FormandStructure

FromFundamentalsofJazzImprovisation:

WhatEverybodyThinksYouAlreadyKnow

Dr.MarkWatkins DirectorofJazzStudies BrighamYoungUniversityIdaho

2010byMarkWatkins Materialshereinareprovidedforpersonaluse.Nopartmaybereproduced withoutwrittenpermissionfromtheauthor.

Form
Allmusichassomesortoforganizationordesign.Mostjazztunesaresectional.Alphabetic indicators(A,B,C,etc.)areusedtodesignatemelodicandharmonicstructures.Ifasignificant portionofthecompositionrecurs,thesameindicatorisusedforeachrecurrence.Minor modificationstoamelodyorharmonyusuallydontjustifytheuseofadifferentalphabeticlabel. Phrasestendtobein8measureunits,especiallythosetunestakenfromthesongbook repertoire.Often,8measureunitsareintwogroupsoffourinanantecedent/consequence (question/answer,callandresponse)manner.Amidstthecommonalityof8barphrasingthere areexamplesofdifferentphraselengths.Bluestunesareoftenorganizedintothree4bar phrases.BennyGolsonsStablemates(below)hasphrasesof14+8+14.Othertunesmighthave 7,9,11,orotherlengthphrases.Cluesforanalysisincludeharmoniccadencesandrecurring thematicmaterial.Tuneswithtexthaveadditionalcluesofsentencepunctuation. Example1:Blues(AAB),1stchorus(seebelow)ofFineandMellow(BillieHoliday) TheAsectionmelodyisthesameforeachAexceptforthreenotesattheonsetofthesecondA. ThetextisalsosimilarwithonlyoneaddedwordinthesecondA.TheharmonymovestoIVin m.5andreturnstoIinm.7.ThesedifferencesbetweenAsectionscanbelabeledAandA (prime)butusuallyarenot. TheBsectioncontrastsmoredistinctlyinm.9,enoughtouseanewletter.Instrumental renditionsoftunesdontusetext;however,theexamplehereindoesandlendstothelabelingof AABasthefirsttwo4batsectionsaresimilarbutthethirdusesnewtext.Theharmonicchange isnomoredrasticthanm.5butstilladdstothecontrastofAAtoB.

Example2:Blues(AAA),BagsGroove(MiltJackson) Itisnotuncommonforabluestorepeatthesame4barphrasethreetimesinits12barform. Eventhoughthechordsaredifferentineach4barsection,itislabeledAAAbecauseofthe melody.

Example3:Blues(throughcomposed),BluesforAlice(CharlieParker) Tuneswithnosignificantrepetitionofthematicmaterialarelabeledthroughcomposed.

Example4:RhythmChanges(AABA),Anthropology(CharlieParker) The8barphrasesinmostrhythmtunescanbedividedinto4bargroups.ThesecondAisoften slightlydifferentfromthefirstA.ChordsattheendofthefirstAaredesignedtoleadinto,or turnaround,andstartthesamephraseover;whereas,chordsattheendofthesecondphrase preparethebridge.RhythmtunesusuallyresolvetothetonicchordattheendofthesecondA. Thisprovidescontrastintothebridgefromtonic(Bflat)tothechromaticmediant(D7),an interestingcolor.Similarprinciplesapplytothemelody,oftenresolvingtoanoteotherthan tonicattheendofthefirstA,lessfinal.ThethirdAinAnthropologymelodicallyresolvestotonic whereasthefirstandsecondAsectionsdonot.

Example5:ABAB,ThereWillNeverBeAnotherYou(MackGordonandHarryWarren) TheAsectionsareidenticalbuttheBsectionsarenot.Amajorityofthemelodicandharmonic materialinthesecondBisdifferentthanthefirstB;however,theonsetofmelodyisthesame givingthelistenertheimpressionofareturn.

Example6:AABC,AutumnLeaves(JohnnyMercerandJosephKosma) Anotablecomponentofthistuneisitsrecurringchordsequences.Thefirst4barsofBarethe sameasthelast4barsofA.Thesecond4barsofBarethesameasthefirst4barsofA.C beginsthesameasBbutmovesintoacycleofiiV7s.Melodically,theAsectionsareidentical exceptforthemorefinalresolutiontotonicattheendofthesecondA.

Example7:ABAirregularphraselengths,Stablemates(BennyGolson) ThisABAformusesisorganizedinto14+8+14measuremelodicandharmonicunits.The14 measurephrasescanbegroupedintotwo7measureparts,thefirstresolvingtoGflatmajor andthesecondtoDflatmajor.TheBsection(bridge)isan8barphraseintwogroupsoffour.

Structure
BystructureitismeanthowtheHeadisturnedintoacompleteperformance.Howisthe arrangementcreatedonstage? Afewdefinitionsarenecessary: Backgrounds:accompanyingmaterialimprovisedbyplayersnotsoloing,canbebehindhead melodyorimprovisedsolo,usuallybywindinstrumentalistsasopposedtorhythmsection musiciansorvocalists. Changes:thechordsequencespecifictoatuneorstructuralcomponent. Chorus:onetimethroughtheformofthetune(whatisfoundontheleadsheet). Coda:sameastag,literallymeanstail,extramusicattheendoftheoutheaddesignedtohelp bringtheperformancetoaconclusion. Form:thephrasestructureoftheheadincludingmelodyandchordsequence(i.e.AABA). Head:composedmelodyandaccompanyingchords,whatisoftenfoundonaleadsheet,usually playedtwotimesatthebeginningandendbutmaybeonlyoncedependentuponlength. Interlude:asectionofmusicperformedbetweenimprovisedsolosorotherpartsofthe structure. Intro:(introduction),somethingplayedbeforethemainmelodystarts.Thisisoutlinedindetail below. Kick:anymusicalelementthatencouragesasoloist,oftenbythedrummerbutcanbeawritten lineforwindplayers. LeadIn:andinterludebetweentheheadandthefirstsoloist,alsocalledakick(althoughthis termhasothermeanings). LeadSheet:apageofmusiccontainingasinglelinemelodyandchordsymbols.Somelead sheetsmaycontainimportantharmonypartsorcontrapuntallines.Leadsheetsdonotinclude writtenarrangementsforallplayers. SoloBreak:spaceforsoloistalone,rhythmsectionstopsplaying,mostcommonlywhenahaed melodyresolvesonbar7oflastAsectiontwobarsbeforereturntotopoftheform. Tag:acoda,extramusicattheendoftheoutheaddesignedtohelpbringtheperformancetoa conclusion.

Anoutlineofanonstageperformancemightincludesomeoralloftheabovesegments,as follows: Example1:mostsimple

Example2:perhapsmostcommon

Example3:mostcomplex,requirespreparedparts(memoryorwritten)