlaysomethingIdont
knowandIllfollowyouandtellyouwhatsgoingon.
Ithoughtforaminuteandpickedaveryobscuretunefromthe1940s(Ihad
probablylearnedfromhearingGlennMillersOrchestraplayitontheradio),
ImSteppingOutWithaMemoryTonight.Nojazzgreateverrecordedit,soit
wasnotlikelyitwouldbeknownbecauseofthat.(Itwas,however,recordedby
GlennMillerandseveralotherbigbandsofthe1940s,aswellasbythesinger
JeriSouthern).ItoldDonthenameandhesaidhehadneverheardit.Istarted
toplayit,inthekeyofF.Don,likeanybassplayerwould,watchedmylefthand
closely,toseewhatbassnotesIwasplayingthathecouldpickupon.Hehadno
troublewiththefirsttwobars,astandardIVIIIVprogression.Thethirdbar
goesfromthemajorchordonthetonicinthiscase,FM7onthefirsttwo
beats,tothesamechordwithanEinthebass.AssoonasIplayedtheE,Don
said,Stoprightthere.Thatsaclue.Isaid,Whatsaclue?Hesaid,ThatE.
Whenyouplaythat,Iknowalmostforsurethatthenextnoteisgoingtobean
EbgoingdowneventuallytoaD.Andthatmeanstheharmonyisalmostsurely
goingtobeF7goingtoBbM7,maybeaGm7.ThenImhomefree.
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Headded,Youknow,therearecluestothingslikenotonlywhatthenextchord
willbebutwhenyouregoingtoplayabigLasVegasending.
Assoonashesaidthis,Iknewexactlywhathewastalkingabout,knewthatI
wouldhavemadeessentiallythesameanalysisofthepossibilitiesthathehad
made,andwouldhavecometothesameconclusion.Andthuswouldhavebeen
abletoplayatleastthatpartofthetuneashewasabletodoit.(Although,being
abassplayer,hedidnothavetobeabletoplaythemelody.)
Inotherwords,interviewerandinterviewee,together,createdaquestionpertinenttothe
researchandthencollaboratedtofindananswertoit.
Answeringthequestiontheresearcherposedhasthehappyresultofcreatingnewproblems
forstudy.Becausewhatthejointexplorationofhowtoplayasongonedoesntknowmade
clearistheformulaicnatureofthepopularsongswhichfurnishthebasisfortheolder
repertoire.Thesesongsaretypicallyconstructedaroundafewharmonicpatterns,inafew
highlystandardizedforms(somanybars,dividedinoneofafewpossibleways).That
standardizationmakesiteasytoguessathowasongisputtogether,andthatmakesthisform
ofcollectiveactionamongrelativestrangerspossible.Asaresultofthisuseofourinsider
knowledge,wenowhadthistoinvestigate:howdoplayerslearnandusetheformulas?
Makingtacitknowledgeexplicit.Bringingthisimplicitortacitknowledgetothesurface,
makingitexplicitandthusamenabletofurtherinvestigation,createsnewandinteresting
problemsforinvestigation.Iftheresearcherandtheintervieweeuseasharedandhighly
conventionallanguage,theinterviewcanproceedquicklyandwithoutincident.Butsuppose
thequestionseems(suddenlyorotherwise)ambiguoustotheinterviewee,andhebeginsto
questiontheimplicitpremisesonwhichitisbased.Considerthisextendedexamplefrom
Faulknersinterviewwithatenorsaxophonist,whohasraisedthequestionofwhatitmeans
tolearnatune,Imeanreallylearnatune....atwhatleveldoIknowthetune?andhegoes
onlikethis:
TheexampleIalwaysusethatspursmythoughtprocessesoniswhensomebody
saystome,LetsplayWoodynYou,whatever.AndIlikewow,[say]Iusedto
knowthattune,butIdontknowitnow,Icantremember,Iknowhowthe
melodygoes,whichisimportant,obviously,ormaybenot,butinthiscaseI
knowit,maybe,butImightgetstuckonthebridge,whatkeyitmodulatestoor
wherethebridgestarts,butweregoingtoplaythistune.
