This is a list of all important terms used in this program.
- accompaniment
-
Music played in support of the melody, whether composed or improvised. Typically, the rhythm section (piano, bass, drums) provides the accompaniment.
- acid jazz
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A fusion of jazz improvisation and hip hop rhythms
- acoustic bass
-
A stringed instrument that is also known as the double bass, acoustic bass, string bass, or contrabass. It is typically used as a bass instrument in most styles of jazz.
- alto saxophone
-
A woodwind instrument of the saxophone family, pitched higher than the tenor but lower than the soprano
- angular
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A melody that contains many leaps of wide intervals, or one that changes direction often and in unexpected places
- arrangement
-
A set of written or verbal instructions that specify the nature of the various components of a performance of a composition (intro, head, accompaniment, solos, interludes, coda, etc.) and the order in which they are put together
- articulation
-
Specifics on how a note is played - whether the tongue is used to start or stop the note (on wind instruments), whether it is plucked or bowed (on stringed instruments), etc.
- atonal
-
Music that has no well-defined tonal center; it often also implies the lack of chords or other traditional harmonic structures
- avant-garde
-
A style of music on the forefront of experimentation; originally applied to jazz styles such as freebop and expressionism
- backbeat
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The second and fourth beats of a four beat measure. The term also refers to a rhythmic pattern that strongly emphasizes these beats.
- background
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A part played in accompaniment. The term typically implies accompaniment played by melody instruments.
- ballad
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A relatively slow, quiet, and pretty composition
- banjo
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A stringed instrument similar to a guitar; often used as a chordal instrument in traditional jazz styles
- baritone saxophone
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A woodwind instrument of the saxophone family, pitched lower than the tenor, used as either a melody instrument or a bass instrument
- bass
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The low notes; the role of any instrument that typically plays low notes. The term often refers specifically to the acoustic bass
- bass guitar
-
A larger, lower pitched version of an electric guitar. It is used as a bass instrument, particularly in soul jazz and fusion syles.
- beat
-
A regular subdivision of time that forms the basis for the pulse
- bebop
-
A style of jazz that developed from swing and emphasizes virtuoso soloing
- bent pitch
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A note that is made to rise or fall in pitch while it is being played
- big band
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An ensemble of greater than ten or so players. The standard is around seventeen.
- blue note
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A note that is flat (low in pitch) compared to its counterpart in a standard major scale
- blues
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A style of music derived in part from work songs used during slavery; a precursor and component of jazz.
- blues progression
-
A twelve measure chord progression, divided into three four-bar phrases and based on the I, IV, and V chords, often used in blues and in jazz
- blues scale
-
A scale that includes one or more blue notes and is typically used in blues
- boogie-woogie
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A style of jazz, typically played on piano, that uses a repeating left hand bass line pattern
- bop
-
See bebop
- bossa nova
-
A style of jazz derived in part from the Brazilian samba
- brass
-
A family of instruments, usually made of brass, in which sound is produced through the vibration of the lips. The pitch is determined in part by the embouchure, but in most cases it is also affected by a mechanism to change the effective length of the tubing, such as valves or a slide.
- break
-
A short unaccompanied lead-in to a solo
- bridge
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The "B" section in a AABA form, or any theme that serves as a secondary theme to the main theme in a head
- call and response
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A musical device in which one musician plays a phrase and another musician plays a related phrase in response
- chamber jazz
-
A fusion of impressionistic jazz and European classical music
- changes
-
A chord progression
- chart
-
A written arrangement, whether a full score for many instruments or a lead sheet
- Chicago jazz
-
A style of traditional jazz that emphasizes solos and four-beat rhythms
- chord
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A set of notes sounded together, formed according to certain rules of harmony
- chord changes
-
A chord progression
- chord progression
-
A series of chords used to harmonize a melody or to provide a basis for improvisation
- chord symbol
-
A written symbol used to indicate a chord
- chorus
-
One time through the chord progression for a composition
- city blues
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A form of blues that emphasizes jazz elements, also known as classic blues
- clarinet
-
A family of woodwind instruments with a straight bore in which sound is produced by a vibrating reed. The term usually refers to the soprano clarinet, but the bass clarinet is also not uncommon in jazz.
