Doctorate in Jazz in 15 Minutes
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Billy Taylor condenses 10 years of jazz education into a concise 15-minute lesson, focusing on music theory rather than history. He explains the basics of jazz, including the major scale, chord structures, and the significance of modes like Ionian and Lydian. Taylor also delves into advanced concepts such as chord voicings, progression, and rhythm, offering practical insights and tips for jazz musicians. The video is designed as a resource for understanding and communicating complex musical ideas more easily.
Takeaways
- π The speaker emphasizes that the majority of the knowledge gained from music school can be condensed into a short amount of time, focusing on theory and history, with the latter well-documented in existing jazz documentaries.
- π΅ The harmonic series is the basis for the major scale, with unique notes derived from the pattern of frequencies found in resonant sounds.
- π Modes are different scales that can be derived from the major scale by starting on different notes, such as the Lydian mode, which differs from the Ionian mode in the pattern of whole steps and half steps.
- π Triads are foundational in music due to their presence as the first three unique notes in the harmonic series, and they form the basis for understanding chords in jazz.
- π Seventh chords are common in jazz, adding more 'color' to the sound compared to triads, and can be extended further with 9th, 11th, and 13th notes.
- π The use of the Lydian mode (C Lydian) for a major chord is preferred by some jazz musicians due to its less dissonant sound compared to using an F note in the Ionian mode.
- πΌ Parent scales are associated with chords to provide a broader range of notes for improvisation and melody writing, beyond just the notes in the chord itself.
- π Jazz chord nomenclature is a system for quickly communicating the notes in a chord, with symbols indicating the type of triad and any extensions.
- π The concept of 'add' in chord notation means to include an extension without assuming all of its previous extensions, simplifying the notation.
- πΆ Slash chords simplify notation by indicating a chord to be played over another chord's root, useful for indicating the bass note in a chord progression.
- π· The most common scales in jazz are the modes of the major scale and the melodic minor scale, with the latter having a minor third and providing unique sounds for certain chords.
- π Pentatonic scales, which consist of five notes, are popular in various music genres and can be derived from both major and minor scales by using the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and either the 6th or 7th notes.
- πΉ Chord voicings in jazz can be varied, including drop two and drop three voicings, which involve dropping notes from the top of the chord to create different sounds.
- πΆ The 2-5-1 chord progression is a common structure in jazz, and substitutions can add complexity and interest, such as the tritone substitution.
- π₯ Syncopated rhythms, like the 2:3 ratio found in many styles of music, are related to the musical fifth and are a fundamental aspect of rhythm in jazz.
Q & A
What is the harmonic series, and how does it relate to the major scale?
-The harmonic series is a mathematical pattern of frequencies that appears in resonant sounds. It helps explain the intervals that form the major scale. By repeating the interval between the first few harmonics (like F and C), and then lowering the octaves, you can construct a scale similar to the major scale.
What is the Ionian mode, and how does it differ from other major scales?
-The Ionian mode is what most people refer to as the major scale. It is one of several modes, meaning it starts on a specific note within the scale, in this case, C. Other major scales, like the Lydian mode, start on different notes and have a slightly different pattern of whole and half steps between notes.
Why are triads significant in music theory, especially in jazz?
-Triads are significant because they are the first three unique notes in the harmonic series (the fundamental, third, and fifth harmonics). They form the basic building blocks of chords and are commonly used in many genres, including jazz.
What are chord extensions, and why are they important in jazz?
-Chord extensions are additional notes added to a basic triad, such as the 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th. They add color and complexity to chords, making them richer and more expressive, which is a common characteristic in jazz.
What is a parent scale, and how is it used in jazz improvisation?
-A parent scale is the most consonant scale that can be played over a certain chord. It serves as a starting point for improvisation, allowing musicians to create melodies that fit harmonically with the chord progressions.
How do jazz musicians use modes to determine scales for chords?
-Jazz musicians use modes to find the most consonant scales for chords. For example, the Ionian mode is typically used for major chords, while the Dorian mode is often used for minor chords. These modes help musicians select notes that fit well with the underlying harmony.
What is the significance of the Lydian mode in jazz, and how does it differ from the Ionian mode?
-The Lydian mode is significant because it contains a sharp 11th, which makes it less dissonant than the Ionian mode when used with certain chords. Some jazz musicians prefer the Lydian mode as the parent scale for major chords because of this characteristic.
What are slash chords, and how do they simplify chord notation in jazz?
