Miles Davis: All Blues

Question 1

Instrumental Techniques

Answer 1

• The snare drum is playing with wire brushes at the start, it switches to sticks later on.
• The bass plays pizzicato throughout.
• The trumpet is played with a Harmon mute for the head.
• The piano plays a tremolo at the start of the piece, once the solos begin the pianist starts comping.

Question 2

Rhythm, Metre and Tempo

Answer 2

• The score is noted in 6/4.
• The tempo is described as a jazz waltz because each 6/4 bar sounds like a pair of bars in 3/4 time (metre associated with waltz).
• There is frequent syncopation.
• Performed with swing quavers, meaning each pair of quavers is playing with the first a little longer than second.

Question 3

Melody

Answer 3

• The head melody is quite simple and characterised by rising 6ths(interval from D to B).
  1. Trumpet solo: Last four choruses, mostly made up of short, syncopated motifs.
  2. Alto Sax solo: Last four choruses, uses quicker notes and wider range.
  3. Tenor Sax solo: Last four choruses, uses fast scales and quick runs and virtuosic.
  4. Piano Solo- Last two choruses, improvisation is calmer with a simple melody leading into a string of parallel chords.

Question 4

Harmony and Tonality

Answer 4

-Based on the following 12 bar blues sequence, repeated throughout the piece:
G7,G7,G7,G7,Gm7,Gm7,G7,G7,D7,Eb7/D7,F/G,F/G6
-A chord sequence is known as the changes.
-Think of All blues as being in G major but with a flattened seventh.
-Example of modal jazz.

Question 5

Structure

Answer 5

• Based on the 12 bar blues progression, a chord sequence that lasts for 12 bars and returns throughout the piece.
• The main melody is called the head played by a muted trumpet and lasts for 12 bars, heard near the start and end of a piece.
• There us a simple 4-bar riff in parallel 3rds separating each section.

Question 6

Structure

Answer 6

• Piece is broken down into five sections:
  1. Introduction- the opening four bars, played by the rhythm section is followed by the riff.
  2. Head 1- The head melody, followed by the riff, is played twice.
  3. Solos- For trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, piano, each followed by the riff.
  4. Head 2- The head melody, followed by the riff, is played twice.
  5. Coda- A solo for muted trumpet.

Question 7

History

Answer 7

• All blues comes from the album Kind of Blue, released in 1959. The band on this album is a sextet.
• Album was recorded with almost no rehearsal and the musicians had no score to play from.