- classic blues
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A form of blues that emphasizes jazz elements, also known as city blues
- clave
-
A rhythmic pattern that underlies Afro-Cuban music
- cliche
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An ostensibly "improvised" phrase that has been played many times by many musicians
- cluster
-
A set of notes sounded togheter that do not form any standard chord - especially a set of notes close together on the piano
- coda
-
A section of an arrangement that follows the last performance of the head and serves to conclude the piece
- collective improvisation
-
Several musicians improvising at once
- combo
-
A small ensemble, typically referring to groups of three to seven players
- composition
-
The elements of a performance that are predetermined or written down
- conduction
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A type of performance in which the leader directs the improvisations of the other players through hand gestures
- conga
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A tall drum played with the bare hand, typically found in Afro-Cuban music
- construction
-
The act of turning a musical idea into a specific phrase
- contemporary jazz
-
See smooth jazz
- contrabass
-
See acoustic bass
- contrafact
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A composition based on the chord progression of another composition
- cool
-
A relaxed by emotionally detached mood
- cornet
-
A brass instrument similar to the trumpet but shorter and fatter, employing a conical rather than cylindrical bore
- countermelody
-
A secondary melody played simultaneously with the main melody.
- counterpoint
-
The act of playing several melodic lines at once
- country blues
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An early and relatively simple form of the blues, usually played and sung by a single performer
- cymbal
-
A large, round percussion instrument made of metal
- dissonance
-
A combination of notes that is heard as harmonically unstable or unpleasant
- Dixieland
-
Slang term for traditional (New Orleans / Chicago) jazz
- double
-
Being able to play more than one instrument (not at the same time!)
- double bass
-
See acoustic bass
- drum
-
A percussion instrument consisting of a skin stretched across a frame.
- drum set
-
A set of drums, cymbals, and other percussion instruments arranged for a single musician to play
- drums
-
The plural of "drum", this term often is used to refer to a drum set
- duo
-
An ensemble consisting of two musicians
- dynamics
-
Loudness; often referring to variations in loudness
- electronic effects
-
Electronic devices used to alter the sounds of instruments, such as artifical echo
- embouchure
-
The manner in which one must form the mouth in order to play a wind instrument
- energy music
-
See expressionism
- ensemble
-
A group of musicians performing together
- expression
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Any of hundreds of different variables a musician can control when playing a note, including dynamics and articulation
- expressionism
-
A high energy form of music in which soloists stretch out over simple themes
- extended effects
-
General term for any of a number of ways musicians can alter the sounds of their instruments, such as removing a valve, plucking the strings inside the piano, and so forth
- fall
-
A musical effect in which the pitch of a note is made to fall dramatically after the initial sounding
- field holler
-
See work song
- flat fifth
-
An interval consisting of six semitones, such as between C and F#. It is relatively dissonant and gained notoriety through its use in bebop
- flute
-
A woodwind instrument in which the sound is produced without a reed.
- four-beat
-
A rhythm that emphasizes all four beats in a measure more or less equally
- fours
-
A musical device in which to or more soloists take turns improvising four measure phrases. Often, one of the musicians is the drummer.
- free improvisation
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Improvisation with no chord progression or other predetermined structure to guide the process
- free jazz
-
Any form of jazz that uses free improvisation
- freebop
-
A form of jazz that is similar to bebop but in which predetermined chord progressions are not used to guide the improvisation
- funk
-
Originally, jazz with a pronounced gospel influence. Later, a style of R&B music or jazz-rock fusion.
- fusion
-
A hybrid of jazz and rock
- Giant Steps changes
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The chord progression of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps", or any pattern of rapid modulations by major thirds. Coltrane and others have used this idea to harmonize a number of compositions.
- gig
-
Term used by musicians to refer to a performance or other job
- gospel
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Music played in black Christian churches, usually ecstatic in nature
- groove
-
An underlying pattern behind a musical performance, consisting of a rhythmic component and perhaps a melodic riff as well. The term implies danceability.
- group improvisation
-
Several musicians improvising at once
- growl
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A musical effect in which the player vocalizes through his instrument to emulate a growl
- guitar
-
A stringed instrument capable of playing chords as well as melodies
- hard bop
-
A form of jazz related to bebop but with a stronger gospel influence
- harmolodics
-
The theory that melody, harmony, and rhythm should be of equal importance in collective improvisation. In harmolodics, any musician might be responsible for any of these roles at any time. The term was coined by Ornette Coleman to describe his approach to music.
- harmony
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The perception of notes sounded at once. The term often refers to the chords that underlie a melody, or to the theory that underlies the construction of these chords
- head
-
The composed theme or themes in a composition
- head arrangement
-
A simple arrangement in which the ensemble plays the head, then takes turns soloing over the chord progression, then plays the head again
- horn
-
Literally, a brass instrument, but commonly used by jazz musicians to refer to any wind instrument, and occassionally other instruments as well
- hot
-
An excited mood
- impressionism
-
A form of jazz involving collective improvisation in which the musicians often forego their standard ensemble roles and instead contribute whatever the music seems to need in the moment
- improvisation
-
The act of creating music that has not been predetermined. This term often refers specifically to the act of playing new melodic lines as part of a solo.