-Slash chords are a simplified way of notating chords where the bass note differs from the root of the chord. For example, B flat minor over D indicates playing a B flat minor chord with a D in the bass. This simplifies notation and makes it easier to read and play chords.
What is the relationship between the 2:3 rhythm and jazz syncopation?
-The 2:3 rhythm is a foundational syncopated rhythm found in jazz and other genres influenced by African music. It creates a 'swing' feel in jazz, where the beat is unevenly divided, giving the music its characteristic rhythmic drive.
Why is it important to understand that music theory is imperfect?
-Music theory is an attempt to explain why certain sounds and harmonies work, but it is not a strict set of rules. Understanding its imperfections allows musicians to use it as a guide rather than a constraint, enabling more creative and expressive music-making.
Outlines
πΆ Condensing 10 Years of Jazz Study
The speaker reflects on a decade of studying jazz in college, highlighting that the most valuable part of the experience was playing with talented musicians. They believe that much of the theoretical knowledge can be condensed into a short 15-minute overview. The speaker plans to cover essential jazz theory, starting with the basics and progressing to advanced concepts, using timestamps for navigation.
πΌ The Origins and Construction of the Major Scale
This section explores the origins of the major scale, tracing it back to the harmonic seriesβa mathematical pattern of frequencies found in resonant sounds. The speaker demonstrates how stacking intervals in the harmonic series creates the major scale and explains different modes, such as Ionian and Lydian. They also discuss how chords are built from these scales, emphasizing the importance of the harmonic series in jazz.
π· Jazz Chord Nomenclature and Parent Scales
The speaker dives into the complex nomenclature of jazz chords, explaining how different triads (major, minor, suspended, diminished, and augmented) are named and notated. They discuss how parent scales are determined for chords and introduce the concept of chord extensions and alterations. The section also covers the use of slash chords and how they simplify notation in jazz.
πΈ Pentatonic and Six-Note Scales
The speaker explores various scales beyond the major scale, including the pentatonic scale, which is common in folk and pop music. They explain how the pentatonic scale is derived by stacking fifths and how it can be rearranged into major or minor forms. The speaker also introduces six-note scales, which can be formed by adding chromatic notes or by pairing triads, offering unique harmonic structures.
πΉ Chord Voicings and Progressions
This section covers different techniques for voicing jazz chords, starting with basic spellings and progressing to more complex inversions and drop voicings. The speaker demonstrates how these voicings are used in common jazz progressions, such as the 2-5-1, and introduces chordal voicings, which stack intervals of fourths. The section concludes with an exploration of chord substitutions, like the tritone substitution, to add variety to progressions.
π₯ The Foundation of Syncopated Rhythm
The speaker shifts focus to rhythm, particularly the syncopated rhythms foundational to jazz. They explain how the interval of a fifth also serves as the basis for rhythmic patterns like the 2:3 ratio, which is prevalent in jazz and other genres influenced by the African diaspora. The speaker illustrates how these rhythms are applied in swing music and other jazz styles, emphasizing the imperfect nature of musical theory.
π§ Conclusion and Call to Action
The speaker wraps up the video by acknowledging the complexity of the material covered, comparing it to a study guide. They emphasize the value of understanding theory to communicate musical ideas more effectively. Finally, they invite viewers to support the channel through Patreon, offering exclusive content and useful presets, with links provided in the video description.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Harmonic Series
π‘Major Scale
π‘Ionian Mode
π‘Lydian Mode
π‘Chord Extensions
π‘Parent Scale
π‘Chord Nomenclature
π‘Modal Interchange
π‘Tritone Substitution
π‘Syncopation
Highlights
Billy Taylor condenses 10 years of jazz study into a 15-minute session, focusing on theory over history.
Introduction to the major scale and its origins from the harmonic series.
Explanation of the ionian mode as the common major scale and its relation to other modes like lydian.
Discussion on triads, their formation from the harmonic series, and their use in various music genres.
Introduction to seventh chords, their formation, and their prevalence in jazz for added color.
Explanation of chord extensions, including the 9th, 11th, and 13th notes.
Comparison of the lydian mode to the ionian mode and its use as a parent scale for major chords.
Explanation of parent scales and their importance in jazz improvisation and melody construction.
Introduction to jazz chord nomenclature and its efficient communication of chord structures.
Explanation of dominant chords, their notation, and the significance of the mixolydian mode.
