Four - Miles Davis.

Question 1

What is the context/background of Four?

Answer 1

1964.
Electronic instruments - jazz/rock fusion.
Original version - 1954.
‘Cool jazz’ - bebop style.

Question 2

What is the instrumentation of Four?

Answer 2

Piano - comping.
DB - pizzacato walking bass.
Occasional snare fills.
High range.
Trumpet glissando - 1.15.
Pitch bending - 1.19.
Ghost note - 2.1.
Half valving - 3.2.

Question 3

What is the texture of Four? 4

Answer 3

1. Head - trumpet/tenor sax play in octaves over piano/DB parts.
2. Mainly melody dominated homophony.
3. Monophonic break.
4. Silent piano - two part texture for trumpet/bass, with drum accompaniment.

Question 4

What is the structure of Four?

Answer 4

Head - 16 bars, repeated altered ending link.
ABAB - 8 bar phrases.
Improvised 32 bar choruses.
Solo trumpet - 3 choruses.

Question 5

What is the tonality of Four? 1 key

Answer 5

Eb major throughout.

Question 6

What is the harmony of Four? 7

Answer 6

1. Chromatic chords.
2. Fm7 to Bb 7 - jazz ‘turnaround’ chord progression.
3. Dominant 9ths.
4. Circle of 5ths - 1.27.
5. Substitution chords - 1.25.
6. Parallelism - H10.
7. Secondary dominants - 1.26.

Question 7

What is the melody of Four? 9

Answer 7

1. Head: conjunct/scalic - inversions.
2. Repeated 3 note sequence - H1.
3. Perfect 5th sequence - H6.
4. Chromaticism - H8.
5. Narrow head range - 9th.
6. Big chorus range - but still scalic.
7. Short motifs.
8. 3rd chorus: major 7th interval - 3.22.
9. Fragmentation.

Question 8

What is the rhythm/metre of Four? 7

Answer 8

1. Continuous quavers.
2. Continuous fast crotchet walking bass.
3. Longer note values - special techniques.
4. Syncopated head - first beat avoided.
5. Piano push rhythms.
6. Triplets - 2.5.
7. Fast quadruple time.

Question 9

What are the features of bebop? 7

Answer 9

1. Fast.
2. Virtuosic.
3. Dissonant harmony.
4. Small ensemble.
5. Chromaticism.
6. Fragmented melody.
7. Thematic substitution.