Academic literature on the topic 'Piano methods (Jazz)'

The article highlights the ways of development of jazz accompaniment skills of future music teacher in the process of his piano training. It examines the genre and stylistic peculiarities of solo piano jazz standards, specificity of jazz trio music playing. It suggests the methods and musical creative tasks for effective development of jazz accompaniment skills. A piano is an important musical instrument which plays a significant role in jazz development. The artaesthetic development of student, his creative abilities training and formation of music performing competence occur in the process of such education. An important aspect of development of jazz accompaniment skills is mastering the stride-piano technique. This style requires a perfect performing technique and ability to play with the left hand as fluently as with the right one. Considering the individual peculiarities of a future music teacher, his technical level and a step-by-step methodology will provide for effective stride-piano technique mastering in the process of his piano training. The use of the jazz accompaniment creation method will provide for the broadening of a performing capability of a future music teacher while accompanying a solo singer or a music band. In the following article the musical creative tasks and practical exercises aimed at the development of the left-hand playing technique and coordination on a piano keyboard and mastering the basic jazz accompaniment elements, its rythmic patterns have been suggested.

This article characterizes development trends in jazz piano from its origins in the “third-layer” (Konen, V., 1984) of music (ragtime and other “pre-jazz” forms) to the present time (avant-garde and retro styles of the late 20th – early 21st centuries). Main attention was devoted to the stylistic sphere, which represents an entirety of techniques and methods of jazz piano improvisation and combines genre and style parameters. In this context, the currently available information about jazz pianism and its sources (Kinus,Y., 2008; Stoliar, R., 2017) was reviewed, and sociocultural determinants, which contributed to the advent and changes of jazz piano styles were highlighted. Standing out among them at the first (traditional) stage are the schools and individual creative techniques known under generic name “stride piano” and based on the ragtime technique. At the second (contemporary) stage beginning from bebop, jazz piano stylistics gradually diverge from standardized textural formulas of homophonicharmonic type and attain fundamental diversity depending on creative attitudes of leading jazz pianists. The question of jazz piano stylistics is one of the least studied in jazz theory. The existing works devoted to this subject address mostly the sequence of the advent and changes of jazz piano styles along with the general characteristics of their representatives. Beginning from approximately the 1920s, jazz piano styles appeared and changed so fast that they left no time for their comprehension and perception (Kinus, Y., 2008). Only in the newest stylistics of the period after bebop, which divided the art of jazz into traditional and contemporary stages, did these styles attain a certain shape in new modifications and become the components of a phenomenon defined by the generic notion “jazz pianism”. It was stated that the genesis of this phenomenon is usually seen in the art of ragtime, carried in the United States of the late 19th – early 20th centuries by itinerant pianists. This variety of “third-layer” piano music playing produced a significant impact on the art of jazz in general, which is proved by its reproduction in the Dixieland and New Orleans styles as some of the first examples of jazz improvisation. The stylistics of ragtime influenced the entire first stage of jazz piano, which traces its origins back to approximately the 1910s. It combined mental features and esthetics of two traditions: European and Afro-American, which in the entirety produced the following picture: 1) popular and concert area of music playing; 2) gravitation