Flashcards
All Blues - Miles Davis
Cards in this deck (21)
- 1JazzOriginated in Southern States of America during early 20 century
Jazz branched into many genres
Could be single piano or swing band
Main element that unites styles - improvisation
(Music is made up on spot) - 2Miles DavisWell known trumpeter
Influential to many jazz styles
Modal jazz, which he experimented with in the 1950s as a reaction against complexity of bebop - 3Bebop Vs. ModalBebop was fast and virtuosic, improvisation based on complex chord progressions
Modal was laid back and uncomplicated, improvisations based on modes - 4All BluesModal jazz (based on a mode)
From album 'Kind of Blue'
Released in 1959
Band on the album is a sextet (a group of six players) - 5InstrumentationThe frontline:
Miles Davis - Trumpet
Julian Cannonball Adderley - Alto saxophone
John Coltrane - Tenor saxophone
The rhythm section:
Bill Evans - Piano
Paul Chambers - Bass
Jimmy Cobb - Drums - 6Frontline & RhythmFrontline instruments play main melody and have prominent lengthy solos
Rhythm section provides harmony and rhythm backing (although pianist has short solo) - 7ImprovisationAlbum recorded with almost no rehearsal
Musicians had no score to read
Miles Davis gave basic information about piece
Overall structure, including who would solo and in which order
Basic chord sequence
Main melodic idea
Which mode or scale to improvise on - 8MelodyHead melody is quite simple and characterised by rising 6ths (D to B). Four improvised solos follow:
1. Trumpet solo: lasts for 4 choruses made up of short, syncopated motif.
2. Alto sax solo: lasts 4 choruses. Quicker notes and wider range. Adderley's is more virtuosic than Davis'
3. Tenor sax solo: lasts 4 choruses. Fast scales and quick runs; very virtuosic
4. Piano solo: lasts 2 choruses. Improv is calmer with simple melody that leads into some parallel chords - 9Rhythm - Metre - TempoPerformed with swing quavers - each pair of quavers is played with the first a little longer than the second
Frequent syncopation
Metre is 6/4
Tempo is described as jazz waltz as each 6/4 bar sounds like a pair of bars in 3/4 time (waltz metre) - 10Instrumental TechniquesSnare - played with wire brushes at start, switches to sticks later on
Bass - plays pizzicato throughout (plucks)
Trumpet - with a Harmon mute for the head (soften sound)
Piano - tremolo at start
Once solos begin, piano starts comping (accompanying with chords and short melodic ideas) - 11Harmony (12 Bar Blues Table)Based on 12 bar blues
Repeated throughout the piece
Chord sequence known by jazz musicians as 'changes' - 12TonalityIn the key of G major with a flattened 7th
(Flattened note like this called a blue note)
This is the same as the mixolydian mode, so the piece is modal jazz
- 13Structure BasicBased on 12 bar blues progression - a chord sequence that lasts 12 bars and returns throughout the piece
Each section is called a chorus
Main melody - head, played by muted trumpet, lasts 12 bars, heard near start and end
Simple 4 bar riff in parallel 3rds that separate each section - 14Structure (5 Sections)Introduction - opening four bars, played by rhythm section followed by riff
Head 1 - head melody, followed by riff, is played twice
Solos - trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax and piano, all followed by a riff
Head 2 - Head melody, followed by the riff is played twice
Coda - a solo for muted trumpet - 15Structure (Table)Structure - Head Arrangement
(Small white lines represent riff)
- 1612 Bar BluesIn 'All Blues' minor sevenths are added to most of the chords. Two G minor seven chords are used at the beginning of the second phrase (using the blue note flattened third). The third phrase uses chromatic chords and more chord changes.
Chromatic harmony uses notes from outside the key to colour the chords. The final chord is an added sixth chord (formed of the triad with an added sixth: G B D E) - a chord which is often found in jazz music of this period.
Here is the chord pattern used in 'All Blues'. - 17—Intro:
Opening bar is repeated several times. Instruction for the snare drum to be played with wire brushes swept across the drumhead.
- 18RiffAfter four bars of intro the 4-bar riff is introduced. (played by saxophones)
The piano, drums and bass continue their ostinati and saxophones are added.
- 19Head 1Follows the riff with the muted trumpet playing the melody.
Miles Davis uses a Harmon mute.
Look at the opening bars of the trumpet part.
The trumpet plays legato, mainly in its middle register.
- 20Davis Trumpet Solo 2There are four trumpet choruses where Miles Davis improvises
Opening bars of trumpet solo 2.
Notice the increase in the pitch range and the dynamic range.
There is also more use made of grace notes and of syncopation.
The Harmon mute has now been taken out.
- 21Instrument Solos (Exam Answer Example)The trumpet solos are followed by four choruses for alto saxophone.
The style changes with the sax playing rapid scales and arpeggios - higher register of the instrument.
The alto sax solo is followed by four choruses for tenor saxophone. Again there are fast scales and arpeggios, this time across the range of the instrument.
The following piano solos are calmer in mood with more use of long melody notes.
The final coda is played by Miles Davis. Much of the opening is based on the tonic note (G) with grace notes played on the dominant (D). The last four bars of 'All blues' use the same legato long notes we heard at the end of the original head.
Information
- Description
- GCSE Music Flashcards on All Blues - Miles Davis, created by matt small on 08/04/2015.
- Created by
- matt small
- Views
- 2
- History
-
- Created by Katie King · Apr 8, 2015
- Copied by matt small · Apr 8, 2015
- Rating
More on All Blues by Miles Davis