jazz terms

32 bar AABA

"popular song" Somewhere over the Rainbow" You'll notice that it has 32 bars all in all. The first and second A sections are composed of verses which are similar in melody but different in lyrical content. This is followed by the bridge (B) which is musically and lyrically different than the A sections. The bridge gives the song contrast before transitioning to the final A section. popular song industry = Tin pan alley and becomes center of American music business

countermelody

(also known as an obbligato). In a piece whose texture consists clearly of a melody with accompaniment (i.e., a homophonic texture): a countermelody is an accompanying part with distinct, though subordinate, melodic interest. If the melodic interest were not subordinate, the texture would be polyphonic: two or more melodies of more or less equal melodic importance. In classical music, the countermelody is known as an obbligato. In the following example from "A Sailboat in the Moonlight," the melody is sung by Billie Holiday, while the countermelody is performed by tenor saxophonist Lester Young.

walking the bass

a bass line featuring four even beats per bar, usually serving as the rhythmic foundation for the jazz ensemble; normally pizacatto

rhythm changes

a tune in AABA form based on the harmonic progression of George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm." An example is John D'earth's tune "The Potboiler. The chord changes began to be used in the 1930s, became extremely common in the '40s and '50s, and are now ubiquitous.[6] First, "I Got Rhythm" was by then already a popularjazz standard; second, by listening to the song and writing a new melody over its chord changes, thereby creating a composition of a type known as a contrafact, a jazz musician could claim copyright to the new melody rather than acknowledge Gershwin's inspiration and payroyalties to his estate.

head arrangement

an arrangement for big band that is collectively created by the band and not written down (musicians therefore carry it in their "heads"). Typically consists of block-chord riffs and a set order of solos. Head arrangements can be created on the spot as musicians extend a piece indefinitely by adding (and instantaneously harmonizing) riffs.

octave

an interval in which one pitch has a frequency exactly twice the other (in the ratio 2:1). Such pitches are clearly distinct--one is higher than the other--but they sound so similar that men and women singing "the same note" actually sing pitches an octave apart. Music theory gives notes an octave apart the same letter name (e.g., A = 440 cycles per second, but also A = 220). Indeed, the word "octave" (from the Latin "oct" = 8) derives from the standard seven-note diatonic scale: once the seven pitches are finished (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti), the eighth note (do) is the octave.

the head

composed section, typically performed in unison, that frames a small-combo jazz performance by appearing at the beginning and again at the end.

melodic paraphrase

melodic paraphrase uses a pre-existing melody as the basis for improvisation. The variations may come in rhythm or melodic contour (removing notes as well as adding them), but whatever the change, the original melody should still be recognizeable. Musicians often use melodic paraphrase when they first state a melody, to make the statement personal. Some improvisers prefer to work primarily with melodic paraphrase. One such musician is the singer Billie Holiday, who took familiar melodies and molded them to her own satisfaction. Listen to what she does with the melody on this example from George Gershwin's famous lullaby (from Porgy and Bess), "Summertime.". (put their own flare on previously composed/played music)

ragtime

style of piano music Ex: Scott Joplin "Maple Leaf Rag" "Down Home Rag"

popular song

-standard structure for pop songs (1930-1960) -used by songwriters (George Gershwin, Cole Porter) -self contained structure Verse: comes out of musical theater helps you move into song, gets you to main part (chorus) chorus (32 bars) coda at the end jazz musicians use the 32 bar chorus and it beocmes their cycle most common form is AABA each gets 8 bars A statement A repitition B bridge, contrast A return Examples: "I've got Rhythm" used by George Gershwin, Cole Porter

dorian scale

A scale that falls halfway between the major scale and the minor scale. One example runs on the white keys of the piano from D to D.

trading fours

A technique in which musicians consistently alternate brief solos of pre-set length (for trading fours, four bars; musicians may also trade twos, eights, and so forth). Trading fours usually occurs after each musician has had a chance to play a solo, and often involves alternating four-bar segments with the drummer.In the tune "The Potboiler," John D'earth and Jeff Decker trade sections of varying lengths: trading eights (eight-bar sections),trading fours , and trading twos (two-bar sections). Later in the performance, the four members of the band (trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass) trade fours with the drummer.

front line

Anyone not rhythm section; those playing the leading parts of a song; Important in New Orleans Jazz

