Terms Quizz Flashcards
Backbeat
Contrasting rhythms that emphasize the beats 2 and 4 of a 4/4 measure (rather than 1 and 3)
Blue Notes
Notes where the pitch is bent expressively. Replacing where there should be major note with a minor one.
Chords
Combination of notes played at the same time
Solo Break
Soloist plays without accompaniment (usually improvised)
Cadenza
Single melody that happens for as long as you want
Scales
Collection of pitches within the octave, forming a pattern of whole and half steps, from which melodies are created
Consonant
Quality of a harmony that’s stable and doesn’t need to resolve to another chord
Dissonance
Quality of an unstable harmony that resolves to another chord
Meter
Organization of recurring pulses into patterns
Pulse
Tempo, what you tap along with
Tempo
Speed of a piece of music
Groove
Sense of swing in music, repeated pattern
Harmonic Progression/Chord Progression
Series of chords placed in a strict rhythmic sequence, also known as changes
Octave
Two notes with the same letter name, one pitch has a frequency about twice the other
Horns/Horn Players
Jazz slang for wind instruments
Rhythm Section
Instruments that provide accompaniment for jazz soloing
Polyrhythm
Simultaneous use of contrasting rhythm, also known as rhythmic contrast
Stop Time
Technique where a band plays a series of short chords a fixed distance apart, creating space for an instrument to fill with monophonic improvisation
Swing
Syncopated beats
Timbre
Quality of sound, as distinct from its pitch
Tonic
First note in a major or minor scale
Texture/Musical Texture
Relationship between melody and harmony: melody supported by harmonic accompaniment, melody by itself, or two or more melodies played at the same time, creating their own harmonies
Song Form
Structure of the song
AABA
First most common 32 bar form, referring to melody and harmonic progression, each part of 8 bars long
ABAC
Second most common 32 bar form, referring to melody and harmonic progression
32 Bar Form
Standard song form, usually divided into shorter sections
12 Bar Blues Form
12 bar cycle used as a framework for improvising
Big Bands
Large jazz orchestras featuring sections of saxophones, trumpets, and trombones
Combos
Small musical group of 3-7 people
Bridge
Middle part of 32 bar form which connects between the A sections
Call and Response
Pervasive principle of interaction or conversation in jazz: a statement by one musician or group of musicians is immediately answered by another musician or group
Chart
Shorthand musical score that serves as the point of reference for a jazz performance, often specifying only the melody and the harmonic progression
Chorus
One time through the entire form
Comping
Rhythmically unpredictable way of playing chords to accompany a solois
Fill
Short drum solo performed to fill in the spaces in an improvised performance
Head
Composed section of music that frames a small combo performance, appearing at the beginning and at the end
Jam Session
Informal gathering at which musicians create music for their own enjoyment
Lick
Short melodic ideas that form a shared basic vocabulary for jazz improvisers, stock pattern
Melody
Single music line, one note at a time
Harmony
More than one note played at one time (chord)
Rhythm
Pattern of beats in music
Modulation
Move from one key to another
Motive
Short melodic or rhythmic idea
Pedal Point
Passage in which the bass note refuses to move, remaining stationary on a single note
Playing Outside
Improvising outside the structure of a tonal harmonic progression
Ride Pattern/Swing Patten
Steady pulsation played on the ride symbol that forms one of the foundations for modern jazz
Riff
Short, catchy, and repeated melodic phrase
Trading Fours
Trading solos back and forth between the drums and the soloists or between soloists
Voicing
Distributing the notes of a chord on a piano, or of different instruments in an arrangement
Walking Bass
Bass line featuring four equal beats per bar, usually used as a rhythmic foundation in jazz
Ostinato/Bass Line
Repeated melodic or rhythmic pattern
