Traditionally, the bass performs two vital functions within a band or a group: it provides the rhythmic and harmonic foundations. The rhythmic foundation refers to the steady pulse of music and a skilled bassist supports the group by providing a good steady beat. The sense of rhythms must be very solid and independent from anyone in the group, that way when all joined together, each member of the group should have a good rhythm while playing as a whole. If the notes are in the wrong place rhythmically, the sound from everyone in the group will fail and it would fall apart. This rhythmic function is called locking in with the drummer, because the bassist works closely with the drummer in order to maintain the rhythm. Also, in jazz, the bass …show more content…
Some players perform with the sides of one, two, or three fingers, especially for walking bass lines and slow tempo ballads, because this is supposed to create a stronger and more solid tone. Some players use the more nimble tips of the fingers to play fast-moving solo passages or to pluck lightly for quiet tunes. And, using amplification gives the player control over the tone of the instrument, because the amplifiers equalize and control while accentuating certain frequencies or de-accentuating some frequencies often referred to as the high frequencies, so that there is less finger noise. The electric bass player can play all of the same types of bass lines played by the double bass. Moreover, due to the design of the electric bass, it is more practical to play fast- paced bass lines that would be impossible on an upright bass. Thus, after creating the electric bass, more bassists began to switch over from double bass the electric bass in order to vary in sounds while keeping the jazz rhythm going for the remainder of the instruments. For example, an electric bassist can play a bassline completely composed of rapid, syncopated sixteenth …show more content…
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
Jazz as a general genre reached its peak in the thirties. Jazz was incredibly popular with both the Black community, and the white community; however, Jazz reached the adolescents the most. Jazz music was associated with the African American culture during this time of increible racial tension, subsequently the ‘teens’ of this generation began to tune into this genre for its rebelistic qualities. Popular forms of jazz music often included, Dixieland/’hot’ jazz, classical jazz, and bebop. The defining artist of hot jazz was Louis Armstrong. This music was characterized by collective improvised solos, around melodic structure, that ideally built up to an emotional and "Hot" climax. The rhythm section, which typically consists of percussion, bass, banjo, or guitar helps to support this crescendo, many times in the style of a
Swing, the predecessor of bop, was big, sweet, and hot. The performers were big bands, fronted by a charismatic bandleader, yet the success of a piece depended mostly on the unity of the ensemble as a whole, rather than on the showcasing of prodigious individuals. The requisite instrument was the saxophone, which was often smooth and mellifluous. Songs were old favorites, or simple jazz standards, that had been arranged to suit a large ensemble. Swing bands played in large venues, such as ballrooms, and to large audiences, who seized the opportunity to not just tap their toes, but to "jump, jive, and wail." The swing era became the most popular form of jazz, as it catered to audiences as a form of social and interactive entertainment.
The music of jazz became an important aspect of American culture in the early 20th century. The crisp syncopation of ragtime and the smooth tunes of the blues seeped into American mainstream music through dance halls and saloons and later through ballrooms. Instruments like the piano, trumpet, trombone and clarinet became important and symbolized the “swing-feel” of jazz because of their capability to syncopate and improvise precisely. With the help of the booming recording industry, musical geniuses were discovered and their talent and contributions to the emergence of jazz spread throughout the entire country. Such musicians include composer, arranger and pianist Jelly Roll Morton who heavily influenced the development of early jazz by his unique piano style, his “invention” of musical notation for jazz, and his compositions that have become the core in the jazz repertory. Because the style was new and different and so successful in drawing in large audiences, musicians around the world tried to mimic it. Furthermore, Morton’s masterpieces were the first to show notation for complicated jazz music and thus, formed the basis for standard notation in jazz compositions today.
The piano is the most commonly known and most used. The saxophone has the ability to produce a unique sound. The clarinet has a reed connected to the mouthpiece, which the player blows through to create music. The trumpet is another a popular instrument. The trombone is descended from the trumpet that’s with played in bass clef or treble clef. With the larger size the double bass, the player usually has to stand up. The drums include the bass drum, snare drum, and cymbals. Last but not least, it’s good to have a vocalist because songs will sound
In a jazz band, the piano player has some leniency, due to the fact that they can rely on the other members of their section and band when it comes time to play. In jazz, especially for pianists, it is quite easy to make mistakes and play wrong notes. If a mistake occurs, the pianist has the luxury of relying on the other members to hide the mistake or to adapt to the mistake. As a result, interdependency and teamwork become huge advantages for the jazz pianist. This interdependency and teamwork plays well for facets of music that pertain specifically to jazz, i.e improvisation. However, the choir accompanist doesn’t always have that luxury of interdependency. While there are some exceptions, choir accompanists typically are alone, they don’t have any other instrument to rely on if mistakes occur during performance. By working alone, as a sole instrument accompanying a choir, the pressure is on for the pianist to perfect the piece, as the choir relies solely on the pianist and the director in order to get timing, harmonies, and melodies perfect. The choir accompanist is at a loss of interdependency, as there is no one for the pianist to depend on other than the choral director and
The evolvement of jazz throughout the years has been an interesting one. Blues and Ragtime are just two simple innovations that has allowed for many variations in the jazz genre. Both of these genres have their similarities and differences in how they influenced jazz music through: improvisation, syncopation, and experimentation.
