Brass section Edit
The brass section is a collective term for the trombone and trumpet sections. Quite often these sections play the same phrases and rhythms, for a powerful, brassy sound. These instruments can also make use of sound-changing mutes, which are widely used in jazz.
Trumpets Edit
The trumpet section usually comprises four (sometimes five) players, each playing a separate part. The section leader is usually the first (or lead) trumpet, who plays the highest and most strenuous part. When the whole band is playing tutti (in unison, or all the same), the lead trumpet player is still considered the lead player of the band and is followed in phrasing, articulation, etc., by the rest of the band. The second trumpet player is usually the jazz soloist. The other players are generally assigned progressively lower pitch parts. The trumpets often play the highest parts of the music because of their higher register and are often harmonied in the So What voicing style.
Trombones Edit
This is similar in formation to the trumpet section, except that there are three tenor trombones and one bass trombone. The trombone section provides a deeper sound than that of the trumpets. The Stan Kenton orchestra from the late 1950s on used two bass trombones, with one player doubling on tuba.
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It can be described as the driving force of the band because its sole purpose is to move the band forward in order to finish its musical journey. It provides the style (e.g. Swing or Latin), Chord Sequence, and interaction that the "horn" players can use to influence their solos and parts in the music. The rhythm section is sometimes said to provide a large part of the 'swing' to a band because of the swing rhythm from the drums contrasting with the walking bass from the
Swing music was mainly popular in New York clubs, because it is fast music with a steady tempo easy to dance to. This style was the start of big band music with an ensemble of 15 to 18 members. Most of the performers in the ensemble were formally educated and they could read music, so swing music is written down and is performed the same way every time. Because there were so many more people, more than 1 person would play the same type of instrument. They had a rhythm section, a saxophone section, trombone section, and trumpet section. There was only solo improvisation, while others would play 2 or more melodies, because there were too many people for more than one person to improvise. This style of music thrived, because people loved to dance, and because the radio was more popular, which made the music more
Saxophones are not considered woodwinds by some as they are made of brass. However, a saxophone is played very much in the same way as most woodwinds. Flutes and piccolos, though made of metal, are often thought of as part of the woodwind family.
An important aspect to playing the piano are the musical components that go into each piece. These components being harmonies, underlying tones, etc. When playing in a jazz band, the piano works in tandem with the other sections, specifically the rhythm section. In this setting, the piano works with the other sections to create harmony and
The brass instruments in the background are played in ostinato form. This piece was written by Puerto Rican Juan Tizol, who played the trombone solo. Cootie Williams would later improvise on the piece, coming up with his own version of "Caravan."
From orchestras and opera houses, Broadway to the West End, film and television studios, to pop and commercial groups, brass bands, wind bands, jazz, big bands, funk groups, and so many other genres and ensembles, instruments made by Michael Rath are found in almost every conceivable musical situation requiring a trombone.
Large bands, full of unique instruments and amateur musicians, were required to play at festivals and ceremonies. Similar to the evolution of the Wind Ensemble, the Concert Band is derived from military purposes. Instruments, such as the trumpets, horns, and drums, were often used for signaling. In contrast to Wind Ensemble musicians, these Concert Band musicians never played their instruments for military enjoyment.
