Instrumental/Vocal Techniques

Vibrato

an instrumental technique, shake sounds similar

Glissando

common in Dixieland and is sometimes heard played by clarinet as well as trombone. A short ascending approach to a note is called a scoop. A descent is a fall.

Rip

a quick rise through the harmonic series before arriving on the intended note

Scat

a vocal improvisation using vocables or nonsense syllables

Stride (piano)

left hand plays the bass on the beats and the leaps up to play a chord on the offbeats, said to stem from Ragtime - see music on page 11, player mimics the rhythm section with the LH and the frontline with the RH, watch: Fats Waller: Carolina Shout

Stop-time

when the regular accompanying pattern is replaced with regular accented hits, often on the first beat of each or every other bar.

Break

short instrumental solo between or within sections

Trading 4s (or 2s or 8s)

members of band exchange improvised 4 bar phrases. Often a frontline instrument vs the drums.

Comping

Instruments improvising an accompaniment based on chords (or changes)

Collective improvisation

frontline instruments improvise at the same time

Rhythm section

At least 2 out of: guitar/banjo, string bass or tuba, piano and drums

Frontline consists of

Trumpet, trombone + clarinet

Feathering

used on the bass, quiet on every beat

Bombs

used on the bass, isolated, accented hits

Stirring the soup

done on the snare, uses brushes

Snaps on beats 2 + 4

used on the hi-hat, shutting hi-hat on 2 + 4

Swing pattern

done on the ride, ♩♫♩♫=♩(♩♪)♩(♩♪)

Fills

done on toms, they are connecting passages

Crash

done on crash cymbal

Rimshot (/rim click/cross-stick)

done on the snare, has a more metallic sound

Keeping time

drums used in a straightforward manner

Snare uses short

punctuating phrases

Early Jazz + Dixieland used

bass drum, splash cymbal and e.g bock-a-da-bock, milk bottle, woodblock, cowbell