Topics we will discuss and learn:
- Foundational elements of music: Harmony, Melody
- Song Forms
- Performance routines
Foundational elements of music: Harmony, Melody
Harmony is the second element of music.
The
rhythm lays the foundation for which harmony and melody are
laid. Rhythm
is the bones, harmony is the muscle, and melody is the skin.
Harmony sets the structure for the melody and
guides the jazz musician on how to approach his improvisation.
Some tunes have a complex harmonic structure
Bebop tried to “separate the men from the boys” and
piled on numerous chord changes for musicians to navigate through
Playing tunes with many “changes” requires a sense
of comfortability with harmony in order to create interesting rhythms while
soloing.
Soloists may get bogged down in trying to play the
changes and neglect developing rhythmic variety.
Some tunes have simple harmonic chord structures so
musicians can create their own during their improvisations.
Modal jazz has very few chord changes and musicians
are able to play more with their own harmonic ideas.
A sound rhythmic approach is necessary in playing
modal jazz in order to keep the music flowing since the emphasis is not on
melody or harmony.
Melody
is the third element of music.
Musicians must know numerous melodies along with
the chord changes to songs in order play with other musicians anywhere in the
world.
They must also be able to interpret the melody so
it doesn’t sound contrived
Many musicians take a melodic approach to
improvising by creating melodies during their solos. By playing patterns and scales a musician is
outlining the harmonic elements of a song and showing his/her mastery of the
tune, but by playing melodically a musician is showing their ability to
transcend the original melody of the song and create their own tune on top of
the existing one.
Blue notes are the notes that Africans heard in
their own music and thus African-Americans adapted the western music they
learned such as hymns and folk songs to fit their musical ear.
The
Blue notes are the b3, the b5, and the b7
There is a Blues scale that contains these notes
and it is the 1, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7
These notes an the successive scale are used
extensively in gospel, blues, R&B, and jazz music.
Song Forms
The most widely used and well-known jazz song form
is the blues.
The blues can take several forms but the most
familiar form is the 12-bar blues form
A
three bar phrase with four measures each
A statement, a repetition of the statement and then
a closing remark
My
man don’t love me he treats me awful mean
My
man don’t love me he treats me awful mean
He’s
the lowest man I’ve ever seen
C7
/ F7 / C7 / C7 /
F7
/ F7 / C7 / C7 /
G7
/ F7 / C7 / C7 /
The
other very popular song form is the AABA form.
One of the most widely used harmonic structures of
this form are what are known as “rhythm changes” after the song “I Got Rhythm.”
A / Bb
Gmin7 / Cmin7 F7 / Bb Gmin7 / Cmin7 F7 /
Fmin7 C7 / Eb
C#min7 / Dmin7 G7 / Cmin7 F7 /
A / Bb
Gmin7 / Cmin7 F7 / Bb Gmin7 / Cmin7 F7 /
/
Fmin7 C7 / Eb C#min7 / Dmin7 G7 /
Cmin7 F7 /
B /
D7 / / G7 / /
C7 / / F7 / /
A / Bb
Gmin7 / Cmin7 F7 / Bb Gmin7 / Cmin7 F7 /
/
Fmin7 C7 / Eb C#min7 / Dmin7 G7 / Cmin7
F7 /
Performance routines
During
the course of performance there are many events that take place. Each song is not simply played from top to
bottom, there are personalized embellishments that each musician will do
Intro
– the added beginning of song usually 4 to 8 measures in length
Outro or Coda – the
added ending of a song usually 4 to 8 measures in length
Shout Chorus – a
melody superimposed over the original changes wen the song is played for the
last time going to the ending
Trading fours or eights –
where musicians alternate soloing for four or eight measures at the end of the
solo section
Stop
Time – where the rhythm section breaks behind the soloist
The turnaround or drive – a
looped ending of a tune the just keeps on going until the soloist ends it
Turnaround – a two
bar section of “dead space” in a tune where musicians add chord changes to fill
up the space
Half time – where
musicians will slow down the rate of notes they play but the tempo will stay
the same.
Double time – where musicians will double the
rate of notes they play but the tempo will stay the same.
Terms to know:
Changes
Measure
Rhythm Changes
Intro
Outro or Coda
Shout chorus
Trading
The turnaround or drive
Turnarounds
Half time
Double time
Thank You.
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