Beginning A Tune

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.

Once you have decided what tune to play, you can move on to the business of actually playing it. Just getting underway is a topic unto itself, however. In this section, I discuss some of the approaches commonly taken by jazz musicians.

The first thing that usually has to be decided when starting a tune is the tempo, assuming you are playing a piece with a steady pulse. Usually the leader will determine the tempo, but often he will check with the drummer, or someone who has a particularly important or techincally difficult part to play. The leader will normally count off the tempo for the benefit of the rest of the band by snapping his fingers or counting aloud. Every leader has a different way of doing this, but perhaps the most common is to count off four measures as follows:

[EXAMPLE]

Often an abbreviated two measure count off is used:

[EXAMPLE]

Sometimes the leader will start snapping on two and four before the count off in order to better establish the tempo. If so, he should be careful not to do so in a way that misleads the rest of the band into thinking he is giving them one and three, as his eventual count off will appear to turn the beat around and may confuse the rest of the band:

[EXAMPLE]

For ballads, this sort of elaborate lead in is usually unnecessary, and a simple one measure count can be used:

[EXAMPLE]

A count off is not always needed. The leader may simply begin to play an introduction that sets up the tempo, and the band can then join him:

[EXAMPLE]

This brings us to the topic of introductions. Some tunes come with introductions that are part of the composition, like "Take The 'A' Train":

[EXAMPLE]

Or, your band may have a particular introduction worked out as part of your own arrangement:

[EXAMPLE]

Even when no introduction has been agreed upon beforehand, you will often want to add one on the bandstand. There are several common approaches that you can use to create introductions on short notice.

One such approach is to take the last four measures of the tune and play them as an introduction. You may use the original written melody for this:

[EXAMPLE]

Or you may treat it as a four measure solo for one of the musicians:

[EXAMPLE]

Often, the rhythm section plays the intro itself, and then the horns join for the head:

[EXAMPLE]

For some tunes, an eight measure introduction seems to make more sense:

[EXAMPLE]

A different approach is to go through the entire form of the tune in a slow, rubato manner as an introduction, then pick up the tempo for the head itself. Again, you may either play the actual melody, treat it as a solo, or give it to the rhythm section:

[EXAMPLE]

Vamps are also popular introductions. One of the most common such vamps uses the I chord, perhaps in alternation with the V chord:

[EXAMPLE]

Another common vamp, particular for bossa nova or samba tunes, alternates the I chord with the bII chord. Of course, this is simply a tritone variation of the previous example, but when used in this fashion, the bII chord is often played as a maj7#11 chord rather than a dominant seventh chord:

[EXAMPLE]

Often, the rubato form and vamp approaches are combined, with one rubato chorus leading into a vamp to set up the tempo:

[EXAMPLE]

The head itself may be completely arranged, in which case you may simply play it as written:

[EXAMPLE]

When playing a head arrangement, where all you are given is the melody and chord progression, you should decide who will play the head. For a fast bebop tune, it may be appropriate to have all melody instruments (perhaps including a piano or guitar) play the melody in unison:

[EXAMPLE]

For standards, though, especially ballads, it is usually more effective to allow one player to interpret the melody as he sees fit. For example, given the following chart:

[EXAMPLE]

The head might be played like this:

[EXAMPLE]

Sometimes, the head is played twice. This is most common for blues compositions or other forms shorter than the 32 bar AABA song form. When in doubt, you can simply look around at the other players and communicate your intentions visually:

[EXAMPLE]

Often, a harmony part or countermelody is added for the second time through:

[EXAMPLE]

Sometimes, the first head chorus is played using a rhythmic device such as stop time, and then the second time through is in straight time:

[EXAMPLE]

At the end of the head, there is often a two measure break in which everyone stops playing to allow the first soloist an introduction. This is especially common at faster tempos. If the last melody note occurs at the beginning of the second to last measure, this represents an opportunity for such a break, and eye contact may be called for to decide if there will one and who will take it. For example, given the following chart:

[EXAMPLE]

Here is how the break might happen:

[EXAMPLE]

Copyright 2000 Outside Shore Music
Authored by Marc Sabatella

Beginning A Tune