jazz terms

a cappella

Sung without instrumental accompaniment.

AABA

The most common popular song form.

accent

A note or tone that is given stress by volume or attack.

acid jazz

Music for dancing, first heard in the 1980s, that combines elements of soul jazz, funk, and hip hop, and mixes acoustic and electric instruments.

ad lib

Also 'ad libitum.' A notation on written music that gives the performer freedom to vary the notes or tempo; in jazz it typically means to improvise freely.

air check

A musical radio broadcast originally recorded for distribution to other stations.

all-in

The last chorus (in older jazz), often louder and more vigorous than the rest, played by the ensemble.

altered chord

A dominant chord that has the 5th or 9th raised or lowered by a single semi-tone.

alternate takes

The various takes recorded of a piece of music at a single recording session that were not chosen for use.

arco

Playing a string instrument with the bow, instead of pizzicato.

arpeggio

Sounding the individual notes of a chord quickly, one at a time.

arrangement

An adaptation of a musical composition.

arranger

A person who writes arrangements.

arrhythmic

Without an obvious beat.

articulation

The style in which a tone is produced, including variations in volume.

atonal

Without a tonal center.

attack

The manner in which a tone is articulated.

avant-garde jazz

A term applied to various forms of 'experimental' jazz first heard in the 1950s.

back beat

A rhythmic device where the second and fourth beats of a measure are heavily emphasized in 4/4 time.

ballad

A slow song, usually of a romantic nature.

bar

Also known as measure, a grouping of beats.

barrelhouse

An older style of piano appropriate for noisy bars and dance halls.

bass drum

The largest and lowest-pitched drum of the drum set.

beat

A heard or felt pulse of a piece of music.

bebop

A style of jazz characterized by long melodic lines and irregular accents.

behind the beat

Playing slightly behind the beat as articulated by the rhythm section.

big band

An orchestra of more than 10 members.

bitonality

The use of two different keys at once.

block chords

A series of chords that move in parallel motion.

blow

To improvise on any instrument.

blue notes

Pitches in the scale that can be flattened or sharpened.

blues

A musical form typically built on the I, IV, and V chords.

bolero

A Cuban mid-tempo form played by guitar trios.

bombs

Irregular bass drum accents typical of bebop drummers.

boogaloo

A rhythm and blues influenced Latin form.

boogie woogie

A style of piano blues based on strong left-hand eighth note figures.

book

The repertoire of a band or singer.

boot it

To play with energy and excitement.

bootleg

Recordings made or sold without permission.

bop

Another term for bebop.

bossa nova

A Brazilian jazz/pop music form derived from samba.

bounce

A light, medium fast tempo piece.

box

A piano or a guitar.

break

A short suspension of rhythm in music.

bridge

The third group of eight bars in a popular song form.

brushes

Drum sticks with wire brushes on the end.

call-and-response

An antiphonal pattern common to jazz and African American folk music.

chachacha

A mambo and/or danzón-derived rhythmic style and dance form.

changes

A series of chords forming the harmonic structure of a piece.

charanga

A Cuban orchestra of flute, violins, and rhythm section.

chart

A musical arrangement.

chase

A series of short musical passages played by several players.

Chicago style jazz

A style of small band jazz popular in Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s.

chops

Technical ability, especially in brass playing.

chord

The simultaneous sounding of three or more tones.

chord progression

The harmonic structure of a piece of music.

chorus

The refrain or main body of a popular song.

chromaticism

The use of all 12 tones of a scale.

circle of fifths

A series of twelve perfect fifths that circle back to the original tone.

circular breathing

A technique to produce a continuous stream of notes without stopping for air.

clave

A five-beat pattern underlying salsa music.

claves

A pair of wooden sticks used to play the clave pattern.

coda

The conclusion to a piece of music.

collective improvisation

Simultaneous improvisation by several musicians.

combo

A small instrumental group of fewer than ten musicians.

comping

Rhythmic placement of harmony while accompanying soloists.

conjunto

A Cuban band first formed for playing in carnivals.

contrapuntal

Descriptive of counterpoint.

cool jazz

A jazz style characterized by moderate volume and quiet rhythm sections.

coro

A refrain sung against a montuno.

counterpoint

Independent melodies played against each other.

cross rhythm

The simultaneous use of two or more different rhythmic patterns.

cut/cutting/carving

To outplay other musicians in a jam session.

danzon

A 19th century Cuban dance derived from European contredances.

descarga

A Latin jam session.

dirty tone

A rough, noisy tone quality in horn players.

Dixieland

A term popularly applied to players from the New Orleans' jazz tradition.

double

The ability to play more than one instrument.

double-time

A doubling of tempo in the melody while accompanying instruments remain slower.

down-home

Music that is honest and folk-like.

downbeat

The first beat of a measure.

drone

Another name for pedal point.

drum set

A collection of drums and percussion instruments played by a single drummer.

dub

A copy of another recording.

dynamics

Different degrees of volume and intensity.

EAI

Electroacoustic improvisation.

ear, play by

Playing an instrument without written music.

eight-to-the-bar

Boogie-woogie rhythm.

extended harmony

Notes added to a chord beyond the octave.

fake

To play without written music.

fake book

A book containing melodies and chord progressions of popular songs.

false fingering

An altered finger placement technique that produces different tones.

fills

Short improvised passages behind a soloist.

flag waver

A spectacular up-tempo piece of music.

flatted fifth

Lowering the fifth degree of a chord by a half-step.

formulaic improvisation

Using varied elements in developing a solo.

four-beat

Rhythm organization where all four beats are relatively equal.

free jazz

Jazz styles minimizing fixed beats and harmonic structure.

front line

The horns in a jazz ensemble.

funk

A term for music drawing from blues- or gospel-based harmony.