- interlude
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Any musical passage that occurs between choruses in an arrangement, whether between the head and the first solo, within a solo, between solos, or between the last solo and the return to the head
- interpolation
-
The act of playing a phrase taken from another composition or well-known improvisation within the context of one's own improvisation. Also known as quoting.
- intro
-
See introduction
- introduction
-
A musical passage played before the first statement of the primary theme
- jazz
-
A genre of music that is the subject of this program. While no simple definition exists for jazz, the most important elements of jazz are often said to be swing and improvisation.
- key
-
See key center
- key center
-
The scale that underlies the composition. The term often refers specifically to the note at the root of this scale. This note is the one toward which the other notes and chords seem to be leading.
- kick
-
A composed phrase that is played in rhythmic unison by the accompanying instruments behind a melody, whether composed or improvised
- Latin jazz
-
A hybrid of jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms
- lay out
-
To not play. Generally refers to rhythm section players choosing to not play accompaniment for a chorus or two.
- lead sheet
-
A written representation of the theme and the accompanying chords for a composition. This is all that is required in order to play a head arrangement.
- lick
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A phrase that an improvisor has practiced for use in improvisation, or one that sounds practiced
- long form
-
A composition that contains multiple themes interspersed with solo sections, interludes, or other passages
- major chord
-
A chord consisting of a root and notes a major third and perfect fifth above the root, such as C, E, G
- major key
-
A key center corresponding to a major scale
- major scale
-
A series of notes consisting of whole steps and half steps in the ascending pattern WWHWWWH, such as C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
- marimba
-
A pitched percussion instrument consisting of wooden bars struck by a mallet
- melody
-
The perception of notes sounded one at a time; a series of pitches intended to be heard in succession. The melody is the part of a composition that one might sing.
- minimalism
-
A deliberate reduction in complexity of melody, harmony, or rhythm, often involving repetition
- modal
-
A system of harmony in which the chords do not relate to any specific key center. Each new chord seems to come from a different key and suggest the use of a different scale.
- modulation
-
A transition from one key center to another
- mute
-
A small device inserted into the bell of a brass instrument to alter the timbre of the sound produced
- neoclassicism
-
An effort to faithfully recreate elements of an earlier style
- New Age music
-
A genre of meditative music that may involve improvisation
- New Orleans jazz
-
A style of traditional jazz that emphasizes collective improvisation and two-beat rhythms
- non-idiomatic improvisation
-
A manner of improvisation in which no concessions are made to the conventions any specific style
- nonet
-
A nine piece ensemble
- octet
-
An eight piece ensemble
- offbeat
-
The second "half" of a beat (which might actually be shorter than half a beat in a swing rhythm)
- organ
-
A keyboard instrument in which sounds are generated by air blowing through pipes or reeds, or an electronic simulation of such an instrument
- paragraph
-
See stanza
- pastiche
-
A combination of styles in which the component parts are left whole, such as a medley
- percussion
-
A family of instruments in which sound is produced by striking the instrument
- phrase
-
A self-contained portion of melody, such as what would correspond to one line of lyrics
- piano
-
A stringed keyboard instrument that is considered to be a member of the percussion family because the sound is produced by hammers that strikes the strings
- postmodernism
-
A style of music that consciously draws from elements of other styles
- pulse
-
The beat; the rhythmic pattern underlying a groove
- pulse track
-
A structure invented by Anthony Braxton to organize accompaniment. A pulse track consists of shape notations that specify the outline of the accompaniment on a beat by beat basis.
- quartet
-
An ensemble of four musicians
- quintet
-
An ensemble of five musicians
- quote
-
The act of playing a phrase taken from another composition or well-known improvisation within the context of one's own improvisation. Also known as interpolation.
- ragtime
-
A form of music, usually composed for the piano, that combines European harmonies with syncopated rhythms
- release
-
The absence of tension
- restructuralism
-
The act of breaking convention to create new structures
- rhythm
-
The perception of sounds heard with respect to time. The term often implies a regular division of time that serves as the "beat", and all other sounds are heard relative to the beat.
- rhythm changes
-
The chord progression of George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm", which has been used a basis for hundreds if not thousands of other composition and is seen as a basic rite of passage for improvisors
- rhythm section
-
A subset of an ensemble that is primary reponsible for providing accompaniment. It typically consists of piano or guitar, bass, and drums.
- riff
-
A repeated melodic phrase
- root
-
The defining note of a chord
- salsa
-
Latin jazz; particularly music that favors the Afro-Cuban elements
- saxophone
-
A family of woodwind instruments with a conical bore that produce sound by a vibrating reed. They are usually curved and made of brass.
