Q. Hi, I'm a producer of sorts. I recently got into Jazz, Jazz-Funk and Jazz influenced genres.
It would be helpful, if people can give me a great explanation of Jazz, how its played, how its made, what makes it unique. Etc
Thanks in Advance
A. There is a lot that goes into jazz but here are some things off the top of my head:
-Accenting the beats 2 and 4
-Swing rhythm in certain styles (a quarter note becomes a dotted quarter and 8th note, or an 8th may become a dotted 8th and 16th, etc.) It's more of a feel than something you will have to read and think about, as many aspects of jazz are
-Commonly using notes out of key to advantage (it is not as random as it sounds, the notes and chords work hand in hand)
-Freeform soloing based on chord progressions: Usually, the rhythm section plays the same chord changes written over the melody of a song during each instrument's solo, or a more condensed progression almost identical to the melody's chords (that is used more in a big band ensemble than a small combo). A solo can be made to conform to the changes more than the key by the use of arpeggios and different scales. This is best learned by hands-on experimentation with soloing.
-Common jazz progression: 2,5,1
-Common jazz blues progression: 1,1,4,5
-Chord progressions are always composed of 7th chords and harmonic instruments of the rhythm section (guitar, piano, bass, etc.) can add extensions that aren't written (6th/13th, 9th, sus4th, etc.) and so can an instrument in his/her solo, so extended arpeggios or different arpeggios than the chord being played can be experimented with in a solo
-Use of ear, arpeggios, and licks (flashy segments of great jazz solos transcribed and commonly used as fillers by other jazz artists) in both melody and solos
-Songs are taken and can be played with different instruments and arrangements for solo sections and melodies; you don't have to compose songs to become a great jazz artist
-Many styles make up jazz: bossa nova, blues, bebop, swing, ballad, waltz, etc.: each major style should be studied to learn overall and instrument-specific requirements
-Soloing and what an artist makes of a song is more defining then the melody and chords themselves. Jazz is 90% style and feel and 10% written music.
-You can read all about jazz you want. It's good but you really start learning and understanding it when you start REALLY listening to jazz; by REALLY I mean being interested enough to analyze what the jazz masters do in their songs while listening, and becoming interested enough to transcribe solos or interesting aspects of a song while listening to it and try to figure out how you can play like that jazz musician. Once you get into jazz enough to where you have a desire to transcribe everything you really like (that you can) then you can begin to get a feel for jazz, learn licks, and figure out how to improvise and make a melody more interesting than it was written.
Instruments commonly used in jazz:
Winds:
-Saxophone
-Trumpet
-Trombone
-Clarinet
-Flute
Rhythm section:
-Piano
-Bass (upright used in most classic bop, swing, etc. electric is used commonly also, especially in more modern jazz)
-Guitar (usually hollowbody or semi-hollow electric; versatile guitars are occasionally used also in modern fused jazz)
-Drumset and some other miscellaneous rhythmic precussion
any jazz guitarist out there? or people who listen to jazz? jazz experts? jazz fusion players?
Q. iv been trying to understand jazz theory ... X 8
i can play some jazz but only stuff that iv learned from the internet. its seems very difficult to improvise and keep the same sound, or to stay in the same key.. unlike rock and metal.
but then i keep asking myself what is jazz? and it seems like when i ask people i always get a different answer. nobody seems to completely agree on what jazz is. whats your opinion? any tips on writing it?
A. Hey, I play/listen to jazz, and I hope I can answer your question. Jazz (like all forms of music) has many variations. There is jazz fusion, which has artists like Return to Forever, Pat Metheny (JF guitarist who happens to hate the term jazz fusion) and the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
One of the main characteristics of Jazz is the "swing feel". I don't know what your level of theory is, but instead of playing eighth notes "Straight", as they are in 90% of music, play them with a dotted eighth note then sixteenth note kind of feel. The faster the notes, the less they swing. some sound clips, I am sure they are out there. Now that we have the rhythm down lets get to the form of a song.
