NOTES

Bass

• • Role:

    • Keeps time, drives the beat forward

      • Swing style

        • Walking (quarter notes)

        • 2-feel (half notes)

        • Pedaling (stay on single note, usually on 2 & 4)

    • Front edge of the beat to push drummer forward

    • If a chart doesn't have a bass line, how do we create one?

      • Counterpoint - outlines the harmony

        • First note of each bar = root note of chord

        • Third note should also be a chord tone

        • Fill in the rest of the "passive" beats with passing tones

          • Make sure it's logical for students' fingerings

        • Notes approaching a chord change need to set up/lead into the next chord

          • Secondary dominant or chromatics

  • Things to keep in mind:

    • Once bassist go from electric to upright, there will be intonation issues and less resonance

    • LH will have trouble holding down the strings, RH may drift to high on the instrument for plucking

    • "embrace the bass"

    • Look at the action (the distance between strings and the fingerboard)

      • Orchestral = wide gap

      • Jazz = narrower gap

    • Pick-ups - electronic output of sound for amps
      

Comping Instruments

• Piano

• • • Role:

      • Ornamentation, filling space

    • Books

      • "Voicings" by Frank Mantooth

        • Shell voicing - "rule of thumb" - consistent shape of hand

          • 4ths in RH, 3rd and 7ths in LH

      • Levine, "Jazz Piano Book", "Jazz Theory Book"

        • Excerpts, exercises, reharmonization, etc.

    • Most important notes are the 3rd and 7th of each chord

    • Listen to recordings for patterns!

      • Winton Kelly

  • Guitar

    • Free comping is similar to piano ("Freddy Green" quarter notes and bar chords)

    • Role:

      • Helps to reinforce the quarter note

      • Ornamentation, filling space

Drum set

• • Role:

    • NOT primarily for keeping time

      • Helps the bass keep time

    • Dynamics

    • Feel of the ensemble

    • Setting things up

  • Parts

    • Kick, hi hats, snare, 1 rack tom, 1 floor tom, ride cymbal (RH), crash cymbal (LH)

      • Essentially only need snare, hi hat, and ride cymbal

  • Grooves

    • Bass drum - quarter notes with the bass - feathering, barely touching the drum

    • Hi hats - beats 2 & 4

    • Ride cymbal - quarter notes

    • Snare - comping and fills/set-ups

  • Priorities:

    • Keep time w/bass

    • Set-ups and mark the form

    • (Reinforce horn lines)

  • Building repertoire of fills/set-ups

    • Encourage them to listen to big band music

    • Listen to stuff myself - how can I tell them what it sounds like if I don't even know?

    • Stylistic things - more listening! Genre exposure, curiosity (go beyond typical jazz styles, fusion)

    • Method books - Mel Bay, Yamaha, etc.

    • Encourage lessons if accessible

    • Masterclasses if budget allows

The Rhythm Section Together

• • Four very different instruments that should function as one cohesive unit

    • If that's not working well…

      • Reinforce simplicity

      • Go deeper and feel the subdivision the same

        • They have to agree on the feel because it's not a conducted ensemble

          • "doodle-a"s

            • Up-beat is the main thing in swing (emphasis on "a")

          • "peanut butter"

            • Down-beat is the main thing in Latin, etc. (emphasis on "pea…")

RESOURCES

"The Real Easy Book" -- solid introduction to jazz charts and learning how to work together

Jazz Rhythm Section -- Band Directors Talk Shop

Rhythm Section 101 Video Series -- Vic Firth