Music

Jazz piano requires a basic knowledge of piano theory, including chord formation, scales and modes, and a rhythmic feel. The basic concept of jazz piano is getting the sound and feeling of the...

At the end of the 1800s a musical form was created in the deep American South called the blues. The blues is the foundation of jazz, which erupted into and defined the American music scene in the...

A true contralto is female who's tessitura; that is, the part of the range in which her voice performs best is between the "E" below middle C and the second "G" above middle C. The contralto voice...

Teach Yourself to Play Jazz When I first got into the Air Force Band, I could read music but not improvise. I had to learn to play jazz, because I was assigned to the big band as well as the...

Jazz music festivals feature performances by multiple jazz artists in several venues within the hosting area. These festivals can last anywhere from several days to a week or more.

Learning how to play jazz guitar can be somewhat intimidating. You should probably know a thing or two about scales and keys before you try to learn seven chords and how to syncopate properly. ...

Jazz festivals have become have become an integral part of celebrating music around the globe. They were originally established to preserve and commemorate jazz music. Since their emergence in...

Jazz is a musical genre that originated in the United States in the early 20th century. Blue notes, "call-and-response" patterns, improvisation and polyrhythms are some of its major...

Created by the University of Idaho, The Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival serves as one of the finest festivals of its kind in the United States, playing host to thousands of music lovers around the...

Seven-string guitars are thought to have been invented in Russia in the 19th century. They weren't very popular in the United States until jazz guitarist George Van Eps had one built for him in...

The ability to read jazz music notation is a skill necessary to any serious trombone player. Reading jazz music is really no different than reading other types of music, such as the concert band...

Jazz music is an American musical art form based in the technique of improvisation. Jazz became the music of the people in the 1920s, and is founded in the roots of Louisiana blues music.

Nobody has ever learned to play jazz piano without first learning the methods of chord structure and the harmonic movement that defines the genre of jazz. Most aspiring jazz pianists learn these...

Classical music and jazz music are often considered as two distinct musical genres, and perhaps even as opposed to one another, as noted at Blogiversity.org's article, "The Influence of Jazz on...

Jazz grew out of the culmination of several strands of music from West Africa, America and Europe. These musical strands include African folk, gospel, marching band music, ragtime, dixieland and...

African jazz music usually refers to the jazz scene and style found in South Africa, with roots in the early half of the 20th century and heavily influenced by different American jazz styles and...

A drummer is the backbone of any band. Whether it may be a band in school, or a band you formed or joined, other musicians rely on the drummer to keep time and knock the socks out of any audience....

Though jazz and the blues have similar histories and qualities, they're technically two different genres of music that should be appreciated as two relevant pieces of modern musical history. For...

Guitar picks come big and small, thick and thin, and in nearly every material imaginable. Every player has preferences and subtle differences in technique, and pick manufacturers have responded in...

Jazz music has been around for many years. The evolution of this genre of music is symbolic of the history associated with it. Variance in instruments, style and influence plays a major role in...

It has been said of jazz that if you don't know what it is, no one can explain it to you. Well, that may be the opinion of hardcore jazz afficionados, but it's not entirely true. While it's true...

The enterprising port city of New Orleans developed under Catholic French and Spanish colonialists and did not culturally identify itself as part of the Protestant agrarian South. Napoleon sold it...

One of the first exposures that pianists will likely get to jazz is through blues, as the 12-bar blues is the most common among jazz piano literature. Approaching the blues requires some knowledge...

Jazz music has influenced everyone from authors to musicians the world over. French culture in particular has been receptive to the influences of jazz over the many decades since its inception...

Bebop is an American musical art form that requires skillful knowledge of harmony, rhythm and chord structure. Through the creative artistry of jazz musicians, it evolved from the big band era of...

The alto saxophone is an extremely popular instrument among musicians, band students and jazz veterans alike. This versatile instrument has an immediately recognizable sound familiar to music...

A Quartet is a group of four musicians or singers who perform together. The first quartets played classical music, but today, groups of four musicians can be found in any genre. The word quartet...

A popular form of American music, jazz was music of the people, adopted for dancing and singing. The impact of jazz music on American culture is widespread. According to Scholastic, jazz spurred...

Jazz music is a uniquely American form that borrows from several earlier musical traditions. The origins of jazz can be traced to the 19th century. Since then, jazz has continued to evolve and...

The jazz guitar can be a reference to acoustic and electric guitars that are used in jazz music. Over the past century, numerous musicians have defined the use of guitars in the genre---both as a...

End the summer vacation season with cool wines and hot jazz by spending the Labor Day weekend near a winery. Many of the major wineries hold annual jazz events over the long weekend holiday. These...

Learn how to play the Classical scale on the guitar for better solos without reading sheet music.

Learning to play around with the piano isn't too difficult. A few beginning lessons will have you playing simple melodies in a matter of a couple of weeks. Learning to play the piano well can take...

Jazz is a strong musical influence originating from America. Throughout the early 20th century, the major centers of jazz development were in New Orleans, Chicago and St. Louis.

Manouche, also known as gypsy jazz, is a musical style that originated in the performances of Django Reinhardt. A guitarist and leader of the Quintette du Hot Club de France, Reinhardt adapted...

May is the most active month of the year for music festivals, with the Memorial Day weekend especially popular as the official start of summer in America. The variety of music festivals in May is...

A relatively new musical instrument, the alto saxophone was invented by a Belgian craftsman in the mid-19th century. The saxophone is generally known for its lyrical sound, and the range of the...

The B Aeolian mode is the sixth mode of D major, and it contains a flat 3, a flat 6 and a flat 7. Discover how this mode is a basic minor with a flat 6 included with help from a jazz composer in...

The B Locrian mode can create a dark sound because it contains so many flat notes, specifically everything except the one and four. Find out how B is the 7th note out of C major with help from a...

The B Phrygian mode scale is a scale that creates a minor sound, although it gets a nice addition from a flat 2 and a flat 6. Learn about utilizing the Phrygian mode melodically with help from a...

The B Lydian mode is the fourth mode of D flat major, and it is a major scale that contains a nice sharp 4 and a kind of floating sound. Find out how to use the Lydian mode to solo over B major...

The B Mixolydian mode scale comes out of E major, and it starts on the fifth note of the B major scale. Learn about the flat 7 included in this jazz scale with help from a jazz composer in this...

The B whole tone scale starts off on B and goes up by a whole step throughout the entire pattern, resulting in a very open sound. Find out more about this symmetrical scale with help from a jazz...

In jazz music B scales, the Ionian mode is the first major mode, and it consists of a nice B major scale. Learn about different modes and scales with help from a jazz composer in this free video...

The B Dorian mode is the second mode of the B major scale, so it has to start a step above the A major scale. Discover how the Dorian mode is used with minor chords with help from a jazz composer...

In jazz music, the B hexatonic scale adds a basic B black chord, as well as a sharp three, sharp four and a flat six. Find out how to obtain the richness of the B hexatonic scale with help from a...

In jazz music, the B diminished scale has a repetitious pattern that alternates between a half step and a whole step. Discover the notes involves in the B diminished scale with help from a jazz...

The B harmonic minor scale gets its strength from the gap between the six and the seven, as well as the contrast between the minor 3rd and major 7th. Get a melody out of a B harmonic minor scale...

The B altered scale starts with a diminished pattern before moving on into whole tones. Learn about the pattern used in the B altered scale with help from a jazz composer in this free video on the...

In jazz music, the B blues scale uses the minor third and minor seventh, although major chords can be used beneath it. Learn about the notes played in the B blues scale with help from a jazz...