toward demonstration of virtuosic play; 3) domination of comic esthetics; 4) objectivity of expression; 5) tendency toward the completeness of form; 6) inclination toward stage representation. In technological (texturalpianistic) aspect, ragtime, reproduced in the jazz stylistics of stride piano, demonstrated the tendency toward universalization of piano, which combined in the person of one performer the functions of solo and accompaniment, derived from the practice of minstrel banjoists related to the percussion-accented rhythmics of dance accompaniment (Konen, V., 1984). It was stated that ragtime as the transitional bridge to jazz piano existed simultaneously with other forms of “third-layer” music playing found in the Afro-American environment (unlike ragtime itself, which was an art of white musicians). These were semi-folklore styles known as “barrel house” and “honky-tonk(y) piano” cultivated in Wild West saloons. The subsequent development of jazz piano stylistic went along the lines of more vocal and specific directions related mostly to peculiarities of playing technique. Among the more global origins equal in significance to ragtime and stride pianists derivative, blues piano stylistics is worth noting. It represents an instrumental adaptation of vocal blues, which had the decisive influence over the melodics and rhythmics of the right hand party of jazz pianists (ragtime and stride piano highlighted and consolidated the typical texture of accompaniment, i.e., the left hand party). Blues piano style is a multicomponent phenomenon that shaped up as a result of efforts taken by a whole number of jazz pianists. It was developed, and continues to exist until presently, in two variants: a) as a solo piano variant, b) as a duet variant (piano and vocal). Along with blues piano, a style known as “boogie-woogie” was cultivated in jazz piano stylistics of the period before bebop as the new reminiscence of the pre-jazz era (with rock-n-roll becoming a consequence of its actualization in the 1950–1960s). A stylistic genre known as “Harlem piano style” (its prominent representatives include Luckey Roberts, James P. Johnson, Willie “the Lion” Smith, and Thomas “Fats” Waller) became a sort of compendium that combined genetic components of traditional jazz piano. This school has finally defined jazz piano as a form of solo concert music playing, which also determined the subsequent stylistic varieties of this art, the most noteworthy of which are “trumpet piano style”, “swing piano style” and “locked hands style”. Their general feature was interpretation of the instrument as a “small orchestra”, which meant rebirth at the new volute of a historical-stylistic spiral of the “image” of universal piano capable of reproducing the “sounds” of other instruments, voices and their ensembles. Outstanding pianists of various generations have been, and are, the carriers (and often “inventors”) of jazz piano styles. It should suffice to mention the names of such “legends” of jazz as Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Bill Evans, and also Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett (older generation), Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Brad Mehldau, Vadim Neselovskyi, Robert Glasper (middle generation), Eldar Djangirov, Tigran Hamasyan, Cory Henry (younger generation). Conclusions. The description of the stages of development of jazz piano pianism made in this article proves that its polystylistic nature is preserved, and the main representative of certain stylistic inclinations were and remain the texture. Textured formulas serve as the main objects of stylistic interpretations for jazz pianists of different generations. These readings are represented by two vectors – retrospective (revival of jazz traditions) and exploratory, experimental (rapprochement with the academic avant-garde). Of great importance are the styles of personalities, in which polystylistic tendencies are combined with the individual playing manners and improvisation, which, in general, is the most characteristic feature of the current stage of development of jazz piano art.