The jazz began int he 1920's, and the music united African Rhythms with European instruments. This type of jazz depended on medium measured groups 5 - 8 individuals, with a solid cadence that would play on the even beats 2, 4, 6, 8 and so forth, for the most part by a tuba. Big band is related with the swing period, however truly a major band can play any sort of music. A Big band is just to the quantity of performers in the gathering by and large at least 18 individuals. Swing jazz
These instruments include brass and woodwinds. Brass instruments include trumpet, trombone, tuba and French horn while woodwind instruments include saxophone, bassoon, clarinet, and flute. The band also utilizes percussion instruments which are instruments that can be rubbed or scratched to produce sounds. Percussion instruments include drums, timpani, or cymbals. On the other hand, the orchestra uses mainly string instruments. String instruments include cello, violin, viola, or bass. These instruments are plucked or bowed to create sound. Similarly, the wind instruments and string instruments are played by fingering the keys. Each unique finger position on a particular instrument plays a certain pitch or note when blown into or bowed. Not to mention, the orchestra can be broken into symphony orchestra which incorporates woodwind, brass, percussion, and string
The role of the bass is powerful in how the audience hears the harmony. When people create or hear the several instruments and notes played at the same time it is usually possible to be heard because of the lowest sounding pitch-the bass. The bass plays a completely different note while the other instruments play their parts, and this creates the beautiful and harmonizing effects that could not be achieved, especially in Jazz, if the bass was not around. “ Of the recent and contemporary composers it may be said that although there is a tendency to utilize the maximum resources of the instrument (notably Richard Strauss) many seem to do this solely to load the double bass parts with technical complexities, much in the way of bass solos.” (Echlin 303) These bass solos compose such rhythmic and harmonizing effects by highlighting the type of song played whether its the strum and thump of a happy and joyful bop song or the slow and low pitch of a more serious toned song. Either way, the bass is critical in creating a foundation for any song in the Jazz
Trombones consist of four main parts: bell, tuning slide, hand slide and mouthpiece. Mouthpieces are typically detachable
Drums are among the oldest musical instruments. The best known of percussion instruments, they are found throughout the world and in a great variety of shapes and sizes. A drum normally consists of a skin or other membrane, called a head, which is stretched over an enclosed space or over one or both ends of a hollow vessel. Exceptions include the African slit drum, made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and the Caribbean steel drum, made from a metal barrel. Drums are usually played by the hands or by one or two sticks. In some non-Western cultures drums have a symbolic function and are often used in religious ceremonies. They are sometimes used in sending signals. The talking drums of Africa can imitate the inflections and pitch variations of a spoken language and are used for communicating over great distances.
The brass plays an ascending sequence, followed by pizzicato notes played by the strings, and an ascending and descending scale on the harp. Strings and oboe play the rhythmic melody, whilst the trumpet plays fanfares in syncopation. The oboe is then replaced by the flute. There is an ascending scale played by the strings, then the brass section repeats the string and oboe melody with cymbal crashes at cadence points. The orchestra then plays a loud melody with cymbal crashes and drum rolls. There is an interrupted cadence, followed by crescendo with cymbal crashes and a brass ostinato. The piece ends with a perfect cadence.
This book touches on aspects of the brass band such as instrumentation, arranging, transcribing, and characteristics of each instrument. It is small but has a great deal of information.
At least five different instruments are used to compose a jazz song, and each of them differs from the others. The combination of these instruments creates a comfortable atmosphere. “It remains that classical music and all forms of jazz are rich with variety in both ensemble size and instrumental combinations” (Stephans 90). Jazz drums first and foremost manifest this variety. To play all the beats in a jazz song, a whole set of drums participates in the composition: crash cymbals, a bass drum, a snare drum, a Hi-Hat cymbal, a floor tom and tom toms. Slaughter's photo demonstrates the general number and positions of a whole set of jazz drums. Drums as well as other instruments create harmony in the melody. Stephans also asserts that both small groups and large ensembles in jazz have wonderful acoustics (91-111). Thus, either kind of ensemble sizes can deliver high quality performances to satisfy the audiences’ need for
It can be played on any instrument, but the most commonly known instruments we hear when we listen to jazz are the saxophone, trumpet, trombone, bass, and the guitar. Each jazz musician wants to have their own individual sound when they perform their instrument. The sound that comes out could be raspy, rough, smooth, soulful or even warm or dark. The sound could even be a combination of different sounds, making a recipe for the perfect tune. Jazz sounds can be hard to describe in words, but Carl Sandburg showed us he could do that with his poem “Jazz Fantasia”.