12-bar blues

Blues develops in 1900, Founder of blues is WC Handy (1873) A twelve-bar cycle used as a framework for improvisation by jazz musicians. Blues forms share the same basic underlying structure: they begin with a tonic , or I chord, move to the IV chord on the fifth bar (the beginning of the second phrase), returning to I two bars later. In the last phrase (measure 9), they move to the dominant, or V, before finally returning to I in m. 11. This basic form is altered by harmonic substitutions, which fill in the musical space with additional harmonic movement. There are many examples of performances in twelve-bar blues form on this web site. One example created for the course by John D'earth is "Midriff".In blues there is a three line stanza w/ 12 bar structure

collective improvisation

Simultaneous improvisation by several musicians (most often heard in early jazz and free jazz); New Orleans jazz

break

a brief passage (usually 2 to 4 bars) in which the prevailing texture (whether homophonic or polyphonic) is interrupted by monophonic texture. One example of a famous break comes from Charlie Parker's performance of"A Night in Tunisia". The Free Bridge Quintet offers a different example with four breaks--for tenor sax, trumpet, piano, and tenor sax again.

mute

a device that can be used to alter the sound, or timbre, of an instrument. (Only the brass instruments use them — e.g., trumpets and trombones). Trumpet players in particular use a variety of them

pentatonic scale

a five-note scale, usually corresponding to the black keys on the piano. Frequently used by improvising jazz musicians. Sounds like mulan-ish.

cycle

a fixed unit of time, repeated in a potentially endless progression, used as a musical framework In jazz, a cycle (also known as a chorus) usually involves a fixed unit of time and a harmonic progression.

march/ragtime form

a musical genre from 1895-1918; syncopated, ragged rhythms; began as dance music in St. Louis and New Orleans african american communities before popular sheet music; Ernest Hogan (innovator, key pioneer, credited for coining the term "ragtime"); FORM: AABBACCDD Trio: CC section (key change; different feeling/style)

monophonic texture

a musical texture characterized by a single melody with no pitched accompaniment: for an example, listen to the opening of Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues." When a monophonic texture interrupts the usual texture of jazz performance, it is known as a break.

homophonic texture

a musical texture characterized by one main melody w/ a clearly subordinate pitch accompaniment. Homophony is the usual texture in a jazz performance (an improvised solo accompaniment by a rhythm section, comprised of percussion etc.) block chords are an example

polyphonic texture

a musical texture characterized by two or more melodies of equal importance or interest playing simultaneously, such that no one melody sounds like the main melody. In classical composition, also known as counterpoint. (discussed tonaly) each instruments each having distinct melodies playing at the same time. One jazz style that features polyphony is New Orleans jazz. Listen to the following example of New Orleans polyphony by the Free Bridge Quintet. Another example shows the Free Bridge Quintet (with Prof. DeVeaux on piano) using polyphony on a modern version of Autumn Leaves."

soli

a passage for a section of a jazz band (trumpets, saxophones, trombones, etc.) in block chord texture. The term is deliberately ironic, because of course a "solo" by definition means one instrument. Block chord texture gives the surface impression that an entire section of instruments is playing a "solo," because they are all playing in the same rhythm.

bar

a rhythmic unit, lasting from one downbeat to the next. Also known as a measure. In written music, a bar is marked off by vertical lines known as bar lines.

harmonic progression

a series of chords used as the basis for improvisation; also known as chord changes. In a harmonic progression, both the order of chords and their place within a rhythmic cycle are specified. In 12 bar blues on the fifth the melody changes. 1, 4, 5, 1 (standard 12 bar blues in any key)

Riff

a short, catchy, repeated melodic phrase. Are often used to articulate the structure of a twelve-bar blues, making it clearer to the listener to hear the form.

chorus

a single statement of the harmonic/rhythmic cycle defined by musical form (e.g., 12-bar blues, or 32-bar popular song form).

ballad

a slow, romantic popular song. One example is the Miles Davis Nonet version of "Moon Dreams." (This example also illustrates block-chord texture).

block chord texture

a subset of homophonic texture in which the pitches of the accompanying harmony move in exactly the same rhythm as the main melody. Block-chord texture is typically found in big-band jazz, as, for example, when a saxophone section plays and simultaneously harmonizes a melody. See also soli. A good example of block-chord texture is the saxophone chorus of Duke Ellington's 1940 "Cottontail." Ex: Coppenhagen (all playing the same type of chords) An older example is the clarinet trio, performing in block-chord style on Jelly Roll Morton's 1927 "Dead Man Blues."

downbeat

an accented beat, usually the first of the bar.

New Orleans Jazz

blues form (12 bar) collective improvisation clarinet solos blues notes polyphonic texture small combo separate from pop culture 1910-1920

harmonic improvisation

creating a new melodic line by drawing on notes from each chord as it goes by in the harmonic progression. Also known in jazz slang as "running the changes". An example: the opening of a song uses the harmony C in bar 1, then G7 in bar 2. (All you need to know is that the chord "C" contains certain notes, while the chord "G7" contains other notes.) During bar 1, any notes from the "C" chord will be consonant, and others are likely to be dissonant (i.e., they will produce tension that needs to be resolved). In bar 2, the situation shifts: the consonant notes are those in the "G7" chord. A soloist using harmonic improvisation must keep track of the chords (or "changes," as jazz musicians often call them) and continually adjust the melodic line to fit the harmonic background.

