Ragtime, blues, and jazz

What was ragtime?

A style of piano playing popular around 1900 known for its syncopated “ragged” rhythm.

Who popularized ragtime music?

Scott Joplin

Why was it called “ragtime”?

Because of its “ragged” or syncopated sound.

What musical traditions did ragtime combine?

European harmony, form, and texture with African-inspired syncopation.

What instrument was ragtime originally written for?

Piano

What type of groups later adopted ragtime music?

Dance bands

What is the most famous ragtime piece?

Maple Leaf Rag

Why is ragtime important to the development of rock music?

It introduced African American rhythm into American popular music.

What is syncopation?

Accenting normally unaccented beats.

Which beats are usually accented in Western European music?

Beats 1 and 3

Which beats are accented in rock and roll after syncopation?

Beats 2 and 4

Who composed “Maple Leaf Rag”?

Scott Joplin

What style is “Maple Leaf Rag”?

Ragtime piano music

How did the blues begin?

As a rural, orally transmitted tradition.

What are blue notes?

Flatted or lowered thirds and sevenths in a key.

What musical interaction characterizes rural blues?

Call and response between the singer and acoustic guitar.

What type of singing style is common in rural blues?

Raw emotional singing

What type of language is commonly used in blues music?

Vernacular language

What chord pattern is common in blues music?

The 12-bar blues chord pattern

What vocal technique is common in blues performances?

Alternating between singing and talking

Who was an important country blues musician?

Robert Johnson

What style are “Hellhound on My Trail” and “Come On in My Kitchen”?

Country blues

Why did blues musicians add rhythm sections in cities?

To increase volume for bars and dance clubs.

What instruments were added to city blues?

Drums and bass

What was “hot blues”?

Blues with syncopation and a rapid backbeat.

What is classic blues?

Blues often performed by women using a band and the 12-bar blues style.

Who was known as the “Empress of the Blues”?

Bessie Smith

When did classic blues begin to be recorded?

In the 1920s

What were Race Records?

Recordings by Black musicians mainly for Black audiences.

What was classic blues renamed in 1949?

Rhythm and Blues

What did rock music inherit from the blues?

The 12-bar blues form, rhythm section instrumentation, raw singing style, and call-and-response.

What style is “St. Louis Blues”?

Classic blues

Who performed “St. Louis Blues”?

Bessie Smith

During what years did jazz take over from blues in popularity?

Approximately 1926–1940

What is jazz?

A rhythmically free style using syncopation, backbeat, and improvisation.

What is improvisation in jazz?

Spontaneous composition

What are the two rhythm families used in jazz?

Four-beat rhythm and sixteen-beat rhythm

What is a four-beat rhythm?

All four beats are equally accented.

What is a sixteen-beat rhythm?

A funk-style beat with 16 divisions of four beats.

Who was the dominant jazz figure before World War II?

Louis Armstrong

What instrument was Louis Armstrong famous for improvising on?

Cornet/trumpet

What characterized Louis Armstrong’s style?

Rough voice, improvisation, and blues feeling in jazz.

What style of jazz did Louis Armstrong represent?

New Orleans or Dixieland jazz

What did Armstrong later shift toward in New York?

Collective improvisation

What is scat singing?

Improvised singing using nonsense syllables instead of words.

Who is credited with inventing scat singing?

Louis Armstrong

Why did Armstrong sometimes scat sing?

His lips became too tired to play trumpet.

What style is “I Got a Right to Sing the Blues”?

New Orleans-style jazz

What style is “What a Wonderful World”?

New Orleans-style jazz

What replaced the small jazz band in 1935?

The swing band

What were swing bands mainly used for?

Dancing

What sections made up swing bands?

Rhythm section and brass sections

Which cities were centers of the swing craze?

Kansas City, Chicago, and Tulsa

Who performed “Jumpin’ at the Woodside”?

Count Basie and his Orchestra

What style is “Jumpin’ at the Woodside”?

Swing jazz

How did swing jazz influence rock music?

Through four-beat rhythm, syncopation, riffs, call and response, and simple harmony.

How did jazz rhythms contribute to rock music?

Four-beat and sixteen-beat rhythms combined to create the rock eight-beat rhythm.

How did jazz improvisation influence rock?

It inspired jam bands and instrumental solos.

What jazz element carried into rock music?

Call and response

What type of harmonies do jazz, blues, and rock often share?

Simple harmonies