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 In
Jazz,
the performance of a song is ever changing
and unique. The uniqueness is born of the
creative endeavors brought to the performance
of a song by it's individual players. Each
person brings a special interpretation of
rhythm, harmony, form, melody, and style
to the performance. We will be discussing
some of the individual roles for these creative
endeavors in later lessons.
The
hallmark or cornerstone of Jazz is "The
Solo." A solo occurs during the performance
of a song. The solo is based on the chords
used by the composer to construct the song
in which the solos occurs.
Re-read
the last sentence slowly.
To
learn about soloing, we need to first learn
more about the construction of a song. The
construction of a song is called it's "Form."
The form of a song is divided into groups
of measures. These groups are commonly made
up of 8,12, 16, or 32 bar passages or "Phrases."
In Jazz, the first part or main melody line
of a song is called the "Head."
A song is said to be played from the "Top"
down (Let's take it from the top?) Like
a persons body, the "Top" is the
"Head."
The middle section of a song is refereed
to as the "Bridge." A common form
for any song is:
Head-Bridge-Head
As
you look at this form you can see that the
"Bridge" bridges the first time
the head is played and the last time the
head is played. When you listen to different
songs being played, listen for the beginning
part of a song (the main melody line or
the Head). Try to pick out the middle part
of the song (the Bridge). Then, listen for
the ending part of the song which will be
similar to the beginning part of the song
(the Head played a second time).
Head
(beginning) - Bridge (middle) - Head (ending)
This is one common form. There are
many others.
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