Jazz

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Jazz
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Listening

• Take The A Train CD2 Tracks 40-41
• Duke Ellington, composer / performer
• AABA form in the opening head
• AABA form in each of the solos
• AABA form in the closing head

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Listening to jazz

• Know the tune (head)
• The Head is heard in the beginning (sing along!)
• Solos follow the form of the tune (can you still
  sing the head?)
• The Head is heard again at the end.
• The tune is over

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• Jazz
• Purely American art music
• Musical features Syncopation and Improvisation

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• Syncopation - an accent (emphasis) placed on a
  beat that is normally not accented.
• In Jazz, this is further subdivided to an accent
  placed in between the beats, and this is called
  "swing". How hard something swings depends on
  where the accent is placed in between the beat.
• Swing - syncopation between the beats.

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• Improvisation - a spontaneous reaction to the
  musical environment. Occurs most often in jazz
  solos. Is NOT simply "making it up as you go
  along".

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Jazz

• Background Ragtime and Blues
• Ragtime - piano style. Left hand steady beat and
  straight rhythm, right hand syncopation.
  Composed. NO IMPROVISATION (Scott Joplin)
• Blues - usually guitar and voice. Improvised
  over fairly loose framework.

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Jazz Terms

• Head - the main part of the song form that
  includes the melody. Heard at the beginning and
  end of a jazz tune.
• Solo - an improvised melody that goes along with
  the song form structure (in the middle of the
  jazz tune).
• Chorus - one time through the song form
  structure.

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• Form - the framework of a song or work. Many
  jazz tunes are AABA form.
• AABA - 32 bar (measure) form where section A is
  8 measures and repeated, followed by a
  contrasting B section for 8 measures, then the A
  section (8 measures) returns for one time.

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• Standard - a song that has made its way into the
  standard repertoire. Often songs from the "Great
  American Songbook". Everyone performs standards,
  and usually none are remarkable...

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• Cover - A remake of a particular song by a
  particular artist. Often the remake is done in a
  strategic way to outsell the original (or at
  least that's the plan!).

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MIDI

• Musical Instrument Digital Interface
• A language that was designed so that musical
  instruments could be compatible with each other.

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MIDI

• Musical Instrument Digital Interface
• In addition to it being a language, it is also
  the type of computer file that is created with
  MIDI instruments.

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MIDI

• Musical Instrument Digital Interface
• This type of file is used for cell phone ring
  tones!