PERCEPTION OF THE ACCOMPANIMENT
Swing music very elegantly plays at finding the balance between repetition and surprise. Generally, the basis of the songs is the most stable part and then what follows has more repetitive and predictable patterns. Obviously, it also incorporates variations and surprises. But it usually does this to a lesser degree and, therefore, it is a good idea to try to perceive the structure of the song, either by tracking the 1 or the phrases.
Let us now propose two kinds of exercises to improve this perception. The exercises in the first section are to improve our perception of harmonic accompaniment. The second block enables working on perceiving the bass.
1- Perception of harmonic accompaniment
The harmonic accompaniment of a song can be performed by different instruments but, in swing music, it is usually played by the piano or the guitar/banjo. Although there are songs that share the same accompaniment (they are called, in the world of jazz, contrafacts), each piece has its own harmony. As you can imagine, the goal of the following exercises is not to memorise the accompaniment of each song. It is about perceiving, based on some examples, how changes in harmonic accompaniment and the creation and resolution of tensions occur. These things let us know where we are in the song. If you are able to perceive them in one piece of music it will then be much easier for you to do it in others.
First listen to how the chords, played by the guitar, evolve in the song I Can't Give You Anything But Love. Try to perceive when and how they change and which ones coincide with the beginning of a new eight. You will see that these different progressions of chords end up repeating themselves throughout the whole song. This will make it easier for you to perceive when there is a 1.
Once you are familiar with the harmonic evolution of the song, try to perceive it in the complete piece, with all the instruments. Now it's not quite as clear as before, obviously, but if you look at it, even if you do not specifically hear the guitar, you will continue to notice how the harmony changes and marks the beginning of each eight.
Now, if you like, practice with the song Rose Room. First with the chords played by the guitar alone:
And now with the guitar chords, melody and solos:
Now, finally with the complete song:
2- Perception of the bass
Another of the elements that usually plays repetitive patterns that evolve with the eight and the phrases is the accompaniment of the bass (the double bass or the tuba). It is not always possible to distinguish it well, especially in old recordings where sound quality makes it difficult to hear some instruments, but, when perceived, it usually follows patterns that can also help us. We have looked for some examples where we think you will be able to follow it. If you listen to them you will notice that the evolution of the bass clearly marks the beginning of each eight.
Let's consider this for the first time in the piece Banjorend, played by the New Orleans group Tuba Skinny. Notice how the tuba usually makes a note every two beats (four every eight) and does so following a note evolution that, with some practice, you will see that it ends up becoming predictable and marks the eights and ones very well.
In Big Chief Battle Axe, by the same group, the tuba tends to suggest another pattern. It plays shorter notes at the end of each eight, marking the arrival of the 1. You will see that it does not always play the same pattern. It even incorporates short notes at other moments. This, however, makes the piece much more dynamic and fun, but can make perception a little more complicated. But note that, when listening to the dong, you will be able to differentiate it very well.
Listen to these songs as many times as necessary until the evolution of the chords or the tuba become familiar. Even though the evolution will be different in other songs, becoming accustomed to the examples in these songs will make it much easier for you to understand how others do it and will help you to better perceive the 1 and the phrases.
If you like, practice recognition of the 1 with several videos.