How does jazz sound

Although jazz can be played on any instrument including the human voice , the most common instruments on which jazz is played are saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass, drums, and guitar.

Jazz sounds are hard to describe in words the descriptors listed above hardly do a good job -- so the only way to really know jazz sounds is to listen to jazz! Can you tell a difference between them? Horns : The saxophone, trumpet, and trombone as well as any other single-note instrument, including the human voice are responsible for playing melodies, both written e. The Rhythm Section : The piano, bass, and drums comprise the rhythm section. Their primary role is to accompany and provide support for the horn players as well as each other; they may also improvise solos.

The pianist's primary job is to play chords the music that accompanies the melodies in a lively, rhythmic fashion. This is called comping. Notice how it comes from the word "ac comp any".

The pianist also improvises melodically. The bassist's primary job is to play the roots of the chords and "lay down a great groove. The drummer's primary job is to keep the beat steady and complement what the soloists improvisers are playing.

By introducing rhythmic accents and laying down a great groove with the bassist, the drummer adds excitement to the performance. Guitar : The guitarist is versatile. Course Introduction. What Is Jazz? Jazz Recordings. Basic Musical Elements. Jazz Sounds. A Perfect Democracy.

Where Did Jazz Come From? Those are just some of the reasons that jazz is a great art form, and why some people consider it "America's classical music. Jazz developed in the United States in the very early part of the 20th century. New Orleans, near the mouth of the Mississippi River, played a key role in this development.

The city's population was more diverse than anywhere else in the South, and people of African, French, Caribbean, Italian, German, Mexican, and American Indian, as well as English, descent interacted with one another. African-American musical traditions mixed with others and gradually jazz emerged from a blend of ragtime, marches, blues, and other kinds of music. At first jazz was mostly for dancing.

In later years, people would sit and listen to it. After the first recordings of jazz were made in , the music spread widely and developed rapidly. Jazz developed a series of different styles including traditional jazz, swing listen, for example, to Benny Carter, who got his start in swing music, in Benny's Music Class bebop, cool jazz, and jazz?

At the same time, jazz spread from the United States to many parts of the world, and today jazz musicians--and jazz festivals--can be found in dozens of nations. Jazz is one of the United States's greatest exports to the world.

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