Soloing and jazz beyond the big band
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Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can understand some typical features of small-ensemble jazz, and understand how jazz solos work.
Key learning points
- There are a wide variety of common jazz ensembles, including trios, quartets and others.
- Jazz has evolved since the 'golden age' and now is a diverse style encompassing many different influences.
- Jazz solos are virtuosic and are often technically complex.
- Soloists often build signature licks into their solos and singers sometimes take improvised scat solos.
- Solos usually take place over the chords from the head, and sometimes feature breaks.
Keywords
Head - a chorus that repeats, and often starts and finishes a song. Performers improvise over the accompaniment in between
Break - when the accompaniment briefly stops and the soloist plays a short phrase alone
Lick - a short melodic idea that soloists add into their solos
Scat - a style of singing that uses made up 'nonsense' words, and often imitates instruments
Common misconception
Improvised solos are always made up entirely on the spot.
While improvised solos are mostly made up on the spot, musicians often build in their own signature licks or melodic ideas that are borrowed from other music. This means that solos are often a mix of new ideas, licks and melodies from elsewhere.
Teacher tip
Encourage pupils to be as free and creative as possible with their improvising. You can also encourage them to build in 'tributes' to other musicians, by 'quoting' other songs or melodies - this is a typical practice in jazz and is a fun, creative activity for capable pupils to attempt.
Equipment
DAW, MIDI keyboards
Licence
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