Jazz, Blues
and Popular
Music
Origins
From the middle ages
onwards africans
abducted and forced to
work as slaves in
Europe and the
colonies
Slavery not abolished
in the United States
until 1860s after
American Civil
African-influenced music in
America
Aspects of African music:
– Exciting rhythms
– Improvised harmony
– Improvised lyrics and
melody
– Improvised decoration of
melody
Improvise – to make
something up as you’re
doing it
Spirituals
Lyrics :
escape earthly
suffering through
death
(metaphor for going
home to Africa)
Combination of
European hymn
tunes
African rhythms
improvisation
Jazz and Blues
Jazz describes most
African-influenced
music from 20th
century onwards
Jazz includes:
–
–
–
–
Blues
Ragtime
Dixieland Jazz
Swing (Big band)
Blues
Influenced jazz and
rock music right up to
present
Origins - Mississippi
Delta
Blues
Improvised lyrics about bad luck
12 Bar Blues Chord sequence
Blues scale: like a minor scale
but with chromatic movement
Syncopated blues scale notes
accompanied by major chords =
bluesy sound
Blues Scale
12 Bar Blues
Uses only 3 major chords
Chord: 2 or more notes played together
Most music = melody accompanied by
chords
Triads are the basis for all chords
E.g. C major
– C at the bottom
– E 2 steps (a 3rd) above it
– G 2 steps (a 3rd) above that
12 Bar Blues
most common chords are triads built on
certain notes of the major scale
The notes are the 1st, 4th and 5th in the
scale
C major
– chords are C, F and G (chords named after
their “roots”)
12 Bar Blues
1
1
1
The first line is a phrase 4 bars long, 4 beats in each bar
1
12 Bar Blues
1
1
1
1
4
4
1
1
12 Bar Blues
1
1
1
1
4
4
1
1
5
4
1
1/5
12 Bar Blues in D
D
D
D
D
G
G
D
D
A
G
D
D/A
Blues Songs
Each verse is 3 lines long
Lyrics originally improvised
Singer sings of hardship, poverty or bad
luck
I’m a stranger here, just blown in your town
2nd line usually the same as 1st
Yes I’m a Stranger here, just blown in your town
3rd line rhymes with the first
Because I’m a stranger everybody wants to dog me round
Blues Songs
voice and guitar or voice and piano
Later ensembles of drums, bass and
electric guitar and slide guitar
harmonica or “blues harp” associated with
blues
Slide Guitar
Traditionally played with a bottle neck but
more often a metal tube round his fingers
Ragtime
Earliest jazz to
become popular
“composed”, written
down
Earliest Black music
more widely known
Played in bars and
brothels - turn of the
20th century
Scott Joplin - most
famous composer
Ragtime
Based on
marching band
music
Steady vamp in
the left hand
keeps the beat
Right hand is
syncopated
Often features
diminished chords
The Entertainer
Dixieland Jazz
Earliest jazz bands
Evolved from
marching bands
Simple song tunes
with variation
Ragtime rhythms
and tunes
Blues chord
progressions and
scales
Syncopation and
alternating
improvised solos
Dixieland Jazz
Typical instruments were:
– Clarinet
– Trumpet
– Banjo
– Piano
– Trombone
– Tuba
– Double Bass
– Drumkit
Dixieland Jazz
Look out for the
following
concepts:
•Improvisation
•Muting
•Bending/sliding
•Syncopation
•Vamp
•polyphony
Swing
Jazz was the dance music of the early 20th Century
Bands became bigger (hence “Big Band”)
Due to large numbers of players, tunes needed to be
“arranged”
A conductor or “Bandleader” would keep things together
Syncopation, Jazzy Chords, less improvisation
Swing Bands
Trumpets
Trombones
Saxophones
Rhythm section
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Piano
Bass
Drum kit
Guitar
Vocalist
Swing Band
A swing band in
action
Other Jazz Concepts
Walking Bass
– Bass line “walks” around, moving by step, mostly one
note per beat
Riff
– An ostinato in popular music – an obstinately
repeating pattern
Other Jazz Concepts
Scat Singing
– Improvised singing without words – the voice is used
like an instrument. (“Doobie waaaah”)
Boogie Woogie
– Fast piano playing
Left hand 12 bar blues fast swing rhythm
Right hand improvised runs
Country Music
This is the most popular music in the
Southern States of America. It has roots in
European Folk Music.
Typical features of Country music
songs:
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–
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They tell stories, (ballads)
They put across a simple moral message
Sentimental
Sung with a southern USA accent
A clear cut sound with no distortion
Country Music
Country and Western Bands
normally consist of Acoustic Guitar, (sometimes
SLIDE GUITAR)
Pedal steel guitar (to give a
characteristic Hawiian sound)
Bass and drums
Fiddle or Mandolin or Banjo
sometimes.
Later influenced by the blues modern Country Blues style
Rock Music since 1950s
“Teenager” invented in USA in 1950’s
positive mood of post war prosperity.
Rock ’n’ Roll considered shocking by
older generation
entirely aimed at “Teenagers”.
Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll:
– Country and Western Music
– City Blues
Earliest examples of Rock n’ Roll by
Country Band, Bill Haley and the
Comets.
– Clean guitar sound
– Double bass
– Ground breaking but limited success
Rock Music since 1950s
Elvis Presley was far
more successful:
– Bluesy style of singing
– distorted guitar
– Performed in sexually
provocative way.
– Parents shocked - his
popularity increased with
the rebellious young.
Rock Music since 1950s
Chuck Berry wrote songs about
and for teenagers and their lives.
– first Black Rock ‘n’ Roll
singer/songwriter.
