This project explores the harmonic perspective of rhythm, as developed by percussionist Efrain Toro, and how it can be applied to better understand the rhythms in northern Sámi joik. The music institutions today usually teach rhythm from a linear perspective, which is the tradition of western classical music. One event happens after the last, which leads to another on a monodimensional grid. The tradition of linear thought in general is the tradition of western philosophy and science. One step leads to another, and a response to a step must be elicited before another is taken. The harmonic perspective of rhythm, however, suggests that much of the rhythms in traditional music worldwide can be experienced in a multidimensional and poly-metric way. I hope that this project will shed light on new ways of creating Sámi music that is rhythmically rooted in joik and not western/European music.
Due to the assimilation policy led by the Norwegian government, I grew up aware of my Sámi roots, but detached from them. Throughout this project, my search for a Sámi identity plays a significant role, and I accept that it will influence the process in many ways.
I aim to develop a method for understanding rhythm in joik as something non-linear, multi-dimensional, and to explore how this coincides with other aspects of Sámi culture.
Key research questions:
- Can I create a basis for understanding northern Sámi joik rhythms by using the harmonic perspective of rhythm?
- Using this basis, can new ways of playing guitar, composing, and improvising be created?
- How does the multidimensional or non-linear way of thinking and being relate to other aspects of Sámi culture?
Viktor Wilhelmsen is an artistic research fellow and associate professor at the department of music at NTNU in Trondheim. He has been active in the jazz, rock, blues, and folk scene in Norway the last 18 years and has released three albums as a solo artist since 2015. The album “Knip igjen øyan” was nominated for the Norwegian grammy in 2019. His experience as a sideman and bandmember is extensive, working with younger singer-songwriters like Mathias Angelhus, the trio Varpet, yoiker Frode Fjellheim, former artistic research fellow Mattis Kleppen, jazz-rock drummer Stian Lundberg and many others. He completed his master's at the performing jazz program at NTNU in 2021, focusing on the northern Sámi joik tradition, and explored the possibilities for performing joik on the guitar.
Currently he is in demand as a guitar player who contributes with his own, rhythmically focused style, pulling inspiration from west-African guitar traditions, American rural blues, and Sámi joik.
Since he completed his bachelor's degree in jazz back in 2010, he has worked with a wide range of musicians and styles. Starting out as a burning blues rocker, he gradually moved on to jazz-rock, and then into americana, focusing on lyrics and songwriting for a few years, before diving into the world of traditional music.
Artistic Research Autumn Forum 2025
2nd presentation
Her er info om min presentasjon i Bergen. Videolink og tekst.
https://youtu.be/j4Jqp1jkn3U?si=OuCW9eAFnFHDRmH-
Min første presentasjon på Artistic Research Forum i fjor hadde som mål å vise fram prosjektet mitt på en praktisk måte. Jeg ønsket å inkludere alle deltakerne, invitere dem inn i metodene mine og motivere dem til å være aktive fra starten av. Presentasjonen hadde en show don’t tell-tilnærming, der jeg ga et helhetlig innblikk i prosjektet gjennom både praktiske og deltakende øvelser. Målet var å synliggjøre de viktigste metodene jeg bruker, og samtidig skape en opplevelse av å være en del av prosessen.
I min andre presentasjon ønsker jeg å videreføre den praktiske tilnærmingen, men denne gangen med større vekt på å kontekstualisere prosjektet mitt. Jeg vil gjøre dette gjennom bruk av gitar, joik og fortelling. Prosjektet kan ikke skilles fra min personlige identitet – utvikling, bevisstgjøring og nye erfaringer knyttet til dette påvirker arbeidet i stor grad, på samme måte som prosjektet påvirker det personlige.
Selv om prosjektet kan forstås som et konkret, musikkfaglig arbeid, er den kulturelle og personlige konteksten avgjørende. Hvor jeg kommer fra, og hvordan dette preger både uttrykket og prosessen, er noe jeg ønsker å være tydelig og transparent om i denne presentasjonen.
In my first presentation at the Artistic Research Forum last year, my aim was to present the project in a practical way. I wanted to include all participants, invite them into my methods, and encourage them to be active from the very beginning. The presentation followed a show don’t tell approach, offering an overall impression of the project through both practical and participatory exercises. My goal was to make the core methods visible while creating a sense of shared experience.
In my second presentation, I wish to continue with this practical approach, but with a stronger focus on contextualising my project. I will do this through the use of guitar, joik, and storytelling. The project cannot be separated from my personal identity – development, awareness, and new experiences related to this have a significant influence on the work, just as the project itself shapes the personal.
Even though the project can be understood as a concrete, music-based practice, the cultural and personal context is essential. Where I come from, and how this continuously shapes both the expression and the process, is something I aim to be transparent about in this presentation.
Artistic Research Autumn Forum 2024
1st presentation
In my upcoming PhD presentation, I will explore the multidimensional aspects of rhythm within northern Sámi joik. This project adopts a practical approach to deepen our understanding of rhythm, posing critical questions: How can I expand my rhythmic understanding, and why is a multidimensional perspective essential?
I will contrast this with conventional Western and European views on rhythm, highlighting the unique qualities of joik. Through a combination of practical performance and discussion, I aim to illustrate how these rhythmic layers shape the overall musical experience.
Additionally, I plan to adopt a "show, don't tell" approach and invite everyone attending to participate in basic movements. This will allow us to experience rhythm as a physical phenomenon rather than merely an intellectual concept.