jazz theory terms Flashcards
Aeolian mode
the sixth mod of the major scale, also known as the natural minor scale
alteration (aka altered note)
the b9 #9 #11 b5 #5 b13 of a chord
“avoid” note
a note from the scale of a chord that sounds dissonant when held against the chord. the term usually refers to the 4th of a major chord and the 11th of a dominant chord
bag (aka bag of tricks)
a jazz musician’s repertoire of licks, patterns, and son on, often used in proprietary form, as in in “Jackie’s bag”
ballad
slow tune
bebop
the revolutionary style of jazz that evolved in the early 1940s
Bird
Charlie Parker
blowing choruses
the choruses of a tune that are improvised
break
Breaks typically occur at the beginning of a solo. The soloist plays alone as the rest of the band lays out, usually for 2, 4, or 8 bars. One of the greatest is Lee Morgan’s break at the beginning of his solo on John Coltrane’s “Locomotion” on Coltrane’s album Blue Train.
bridge
The “B” section of a tune, usually on an AABA or ABA tune. Sometimes called the “channel.”
cadenza
An improvised rubato ending of indeterminate length, played by the soloist while the rhythm section lays out.
changes
the chords to a tune
chart
arrangement, lead sheet
chops
Technique
chorus
Once through a tune
circle of fourths (AKA cycle of fourths)
A circular arrangement of all 12 notes of the chromatic scale. When viewed counterclockwise, each note is a 4th higher than the preceding note. When viewed clockwise, each note is a 4th lower than the preceding note.
deceptive cadence
A V chord resolving someplace other than down a 5th
diatonic
Chords within a particular key. CM, D-7, Esusb9, FM#4, G7 and Gsus are diatonic to the key of C
diminished scale
A scale alternating half steps and whole steps (or vice versa)
Diz
Dizzy Gillespie
Dorian mode
The second mode of the major scale; also the chord derived from that mode
double diminished chord
Two diminished 7th chords played at the same time by a pianist, an eight-note chord including all the notes of a diminished scale
double time
Change the tempo to one that’s twice as fast, the changes also moving twice as fast
double time feeling
Change the tempo to one that is twice as fast, but with the changes still moving at the speed of the original tempo
eights (or “trading eights”)
Two or more players, each intern trading eight-bar improvisations, usually fro one or more choruses after regular solos.
ending
The last part of a tune, often specially arranged
enharmonic
Two differently spelled notes that are the same, such as Gb and F#
extensions
The 9th, 11th, and 13th (also known as the 6th) of a chord
fake book
A book of standards and jazz originals, usually consisting of just the melody and chord symbols, so-called because improvising used to be called “faking”
finger memory
The internalized muscular memory of what a chord, lick, phrase, pattern, and so on, feels like (a term used mainly by pianists, but applicable to all instruments)
fours (or “trade fours”)
Two or more players, each in turn trading four-bar improvisations, usually for one or more choruses after the regular solos
free (or “play free”)
Improvise, usually without chord changes or a pre-set form
from the top
Take the tune from the beginning
funky
Earthy, soulful, visceral, unintellectual
gig
A musical job, be it at a club, party, festival, or record date
Great American Song Book, The
The compositions of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Jimmy Van Heusen, Jimy McHugh, Hoagy Carmichae, and so on
groove
The “lock” between members of a rhythm section playing well together
half-diminished
(1) A minor 7th chord with a flat 5th; (2) the chord built off of the sixth mode off the melodic minor scale; (3) the chord built off of the seventh mode of the major scale
head
(1) The composed melody and changes of a tune (2) a tune composed by a jazz musician based on the changes to a standard (3) the chord built off o the seventh mode of the major scale
interlude
A section of a tune, usually played between the head and the solos, or between soloists
interval
The space between two notes
in the pocket
When the music is rhythmically in a groove
intro
An introductory section before a tune is played, often improvised
Ionian mode
The first mode of the major scale
jam session (also “to jam”)
Informal gathering of jazz musicians playing together
kicks
Specific rhythmic hits played by the rhythm section
Latin jazz
a fusion of jazz and Afro-Cuban music
lay back
Relax; play on the back side of the beat
lay out
Don’t play
lead sheet
A sheet of music usually containing just ht melody and the chord symbols of a tune
left-hand voicings
Rootless voicings for the left hand, originally developed by pianists Red Garland, Bill Evans, and Wynton Kelly
lick
An improvised phrase that has entered the everyday language of jazz, often used descriptively, as in “a Joe Henderson lick”
Locrian mode
The seventh mode of a major scale
Lydian augmented mode
The third mode of the melodic minor scale; also the chord derived from that mode
Lydican dominant mode
The fourth mode of the melodic minor scale; also the chord derived from that mode
