Jazz Deffinitions Flashcards
(24 cards)
Altered and extended chords
Chords that have been altered by adding 6ths, 7ths, 9ths and 11ths
Chords that change from major to minor or to diminished
Arrangement
Chord pattern memorised by musicians
Backgrounds
Material played behind a solo. One of more instruments might continue to the riff under the solo
Blue notes and inflections
Notes found in a blues scale.
Eg: a flattened 3rd and 7th and a sharpened 4th of the major scale
Boogie - woogie
Jazz rhythm usually provided by a piano
Changes
When the rhythm changes in a piece of music
Comping
Chords and rhythms played by the piano and banjo to maintain a steady beat
Double time
Using note twice as fast as previously without changing the chord progressions
Fall off
Glissando that goes away (falls off) the note
Fills
Material used to fill a gap between phrases. Often played by drums
Head improvisations
Statement of the theme at the beginning/ end of a piece
Improvisations
Spontaneous production of musical ideas
Lead sheet
Sheet music consisting of melody, lyrics and harmony
Mutes
Used by brass to altar the sonority of the instrument
Rhythm section
Instruments that don’t carry the main melody but will add a rhythm to help ‘keep the beat’. This section is made up of the piano l, bass, banjo (or guitar in later periods of jazz), and percussion
Riffs and grooves
A short repeated pattern that can be melodic, rhythmic or bass ostinato
Scat singing
Mumbling - shower singing
Scoops and swoops
Approaching a sung not from below
Smear
Glissando up towards the note
Stop time
When the accompaniment stops for a bit to allow the soloist to come through
Swing
Played by a big band and characterised by a lively rhythm suitable for dancing
Syncopation
When the notes are played on the weaker beats (2, 4 or off the beat)
Turnaround
A passage that leads into the next section. The next section is often a repetition of the previous section
Walking bass
A bass line that moves in step