Russian music school has undergone major changes over the past 20–30 years. The emergence of mass musical styles and genres and their huge popularity, the opening of pop and jazz faculties and training areas, as well as private music schools and studios – all this aff ects the approaches to teaching piano in modern preprofessional music education. The approaches to the development of performing piano skills described in this article include not only traditional methods of studying the academic piano repertoire, but also methods of development in pop and jazz stylistics, using which one can achieve both improved fluency and the development of new sound skills.

AbstractThis article explores composer David N. Baker's use of elements of jazz and vernacular music to articulate formal structures and suggest extramusical commentaries in his concert works, with particular focus on the Sonata for Cello and Piano and the Sonata I for Piano. Themes of homage to and respect for jazz saxophonist John Coltrane resonate through these works. Various features bring the jazz legend to mind, but Baker's compelling play with implication and quotation provides fertile ground for studying musical signification and the use of vernacular emblems within Western compositional structures and the concert music of African American composers. Conventional analytical methods are combined with readings of referential symbols to work toward interpretations that address both structural and expressive domains. This approach allows discussions of compositional techniques to intersect with cultural and philosophical considerations. By addressing issues of musical structure and expressivity, this article seeks to move beyond commonplace surface-level descriptions of black vernacular emblems in the concert music of African American composers.

Background. Jazz is one of the most significant phenomena of the entire twentieth century, which in a very short period of time has won the attention of listeners around the world. Finally, many explores are interested in the study of jazz art as a significant element of the world’s musical heritage. There are a lot of works written by national and foreign musicologists who study jazz music from different viewpoints. A great variety of studies in jazz art include works devoted to the technical aspect, on the one hand: the study of scale harmony, rhythm, instrumentation, and on the other hand – the issues of historiography and style formation. However, focusing mainly on the identification of specific methods of using individual elements of the entire complex of music and expressive means of jazz art, scientists are less interested in the study of more «in-depth» issues, such as interpretation in jazz art, form building, semiotic and hermeneuticmethods of jazz music evaluation, musical dramaturgy. The concept of jazzmusic making remains unexplored. In our understanding, the study of musical dramaturgy deserves special attention, because at its level the coordinates of jazz music as a complex improvisation process converge. Objectives. The purpose of the article is to identify and study the main factors that determine the principles of formation of jazz musical dramaturgy at the level of solo piano composition. It is the improvisational nature of the composing and performing arts as well as the absence of a detailed musical notation that indicate the need to study the subject and an attempt to provide its scientific substantiation. Methods. The methodology of the study includes analytical, comparative, systematic and stylistic methods. This methodological basis allows us to identify the principles of jazz musical dramaturgy from the standpoint of piano jazz art, which, in the author’s opinion, gives an opportunity to speak about the peculiarities of organizing a musical text with the texture of different types of arrangement. Results. Over the last decades, jazz, without losing its specificity, has increasingly shown a tendency to interpenetrate with academic musical art, and at the same time become universal. An example of this could be the creative work of the renowned Kharkov jazz pianist Sergey Davydov. Turning to the specifics of the solo improvisational mastery of the pianist, we should distinguish the following important vectors in his work: commitment to the synthesis of jazz and academic traditions, tendency to polyphonize the textual presentation of the musical text, the use of the sonata principles as a consistent processual development of the whole complex of music and artistic ideas. The subject of the analysis offered in this study is a demonstrative example of the arrangement of the musical text of S. Davidov’s solo improvisation, which he demonstrated at the international festival “S. Rakhmaninov and Ukrainian Culturе”, which took place in Kharkiv in 2007 (the analysis was made on the basis of the video footage). The uniqueness of this example is that the pianist in his improvisation synthesized jazz intonation-rhythmic idiom with constructive and creatively inventive correlation of textural and compositional techniques of S. Rachmanino’s pianism. The conducted analysis confirms that S. Davydov, in addition to using the whole arsenal of specific jazz means of organizing sound fabric, adapts in his improvisation texturally-theatrical principles characteristic of S. Rakhmaninov’s work, and not only at the expense of quoting, but and at the intonational level. The factual organization of the composition, in this case, is based on the use of the potential of large and passage techniques, which brings together S. Davydov’s creative concepts with the aesthetics of virtuosity of European pianist composers of the Romantic period. Solo improvisation is analyzed – a kind of musical recital, which lacks the traditional jazz principle of formation based on variational construction, and is dominated by freely interpreted sonatas. Conclusions. Thus, the basic principles of musical dramaturgy formation in jazz art are: the use of specific jazz means of expression, which in the light of textual organization of the musical text realize the emotional and meaningful tension, forming a clear dramatic outline of the whole composition. Conflict, as a multilayered, comprehensive process of choosing an aesthetic position in the climax, reaches a point of dramatic ignition due to specific performance factors: dynamics, agogics, textural-rhythmic combinations. Not only specific performing skills but also energetic translation of the ideological content of the whole composition are involved in this process. In the context of jazz musical dramaturgy, one more important factor, which is fundamental in both solo and ensemble jazz art, is specific communication. However, when compared to academic music, where the listening strategy is interpreted as a «strategy of co-intonation to the sound form» but in jazz culture it is the listener who, at the level of the performer or interpreter, is a direct participant of musical dramaturgy creation. This is expressed by applause at times of intense tension or after the most successful improvisation of one of the ensemble members. Summarizing all the above, on the basis of the analysis we have tried to give our corrections to the concept of «musical dramaturgy in jazz» – is a thematic process of juxtaposition and interaction of elements of jazz language that contains various polystylistic complexes of Western European academic art, directing the energy of communication to the higher artistic unity of a jazz work.

