jazz chapter 1

Backbeat

a simple polyrhythm emphasizing beats 2 and 4 of a 4/4 measure (rather than 1 and 3)

Bass

in the rhythm section of a jazz band, an instrument — string bass, electric bass, or tuba — that supports the harmony and plays a basic rhythmic foundation

Block Chords

a homophonic texture in which the chordal accompaniment moves in the same rhythm as the main melody

Blue Notes

notes in which the pitch is bent expressively, using variable intonation

Break

a short two- or four-bar episode in which the band abruptly stops playing to let a single musician solo with a monophonic passage

Cadence

stopping places that divide a harmonic progression into comprehensible phrases

Chord

a combination of notes performed simultaneously

Chromatic Scale

the scale containing twelve half steps within the octave, corresponding to all the keys (black and white) within an octave on the piano (ex. from C to C)

Clarinet

a wind instrument consisting of a slim, cylindrical, ebony-colored wooden tube that produces a thin, piercing sound

Consonant

the quality of a harmony that’s stable and doesn’t need to resolve to another chord

Countermelody

in homophonic texture, an accompanying melodic part with distinct, though subordinate, melodic interest; also known (especially in classical music) as obbligato

Cymbals

broad-rimmed, slightly-convex circular plates that form part of the jazz drum kit

Dissonant

the quality of an unstable harmony that resolves to another chord

Dominant

a chord built on the fifth degree of the scale that demands resolution to the tonic chord

Downbeat

the first beat of a measure, or bar

Drum kit (or drum set, trap set, traps)

a one-man percussion section within the rhythm section of a jazz band, usually consisting of a bass drum, snare drum, tom-toms, and cymbals

Duple Meter

the most common form of meter, grouping beats into patterns of twos or fours; every measure, or bar, in duple meter has either two or four beats

Foundation Layers

continuous, unchanging patterns whose very repetition provides a framework for a musical piece

Glissando

sliding seamlessly from one note to another, as exemplified on the trombone; also known as smear

Half Step

the smallest interval possible in Western music

Half-Valving

depressing one or more of the valves of a brass instrument only halfway, producing an uncertain pitch with a nasal sound

Homophony

a texture featuring one melody supported by harmonic accompaniment

Major Scale or Mode

the most common scale in Western music, sung to the syllables do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do. The pattern of whole and half steps is W W H W W W H.

Minor Scale or Mode

a diatonic scale similar to the major scale, but with a different pattern of half steps and whole steps (W H W W H W W); normally used in Western music to convey melancholy or sadness

Multiphonics

complicated sounds created on a wind instrument (through intense blowing) that contain more than one pitch at the time; used often in avant-garde jazz

Octave

two notes with the same letter name; one pitch has a frequency precisely twice the other (in a ratio of 2:1)

Percussion

in the rhythm section of a jazz band, the drums, cymbals, congas, and other instruments that are struck to provide the music’s rhythmic foundation

Phrase

a musical utterance that’s analogous to a sentence in speech

Piano

a stringed keyboard instrument on which a pressed key triggers a hammer to strike strings; a standard part of the rhythm section

Pizzicato

the technique of playing a string instrument by plucking the strings with the fingers; usually the preferred method in jazz for playing the string bass

Polyphony

texture in which two or more melodies of equal interest are played at the same time

Polyrhythm

the simultaneous use of contrasting rhythms; also known as rhythmic contrast

Saxophone

invented by Adophe Sax in the 1840s, a family of single-reed wind instruments with the carrying power of a brass instrument

Shake

for brass instruments, a quick trill between notes that mimics a wide vibrato, often performed at the end of a musical passage

Stop-Time

a technique in which a band plays a series of short chords a fixed distance apart (ex. a measure), creating spaces for an instrument to fill with monophonic improvisation; often used in early jazz

Swing

1. jazz from the period 1935-1945, usually known as the Swing Era

2. a jazz-specific feeling created by rhythmic contrast within a particular rhythmic framework (usually involving a walking bass and a steady rhythm on the drummer’s ride cymbal)

Syncopation

an occasional rhythmic disruption, contradicting the basic meter

Tonic

the first degree of the scale, or the chord built on the first scale degree

Triad

the standard three-note chord (ex. C-E-G) that serves as the basis for tonal music

Trombone

a low-pitched brass instrument that uses a slide to adjust the column of air

Trumpet

the most common brass instrument; its vibrating tube is completely cylindrical until it reaches the end, where it flares into the instrument’s bell

Variable Layers

contrasting parts played above the foundation layers in a piece

Whole Step

an interval made up of two half steps; the distance between do and re.