Introduction to altered chords and their extensions, including the sharp 11 and other alterations.
Explanation of slash chords and their role in simplifying complex chord notations.
Overview of scales used in jazz, including pentatonic, whole tone, and diminished scales.
Discussion of common chord progressions in jazz, like the 2-5-1 progression.
Introduction to rhythmic concepts in jazz, including syncopation and the 2-over-3 rhythm ratio.
Transcripts
I spent 10 years in college studying
Jazz so you don't have to most of the
benefit I got from that time was the
experience of playing with a lot of
great musicians however I believe nearly
all the relevant knowledge I learned can
be condensed down into 15 minutes most
of the relevant knowledge you learn in
music school is Theory or history and
since there are already great
documentaries about the history of jazz
we'll focus on the theory hi I'm Billy
Taylor and that's JS so let's start with
the basics and by the end we'll dive
into advanced concepts check out the
time stamps for specific topics the
major scale where does it come from well
it kind of comes from the harmonic
series The harmonic series is a
mathematical pattern of frequencies that
shows up in most resonant sounds if I
play an F1 the second harmonic is F2
double the frequency of the first
harmonic aka the fundamental the third
harmonic is three times the frequency of
the fundamental in this case a C3 this
is the first unique note in the harmonic
series meaning not an octave of the
fundamental F so let's hear what it
sounds like if I take that interval
between an f and a c and repeat it
starting on a c i get G if I repeat the
interval again I get d a e and B that's
a nice sound let's turn it into a scale
by lowering the octaves or having the
frequencies to get the narrowest range I
can that gives me this scale but this
isn't the major scale we learned first
let's play the same notes but starting
on a C this is called the ionian mode
it's what most people mean when they
refer to a major scale but it's not the
only major scale most scales have modes
meaning you can get a different scale by
starting on a different note for example
if I start on the fourth note of the
major scale I get a lydian scale it's
also a major scale but the pattern of
whole steps and half steps between notes
is slightly different now what about
chords in most genres of music you'll
hear a lot of Triads they sound great
because they're the first three unique
notes found in the harmonic series the
first third and fifth harmonics if I
play a C are c g and e rearrange those
into the narrowest range and you get c e
and G we can also get this pattern by
skipping notes of a scale if I take a C
major scale and play the first third and
fifth notes of the scale I also get c e
and G in jazz we frequently refer to
notes in a scale by their number so that
it's easy to transpose to other keys
so what if I keep going with that
pattern of skipping notes if I skip a
note from G I get a B this is a major
seven chord seventh chords are very
common in jazz they have more color than
a Triad but why stop at the seventh
let's continue skipping up in adding
notes we can add the 9 the 11 and the 13
these extra notes are often called chord
extensions whoa whoa whoa whoa pump the
brakes why did you play an FP that's not
in C major well it is it isn't it's not
in the major scale most people know but
remember the lydian mode it is in the
lydian mode C lydian is the fourth mode
of G major and G major has an F sharp in
the key so why use lydian well listen to
how the c major chord sounds with an
fshp and listen to how it sounds with an
f f is actually more dissonant than the
fshp this along with the demonstration
of stacking fifths to get a major scale
from earlier is why many jazz music say
lydian should be the parent scale for a
major chord not
ionian okay so what is a parent scale
imagine you have a set of chord changes
and you want to write or improvise a
Melody that fits those changes it could
be pretty limiting to only play the
notes in those chords that's why we
associate chords with different scales
you can figure out a scale for a chord
by starting with the notes of the chord
and then filling out the alphabet so if
my chord is C major 7 that's c e G and B
I want to construct a scale that
includes those notes but also d f and a
or d flat D sharp F or a flat so how do
we choose the parent scale is simply the
most consonant scale I can play over a
certain chord it's a good starting place
I can play other notes but they will
Clash more against the chord you may
have learned that a C minor scale is
this with an A flat this is the sixth
mode of the major scale AOL
but let's compare that to the second
mode Dorian the difference is the a in
Dorian and the a flat in aolan the a is
less dissonant than the a flat so in
jazz the Dorian mode is the parent scale
for a minor chord unless that chord has
a flat 6 or flat 13 in it when referring
to alterations to notes in a jazz chord
we'll describe thirds and sths as either
minor or major and everything else is
flat natural or sharp regardless of the
key now let's talk about chord
nomenclature jazz chord nomenclature is
a bit weird but it's an effective way of
quickly communicating the notes in a
