Elements of Music

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Elements of Music
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Basic Terms
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Melody

• A sequence of single notes arranged in time
  generally what you sing is a melody.
• Music notation arranges melody notes horizontally
  from left to right.

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Scales

• A sequence of different notes arranged in
  ascending and/or descending order
• Most Western European scales are seven different
  notes arranged a half or whole step apart.
• Most melodies are derived from scales therefore
  they are the ABCs of music.

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Scales
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Harmony

• An arrangement of two or more notes that occur
  simultaneously
• Generally referred to as chords or harmonies, we
  are used to hearing the piano or guitar create
  two or more note sonorities.
• Music notation indicates chords (or harmonies) by
  stacking notes vertically.
• Most conventional chords are made up of the
  first, third, and fifth notes of a scale, thus
  each note in a chord can be referred to as the
  root (first note in the scale), third and fifth
  and if the chord contains more than three notes
  (often the case in jazz), the designation can be
  expanded to include the seventh, ninth, eleventh,
  and thirteenth. These harmonies are called
  seventh chords, ninth chords, and so on

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Harmony
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Chord Voicing

• The way the notes of a chord are arranged on a
  piano, guitar, or perhaps in an ensemble of
  instrumentalists.
• The way a chord is voiced contributes to its
  strength and timbre. For example, jazz pianists
  can often be distinguished from one another by
  their chord voicings

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Voicings
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Timbre

• The quality of sound
• Ones ability to discern the sound of a clarinet,
  trumpet, or violin would be based on ones
  ability to distinguish the timbre of these
  instruments
• Each persons voice has a unique timbre, making
  it easily recognizable
• Many significant jazz musicians have been sound
  innovators they have become known for a specific
  unique timbre created on their instrument of
  choice

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Dynamics

• The intensity of sound
• Soft, loud, or something in between
• The change of intensity level is an important
  aspect of musical expression
• Crescendo, decrescendo or diminuendo

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Rhythm

• Events organized in time
• In music, sounds are arranged to happen in a
  sequence at specific points in time.
• Rhythm encompasses beats, tempo, meter, and
  various time values assigned to events (notes or
  sounds)

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Beat

• The basic pulse usually your foot taps with the
  beat, often notated in quarter notes

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Tempo

• Speed or rate in which beats occur the rate at
  which your foot is tapping

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Meter

• Arranging beats in groups of two (notated as
  2/4), three (notated as 3/4) or four (notated as
  4/4)

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Measure

• Also referred to as a bar
• Each group of 4 beats in 4/4 time, 3 in 3/4 time
  or 2 beats in 2/4 time is arranged into one
  measure of music
• In music notation, the measures are separated by
  bar lines, which explains why the term bar has
  come into common use.

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Syncopation

• Intermittent events (notes) that happen between
  beats and/or sounds, which are stressed in
  unexpected ways

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Subdivision

• The division of each beat into equal or unequal
  parts
• Music notation attempts to indicate beat
  subdivisions using whole, half, quarter, eighth,
  sixteenth, and so on

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Instrumentation

• The instruments used in a piece of music
• Instruments can be grouped according to families

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Brass
Cornet
Trumpet
Tuba
Trombone
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Woodwind

• Clarinet
• Flute
• Oboe
• Bassoon
• Saxophone
• There are several kinds of saxes ranging from
  small to large

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Soprano
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Alto
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Tenor
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Baritone
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Strings

• Violin, viola, cello, double-bass (upright bass)
• The bass is most important string instrument in
  jazz

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Upright Bass
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Percussion

• Anything that is hit or struck to initiate the
  sound is considered a percussion instrument
• The most commonly found jazz percussion
  instruments include the drums, cymbals, congas,
  bongos, and vibraphone

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Drums

• Before 1900, drums and cymbals were played by two
  or more players. The invention of the drum set
  made it possible for one player to play bass
  drums, snare drum, tom-tom drums, cymbals, and
  hi-hat cymbals

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Drums
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Vibraphone
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ARE WE DONE YET?
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Jazz Rhythm Section

• The jazz rhythm section consists of piano, bass,
  drums, and guitar (optional)
• Essential to any size jazz ensemble
• Some may be omitted, but unlikely that all will
  be absent
• Even though each member has different functional
  roles, the rhythm section comes together to form
  a cohesive entity that defines the overall
  rhythmic feel of an ensemble

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Bass (Upright)

• The time keeper!
• Plays bass notes at a consistent rate that
  outlines chords, creates rhythmic drive, helps to
  create rhythmic feel, and in swing- emphasizes
  beats two and four of each measure

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Piano

• Provides harmonic framework by playing chords,
  improvises rhythms and chord voicings, and
  provides creative accompaniment for soloists

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Guitar

• Has the same function as piano therefore they
  are exchangeable

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Drums

• In conjunction with the bass, the drummer
  establishes the beat using the ride cymbal, high
  hat, snare, and/or bass drum
• The drum set is also used to provide accents and
  color, and supplies exitement and drive
• The drummer must work closely with the bassist

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Form

• Distinctive sections in music
• Labeled with capital letters such as A (first
  section) or B (second section) and so on
• Jazz musicians use their knowledge of a songs
  form to keep track of where they are while they
  are playing

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Chorus

• One complete revolution or cycle through the form
  of a piece of music
• Most of the tme, jazz musicians cycle through a
  song more than once, in such a case, they would
  be playing more than one chorus
• I Got Rhythm

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Jazz Improvisation

• Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of
  something done in real time (at the moment)
• Performers improvise by spontaneously creating
  music using a repository of ideas either arranged
  ahead of time or thought of at that moment

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Improvisers

• Improvisers spend time analyzing the output of
  other improvisers
• They then imitate such improvisers output
  creating variations (emulation) eventually
  developing their own original idea (innovation)
• Each era/style in jazz has its own distinctive
  musical idiosyncrasies
• Improvising soloists make it a point to be
  knowledgeable about style thus they are not
  completely free to spontaneously create anything
• They are bound by stylistic criteria

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Innovation
Emulation
Imitation
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Improvisers Responsibilities

• Know the musical language of the different jazz
  styles
• Remember the chord progressions
• Listen to piano/bass for any variations on the
  given chord progressions
• Create phrases compatible with the chord
  progressions stay within the harmonic structure
• Know and keep track of the form
• Respond to the supportive members of an ensemble
• Project sound and ideas in a convincing manner
• Possess an adequate technique, control intonation
  and tone quality
• Be familiar with trading fours, where band
  members take turns improvising for four measures
  each through one or more choruses
• Create something original and perhaps personal
• Know introductions and endings to songs
• Possess the ability to discern harmony and melody
  on an advanced level
• Have the flexibility to react to band members