Jackson Jenkins - sensory deprivation experiment

For my experiment I wanted to see what it would be like to take away sight in I live performance situation. So I decided to get a group of players together and perform the popular jazz standard 'Bye Bye Blackbird' blindfolded. Sebastian on bass, Ashton on guitar, Nathan on drums, and I am on piano.

The obvious risk involved with this is the inability to see what you are playing, and missing notes as a result. But to me the bigger worry was the inability to make eye contact with the other players which is important for locking in the time ( especially with the drums and bass ) and giving each other cues.

I did not expect the results of this experiment to be so overwhelmingly positive. I was blown away at the fact that my muscle memory and familiarity with a piano carried me through the song so well. It actually ended up being more of a positive thing rather than a drawback. All of the sudden the form was easier for me to think about, and I was able to be more intentional with what I was playing and interact more with the other players. I only remember missing notes on two occasions. The other players all had similar very positive experiences.





Our recording : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB0kUfm6Scs&t=1s

A recording by Miles Davis : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CieM9gurwZ4