Jazz harmony, ear training and ensembles: advanced
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- Course Code: MG603A
- Dates: 20/09/24 - 29/11/24
- Time: 10:30 - 15:30
- Taught: Fri, Daytime
- Duration: 10 sessions (over 11 weeks)
- Location: Keeley Street
- Tutor: Della Rhodes
Course Code: MG603A
Choose a start date
Duration: 10 sessions (over 11 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
Develop your ability to hear, play and understand melody, harmonic progression, style and time feel in the jazz idiom. Detailed study of jazz standards will be supported by listening, singing activities and playing as a group.
Develop your ability to improvise well. Learn challenging repertoire. Engage in duo and small ensemble projects. Perform.
What will we cover?
- Exercises will develop transcription skills and explore and practise approaches to improvising
- Improvising with the voice, notating chord progressions, guide tone lines, exploring scale choice and tensions
- Practice routines will be established for ear training skills
- Explore tools and devices like forward motion, backing riffs, guide tones, enclosures
- Look at aspects of ensemble playing such as leading, instant arranging, dynamics, presentation
- focus on listening and responding in the ensemble
- We hope to provide the opportunity to play in public once a term.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Recognise simple & compound intervals, natural and altered tensions over chords
- Develop short-term memory for motif, pattern, etc.
- Sing, write and use modes of major, harmonic minor, melodic minor scales, altered and diminished sounds
- Transcribe single lines and chord progressions quickly and accurately
- have mastered some challenging jazz repertoire
- Invent solo and backing ideas by ear
- Demonstrate good practice when playing in an ensemble (rhythm section or front line)
- Improve your response in playing situations
- Lead a small jazz ensemble
- show greater expertise in matters of writing/arranging.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
You should have good working knowledge of aural and academic harmony, recognition of intervals and the basic chord types (major, minor 7, dominant and half-diminished), minor and modal harmony. You need to be accustomed to reading, playing, and improvising in jazz and Latin styles. You should have already learned to play a substantial amount of jazz repertoire.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Almost all practical, lots of singing, transcribing musical ideas, and playing exercises and jazz standards together. Weekly practice of learning tunes and improvising solos.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Please use manuscript paper, play your instrument, and organise to record your playing.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
This course will continue through the academic year. You may wish to establish your own musical projects.
Della has enjoyed working at City Lit for over 3 decades, teaching, managing, learning. After training in contemporary dance, Della became consumed by drama and music work. Music came to dominate, playing in bands, song writing, teaching for, and advising, the Youth Service and Adult Education. Performing and writing arrangements for pop and jazz a cappella has been a 30 year journey. So too the teaching of jazz musicianship. Gratitude is due to early mentor Amit Sen for introducing 'the jazz thing'.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