Swing

different instrumentation can hear the different sections block chords AABA more unison solo is a solo big bands 12-16 Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Benny Goodman four beat rhythm arrangements and riffs

dissonance

harmonies that are unstable within an overall harmonic context. Dissonant harmonies build tension that is resolved through movement toward consonant harmonies.

chromatic harmony

harmony that draws upon the 12-note chromatic scale, as opposed to the more "normal" 7-note diatonic scales (major or minor, e.g.)

cadence

is often referred to as a turnaround, chord progressions that lead back and resolve to the tonic

polyrhythm

is the simultaneous use of two or more conflicting rhythms, that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic conflict may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rhythm), or a momentary disruption. In African derived music, including jazz. Rhythmic layers complementing each other.

swing

jazz from the period 1935-1945, Had a jazz-specific feeling created by rhythmic contrast within a particular rhythmic framework (usually involving a walking bass and a steady rhythm on the drummer's ride cymbal). Was the style of music that began when syncopated rhythm was added to jazz music in the mid 1920s. Accredited to Louis Armstrong. Syncopated rhythms caused people to want to move with the music. Ex: The Charlestone, The Jitterbug etc.

tonal music

music characterized by an overall tonal center (the tonic) that serves as the center of gravity for the music. All harmonies are organized in relationship to this tonal center, and are more or less dissonant to it. The tension and released created by the resolution from dissonance to consonance imparts a sense of forward movement to tonal music.

atonal music

music that does not have a tonic, or tonal center. Such music will sound dissonant to the average listener, but in fact the concept of dissonance or consonance simply doesn't apply, since there is no "home key" to resolve to. Pure atonality is rare in jazz, but musicians nevertheless often use free improvisation, which approximates atonality in its emphasis on elements other than harmony (timbre, melodic intervals, rhythm). Among jazz musicians, improvising atonal music is known as playing outside.

minor scale

one of the most common of the seven-note scales in Western musical culture. Its arrangement of whole steps and half steps is slightly different from the major scale, and is often associated with different emotional responses (e.g., sadness)

plunger mute

the bottom part of a sink plunger, waved in front of the bell of a brass instrument to create unusual timbres. See mutes. In the following example, listen to John D'earth improvise using a plunger mute. (Waah waah)

dominant

the chord built on the fifth degree of the scale, represented by the roman numeral V.

tonic

the first note or "degree "of a scale: "do" in the scale "do re mi fa so la ti." Represented by the roman numeral I. In tonal music, the tonic is the note that melodies and harmonies will return to for a sense of closure.

bridge

the middle part of an AABA form — i.e., the "B" part. (Musicians sometimes also call it the "channel.") It usually serves as a contrast, and typically ends with a half cadence. Its function is to connect, or "bridge," between the "A" sections

minstrelsey

the minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing and music, performed by white people in blackface, or especially after the civil War, black people in blackface.

chromatic scale

the scale containing twelve equally spaced notes within the octave, corresponding to all the keys (black and white) on the piano.

diatonic scale

the seven-note scales commonly used in Western music. The most common is the major mode, which is expressed by the syllables "do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do." (Note that the scale begins to repeat itself at the eight note, or octave.)

AABA form

the standard 32-bar form for many popular songs. AABA refers to the melody and harmonic progression (not the text, which can have a completely different pattern. Each portion of the form is eight bars long, with the bridge serving as the point of contrast. We can think of AABA this way: A = statement; A = repetition; B = contrast; A = return. A good example of the standard 32-bar AABA form is "The Potboiler", an original composition written for this class by John D'earth. "The Potboiler" is based on rhythm changes (the harmonic progression to George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm").

triad

the standard three-note chord that serves as the basis for tonal music.

glissando

to slide seamlessly from one note to the next. Easily achieved with the voice or on the trombone (with its slide), but also possible with good breath control on other instruments (saxophone, string bass, guitar, trumpet).

vaudeville blues

usually female singers and small jazz bands; initially performed by white singers; more like jazz than country blues was; Classic female urban and vaudeville blues singers were popular in the 1920s, among them Mamie Smith, Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Victoria Spivey.

stop time

where the band will stop playing during a solo but at a certain distance apart the band will come in on a single note. a technique in which a band plays a pattern of short chords separated by silences. The intervening musical space is then filled in with monophonic improvisation. Stop-time is usually used in early jazz. Typical patterns for stop-time include playing on the downbeat of every other measure; or playing on beats 1, 2, and 3 of a measure. A break is a short little section where just as soloist will play and then after or more bars the band will come in.