chord the first part of the chord symbol
describes the Triad each type of Triad
gets its own name major minor suspended
diminished and augmented these all mean
major these all mean minor suspended is
abbreviated sus or sus4 and means that
you replace the third with the fourth
note of the scale for example C sus is
CF and
G diminished is abbreviated dim or with
a circle and augmented is abbreviated
Aug or with a plus half diminished is
this diminished sign with a slash
through
it if a chord has none of the above for
example if it just says C it's assumed
to be major in this case just a major
Triad so what about
C7 that's c e g and B flat but why B
flat and not B like in a C major scale
C7 is an example of a dominant chord
because it has a major Triad and a minor
7 so wouldn't that be notated C Minor 7
no because remember the part after the
note name that says major or minor
determines the type of Triad so C Minor
7 would be this c e flat G and B flat
here's how you figure out which notes to
include in a chord if the chord has any
of the major symbols after the letter
the parent scale is the ionian mode if
the Triad is minor the parent scale is
the Dorian mode and if there is no
indication of minor or major and there
are extensions the parent scale is the
mixian mode that part frequently drips
people up this works until there are
alterations to any of the extensions for
example C major 7 sharp 11 is c e g b d
and f sharp the chord is notated with a
sharp 11 because C ionian is the parent
scale for major and does not include an
FP parent scale for C major 7 Shar 11 is
the lydian mode because that scale has a
sharp
11 you may have noticed that the C major
7 sharp 11 chord has a 9 in it as well
as the sharp 11 we add every extension
until we get to the top extension in a
chord but what if we don't want the
ninth what if we just want c e g b and F
sharp we would write C major 7 add sharp
11 the add means you add the extension
without assuming all of its previous
extensions another thing you see in jazz
that can help simplify this is slash
chords an example is B flat minor over D
this simply means that you play a B flat
minor chord with a D in the base so that
chord would be D B flat d flat and F
this is a nice way of simplifying
notation because the way of writing that
chord with the previous method is D
Minor major 7 Shar 5 which is a lot more
information to especially when site
reading music rarely you'll see a slash
chord with a chord on the bottom like a
flat minor over C major that's simply an
A flat Minor triad on top of a C major
Triad we call that a bi tonality it
might seem like a lot to figure out the
parent scale for all these chords but
the good news is that probably at least
90% of these chords use only two scales
modes of the major scale and modes of
the melodic minor scale melodic minor is
the same as the major scale but has a
minor third even with a one note
difference you can get a lot of Unique
Sounds from that scale for example the
parent scale for a half-diminished chord
is the sixth mode of the melodic minor
scale the most common chords associated
with modes of the melodic minor scale
are half diminished dominant sharp 11
minor major 7 and dominant sharp or flat
five sharp five sometimes referred to as
alt or altered for short so what's left
diminished and hold tone these are
simply scales that follow a recurring
pattern of whole or half steps the
diminish scale only has two modes the
scale with a pattern of whole half whole
half step or half whole half whole step
the whole half one is the scale for a
diminished chord the half hole version
can be played on a dominant chord with a
flat nine or sharp nine but not a sharp
five then there's the whole tone scale
which is all whole steps this is the
parent scale for an augmented chord or a
chord like C7 Shar
5 there are other scales like harmonic
minor harmonic major and the augmented
scale but these are extremely rare So
now that we have an understanding of
chords and parent scales let's talk
about some other scales we don't have to
make a scale out of every note available
for example the pentatonic scale is a
very popular sounding scale that is
common in folk and pop music remember
when I showed you how to get a major
scale we stacked fifths until we got
seven unique notes
well what if we stop after five we would
get f c g d and a rearrange those into
their narrowest range and we get a major
pentatonic scale this is the 1 2 3 5 and
sixth notes of the major scale we get a
minor pentatonic scale by starting on
the six so if we're in C starting on an
a gives us a minor
pentatonic you can make up any
pentatonic scale with five unique notes
we can do the same thing for four four
notes F C G and D since it's four notes
we can use them over a lot of different
keys for example on C major I can play
the combination from C from G from D or
from
a I'm moving the pattern up in fifths
and each time the scale sounds brighter
against the chord now how about six note
scales let's use that last four note
scale and add notes chromatically
between them so c c Shar d g g Shar a we
can also get six note scales with pairs
of Triads for example on a C7 sharp 11
chord I can play a C major Triad and a D
major
Triad the chord is C E G B flat d f SHP