The purpose of this article is revealing the main methods of synthesizing jazz stylistics with the means of expressiveness of music of the twentieth century in the genre context of the suite. The research methods are based on the use of musical-cultural, comparative-historical, theoretical-analytical and textual approaches. Scientific novelty. For the first time, a camera analysis of suite „1922” by P. Hindemith and „Suite of Sentimentsˮ by Y. Chugunov 1) in the context of genre updating of the suite by elements of jazz style and jazz performances, 2) in the aspect of the interaction of harmonious, accord-tonal, form-forming means of expressiveness of jazz and music of the twentieth century. Conclusions. The interaction of the jazz language with the academic tradition essentially influenced the renovations of the genre in the suites „1922ˮ by P. Hyndemith and „Suite Sentimentsˮ by Y. Chugunov. Jazz influence has contributed to: 1) individualization of the musical decision of the suite, increase of unique expressiveness (skepticism about dance in Hindemith, rich and dynamic palette of lyrical feelings, with contrast of contemplation and mobility in Chugunov); 2) release of the genre character and structure of the cycle from Baroque-classical genre-structural normativity (in the first work, the dance genres of music of the twentieth century, in the second – different emotional states, become decisive); 3) combining the form of a suite cycle (not a simple sequence of plays based on theestablished tempo principle, but a plastic improvisational transition, with the loss of the boundaries of the parts) (in „Suite of Sentiments” by Chugunov), with a through metro rhythm and internal unification with ironic author overtones expressed by harmonic, textured and rhythmic means (in the Suite „1922ˮ by Hindemith); 4) the formative role of rhythm formulas of jazz music (emphasizing weak parts, syncopation, rhythmic brokenness of melody, triple rhythm formulas and unstable formulas with small rhythmic meters), typical jazz performing techniques (fermat, „hangs”, discontinued melodies) and Latin American music of harmonic means (movement by parallel chords, active use of trio sounds, seventh chords, non-chords with alterations), jazz features of intonation (false fingering); 5) application of compositional features of ragtime, swing (cadences, improvisations, repetitions).

"Modern jazz can be considered an equal part of modern music, owing to the numerous experiments, at times considered strange or not really agreed by the audience. When talking about modern musical life and the possibilities for making music in a proper manner, no doubt that the value and genius of composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Ludwig van Beethoven must be recognized. However, one must also realize that modern life, with its modern, contemporary music is also needed. The great jazz saxophonist, Charlie Parker considered improvisation the middle of the earth, the place where, if only for a few brief moments, one can be the best and the greatest composer in the world. Furthermore, the idea of a song (theme) is the only reason for musicians to come and elaborate together, with variational spontaneity, a unique and maybe unrepeatable musical manifestation. The works of Chick Corea reflect this point of view, as the analysis of the work Spain (1972), discussed in the article bellow, will demonstrate. The work represents the fusion between Spanish music and the compositional methods of modern jazz music, reflecting Corea’s unique style. Improvisation lies at the basis of this composition, offering the musician a multitude of possibilities for expressing his ideas regarding freedom and human nature. Keywords: jazz, piano improvisation, spontaneity, creativity, harmonical knowledge, contemporary "

The relevance. The article covers the topics of popularization of instrumental performance of button and piano accordionists in terms of genre improvement of the concert repertoire, based on the idea of expanding the stylistic boundaries of the programme, offering new methods and techniques of instrumental arrangement when training and performing pop and jazz music in the preferred genres and styles, adapting the musical content to one’s performance.
 The aim of the article. The study explores the relevance of button and piano accordionists’ concert programme originality, as well as the need to add light genre pieces. The article also substantiates the question of the expediency of arranging the music of those genres which can sound more natural and be conveniently performed on instruments.
 The novelty. The study gives recommendations on structuring a composition in the standard form to facilitate the perception and understanding of complex rhythmic schemes of accompaniment for playing the part with the left hand and partially with the right one.
 The methodology. Methodology on the performing repertoire in the final stage, that is, on demonstrating the results of developing the programme at professional and other stages. 
 For a detailed and practical approach to the work process, the swing style is proposed using the example of a vocal genre composition ‘Ain’t That a Kick In Head?’ by composer Jimmy Van Heusen to the lyrics of American author Sammy Cahn. There are also musical examples of working material for clarity of the practical process and consideration of key aspects of the issue of adaptation and arrangement of pieces in the content.
 The conclusions. The relevance of the problem of piano accordion and button accordion popularity among modern youth and beyond lies in many reasons. One of them, perhaps, is the general tendency of studying at music institutions to prepare performances rather for competitive events characterised by competitive spirit than for concerts, where the performance is aimed at the audience’s interest. The demonstration of video and audio materials and live performances of masters of this art in prestigious radio and television programmes is not widespread enough.

