AA’B Phrase Structures (5:54)

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The Blues: Understanding and Performing an American Art Form

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University of Rochester

The Blues: Understanding and Performing an American Art Form

329 个评分

The blues is an American art form and the most important musical form in jazz. Although there are other formal paradigms of the blues, such as 8-bar or 16-bar, this course focuses on different incarnations of the 12-bar blues. There are considerable differences between Early Jazz blues, Swing blues, Bebop blues, Modal blues, and Post Bop blues. Each type has its unique harmonic syntax, melodic vocabulary and, associated with them, improvisational techniques. While other aspects of jazz performance practice have been constantly changing from one stylistic convention to another, the blues has never lost its identity and expressive power, and continues to exert a powerful influence on the harmonic and melodic syntax of jazz. This seven-week course explores important aspects of the blues, blues improvisation, basic keyboard textures, jazz harmonic and melodic syntax. Topics include: (1) Blues Progressions; (2) Blues and Other Scales; (3) Improvisational Tools, and others. This course will also cover valuable theoretical concepts enabling the student to master the art of jazz improvisation. Each topic will be introduced from a practical perspective with the clearly stated goal: to improve one’s improvisational skills. Jazz improvisation is rooted in spontaneity, creativity, self-expression and, at the same time, self-control and order. A unique pedagogical approach based on a one-to-one musical interaction conducted with different instrumentalists will help to reinforce many of the concepts introduced in this course and realize its stated objectives.

从本节课中

Blues Progressions – Theory and Practice

Lesson 1 focuses on foundational aspects of the blues, examining its history, innovation, and evolving harmonic structure. At the end of this lecture, students should have a firm understanding of the harmonic structure of the basic, generic, and minor blues forms, as well as a familiarity with the A A’ B phrase-structure of the blues.

Lesson 1 Introduction4:14

Historical Overview (12:00)11:59

Generic Blues (6:25)6:25

Basic Blues Progression8:53

Minor Blues (6:49)6:48

AA’B Phrase Structures (5:54)5:54

与讲师见面

Dariusz Terefenko
Associate Professor of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media
Eastman School of Music

So let me now talk about the phrase structure of the blues.

Previously, I mentioned that the form of the blues

is made up of three four bar phrases.

We can refer to these phrases as A A prime and B.

And this description has huge ramifications in a way we're

going to approach our improvisation.

And ways in which we're going to portray

a musical story through improvisation.

So on the screen, you can see the form of the blues

with a basic blues progression and with the text,

with the lyrics derived from the iconic Backwater Blues.

One of the many verses of that, of the blues tunes from the early 20th century.

When you read the lyrics, you can see that the first two

lines are basically repeated, and the third line,

labeled B, offers the solution for these two lines.

So, the form of the blues, the Phrase Structure labeled as A and

A prime refers to the repetition of the same text or

musically speaking refers to the repetition of the same melodic idea.

Why the second phrase is called a prime?

You've probably guessed because even though we have the same lyrics,

but the underlying harmonies are completely different.

So in your harmonies, we'll give in your meaning to your melodies or

to the text and your final phrase, of course, provides a resolution.

So let me just play that one more time, and

let me read the lyrics.

I'm not a singer, but I can still try to recite them so

you can see what I mean.

[MUSIC] Then they rowed a little boat about five

miles across the pond.

So during the time your singer will sing these words,

then they rowed a little boat about five miles

across the pond and then a new lyric.

I packed all my clothes,

throwed them in and they rowed me along.

So that's AA'B phrase structure using lyrics.

Now, during our next lectures, I'm going to demonstrate

how to portray these characteristics of improvisation.

And it's actually fairly simple, because you can,

you have to basically use the same melodic idea.

Laden with some expressive content, if you use the same melodic idea of

different chord changes, they would be harmonically and melodically redefined.

So if I use for instance.

[MUSIC]

That's my A section.

Now A prime.

[MUSIC]

And now with new material.

[MUSIC]

So once again, this is very important concept because

as an improviser, you have to be mindful of the form.

And the way in which phrase structures impact your improvisation,

keeping in mind that the first two lines of improvised solo can be

basically repeated verbatim and the third one can be varied.

It's very powerful as far as creating and improvising a coherent musical statement.

When you go back, and listen to diversion of the blues,

that I mentioned earlier, Louis Armstrong, West End Blues,

Sidney Bechet, Blue Horizon, Jelly Roll Morton, New Orleans Blues.

Or other blues tunes used it in the course material.

You will hear those characteristics present.

You'll hear that improvisers,

musicians, hardly ever vary the first two lines.

And this comes from the great literary tradition, repeating for emphasis.

On thinking more rhetorically, maybe repeat that idea

to leave an impact on your audience, play something memorable.

So that's really important to keep in mind,

over a formal structure and phrase structure especially,

as it relates to the improvisation and the study of improvisation.

Thank you.

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