Introduction to Jazz

Question 1

What is improvisation?

Answer 1

It is spontaneous and simultaneous composing and performing. (They are “writing” music while they are playing it.)

Question 2

What are the two main jazz rhythm concepts?

Answer 2

Syncopation - emphasizing the space between the beats. Swing Rhythm - a looser type of syncopation that can generally be heard played on the cymbals.

Question 3

What is dissonance as heard in Jazz?

Answer 3

It is a way of pushing boundaries (rules) and expectations (of the listeners). Music is about emotions and emotions aren’t always happy or joyful. Sometimes they are about pain and sadness.

Question 4

What is Jazz interpretation?

Answer 4

It is a way a musician can make some sound “jazz” usually through melodic decorations, “jazzed up” rhythms, or extended chords.

Question 5

What type of interactions do you see/hear in Jazz?

Answer 5

The performers listen to each other and react to each other like a musical conversation.

Question 6

What is a solo?

Answer 6

To play solo means to play alone. In Jazz, it means that you are taking a turn at being the prominent voice in the conversation.

Question 7

What does it mean to “lay out?”

Answer 7

If you are in a conversation, you take turns being the lead voice. Same with Jazz. To “lay out” means to give someone else a turn.

Question 8

What is comping?

Answer 8

It is short for the word “accompanying.” It’s a term used to describe what a piano or guitar does when it plays chords in a way that supports a soloist.

Question 9

What is a walking bass?

Answer 9

This is a description of a playing style used by an upright bass (acoustic bass, standing bass, etc…) player when they play notes of the chords on every beat, “walking” up and down the chords.

https://youtu.be/movRCP9ACHE

Question 10

What is a ride rhythm?

Answer 10

The ride rhythm is the jazz swing rhythm as played on the ride cymbal (the largest cymbal) in a drum set.

Question 11

What is meant by dropping bombs?

Answer 11

In several kinds of Jazz, the drummer does not hit the bass drum on every beat. If the drummer keeps time elsewhere, then they can ad musical exclamation points using occasional hits on the bass drum.

Question 12

What are the common wind instruments used in Jazz?

Answer 12

Flute, Clarinet, several Saxophones from the saxophone family (Alto, Tenor, and Baritone are the most common)

Question 13

What are the common brass instruments used in Jazz?

Answer 13

Cornet, Trumpet and Flugelhorn, as well as the Trombone and Tuba

Question 14

What is meant by the term doubling?

Answer 14

This is a skill generally used by saxophonists that have also learned how to play other woodwinds, typically the clarinet and flute.

Question 15

What is a mute?

Answer 15

A mute is a tool used by brass players (not woodwinds) to modify their sound by placing it in the bell (large opening) on their instrument.

Question 16

What is MIDI?

Answer 16

It is an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It was devised in 1983 to allow keyboards and other instruments to control computers and their software.

Question 17

What is an EWI?

Answer 17

It is an acronym for Electronic Wind Instrument. Prior to the EWI, only drummers and pianists could input music into a computer, but now, so could wind and brass players.

Question 18

What is the melody?

Answer 18

This is the part of a piece of music you generally hum or sing along with. It is generally the most recognizable part of a piece. Specifically, it is a series of pitches sung/played in a specific order and in a specific rhythm (short and long directions).

Question 19

What is harmony?

Answer 19

This is the “other stuff” going on under a melody that supports it. In Jazz, most of the harmony is supplied by the guitar and piano in the rhythm section because those 2 instruments can play chords.

Question 20

What is rhythm?

Answer 20

This refers to the way a piece of music moves through time in a series of notes with short and long durations.

Question 21

What is a riff?

Answer 21

This is a small, repeated musical idea that can be used to create a melody, or support a melody when multiple instruments join together.

Question 22

What is phrasing?

Answer 22

In the musical conversation, wind players need to breathe and so create melodies that match their breath. Or non-wind instruments also phrase their melodies by incorporating brief rests into their constructed melodies.

Question 23

What is a chord?

Answer 23

There are varying definitions. Some say it is a construction using 2 or more notes, but most chords have at least 3 notes that are generally played at the same time. They are vertical where a melody is horizontal.

Question 24

What is a chord progression?

Answer 24

This is a series of chords played one after the other. We will learn about both the 12-bar Blues chord progression and about the Rhythm Changes.

Question 25

What are chord symbols (not cymbals)?

Answer 25

In written music, chord symbols are a short-hand used by musicians to quickly convert groups of notes.

Question 26

What is a lead sheet?

Answer 26

This is music formatted for a Jazz musician that provides the melody, the chords, form, and the words (if there are any). From there, jazz musicians can create brand new versions of the same piece each time they perform.

Question 27

What is a fake book?

Answer 27

A fake book is a collection of lead sheets and is what “gigging” (performing for money) jazz musicians use when they are on a job, at least until they memorize all of the music.

Question 28

What is the pulse/beat?

Answer 28

Generally, when listening to popular music, you can tap your foot to it. That is the pulse, also known as the beat. The beat is described as being fast or slow and steady or not.

Question 29

What is the tempo?

Answer 29

Tempo is the speed of the beat/pulse, fast or slow.

Question 30

What are bars/measures?

Answer 30

Once you determine the beat or a piece you will find that those same beats are grouped. Generally, most music you’ve ever listened to is in groups of 4 (good for dancing). But, if you listen to early country (like waltzes) or Art Rock (like Pink Floyd) you may have heard other groupings.

Question 31

What is the downbeat?

Answer 31

The downbeat is a first of a group of beats.

Question 32

What is polyrhythm?

Answer 32

This is when multiple rhythms are layered and played at the same time. It is frequently seen in African music and in many Latin American musics.

Question 33

What is the chorus (not a bunch of singers…)?

Answer 33

The chorus in the form of a piece of music is that part that comes back over and over. Generally, in popular music, this is the part you can sing along with after only one hearing.

Question 34

What is the head in a Jazz piece?

Answer 34

The head is the primary melody. Lead sheets are often called “head charts” because they only really have the melody leaving the creation of a full performance up to the improvisers.

Question 35

What is call and response?

Answer 35

Call and response is a technique used to have a quicker conversation, more frequently taking turns. This can happen between a soloist and a group, between a vocalist and instrumentalists, or between a soloist and a drummer.

Question 36

What is a backbeat?

Answer 36

Once you’ve found the beat/pulse and have determined the downbeat, in a group of 4 beats, the backbeat is on beats 2 and 4 of the grouping. Generally, you can hear the backbeat played on the snare drum of the drum set.

Question 37

What century and country are studied when discussing Jazz?

Answer 37

The 20th Century / Twentieth Century (and pre-cursors) in America are the primary time frame and location for much of the history of Jazz (not counting today’s 21st Century contributions which will be discussed at the end of the semester).