Jazz Specific Pieces
At times, searching the Internet or even a library or music store for jazz specific pieces is easier said than done. Not all pieces are labeled with the genre they’ve been composed or arranged for. Most of the time, you’ll have to make the adjustments yourself to make a certain composition suitable for your preferred genre. In any case, you can use the tips below to find pieces which are written or at least most appropriate for jazz.
Elements of Jazz
The first thing you have to be clear on is what jazz is all about. A generic description won’t be enough to help you distinguish jazz specific pieces from the rest. You have to develop something like a sixth sense for it, and that can only happen with time and sufficient exposure to jazz music.
For starters, you should assess a composition based on the elements that typically characterize jazz music.
Melody
Jazz melodies often feature large improvised sections, a healthy amount of blues, and a high level of complexity. Jazz has more things in common with classical music than, say, hip-hop or rock and roll in terms of complexity and improvisation.
Harmony
In terms of harmony, jazz specific pieces would often feature chord progressions, which require a greater level of technical expertise than what’s asked when you have to simply master a variety of chords.
This is just one of the many reasons why jazz specific pieces are more difficult to practice and master compared to piano compositions for other genres.
Rhythm
For the sake of refreshing your knowledge, rhythm basically refers to the beat of a composition, which is characterized by the length of each note played. For jazz specific pieces, you’ll notice a high frequency of counterpoint rhythms as well as syncopation and, of course, swing.
Timber
Identifying jazz specific pieces based on timber alone would require advanced knowledge, but it does guarantee a higher rate of accuracy. Jazz songs basically feature the usual kind of instrumentation as well as a few extended effects.
Expression
Like timber, assessing the expression of a particular piece to determine its genre can be difficult. At the very least, jazz pieces depend entirely on the pianist’s style or interpretation and how he wants to express the piece in terms of emotion, articulation, and dynamics.
Although it seems like jazz adhere to rigid rules for playing, when you take the time to study jazz at a deeper level you’ll realize that it’s probably the genre with the greatest support for self-expression.