‘More than a sound’: Tone as affective encounter in music therapy in prison

Whilst tonal qualitites in music are deeply entangled with timbral, textural, acoustic and sonic properties, tone also represents aspects of artistic identity, expression, cultural belonging and musical style. In this article I explore the therapeutic significance of tone for two music therapy participants playing the electric bass guitar in a low security Scandinavian prison. Through the presentation of three case examples drawn from a larger ethnographic study I show how the participants developed signature bass tones through specific techniques and the use of audio signal processing, and how their tone emerged as central to their experience and performance of identity. The article shows how interpersonal relationships, intimacy and community were established, mediated and consolidated in the active and shared pursuit of tonal characteristics. The article discusses the significance of tone as affective encounter in popular music-based music therapy practices and suggests a notion of tone as a facet of musical identity. • Explores tone as an affective encounter in prison-based music therapy. • Shows how bass tone mediates identity, community, and relationships. • Examines digital and analog tone shaping in musical self-expression. • Discusses tone's role in popular music-based therapy practices. • Proposes tone as a key facet of musical identity in therapy.