Jazz charts usually look something like this -http://www.schoonmanjazzquartet.nl/wp-content/uploads/alice_in_wonderland_c.jpg
Looks pretty confusing, huh? Let me break it down. At the beginning we have the clef (treble), A symbol that shows that the first part of the song is repeated, and a time signature of 3/4 (3 beats of quarter notes per measure). The notes dictate the melody of the song. This is the classic tune, "Alice in Wonderland" Go ahead and play the melody, I am sure you will recognize it! At the top of each bar are the chords. These indicate to the melodic players, what notes should be played during those three beats. There are different ways to write chords (for example, that triangle inbetween the C and the 7 in bar three means major 7, which is sometimes written as Cmaj7), and everyone has their own preference, that is something that you will have to research to master.
These chords seem to be really "jazzed up" since the original that I have in a real book starts with D minor 7 and G7. They are basically adding suggestions for extensions to make it sound a little more interesting.
Another aspect of playing jazz is "comping". This is playing a chord, or inversions of a chord during the melody, or when someone is taking a solo. Comping is an art in itself, and everyone has their own style, but I suggest listening to piano greats like Thelonius monk, Bill Evans and Oscar PEterson to get a few good ideas of what you can play rhythmically with your guitar.
The last aspect is possibly the greatest part of jazz- soloing. This is the part that really drives people nuts, and makes my girlfriend tell me to turn my Eric Dolphy solo down. This is basically you, or another member of the band, play your OWN melody over the chords on the chart. There are a TON of ways to approach this, but perhaps you can start by playing something similar to the original meldody, but with a few changes to make it your own. A good idea is to incorperate some of the unique notes of the chord, like the flat 5, sharp 11, etc. in the bar that represents them.
As far as writing it goes, it is easier said than done! There are a couple of ways you can aproach this. One way (reccomended to you, from me) is to find a chord progression that you are happy with. Now that you have a good canvas, it is time to start painting! Record your chords however you can (band i a box is an invaulable tool for this).Try to sing a melody along with the chords, and then mimic them with the guitar.
Above all, listen to as much jazz as you can, and keep an open mind! A flute solo will end up sounding as beautiful as David Gilmour ripping over "Comfortably Numb".
River Flows in You Twilight Yiruma Classical?
Q. Hmm. That should have got your attention. The main reason for this question is to see how badly you can pay out on Yiruma and people that post questions like this on YA. If i knew how to give points i'd give some out to the best answer, but seeing how i don't, there's not much point, really.
Do your WORST!! :)
-Ranga
A. At first, my childish side thought "oh, good - a chance for a rant". Then I thought that some Yiruma lovers might actually read the responses to your question and so I thought it would be of more use to try to explain WHY questions about "River Flows Up Your Bum", "Bela Lugosi's Lullaby" and "Kiss the Rain, get a wet face" provoke the reactions they do.
1) For the last 3-4 months questions about these pieces have been posted in the classical music section up to 5-6 times every single day (I can't remember a day when at least one question wasn't posted). Such ignorance and laziness is deplorable. Very few questions are unique and most have been posted time and time again. A quick dip into Y!A's lovely search bar would reveal the hundreds of questions and answers on this subject. In any event, Yiruma does not write classical music and his pieces are not works of classical music. It is instrumental pop. Just because music is played on a piano, it does not mean it qualifies as classical music.
2) Make no mistake - the vast majority of regular contributors in the classical music section have nothing against non-classical music. I know I am not alone in enjoying jazz, rock, pop and film music as well as classical. However, in ANY genre, these pieces would be meaningless pap. The music is so bad and so basic that a moderately gifted child could probably accidentally produce something like Yiruma simply by playing arpeggios, consonant chords and various other 'pretty' sounds (for it is the 'prettiness' that seems to appeal to the teenage girls). It is that compositional cynicism by these musical frauds that makes our blood boil so.
3) As music, these pieces show no originality, no sincerity, no harmonic progression or tension/release, no rhythmic interest and no melodic interest. They are simple series of chords and arpeggios designed to sound 'nice'. Hardly great music deserving of respect! Nice to make a quick buck out of the gullible, the stupid and the hormonally challenged!
I think many of us yearn for the day with the infestation of "Twilight" and fraudulent, worthless 'composers' such as Yiruma, Yanni and Ein-Audi (thank you, Dr John!) no longer curse our section.
One can dream, can't one?
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