In the 20’s, the era right after World War I, music and dancing became a focus. Many musicians were moving Northward from southern cities such as New Orleans, which was a main focus for what would become jazz music. As these musicians came up to more urban cities, they introduced the country to a world of music based on Caribbean music tones and southern blues. Syncopation was common in the songs that were known in this area, as were the common bluesy sounds and rhythms of those gospel songs and old hymns. This would all greatly influence the jazz creation. Jazz began as a music type that was focused more on orchestral sounds and bigger bands than smaller bands, such as seen with Whiteman, and this was evident in the types of dances and music the people listened to, with large piece orchestras. In this time period, there were big bands, but few solos or focus on jazz technique individually, as the bands showcased the overall sound of the band’s polyrhythmic and polyphonic sound more than its homophonic solo sounds. People such as Louis Armstrong began to be interested in focusing more on chords than melodies and on solos than group collective improvisation, and this started the move to a new wave of jazz: swing.
Jazz was portrayed through different styles of writing throughout each story. The first author focused on telling a story based on a time period of revolution while the second, focused on writing an interview-formatted story. Both stories did display sense of Jazz as a catalyst to feeling different types of ways no matter the situation. The group mentioned in the first story was able to revolt and share their beliefs of Jazz through performances. The author showed how Jazz affected even the people who were against it. Jazz touches everyone in some way like many other types of music. The second story didn’t mention Jazz a lot, but gave way to the feeling that Jazz heals people. As soon as the protagonist heard Jazz music, he was cured from his disease. Not everyone will view Jazz in the same way, but Jazz affects everyone as seen in the passages before.
A famous graphic designer named Saul Bass, he was born by Eastern European Jewish Immigrants parents in New York City in May 8, 1920 and died in Los Angeles, California on April 25, 1996 at age of 75. He died of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. His wife named Elaine Makatura also was very creative. They was married for 35 years. They had two children named Jennifer and Jeffrey. When he was born and grew up in the big city of New York City also he developed a sense that show life in a world class metropolis. He graduated from James Monroe High School in Bronx, New York. From 1936 to 1939, when he graduated from high school, he started in preparation and attending for a career in graphic design, he went to a school named Art Students League of New York and
All types of music require musicians. In the H.R. (Harlem Renaissance), there were many who contributed to this new style of music known as jazz. These musicians all have their own style and form. Each of these styles has in some way influenced the evolution of jazz. Louis “Sachmo” Armstrong is recognized as the most famous trumpet player of all time.
By being responsible for the processing, understanding, and relaying many different key and time signatures simultaneously throughout the ensemble will increase my understanding of many core fundamentals of music, specifically in the area of music theory. Additionally, I would be provided the opportunity to be familiar with all parts, whilst knowing who is responsible for specific tasks within marching band. Learning and growing in my comprehension of these areas would assist me with planned career path of a Music Teacher. Holding the position of Drum Major would also provide deeper understanding as to what a Music Teacher’s responsibilities entail. Reading the various pieces for all the instruments and parts, while conducting the right time signatures at the right moments, and making sure everyone is following their drill sheets are just some of these responsibilities. The skills I will learn as Drum Major (if given the position) will provide me with an advantage when I lead an ensemble of my
Around the turn of the 20th century, the earliest fully documented jazz style emerged, centered in New Orleans, Louisiana. This city is often called the "cradle of jazz" ("History 101" 3). In this style, the trumpet carried the melody, the clarinet played showy countermelodies, and the trombone played rhythmic slides and sounded the root notes of chords or simple harmony. Below this basic trio, the tuba or string bass provided a bass line and drums the rhythmic accompaniment. New Orleans jazz was just the beginning of an entire sweep across the county.
Many manufactures began making electric bass guitars in the 1960s due to the explosion of rock music. The Fender Jazz Bass, also known as the Deluxe Bass,...
"Jazz is very important to my vision of life in our time." (Lamb, 1). Jazz gives him a feeling of individuality and community. This means that when individuals push him, and he pushes them back, they both become better
Jazz is not only responsible for the birth of cool, but it also gave birth to the guitar solo. Guitars were originally acoustic. Because of their lack of volume they were rarely seen on a concert stage. If they were on stage they were stuck in the rhythm section.