Year 10 - Music
Rhythm and accompaniment in jazz
Blues and jazz
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
Pupils explore blues and jazz, developing understanding of key features including melody, harmony, structure and improvisation. They analyse and perform stylistic elements such as the 12-bar blues, swing rhythm and walking bass.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to identify idiomatic playing styles of the rhythm section instruments and understand how they interact.
Key Notes
- Rhythm sections have idiomatic ways of comping (playing the accompaniment).
- Chordal instruments (piano, keyboard or guitar) comp using syncopated rhythms and extended chords.
- The typical jazz 'swing groove' uses swing quavers, syncopated rhythms and accents, without heavy use of kick drum.
- Drummers sometimes use brushes to create a softer timbre.
- The bass often plays walking bass lines.
Vocabulary To Learn
- comping: when the rhythm section play an accompaniment to a melody; there are many different styles of comping
- extended chords: chords that include more than three notes
- brushes: drum sticks with bristles that drummers often use to create a soft, gentle timbre in jazz
- accent: a note that is emphasised more than other notes
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Rhythm section musicians follow detailed notation when playing.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Rhythm sections have idiomatic ways of comping (playing the accompaniment). Chordal instruments (piano, keyboard or guitar) comp using syncopated rhythms and extended chords.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'comping'
when the rhythm section play an accompaniment to a melody; there are many different styles of comping.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Rhythm section musicians follow detailed notation when playing. Correction: Rhythm section musicians will follow simple information, usually just the names of the chords. They then 'comp', improvising their rhythms based on those chords.
More Lessons In This Unit
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