My First Jazz Song!

Re: My First Jazz Song!

Not only is it not jazz, but it isn't even close.

The music elitist inside of me says you really shouldn't modestly attempt to recreate jazz music until you know jazz theory, which requires a really good understanding of basic music theory.

Jazz drums also use lots of syncopation, lots of crash + ride cymbals. No claps.

Try rooting your melody in a ii7-V7-I chord progression. If you want to get fancy try something like ii7-V09-iii-I. Be creative.

Keeping working on it.

Re: My First Jazz Song!

A walking baseline does not a jazz tune make.

Carbo is right in that jazz theory is a unique sort of animal. If you haven't done all that much work with jazz, or even swing/big band, trying to put together a jazzy sound can be pretty tough. Even though it's swing and not jazz, you might benefit from a few listens to bicycle break here on FFR, if just for the percussion style.

Tune sounds nice, and I like it, but jazz it really ain't.

Re: My First Jazz Song!

I concur wholeheartedly and even then some.

Re: My First Jazz Song!

As a jazz and swing drummer, I'm well aware how specific and important jazz style percussion is.

Re: My First Jazz Song!

Oh cool.

Re: My First Jazz Song!

Yes and no, but I consider swing to be stylistically distinct enough fromjazz to classify it as a seperate genre. I mean, pretty much every kind of music traces back to older styles, but we still call them by seperate names.

Re: My First Jazz Song!

So it's more like swing then...? O_0

Re: My First Jazz Song!

I think the general consensus is "While you're getting there, you're missing a few key elements of jazz/swing style music"

Re: My First Jazz Song!

Stop ganging up on him...

Re: My First Jazz Song!

I just read you three posting a lot of stuff and figured you were ganging up on him. Come on, you think I read posts? Pfft.

Re: My First Jazz Song!

lmao

Re: My First Jazz Song!

I agree with most everyone on here.
Although the music is catchy and what not.

The only thing that makes it jazz is the fact that jazz theory is in every ounce of music.

Carbo had some great suggestions for chord progressions. ii-V-i is a very common jazz progression, and for now you could stick with that and progress off.

Jazz is a wonderful genre, being that you can take the simplest of chord progressions and continue to add on more and more. Its such a creative and imaginative type of music.

You can take that chord progression and add different voicing to it, add 7ths (Speaking of which most jazz is in 7th chord scales ex. M7-m7-m7-M7-Dom7-m7-m7b5) 6ths, 9ths, 11ths, #11ths for you Lydian fans.

Its just such an amazing music.

The bass, depending on what kind of jazz, or more so who is playing it.
Can be anything from a walk, to something more arpeggio based. Key with the latter of the two is to not stick to just the root chords, work around the chord tones, It adds a lot of depth.

Drums, well. I don't play jazz drums, but it can be anything from crazy to soft, brushes, and what not.
Lotsa ride and some fills where needed, more snare than kick, high hat keeping the time with the pedal.

But still. pretty good music. Just not jazz

Re: My First Jazz Song!

I almost read that post.