– Piano Boogie rhythm on the lower
strings of his electric guitar
– distorted Guitar solos using blues scale.
– influential on future Bands and singer
songwriters
Rock Music since 1950s
Other Rock ‘n’ Rollers were Jerry Lee
Lewis and Little Richard, both used Piano as
main instrument in the band instead of Guitar.
Rock Music since 1950s
Various scandals and events brought Rock ’n’ Roll to an abrupt end
at the end of the 50’s:
Little Richard became an evangelist and sang Gospel songs
instead.
Elvis entered the Army.
Jerry lee Lewis was involved in a scandal when he married an
underage girl who was also his cousin.
Chuck Berry was put in Prison for breaking immigration laws.
Buddy Holly and several other stars were killed in a plane crash.
1960s
Black music and blues continues to be
influential
Slick production and marketing begins to
be more heavily used
Tradition of bands writing their own
material begins
1960s
Early 1960s “Pop”.
music industry began to manipulate it.
reaction to rebellious rock ‘n’ roll, New clean cut/clean
living American sound reflected lifestyle of white middle
class teenagers.
Today Pop refers to light popular music.
Rock is used for music with a harder edge-more serious
and poetic.
Rock bands play live and use electric guitars often
writing their own songs.
Pop groups are usually “manufactured” by the recording
industry. songs written for them musicians provided for
backing in the studio or live.
1960s
Elsewhere Record companies exploited the new
market for teenage music by putting together
groups and singers and getting teams of
songwriters to come up with songs for them
The lyrics concerned the trials of teenage
romance or about having fun.
What Chords are being used?
The chord progressions were often I-VI-IV-V
1960s
Black music was making a
comeback singing was
more soulful.
Black artists changed
“god” to “baby”, and
Rhythm and blues and
Soul was born.
Evolved into other forms “Doo Wop” sung vocal
harmony.
Drifters and then
Coasters had success by
appealing to Teenage
market
James Brown
Black Music
Black music in 1960s. Phil Spector, (producer “The Spector Sound”
added orchestral instruments : French horns, strings “wall of sound”
Reverb
SOUL
The Tamala Motown label (Detroit - “Motor Town”) combined black
music with teenage pop lyrics.
Black songwriters successfully wrote for black bands and artists
Stax records, - rougher edge / performances more intense/ backing
simpler, just
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Guitar
bass guitar
drums
organ
brass section.
Song
Structure
Some kinds of classical songs are THROUGH –
COMPOSED
– new melody for every new line or phrase of the song
words (lyrics).
– Lyrics and melody patterns repeated in unusual way
SOUL Rhythm and Blues- Blues song structure
Pop music - structure from Jazz and folk song.
– STROPHIC :regular structure, makes song more
catchy and memorable.
– verses have same melody each time
– Chorus or refrain exactly repeated between each
verse
Song
Structure
Chorus –
the bit in between the verses which is the same every
time.
– actually means many voices are singing. originally audience
“joined in with the chorus” repetition made it best known part of
song.
The middle 8
– When 2/3 of the way through, melody changes key (modulates)
– short 8 – 16 bar section with different words and music to the
rest of the song.
– Often followed by either instrumental section based on the chord
progression from the verse or chorus or a simple return to the
verse and chorus pattern of the rest of the song.
Song
Structure
Introduction
Verse 1
– Lead singer backing Vocals harmonise end of each line
– Ends with short “refrain” like a short chorus but just one line
Verse 2
– same structure as verse 1 but with different words except for refrain
Middle 8
Repeat of verse 1
Repeat of verse 1
– except lead vocalist sings scat
– Ends with Refrain
AABAA
Song
Structure
Further Innovation
Greater variety of instruments added: like:
Brass section
– trumpets trombones saxophones
– playing riffs and to fill out the sound at times.
Close harmony singing
– Beach boys and Beatles like “Boy Bands” and “Girl bands” more
recently, sang songs together in harmony.
– harmony rich sound of two or more notes from a chord are played or
sung together.
Backing Vocals
– small group of singers singing behind the Lead vocalist (the main
singer). Either:
wordless “aah…” in harmony
repeat/imitate lead vocalist
question and answer between lead and backing vocals.
Beach Boys
The west coast sound
The music celebrated
lifestyle well off, fun on the
beach summer, cars, girls,
surfing.
early songs simple such
as the 12 bar blues.
Later more introspective
and musically complex.
Brian Wilson’s
sophisticated songwriting
influenced the Beatles
BOB DYLAN
1960s, influenced by Woody Guthrie’s
ballads and protest songs.
protest songs like Blowin’ in the Wind.
old folk tunes - his own words added,
developed own style.
pioneered Folk Rock electric rock
instruments
became more “bluesey”, reflecting
black influences.
Later experimented with other styles,
like Gospel and Country and
Western.
Other bands Covered Dylan’s songs:
The Byrds, their version of Mr
Tambourine Man starts with 12
STRING GUITAR. Either acoustic or
electric this instrument has two of
each string, usually tuned an octave
apart. full and rich Jangly 60s sound
The Beatles
Took influences from
Rock n Roll and
Black music
Took song writing to a
new level
Importance of studio
craft
Wrote in a variety of
styles
Other Popular Music concepts
Effects:
– Distortion – trademark “fuzzy” electric guitar
sound
– Reverb – makes the music sound like it’s
being played in a vast echo-ey place like an
aircraft hangar
– Delay – lots of little echoes
Other Popular Music concepts
Instrument sounds:
– Synthesiser – the proper name for a
keyboard, imitating the sounds of real
instruments or making up new sounds
– Slap Bass – percussive bass sound
– Fretless Bass – allows glissando and sliding
between notes like a double bass
– Electronic Drums