Statement of the problem. The globalization process of modern music art constantly creates new phenomena in the research field worthy of detailed study and scientific justification. The active expansion of Jazz in different parts of the world and its interaction with the local folklore and home music production led to the formation of such phenomena as Latin Jazz that presented the world a number of outstanding performers and composers who opened up new horizons for the further development of musical art. Among unique pearls of Latin-American Jazz, the creative personality of a Brazilian performer (piano, vocals) and composer Tania Maria should be highlighted. Analysis of recent research and publications showed that Tania Maria’s creative work in the context of Latin Jazz development has not been sufficiently studied at the present time, being limited mainly by short references to biographical articles and interviews with the artist in foreign online publications. Thus, Tania Maria’s work requires a much deeper study that determines the feasibility and scientific novelty of the proposed research, which aims to reveal the genre and stylistic specificity of Tania Maria’s work in the 80s of the 20th century, the period, when the complex of her individual compositional and performing characteristics was formed. The result of the study was the disclosure, based on historical-genetic, comparative, analytical methods, of the genre-stylistic origins of Tania Maria’s “intonation vocabulary”, where the metrorhythmic and melodic structures of Brazilian samba and the hot-jazz component closely interact with each other, as well as the intonation-textural features of some compositions of the 1980s from the albums “Piquant” and “Come With Me”. Conclusions. Tania Maria’s creative work in the 80s of the 20-th century exemplified by compositions “Yatra ta”, “It’s Not for Me to Say” and “Come With Me” is a combination of genre and stylistic features of funk, Latin-American samba and elements of pop music (jazz-Latin-pop-funk). The musical art of the second half of the 20th century demonstrates a variety of styles and trends that were quite quickly “re-intonated” in the jazz language, which testifies to the universality of jazz as a unique form of musical thinking, creativity and cooperation of musicians. The combination of these styles is organic in line with the trend of development of musical art of that period and at the same time is the basis of Tania Maria’s unique performance style as a representative of both, South American and European jazz music.

Before a patient undergoes surgery, they are likely to complain of anxiety to various degrees. To address this issue, we designed and implemented a composition program using TensorFlow Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) to select music for learning. The nurses’ preferences and needs were assessed using the Geneva Emotional Music Scales-9 (GEMS-9) tool and focus group interview (FGI) methods for currently used sound sources and nurses at the operating room entrance. An FGI and GEMS-9 for preference analysis were conducted by nurses who currently work in the operating room, had experience with managing the operating room’s background music, and wished to participate voluntarily in this study on 31 January 2019 in an operating room simulation center. Interviews were held with a total of three nurse. The data were analyzed using a qualitative thematic analysis. Using GEMS-9 to evaluate 16 sample sources, the average of the sad–happy values was highest at four points, with a lower tension of 1.48. Happy, Joy, and Peaceful were classified as appropriate for background music in the operating room. Additionally, the top six songs were selected as suitable songs by calculating the difference in values among Sad, Tension, Tender, Nostalgia, and Trance, which were judged to be inappropriate along with Power and Wonder. The songs selected were two jazz songs, three bossa nova songs, and two piano classical songs. The results of this study show that music used in the operating room should contain a slow tempo such as slow classical, piano, strings, natural acoustics, and new age music. Music consisting of only musical instruments (preferably containing smaller arrangements of less than five instruments) is preferred over music containing human vocals. Based on the study findings, the conditions of the sound source to be used for learning were suggested after consulting with a music expert.