Hello, and welcome to today's Music lesson.

I'm Ms. Mansell, and I'm gonna be your teacher for today.

Let's get started.

Today's lesson outcome is: I can identify how a composer has used idiomatic features in their composition and can use some in my own.

Let's look at some keywords for today.

Idiomatic, using features that are typical of the musical style.

Swing, where notes are played unevenly.

In jazz, this usually refers to swing quavers.

Chromatic, using notes from outside the key.

Head, a recurring chorus that starts and finishes the jazz piece; performers improvise over the chord sequence from the head in between repetitions.

Today's lesson on composing idiomatically is in two parts.

Part one is analyzing idiomatic features in a jazz quintet, and part two is using idiomatic features in your composition.

Let's get started with part one, analyzing idiomatic features in a jazz quintet.

Every musical style is defined by its idiomatic features.

These are specific aspects that are characteristic of the style, including melody, rhythm, harmony, and many other elements.

When composing, it is important to use the idiomatic features of the chosen style.

Let's analyze a piece of jazz, focusing on how the composer uses idiomatic features to make it an effective jazz composition.

Listen to the accompanying parts, the rhythm section, on their own.

What typical rhythmic features of jazz can you hear?

Have a listen.

This uses swing rhythms.

That's a typical feature of a lot of jazz.

It also uses syncopated rhythms in the piano and double bass.

You can see it highlighted in the score here.

Together, these help to create a typical jazz feel.

Analyze this short example of the piano part.

How would you describe the chords?

Have a listen to them.

This part uses extended chords.

That's triads with additional notes added.

These are idiomatic of jazz.

The chords are also highly chromatic, using notes from outside of the key to create dissonance.

This is a typical use of harmony in jazz.

Creating melodies that are idiomatic in the style is important.

Analyze the saxophone solo.

Can you identify any melodic features that are typical of jazz solos?

Have a listen to it.

This uses chromatic notes, including blue notes.

It's highly syncopated, accenting notes in between main beats.

It's virtuosic, showing off the performer's skill.

It grows in complexity, starting simple and building up to a climax.

All of these are typical melodic features of jazz solos.

Let's do a check for understanding.

Which of the following best describes syncopation?

Is it A, a repeated rhythmic or melodic pattern that continues throughout a passage, B, two contrasting rhythms played at the same time, C, notes that are played off the main beats or in unexpected places, creating rhythmic tension, or D, a temporary shift in the perceived beat, such as feeling 3 against 2?

Pause and have a think.

Well done if you got C.

Syncopation could be described as notes that are played off the main beats or in unexpected places, creating rhythmic tension.

The structure in this piece is typical of many jazz compositions.

Have a listen to the composition.

How would you describe the structure?

The structure uses a repeated head, so that's the chorus that is heard at the start and end.

This head consists of an A section and a contrasting B section.

In between the two occurrences of the head, the saxophone plays a solo over the top of the chord sequence from the head.

So that structure looks like this.

The choice of instruments and their specific roles in the ensemble are typical of jazz as well.

Listen to the head.

How would you describe the role of each instrument, and how are those roles typical of the style?

Have a listen to the head now.

So the trumpet and saxophone, which are known in jazz as the horns, play the main melodic lines, often in harmony with each other.

The piano plays the accompanying chords and sections of the melody.

The double bass plays a simple groove, with a section of walking bass.

The drum kit plays a simple swing groove that provides rhythmic drive.

In summary, this composition uses various idiomatic features of jazz: rhythmic features, such as swing or syncopation, harmony, extended chords and chromatic notes, melodic features, such as use of chromatic and blue notes, syncopation, virtuosic solos building in complexity, structural features, like a repeating head, with a solo in between repetitions, the use of instruments, so the melodic lines on the horns, idiomatic patterns, and the rhythm section consisting of piano, drum kit, and double bass.

Let's do a check for understanding.

Which of these features is not idiomatic in jazz?

Is it A, syncopation, B, polyphonic texture, C, extended chords, or D, use of a head section?

Pause and have a think.

Well done if you said B, polyphonic texture.

That's not idiomatic in jazz.

Now, for Task A, listen to the complete jazz quintet.

Write a paragraph explaining how the composer has used idiomatic features to create an effective jazz composition.

So pause the video now, listen to the complete jazz quintet, and write your paragraph.

How did you get on with your paragraph?

You could have mentioned rhythmic features, such as swing or syncopation, harmony, such as extended chords or chromatic notes, melodic features, like chromatic and blue notes, syncopation, virtuosic solos building in complexity, structural features, such as a repeating head with a solo in between repetitions, and the use of instruments.

So this piece uses melodic lines on horns, idiomatic patterns in the rhythm section consisting of piano, drum kit, and double bass.

I hope you managed to mention most of those features in your paragraph.

Let's move on to part two of the lesson, using idiomatic features in your composition.

Considering idiomatic features of the style or genre is crucial for composing effectively.

These features vary enormously between different styles.

For example, the idiomatic rhythms in jazz are very different from those in reggae or in Baroque music.

You don't have to use every single idiomatic feature, but using a range of them helps to make your composition fit the style effectively.

You can familiarize yourself with those idiomatic features and the style that you are composing in by researching the typical features and patterns and by listening to famous examples of that style.

Let's do a check for understanding.

If something is idiomatic, what does that mean?

Pause and have a think.

Hopefully your answer said something like it's typical or characteristic of the musical style.

Let's have a go at Task B.

Write down the key idiomatic features of the style that you are composing in.

Consider melody, harmony, rhythm, structure, instrumentation, and any other relevant features.

If necessary, research these further to ensure you understand what they are in the style.

Analyze your composition.

Does it use those idiomatic features?

Identify some opportunities to build in more idiomatic features.

And then continue to develop your composition, acting on your ideas above.

So pause the lesson video now, write down those key idiomatic features of the style that you're composing in, work out where you might be able to use some more idiomatic features, and then have a go at developing your composition.

How did you get on?

Reflect on the changes you have made to your composition.

Use these questions to help you consider your next steps.

What are the most important idiomatic features in the style?

Does your composition use those features?

Is your melody idiomatic?

Is your use of harmony and rhythm idiomatic?

Have you chosen a structure and instruments that are idiomatic?

Are there any typical features that you have not used?

Is this a deliberate musical choice?

Let's summarize today's lesson.

Composing idiomatically means using the typical features of that style.

Every style has different idiomatic features that help to give it a unique sound.

It is particularly important to use idiomatic melody, harmony, rhythm, instrumentation, and structure.

The jazz quintet featured many idiomatic features, which made it a very effective example of the style.

Thank you for joining me for today's lesson.