NowImightknowthistunebecauseIrememberthechanges,thechord
changes.ButifIwereanactor,forexample,andImemorizedmylines,andsay
forexampleweredoingthisshowandIgouponmylinesandIforgetwhatmy
nextlineis,doIknowtheplayatthatlevelwhereifIgouponmylinesamI
screwedordoIknowtheplayatalevelwhereIknowwhatsgoingon,Iknow
whereweare,IknowthemeaningofwhatImtalkingabout,andifwescrewup
wecangetoutofitbecauseIcanimprovisebecauseIknowwhereweare,and
knowwhatweretalkingabout.Imnotjustspewinglines.Imnotjustplaying
licks....Ihaventjustmemorizedthechanges.Icanhearthechanges.Idont
havetoknowthechangesbutIcanblowoverthem.
[DiscussingplayingColtranesGiantSteps]Ipracticeditbyrote,practicinga
lickovereverydominantchord,everytonicchord,justmemorizingexactlybut
atsomepoint,atsomepoint,themoreIplayeditIcouldplayitthewayIplaya
blues.Atsomepointitstartedto,[Hepaused.AndIaddedorinserted
work.]Yeah,itworked,itgottothatlevelinmysubconscious,likewhenyou
playabluesnowyoudonthavetothink,Imeanyoucan[think]butifwedoit
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usuallyscrewsusup.Butwecouldplayablueswithoutthinking,wecouldplay
rhythm[i.e.,IGotRhythm]changesprobablywithoutthinking,alotof
standardswithoutthinking.Stablemates,Idhavetothink.Idhavetothink,
butyouknowitwouldbeagreatexerciseplayingStablematesandnotthinking
orplayingStablematesinanotherkey,tryplayingStella[byStarlight]in
anotherkey,withoutaccompanimentandseeifyoucanwithouttryingto
intellectualizethechordchanges,OK,ImnotgoingtoplayStellainBflat,Im
goingtoplayitinE.Imnotgoingtotrytotransposeeverychordchangeupa
tritoneorsomethingImjustgoingtotrytoblow....Thatswhenyoureally
knowatunewhensomeonesays,LetsplayStellainBandyoujustblowonit,
and[you]dontthinkaboutthechordchanges.
Faulknerenterstheconversation,whichnowbecomesamutualexplorationof
theseproblemsofknowingatune,sayingIwentthroughthatwithSmoke
getsInYourEyesandthefollowingconversationensues:
Oh,hesaid,thebridgeright?Iworkedonitforfortyfiveminutes,I
continued,andItoldhimabouthowIspentaweekendlearningitalongwiththe
lineonDizzysBeBop,breakingbothofthetunesdownandreallygettingthem
inmyhead.ItalkedaboutsomeoftheinterestingpartsofSmoke.Hesaid,If
Iweretotrytoplaythattune,SmokeGetsInYourEyes,firstofallIprobably
couldnt,causeIdontthinkIcanhearthatsaweirdone,becauseifyoudont
knowthemelody,wherethemelodygoesonthebridge...Hestartedsinging
themelody.HesangthelastnoteoftheAsectionwithemphasis,witha
questioninglookonhisface.Isangittooandtoldhimthatthefirstnoteofthe
bridgeisthesamenotethatthetunestartswith.[Thereisakeychangeinthe
bridgetoseveralsharps,butthenoteonthehornisthesame,ineffect].There
seemedtobesomemutuallearningtakingplaceatthismomentinthe
interview.Iasked,Sohowwouldyoulearnthat,wouldthatbeamemorization
issue,Imeanyoumemorizeditbyknowingthatthebridge,themelody,starts
onthesamenotecouldbeadrag,ifthatswhatyouarerelyingon,becauseif
youreblowingonit,thenallofasudden....Yourelockedin.Yourelocked
intothatorjustknowingthatknowingtheharmony.Soitmodulatesdowna
majorthird?Isthatright?Wecontinuedtotrytobreakdowntheharmonyon
thistuneandsangcertainpartsofthebridgeandwhatnotesweareonatwhat
pointsinthetuneand,forhim,whatkeyswegoinandoutof.Afteraforty
secondsorsoofdoingthesepuzzleswiththetune,heconcluded,Ithinkhe
said.
Inthisextendedexample,interviewerandintervieweeusetheirsharedknowledgeofthe
detailsofthissong,ofcommonharmonicpracticeinjazz,andoftheconstructionofpopular
andjazztunestoexplorethemeaningofknowing,thusopeningupfortheresearchersanew
terrainofinvestigationtheyhadnotpreviouslyformulatedexplicitly.
