Year 9 Music Major
All that Jazz
Investigation Task
Ella Cachia
Sing, sing, sing – Benny Goodman
Throughout this unit of work you have analysed, performed and improvised music in a number of Jazz styles. Using this music as a reference point, choose a jazz performance (this could include a performance, even your own, of one of the pieces learnt in class) and discuss the following
· What is the specific jazz style of your song?
The specific style of jazz is swing.
· What type of ensemble is performing the music (combo, big band, Dixieland band, fusion, etc)
A standard Big Band is performing the music
· What is the instrumentation?
Trumpets, trombones, saxophones, clarinet, drums, bass.
· When was it written?
It was written in 1934.
· Has it been recorded by other well-known artists?
· Yes, In 1936 by Louis Prima
· Who is the intended audience?
Possibly people who like or dance to swing.
· Is the music more for dancing or listening?
· I would say this song is for dancing more than it is for listening. It is swing, and could be danced in a swing style, although it is nice to listen to.
· What sort of venue can you imagine this song being performed in?
Possibly a concert hall or a dance hall.
· How does your chosen song treat the musical elements of
Pitch:
Harmony
· What is the chord progression of the song?
Am Bb G Em G# C#m
Melody
· How does the melody move from one note to the next?
Mainly by step and skip but there are a few leaps in varied instrumental solos.
· Is it conjunct (smooth and stepwise) or disjunct (angular and jumpy)?
Disjunct
· Does it have a wide or narrow range?
I would say it has a very wide range because of the variety of different instruments reaching very high and low notes.
· Is any of the melody improvised, and if so, how does it relate to the underlying harmonic progression?
Yes, the melody is improvised a few times on different instruments and it relates to the underlying harmonic progression by staying within the scale, using many ‘outside’ notes that usually get resolved.
· Tonality
The tonality of this piece is strong, loud and very brassy.
· What key is the song in?
It is in the key of A
o Structure
§ What is the form of your song? Sections should be outlined in numbers of bars, for example
· 12 bar blues
· 32 bar AABA song form
The piece starts with 3 bars of a drum solo and then brass instruments join in for the next 12 bars. The next couple of bars is played on the drum, as a transition into the first solo. The solo is played on the trumpet for 12 bars. The next 25 bars are then played by benny Goodman on the clarinet. The last ten bars are then the whole band playing the melody.
§ How are the phrases structured within each section?
3 bar drum intro
12 bar brass melody
2 bar drum transition
12 bar trumpet solo
25 bar clarinet solo
10 bar whole band melody
§ Are there any motifs which are developed throughout the song, and if so, how are they developed?”
Yes, the trumpets make this sliding noise on their instruments that is prominent throughout the song. It happens at the start of the piece in the 12 bar brass melody and continues throughout that section.
o Duration
§ Rhythm
· What are the main rhythmic features of your song? What sort of a ‘feel’ is used (straight, swing, shuffle, etc)?
I believe that a swing feel is identified in this piece.
§ Meter
· What is the time signature? Does it change?
The time signature is 4/4 throughout the whole piece.
§ Tempo
· What is the tempo of your song? Does it change?
The tempo is lively and quite fast.
o Dynamics
§ Is there dynamic variation in your song?
Yes, the clarinet solo is moderately soft but the brass section is moderately loud throughout the whole section.
o Texture
§ What is the musical texture of your song? Hint… Most jazz songs use a homophonic texture, which means they have one main melody with the rest of the parts providing accompaniment.
This piece does not use homophonic texture throughout the song because the brass section and the solo sections play individual melodies.
o Timbre or Tone Colour
§ Describe the sound of each of the instruments
Trombones- brassy
Trumpets- Piercing, strong
Clarinets- Reedy, clear
Saxophones- reedy
Drum kit- light
Bass- light
§ How are the sounds produced (plucked, strummed, struck, blown, etc)?
