rehearsal strategies for intermediate jazz bands...rehearsal strategies for intermediate jazz bands...

Rehearsal Strategies for Intermediate Jazz Bands

1


A Clinic by Mike Steinel Professor of Jazz Studies (Emeritus) – University of North Texas

How can I get my band to the next level?

Lay a solid foundation by doing the eight things great music teachers do:

Break it Up – Rhythm, Pitches, Expression and Style Show where the music comes from – History

Show how it works – Theory Model – Sing and Play

Show how great music can be – Recordings and Video Find words students can understand

Have Fun

Then go to the next level: Review/Reinforce, Explore, Make it “Real”, Engage Minds, Improve the

Improvisation, and Have Fun

To clarify:

Review and Reinforce the Basics of Jazz Style/Reading Explore the Nuance of the Music

(Rhythm, Expression, Harmony, Tone and Tuning) Make the Experience Real through Modeling

Engage the Mind – Theory Expose All to Improvisation and…Let the Fun Happen

Where is your band: Intermediate, Advanced, or still Beginning?


2

Four Questions:

Is your band aware of the basics of jazz style? Is your band aware of the basics of jazz theory?

Are your members able to improvise on a basic Blues? Does your rhythm section have a clear understanding of their individual

roles (Piano, Bass, Drums, and Guitar)?

Review is always good – Make it part of your daily routine

A Quick Review of Basic Jazz Style


3

A Quick Review of Basic Jazz Theory

A Quick Review of the Blues and Blues Scales


4

Explore the Rhythmic Nuance of Swing 8ths versus Straight 8th

Developing a softer first attack is challenging.

For wind players a steady air stream is required. Brass and Saxophone players can work to incorporate more nuance in the

articulation.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Jazz attacks are softer – Tah and Duh attack can sound very non-jazzy.

Experiment and Explore This Continuum:

Tu…Du…Chu…Zu…Yu…Oo..


5

Explore Jazz Expressions - They Add Personality.

Singing the syllables is key to internalizing the sound.

Notice how the repetition of these melodies are made more interesting with the variety of expressions


6

Explore the Three Basic Chord/Scale Flavors: Major, Mixolydian, and Dorian.

Explore the most common Exotic Scale: Harmonic Minor

Can your students sing these melodies?


7

Explore the Nuance of Swing Feel

In reality swing 8ths vary greatly depending on the player, the tempo, and the style period. This is from Richard Rose’s 1985 article.


8

Explore Tuning – More Than Just Tuning Up

Good Intonation is Contagious Poor Intonation is Contagious It is developed in Community

Intonation in the Jazz Ensemble is

much different than in the Concert Band.

Concert Band = Many On A Part Our pitch awareness is focused on

UNISONS.

In The Jazz Ensemble

Often one on a part Fewer “shared” notes

Intonation must focus on the HARMONY

The “role” the note plays in the Harmony And that focus must be on TUNING DOWN

To the lower or lowest Instrument.

Solution?

Practice Tuning Scales against a drone on the 5th. Practice Playing Scale Duets in 3rds.

Isolate trouble chords and tune isolated notes in this order: 5ths and 4ths, 3rds, then 2nds.

Add the “Crunch” last.


9


10

Engage the Intellect


11

Improve Your Improve

Remember Improvisation = Musical Memory + Musical Imagination

Three kinds of music memories: What you think, what you hear inside, and what your body feels.

Improvisation is Reinventing Melody or Ornamenting Melody

Focus on Reinventing Melody First.

Seven Ways to Reinvent a Melody

Syncopation, Iteration, Displacement, Diminution, Augmentation, Repetition, and Truncation

Make sure everyone in the band knows the melody. Use Melody Workouts in EE Jazz or make your own. But the melody of the song is key.


12

Have students make a list of tunes they can play for memory without error.

This is what they are hearing and this is what they can imagine

ORNAMENTATION

It’s more difficult but your more precocious students will begin to do it naturally. Let them add notes once they can play the melody without added

notes (reinvent) with some success.

Ways to Ornament a Melody

Neighbor Tones, Passing Tones, Enclosing Tones, Approach Tones

For More Information:

Email me at [email protected] Visit Mikesteinel.com

Or Like The Mike Steinel Quintet on Facebook.

Thanks to Hal Leonard and Yamaha Musical Instruments for sponsoring this event.

rehearsal strategies for intermediate jazz bands...rehearsal strategies for intermediate jazz bands...

Documents