Coda
Studyingsomethingyouareapartof,andinterviewingpeoplewhoyouhaveworkedwithand
willworkwithagainraisesdifficultquestionsthatfieldworkersinmoretraditionalresearch
situationsdonthavetoaddressbut,atthesametime,offerswonderfulpossibilitiesfordata
gatheringnotopeninthesamewaytooutsiders.
Isitnecessarytobeamemberofthecommunitytoexploitsuchpossibilities?Thequestion
oftenarisesinotherareas:mustaresearcherbeblacktounderstandwhatgoesoninthe
blackcommunity?Canamanunderstandwomensexperiencesandviceversa?Doyouhave
tobeajunkieorawhoretostudythoseworlds?Theextremecasesmakeclearthatthe
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answerisNo.
Theanswerisnobecause,almostalways,whatwewanttoknowandneedtoknowisnotsome
deepemotionalthingabouthowitfeelsinthedarknightofthesoulatthreeoclockinthe
morningwhenyouneedafixandcantfindaconnection.Whatwealwayswanttoknowis
howpeoplefindconnectionsandwhatkindsofbusinessarrangementsexistbetweenthetwo
kindsofactors,andwhatthecontingenciesofsuchalifeare.Otherpositionsthaninsider
makethatpossible.
Whatkindsofpositionsdothat?WhenEleanorLyon(1974)studiedasmalltheater
organizationintheBayAreashewenttotheplacetheyperformed,toldthedirectorabout
theresearchshewantedtodo,andworriedaboutgettingaccess.Butthedirectordidnt
shareherqualmsaboutconfidentialityandtheotherthingsweusuallyworryabout.Heasked
herasimplequestion:Whatcanyoudo?Meaning:canyouact,sing,dance,constructsets
orprops,makecostumes,somethinglikethatthatmightbeusefultotheirenterprise.She
said,honestly,thatshecouldntdoanyofthat.Tohersurprise,hesaid,Great,youcanhold
book,which,shefoundout,meantthatshewouldsitnexttohimduringrehearsals,give
actorslineswhentheyforgotthem,and(mostimportantly)takedownthenotesthathe
wantedtogivetheactorsaftertherehearsal.Itwastheperfectplaceforasociologisttobe.
Shewasntatheaterperson,anddidntbecomeone,butshewasinthemiddleofeverything.
Shewasrightthereandkneweverything,butwasntofanyimportancetoanyone,having
nothingthatanyoneelsewanted.Shecouldntgivesomeoneabetterpartorinfluencethe
castinginanyway,forinstance.Soeveryonetalkedtoherabouteverything,noonehid
anythingfromher(whyshouldthey?),shehadtherunoftheplace.Itwastheperfectspotfor
asociologist.
Thisisacommonpossibility.Manyorganizationsneedhelpers,peopletodosmallunskilled
butimportantjobs.TheresapictureinSidewalk,MitchellDuneiersstudyofbouqinistesin
NewYorkCity,(Duneier2000)ofMitchDuneiersittingonamilkcrateinthesnowon6th
Avenue,freezing,nearwherethemenhewasstudyingsoldsecondhandbooks.Hewas
watchingsomeonesbooksforhimwhilehewenttoeatorgotothebathroom.Thatsthekind
ofsmalljobhedidforthem,andhiswillingnesstodosuchchoreswaswhyhecouldseeand
heareverythingwithouthavingtobeablackcrackheadoranyoftheotherthingstheseguys
were.Hemadehimselfuseful,hehadaplaceintheschemeofthings.
Incontrast,wehaveapositioninthemusicalworldindependentofbeingsociologists.We
areworkingjazzmusicians.Wehavetoknowwhatworkingjazzmusiciansknowsuchas
standardsongs,jazztunes,andwhattoplayunderwhatcircumstances.Wealsohaveto
practiceandimproveourskills.Wewouldbeinthejazzworld,andhavebeenthereeven
throughwewerentdoingastudy.Thisiscalledcompleteparticipantobservation.Weare
jazzplayerswhoarefullyparticipatinginthecooperativenetworksthatmakejazzpossible.
Wearealsosociologistsmakingobservations,doinginterviews,andcombiningobservations
withinterviewssuchasplayingmusicaljobswithourcolleaguesandthenfollowingupthe
gigswithinterviewsaboutgig,theotherplayers,andthetunesselected.Inthispaper,
weveoutlinedsomeoftheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofdoingresearchthisway.

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