Marking The Form

This is a preview of the educational program A Jazz Improvisation Almanac which is under development for the Outside Shore Music Online School. Feel free to browse this preview and learn what you can from it. For a more completed product, though, check out the original freely browsable jazz textbook, A Jazz Improvisation Primer.

While an arrangement may call for the drummer to play a consistent groove, this does not mean each measure should be exactly like the next. As discussed in the chapter on Composition in the unit on the Elements Of Jazz, music normally follows a form. On one level, the whole arrangement follows a form such as the traditional head-solos-head. On a lower level, the head may itself follow a form such a AABA. As a drummer, you should help define the transition from each section to the next. For example, note how the drummer in the following example leads the band into the bridge of the tune by playing a short phrase called a fill:

[EXAMPLE]

Another technique for outlining the form is to change the basic groove. For example, note how the drummer in this example changes from one ride cymbal to another during the bridge:

[EXAMPLE]

Often, the basic groove for the head will differ from the one used for solos. A common example are arrangements in which a two-beat or half-time feel is used for the head, switching to straight four for the solos:

[EXAMPLE]

All of the devices discussed so far can be used to outline a change in soloist as well:

[EXAMPLE]

Laying out for a chorus at the beginning of a new solo is an effective device when used sparingly:

[EXAMPLE]

Marking the form means more than just outlining the transitions between sections. Within a given section, there may be particular rhythms, often called kicks, that the rhythm section may be expected to play in unison. For example, check out the kicks in the following phrase:

[EXAMPLE]

Often, kicks are played during the head only, and when the same spot in the form comes up during solos, you simply play time through it:

[EXAMPLE]

Sometimes, the arrangement calls for kicks during solos as well. Even if the arrangement does not specify this explicitly, it is always an option to consider:

[EXAMPLE]

You should be familiar enough with the arrangement to know if there are any special introductions, interludes, or codas, so that you can help outline these as well, notice how the drummer in thic example plays the interlude between the head and the first solo:

[EXAMPLE]

In a head arrangement, where the solos follow the same chord progression as the head, you should be able to sing the head to yourself during solos to guarantee that you make the kicks and fills in the right places. Normally, phrases are four or eight bars long, but if there are any phrases of unusual lengths, you should know where they are and be sure to honor them. Marking the form in this manner not only breaks up the monotony for the listener, but it also helps keep the soloist from getting lost. Furthermore, since the soloist is normally basing his improvisation on the outline of the original form, by adhering to this outline yourself, you are supporting the soloist in structuring his solo.

Copyright 2000 Outside Shore Music
Authored by Marc Sabatella

Marking The Form