Jazz Analisis

JAZZ ANALYSIS © Stefan Heckel http://www.ohmsk.net/kug/kia1.pdf

JAZZ ANALYSIS Stefan Heckel

For study use only. All rights reserved

JAZZ ANALYSIS © Stefan Heckel http://www.ohmsk.net/kug/kia1.pdf

Analysis in Jazz: The musical approach of jazz players/singers tends to be mainly aural, based on playing by ear and using little written/notated music. It is in the nature of jazz as animprovised music art form that theory and analysis can only support the musical mind through study and practice. They cannot replace spontaneity and the inner urge1 to express oneself in the most individual way. Likewise the academic teaching of jazz cannot replace the active (playing) scene where players meet and learn from each other through trial and error. A school can only provide skills and thenecessary network/contacts for prospective jazz musicians. Duke Ellington „You need the conservatory – but with an ear for what’s happening on the street...“
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These lectures aim to back up a jazz player’s musical abilities by building a knowledge of the material used in jazz and jazz related music. Knowledge can help to listen more critically to one’s own and others’ playing. Theory andanalysis can only enrich one’s music though if they are part of an every day practice routine. LISTENING AND THINKING ANALYTICALLY CAN ENHANCE YOUR PLAYING What can we analyse ? Why do we analyse ? A musical piece, e.g. a jazz standard or original has a distinctive form, melody, chord progression, key(s), rhythmic shapes/kicks, a characteristic mood, lyrics (some written later by vocalists). All thesemusical elements make a tune unique. Analysis is a slow motion process, one sits down to examine some details just like a doctor on a patient. It requires good ears (especially if there is only a recording and no written music), the ability to visualize music (notation, score reading, text) and a focused mind. Jazz musicians analyze for some particular reasons: • • • to learn a tune and how toimprovise on it (T.Monk said „if you know the melody you can make a 3 better solo“ to learn melodic/harmonic/formal structures and how to use them in a personal way to listen more actively and critically

Typical elements of musical analysis: MELODY FORM HARMONY

RHYTHM is very often implied in the melody of a tune (e.g. riffs). Its specific analysis can be important in polyrhythmic (e.g.African) or polymetric music where rhythm is the predominant element. For jazz musicians: Individual improvisation styles of jazz musicians (melody, tone, harmony, rhythm, „the personal sound“). Every complete music contains all musical elements. An overall analysis is an advanced project and needs some basic analytic methods such as: • • • Melodic Analysis using numbers to indicate intervals betweenmelodic note and root and linear movements Form Analysis using mainly letters to indicate parts of the overall structure of a piece (motives, phrases, parts, intros, interludes etc....) and relations between them (e.g. AABA, a, a’, etc....) Harmonic Analysis using Roman numbers (I, V, IV etc...) to indicate the harmonic function (tonic, dominant, subdominant etc..) and the degree, modulations etc...1 2 3

Album and song title by jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson Tucker, Mark, ed. 1993. The Duke Ellington Reader. New York: Oxford University Press see Graham Collier’s book Interaction (Advance Music, 1995)

For study use only. All rights reserved

JAZZ ANALYSIS © Stefan Heckel http://www.ohmsk.net/kug/kia1.pdf

Melodic Analysis The theme/tune/melody represents the „face“ of a song.Many people know and recognize a song by its characteristic motive(s) and overall melody. In most cases the overall form of a tune derives from its melody (treatment of initial motive and consequences). For a jazz musician as for anyone else it is useful to analyse the melody: • • • • • To learn the theme of a new piece by analyzing and memorizing intervals to the root and then transpose the...