Trombones- blown
Trumpets- blown
Clarinets- blown
Saxophones- blown
Drum kit- struck
Bass- strummed
All that Jazz
Investigation Task
Ella Cachia
Sing, sing, sing – Benny Goodman
Throughout this unit of work you have analysed, performed and improvised music in a number of Jazz styles. Using this music as a reference point, choose a jazz performance (this could include a performance, even your own, of one of the pieces learnt in class) and discuss the following
· What is the specific jazz style of your song?
The specific style of jazz is swing.
· What type of ensemble is performing the music (combo, big band, Dixieland band, fusion, etc)
A standard Big Band is performing the music
· What is the instrumentation?
Trumpets, trombones, saxophones, clarinet, drums, bass.
· When was it written?
It was written in 1934.
· Has it been recorded by other well-known artists?
· Yes, In 1936 by Louis Prima
· Who is the intended audience?
Possibly people who like or dance to swing.
· Is the music more for dancing or listening?
· I would say this song is for dancing more than it is for listening. It is swing, and could be danced in a swing style, although it is nice to listen to.
· What sort of venue can you imagine this song being performed in?
Possibly a concert hall or a dance hall.
· How does your chosen song treat the musical elements of
Pitch:
Harmony
· What is the chord progression of the song?
Am Bb G Em G# C#m
Melody
· How does the melody move from one note to the next?
Mainly by step and skip but there are a few leaps in varied instrumental solos.
· Is it conjunct (smooth and stepwise) or disjunct (angular and jumpy)?
Disjunct
· Does it have a wide or narrow range?
I would say it has a very wide range because of the variety of different instruments reaching very high and low notes.
· Is any of the melody improvised, and if so, how does it relate to the underlying harmonic progression?
Yes, the melody is improvised a few times on different instruments and it relates to the underlying harmonic progression by staying within the scale, using many ‘outside’ notes that usually get resolved.
· Tonality
The tonality of this piece is strong, loud and very brassy.
· What key is the song in?
It is in the key of A
o Structure
§ What is the form of your song? Sections should be outlined in numbers of bars, for example
· 12 bar blues
· 32 bar AABA song form
The piece starts with 3 bars of a drum solo and then brass instruments join in for the next 12 bars. The next couple of bars is played on the drum, as a transition into the first solo. The solo is played on the trumpet for 12 bars. The next 25 bars are then played by benny Goodman on the clarinet. The last ten bars are then the whole band playing the melody.
§ How are the phrases structured within each section?
3 bar drum intro
12 bar brass melody
2 bar drum transition
12 bar trumpet solo
25 bar clarinet solo
10 bar whole band melody
§ Are there any motifs which are developed throughout the song, and if so, how are they developed?”
Yes, the trumpets make this sliding noise on their instruments that is prominent throughout the song. It happens at the start of the piece in the 12 bar brass melody and continues throughout that section.
o Duration
§ Rhythm
· What are the main rhythmic features of your song? What sort of a ‘feel’ is used (straight, swing, shuffle, etc)?
I believe that a swing feel is identified in this piece.
§ Meter
· What is the time signature? Does it change?
The time signature is 4/4 throughout the whole piece.
§ Tempo
· What is the tempo of your song? Does it change?
The tempo is lively and quite fast.
o Dynamics
§ Is there dynamic variation in your song?
Yes, the clarinet solo is moderately soft but the brass section is moderately loud throughout the whole section.
o Texture
§ What is the musical texture of your song? Hint… Most jazz songs use a homophonic texture, which means they have one main melody with the rest of the parts providing accompaniment.
This piece does not use homophonic texture throughout the song because the brass section and the solo sections play individual melodies.
o Timbre or Tone Colour
§ Describe the sound of each of the instruments
Trombones- brassy
Trumpets- Piercing, strong
Clarinets- Reedy, clear
Saxophones- reedy
Drum kit- light
Bass- light
§ How are the sounds produced (plucked, strummed, struck, blown, etc)?
Trombones- blown
Trumpets- blown
Clarinets- blown
Saxophones- blown
Drum kit- struck
Bass- strummed