the parent scale is CDE E F G A B flat
that's the fourth mode of the G melodic
minor
scale both the C and D major Triads are
found in that scale thinking of Triads
can help give a melody and interesting
harmonic
structure so let's talk about some chord
voicings the simplest way to voice a
chord is just spelling out the chord
from the bottom for example C major 9 is
c e g b and d now usually there's a bass
player in jazz and the bass is playing
the root or the bottom note of a chord
so I'm going to move the C down in
octave this lets me invert the chord in
my right hand so for example I can move
up so that b is the bottom note in my
right hand
let's play the most common chord
progression in jazz at 251 in the key of
C rather than building the chord from
the bottom each time I'm moving the
notes to the nearest voice of the next
chord now if I play those voicings in my
left hand I can play melodies in my
right hand in octaves I'm going to add a
perfect fifth that foundation for
Western Harmony in between the octaves
to reinforce the melody and now I can
play voicings like red
Garland the first Common Twist on this
voice is to drop the second note from
the top one octave we call that a drop
two voicing let's play that 251 using
drop
two another common Jazz voicing is
sometimes referred to as a cordal
voicing it's called that because the
interval between voices is fourths a
common way of using this over a minor
chord is stacking fourths from the root
so in D Minor you get d g c f and a the
interval between F and a isn't a fourth
year but that's okay this voicing can be
heard in the first two chords of Miles
Davis's so what here's a 251 using
cordal
voicings another favorite is the drop
three voicing same concept as the drop
two voicing but dropping the third voice
instead of the second one one famous
case of this chord is from
oova Now That We Know chords voicings
and scales let's talk about chord
progression the most common progression
in all of Western Harmony is 5 to one
once again the fifth is the foundation
of Western Harmony so that makes sense
well let's take this a step further and
add more chords before we resolve to the
one let's pretend like the five chord is
a one chord and add five of five that
would be a two chord if I keep doing
this I get progressions like
[Music]
36251 Now jazz musicians are known for
keeping it spicy they like to add in
substitutions for chords turning five
into 25 is just the start another common
substitution is the trone substitution
basically that means rep placing the
five chord with the same chord A trional
Way the reason that works so well is
because the third and seventh of a five
chord if I'm playing G7 to C major G7
has a b and an F the third and the
seventh those notes kind of have a
gravity to the third and root of the C
major chord the same thing is true of a
d flat 7 chord in D flat B is the
seventh and F is the thir so I can get
the same gravity with a different root
now we can pretend that d flat 7 chord
is a five chord and turn it into a 25
like before so now instead of a G7 to C
major I have a flat minor 7 d flat 7 C
major spicy now let's talk about Rhythm
the foundation of Western Harmony is the
fifth but what if I told you it's the
foundation of syncopated Rhythm as well
check this out I have one oscillator
playing a fifth above the other you can
see that the frequencies have a 2:3
ratio this oscillator repeats three
times in the same time that this
oscillator repeats two times now listen
to what happens if I lower the
frequencies of the oscillators way
down now you hear the Rhythm 2 over 3 I
can help you hear the difference between
the two oscillators by filtering one of
them this 2 over3 rhythm is found all
over Jazz Latin American music pop music
and any other music influenced by The
rhythms of the African diaspora one of
the most simple examples is this Rhythm
here two dotted quarter notes followed
by a quarter note this chap POS with
straight quarter notes makes the Rhythm
dance a little bit you also hear the 2:3
ratio in swing especially in earlier
genres of Swing you hear an uneven
subdivision of the beat called swing
it's not always exactly a 2:3 ratio but
then again neither is the musical fifth
the third harmonic isn't in tune with an
equal tempered scale the fifth was
adjusted a couple of cents down so that
if you stack 12 fifths you get back to
an octave of the starting frequency I'm
pointing this out because I think it's
important to know that theory is
imperfect it's not a rule it's an
attempt at explaining why something
sounds the way it does it can help you
understand music categorize sounds in
your head and more easily communicate
musical ideas to other people I don't
expect anybody to absorb all of this
within 15 minutes but I wanted to make
this video as a resource like when the
teacher lets you bring a one-page study
guide into an exam and you do something
like this if you'd like to support the
channel and get access to exclusive
video content please consider joining my
patreon for only $5 you also get access
to over 100 useful presets for the free
vital synthesizer or if you're
interested in preset packs I left a link
to those in the video description as
well I appreciate the support
[Music]
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