Lydian mode
The fourth mode of the major scale; also the chord derived from that mode
minor major mode
The first mode of the melodic minor scale; also the chord derived from hat mode
minor II-V-I
A II-V-I progression in a minor key, as in D half-dim, G7alt, C-M
Mixolydian mode
The fifth mode of the major scale
mode
A seven-note scale created by starting on any of the seven notes of a major or melodic minor scale
natural minor scale
Aeolian mode
original
A tune written by a member of the bad, often part of a bandstand announcement
out chorus (or) “out head”
The last time through the melody of a tune
outside
Playing notes not in the changes (and assuming that they sound good, unlike “wrong notes”)
parallelism
Chords or chord voicing moving in parallel motion
parent scale
The scale from which a mode is derived
pedal (or) pedal point
A note, usually in the bass, which remains the same, over which a chord, or series of chords, is played
Phrygian mode
The third mode of the major scale; also the chord derived from that mode
polychord
Two or more chords played at the same time
polytonality
Playing in more than one key at the same time
“Rhythm” changes
Chord changes based on the George Gershwin tune “I’ve Got Rhythm”
riff
Repeated horn figure, often played behind a solo
“right on it”
No intro; start playing right on the head
rubato
Playing out of tempo
sequence
A phrase, or motif, repeated at a different pitch. The repeated phrase doesn’t necessarily have to have the exact same interval structure, but generally has the same shape as the original motif
‘shed
woodshed
shout chorus
A specially arranged chorus, usually played between the last solo and the out chorus
sit in, sitting in
When a musician who is not a member of the regular bad joins the bad to play
slash chord
(1) A triad played over a note in the bass other than the root; (2) a 7th chord played over a note in the bass not in the chord; (3) a triad played on top of another train
solo, soloing
Improvise on the tune
solos
Improvised section of a tune
song form
The organization of letter names given to different sections of a tune (usually in eight-bar segments), as in “AABA,” “ABC,” and so forth
standard
A tune popular with jazz musicians, usually, but not always, composed by a non-jazz songwriter (George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and so on). Many of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhdorn’s songs are also considered standards
stop-time
Usually occurring during a solo, the rhythm section plays on on the firs beat of every two, or four, bars. Occasionally a stop-time figure will have two or more kicks. One of the greatest stop-time solos is by Sonny Rollins on Vincent Yuma’s’ “I Know That You Know” on the Dizzy Gillespie-Sonny Stitt-Sonny Rollins album Sonny Side Up
straight ahead
Play with a swing feelign
straight 8ths
Play with a rhythmically even feeling, without swinging in a traditional sense. Most Latin music is played this way
stroll
a solo section, where on the soloist’s cue, the pianist or the entire rhythm section, lays out for a while
substitute chord
a chord that substitutes for the original chord
sus chord
a dominant 7th chord in which the 4th does not act like an “avoid” note
susb9 chord
A sus chord derived from either the Phrygian mode of the major scale or the second mode of the melodic minor scale
swing era
Jazz of the 1930s
tag
An improvised section at the end of the out chorus, often repeated indefinitely
take it out
A signal from the band leader to play the out head
tonic minor chord
A minor chord not functioning as a II chord, but as a “minor I”
top
The beginning of a tune
train wreck
When everything goes off track; someone forgets to take a repeat, or skips the bridge, or turns the time around, and so on
‘Trane
John Coltrane
tritone
The interval composed of three whole steps, most significantly occurring between the 3rd and 7th of a dominant 7th chord
tritone substitution
A V chord substituting for another V chord a tritone away. Both chords share the same 3rd and 7th, which are also a tritone apart
tritone substitution II-V
A II-V progression substitution for a V chord a tritone away, or for the II-V progression a tritone away
turnaround
A chord progression occurring (1) at the end of each repeated section of a tune, leading back to the repeat (2) at the end of the tune, leading back to the top
up
Fast tempo
vamp
(1) A rhythm section ostinato figure (2) a short, repeated chord sequence
“vamp til cue”
Keep repeating a vamp until the cue to go on
verse
A specially composed introduction to a ballad, often played or sung rubato. The verse to Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life” is a prime example
voicing
An arrangement of the notes of a chord, usually for piano or guitar, often in other than root position
whole-tone scale
A scale made up entirely of whole steps
woodshed (also ‘shed)
To shut oneself up, away from the world, and practice long and hard, as in “going into the woodshed”
“you’ll hear it”
What the musician who called the tune sometimes says to another musician who’s not sure of the changes
