Exam 1 Flashcards
Jazz
Starts off as an American art form that often mixes unique harmonies and unique rhythmic elements and improvisation.
Creole
A racial mix resulting from a union between a French and an African American and sometimes Spanish. Creoles sometimes would own slaves.
New Orleans Influence
Also grew up in St. Louis, New York, Chicago, and Kansas City places with riverways and lots of river traffic. New Orleans birthplace of jazz music.
Rhythm
Accomplished through varying lengths of notes, combined with space, all in relationship with a steady pulse. (Is a part of music that deals with time) Beat = pulse of the music
Measure
Specific # of beats that get repeated over and over. Organizing element of music.
Tempo
The speed at which beats occur. Usually, the music has a steady tempo.
Rubato
When the music does not have a steady tempo and changes. (To rob and then to give back)
Laying Back
The dragging sensation.
Syncopation
When the off beats are more prominent than the regular beats. Carry on the wayward son
Polyrhythm
create multiple rhythms at the same time.
Swing (Important)
- Fast notes get rounded out 2. emphasis on 2nd and 4th beats of a measure 3. The bass plays on every single beat (walking bass line)
Melody
the result of an organization of notes that move by varying distances by step and leap either ascending or descending to form a musical statement. (The main star and the most easily recognizable part)
Phrase
A complete musical idea or statement. (a small recognizable part of a melody that has a beginning and an end like a paragraph in a story)
Key
music defined by a central note, scale, or chord that provides a center of musical gravity. (Central pitch around which a piece is based)
Modulate
when a song changes key. Going from one key to another key.
Tonality
describes the aural character of a piece of music, a melody, or a single harmony.
Atonal
A piece of music that lacks a key center.
Blues
Melodies are based on alterations of a traditional scale.
Blue Notes
notes that sound a little dissonant but make you feel good.
Chromatic Scale
all half-steps
Diatonic Scale
sounds darker or sad.
Harmony
backup singers (subordinate to melody) sometimes can be more important than melody.
Chords
collections of notes that are played at the same time.
Chord Progression
when chords go from one note to another. Sometimes easily recognizable.
Harmonic Rhythm
How fast chords progress from one to another.
Triad
three notes built off alternating scale steps.
Seventh Chord
where you take a triad and add another note on top of it.
Extension Tones
when you take a triad and add a different triad on top of it.
Tonic
the home key of the symphony.
Functional Harmony
the idea of resolving something.
Texture
organization, and range of instrumentation. (The density of the music)
Monophonic Important
describes a single line unaccompanied melodic texture. One melody nothing else. (Can be a group singing the melody)
Homophonic Important
when only one melody line is predominant, supported by chord accompaniment. (Harmonies that are clearly subservient and then you have your main melodies)
Polyphonic Important
music features two or more equally dominant and intertwined melodic lines creating yet another different texture. (Two melodies happening at the same time) JS Bach – Master orchestrated polyphony.
Form
describes its overall architecture – how many melodies are there? (Architecture of music)
Rondo
a European classical model also evident in the march and the polka. ABACABA
Song Form
usually represents ABA or AABA.
Bridge
Jazz musicians call the B section the bridge or channel.
12 Bar Blues Important
12 measures long. Only 3 chords or collections of notes that happen.
Scat
vocal jazz improvisation.
Instruments of Jazz
Brass - Woodwind - Strings - percussion.
Articulation
Can change the annunciation like when you speak, how notes happen (accented notes or unaccented notes)
Phrasing
You can take a melody and phrase it in your own way and shape it differently. (Like the national anthem when people sing, and they sing it their own way)
Accents
Notes that get a special emphasis. Glenn Miller’s “IN THE MOOD” special emphasis on off beats.
Special Effects
Using a plunger on a trumpet to make a growl kind of making it a special effect.
Understanding Improvosation
Spontaneous Composition. Jazz musicians learn how to improvise.
Unifying Elements
something that gets repeated in an improvised solo.
Element of Variety
What is different in a solo, a little bit of repetition and variety a mix of both.
Scales and Modes
Scales are collections of whole steps and half-steps.
Quotation
a way of connecting people’s ears to your solo, throwing in a quote like a different swing tune to catch the attention of the audience.
Jam Session
Very informal, A typical session has a rhythm section like a guitar and drummer, and there can be random people showing up who get the chance to play. Usually, a smaller group plays through tunes and improvises.
Call and Response
The leader does something and everyone else does it back.
Unison
Together or the same.
Break
At the end of a phrase the horns stop playing and the drums fill in some things, also when the rhythm section drops completely then comes in after a little bit.
Comping
This is where the piano or guitar player fills in chords (more than one note played at the same time)
Pizzacoto
where a string instrument doesn’t use a bow and they use their fingers to pluck the string.
Background Figure
Underneath the solos there might be some background figures playing.
Trading Fours
a way of showcasing the drummer without the drummer taking all 12 rhymes and the trade with the piano. Alternating 4 measures trading with the drummer and piano.
Phrase
musical idea like a sentence
Bar
Each bar has 4 beats.
Shout Chorus
happens after the improvised solos have happened, usually louder and is the high point of the music, can be quieter although.
Kicks
Usually means the drums doing something to set up another instrument.
Fermenta
You hold the note until the conductor or a leader cuts it off. (Means Hold Me)
African Influences
The area of Rhythm is heavily influenced by Africa. Most African musical traditions have an emphasis on time and jazz musicians borrowed that.
Work Songs
Sing songs to pass the time or to try and forget about what you are doing because of your oppression.
Religious Songs
Hymn tunes (religious songs) Swing low sweet chariot.
The Blues (Elvis)
has only 3 chords. Generally sad music. Repetitive. Statement Re-Statement Answer Hound dog Elvis Presley.
St. Louis Blues
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith Nickname
The Empress of Jazz
Louis Armstrong Nickname
The great Satchmo
Blues Singer
Bessie Smith
Ragtime Pre Jazz Music
Scott Joplin born in Texarkana Wrote a ragtime opera called Treemonisha. Really well-known piano player (focused his music on syncopated notes) with emphasis on the off beats. RAGGING – The melody is going to become syncopated. Ragtime does not swing.
Brass Bands
Instruments that are portable.
John Phillips Sousa formed the US Marine Corps band his student also came up with the idea of the sousaphone a tuba that you can walk with, and the bell faces forward.
Race records
a black-owned company that sold only black-created music.
Louis Armstrong
played the trumpet and the coronet Father of jazz improvisation (Scat). Very Raspy voice. He would play an instrument and sing play some more then do some scat and then end off playing the instrument.
Ravi Shankar
Indian classical music Shankar is a Sitar musician. Tabla = drums Tambura = plays a drone one or two notes. Highly improvisational
Ragas – Traditional Indian Music
Oratorio (Heavy Classical Music)
a drama that is sung by a choir, orchestra, and maybe some soloists.
