Jazz Phrases + Articulations

Question 1

What is 12 blues?

Answer 1

4 x I, 2x IV, 2 x I, V,IV, I, V

Question 2

What are blues notes?

Answer 2

Notes characteristic of a blues scale

Question 3

What is a break?

Answer 3

A change in texture from the rest of the song - solo/instrumental

Question 4

What is call and response?

Answer 4

Question and answer phrases between musicians

Question 5

What are changes?

Answer 5

A change in chords in a jazz piece

Question 6

What is comping?

Answer 6

Rhythmic chords usually played by piano

Question 7

What is doit?

Answer 7

Sliding upwards from a note

Question 8

What is a fall-off?

Answer 8

Sliding downwards from a note

Question 9

What is a smear?

Answer 9

Scooping up a note

Question 10

What is scat?

Answer 10

Vocal improvistaion with nonsense syllables to mimic a horn

Question 11

What is a tailgate?

Answer 11

A slide played on a trombone

Question 12

What is a plop?

Answer 12

An approach into a note from above

Question 13

What is a scoop?

Answer 13

An bend approach into the note from below

Question 14

What is a lift?

Answer 14

A smooth approach into a note from below

Question 15

What is four-beat?

Answer 15

Accompaniment with emphasis on all four beats of the bar

Question 16

What is the front-line?

Answer 16

The melodic instruments in the band, plus any vocalist?

Question 17

What is a horn in jazz?

Answer 17

Any blown instrument

Question 18

What does the adjective ‘idiomatic’ mean about an instrument?

Answer 18

It has a particular characteristic of the instrument

Question 19

What is a mute?

Answer 19

A device put in the bell of a brass instrument to alter sound

Question 20

What is a riff?

Answer 20

A repeating melodic or rhythmic pattern

Question 21

What is rubato?

Answer 21

Expressive changes in tempo within a phrase

Question 22

What is the rhythm section?

Answer 22

The section of an ensemble keeping rhythm eg. drums, bass, piano, guitar/banjo (Also known as back line)

Question 23

What is stop-time?

Answer 23

Reduced accompaniment with chords on first beat and a gap for a melodic line

Question 24

What is swing?

Answer 24

A type of jazz with a swung rhythm with uneven quavers

Question 25

What is a walking bass?

Answer 25

Even bass notes outlining notes of a chords

Question 26

What is 32-bar song form?

Answer 26

Common structure for songs: AABA with 8 bar phrases

Question 27

What is jazz?

Answer 27

Genre derived from blues incorporating improvisation, syncopation + generally played by a band