- scale
-
A series of notes in a pattern of steps
- scat
-
Improvised vocals using nonsense syllables
- score
-
A written arrangement, particularly one that specifies parts for several instruments
- section
-
A group of related instruments in an ensemble, such as a saxophone section or trombone section
- septet
-
A seven piece ensemble
- sextet
-
A six piece ensemble
- shake
-
A musical effect in which the pitch of a note is made to rise and fall rapidly
- shout chorus
-
A passage in a big band arrangement in which the melody instruments play a line (usually highly syncopated) in rhythmic unison. A shout chorus usually serves as an interlude between the head and solos.
- shuffle
-
A four-beat rhythm with a very exaggerated sense of swing
- sideman
-
A member of an ensemble who is not the leader
- smooth jazz
-
A term used by some radio stations and critics to refer to a fusion of jazz and "pop" music
- solo
-
A passage in which one musician improvises new melodies, usually with the accompaniment of a rhythm section
- song form
-
A thirty-two measure head consisting of two related themes, denoted "A" and "B", in the pattern AABA. This was a very popular form for popular songs and show tunes during the first half of the 20th century.
- soprano saxophone
-
A woodwind instrument of the saxophone family, pitched higher than the alto. It is most commonly found in a straight form.
- soul jazz
-
Hard bop with an even stronger gospel influence.
- splat
-
A musical effect in which a note is played with no definite pitch
- stanza
-
A phrase and the successive phrases that relate to it through repetition, variation, call and response, or other devices
- stop time
-
A musical device in which the rhythm section ceases to outline the pulse and instead plays only on the downbeats of successive measures, in order to provide more room for the soloist
- straight eighth notes
-
Eighth notes in which each note takes exactly half a beat. These are the standard eighth notes in classical music.
- stride
-
A style of piano jazz in which the left hand plays alternating bass notes and chord voicings in a steady pattern
- string bass
-
See acoustic bass
- stroll
-
See lay out
- style
-
Elements common to a number musical performances that identify them as being related
- sweet
-
A mood that conveys romance
- swing
-
A style of jazz that relies on four-beat rhythms, or the pulse that underlies this music
- swing eighth notes
-
Eighth notes in which the first "half" of each beat is prolonged. The exact ratio depends on style, tempo, and personal preference
- tailgate
-
A style of trombone playing that combines counterpoint and bass roles; common in traditional (New Orleans / Chicago) jazz
- tambourine
-
A hand drum that often includes small cymbals that shake when the instrument is struck
- tempo
-
The number of beats per minute
- tenor saxophone
-
A woodwind instrument of the saxophone family, pitched higher than the baritone but lower than the alto
- tension
-
An unstable state in music. It is most commonly thought of in terms of harmonic dissonance but may come from many different sources.
- theme
-
A composed melody in a composition.
- third stream
-
A style of music that combines jazz and European classic influences
- timbales
-
A type of drum that is prominent in Afro-Cuban music
- timbre
-
The type of sound produced by an instrument or voice
- tonal
-
Harmony in which chords serve in a well-defined relationship to a key center
- tone
-
See timbre
- tonic
-
The defining note of a scale or key center
- traditional jazz
-
Styles of jazz that were popular at the beginning of the era of recorded jazz. The term includes both New Orleans and Chicago styles.
- trap set
-
See drum set
- triangle
-
A percussion instrument consisting of a metal bar shaped into a triangle and struck with a stick
- trio
-
An ensemble of three musicians
- trombone
-
A brass instrument in which the pitch is determined in part by a slide that changes the effective length of the tubing. The instrument is pitched lower than the trumpet.
- trumpet
-
A brass instrument consisting of a fairly complex network of curved piping. Valves control the effective length of the tubing, and thus the pitch. The instrument is pitched higher than the trombone.
- tuba
-
A very low pitched brass instrument that uses valves to control the pitch.
- two-beat
-
A rhythm in which the first and third beats of a measure are emphasized over the second and fourth
- unit structure
-
Term used by Cecil Taylor to describe the manner in which melodic or rhythmic fragments serve as a basis for improvisation in his music
- vamp
-
A short sequence of chords that is repeated over and over again
- verse
-
An introduction to a show tune that serves as a transition between the dialogue and the song form
- vibraharp
-
See vibraphone
- vibraphone
-
A pitched percussion instrument in which metal bars are struck by mallets and tubular resonators help to amplify the sound. The resonators contain rotating disks that create vibrato.
- vibrato
-
A slight wavering in pitch
- violin
-
A stringed instrument in which strings are drawn with a box or plucked in order to produce sound
- vocalese
-
A technique in which lyrics are written for an existing recorded solo
- walking
-
A bass line that consists mostly of quarter notes to outline the pulse
- West coast jazz
-
Cool jazz, particularly performances that create harmony through counterpoint among melody instruments as opposed to the use of chordal instruments
- woodwind
-
A family of wind instruments in which the vibrations that cause sound occur on or within the instrument
- work song
-
A song used by black American slaves