Ch 1 Flashcards
(34 cards)
backbeat
a simple polyrhythm emphasizing beats 2 and 4 of a 4/4 measure (rather than 1 and 3).
bass
in the rhythm section of a jazz band, an instrument—string bass, electric bass, or tuba—that supports the harmony and plays a basic rhythmic foundation.
block chords
a homophonic texture in which the chordal accompaniment moves in the same rhythm as the main melody.
blue notes
notes in which the pitch is bent expressively, using variable intonation; also known as blue notes.
break
a short two- or four-bar episode in which the band abruptly stops playing to let a single musician solo with a monophonic passage.
cadence
stopping places that divide a harmonic progression into comprehensible phrases.
consonant
the quality of a harmony that’s stable and doesn’t need to resolve to another chord.
countermelody
in homophonic texture, an accompanying melodic part with distinct, though subordinate, melodic interest; also known (especially in classical music) as obbligato.
dissonant
the quality of an unstable harmony that resolves to another chord.
drum set/traps
a one-man percussion section within the rhythm section of a jazz band, usually consisting of a bass drum, snare drum, tom-toms, and cymbals.
foundation layers
continuous, unchanging patterns whose very repetition provides a framework for a musical piece.
glissando
sliding seamlessly from one note to another, as exemplified on the trombone; also known as smear.
half-valving
depressing one or more of the valves of a brass instrument only halfway, producing an uncertain pitch with a nasal sound.
homophony
a texture featuring one melody supported by harmonic accompaniment.
multiphonics
complicated sounds created on a wind instrument (through intense blowing) that contain more than one pitch at the same time; used often in avant-garde jazz.
percussion
in the rhythm section of a jazz band, the drums, cymbals, congas, and other instruments that are struck to provide the music’s rhythmic foundation.
phrase
a musical utterance that’s analogous to a sentence in speech.
polyphony
texture in which two or more melodies of equal interest are played at the same time.
polyrhythm
the simultaneous use of contrasting rhythms; also known as rhythmic contrast.
saxophone
invented by Adophe Sax in the 1840s, a family of single-reed wind instruments with the carrying power of a brass instrument. See alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, and baritone saxophone.
shake
for brass instruments, a quick trill between notes that mimics a wide vibrato, often performed at the end of a musical passage.
stop-time
a technique in which a band plays a series of short chords a fixed distance apart (e.g., a measure), creating spaces for an instrument to fill with monophonic improvisation; often used in early jazz.
swing
(1) jazz from the period 1935–1945, usually known as the Swing Era; (2) a jazz-specific feeling created by rhythmic contrast within a particular rhythmic framework (usually involving a walking bass and a steady rhythm on the drummer’s ride cymbal).
variable layers
contrasting parts played above the foundation layers in a piece.
