Jazz and Blues

• Who were the early singers of blues music?

  Cotton-Pickers

  Dockers

  Railroad Men
• What did performers rely on in the early years of blues music?

  Improvisation
• What noteworthy performers of early music were there?

  Ma Rainey

  Sonny Boy Williamson

  Bessie Smith

  Big Bill Broonzy
• What is the most common structure of blues music?

  12-bar blues
• What are the most common chords used in blues structures?

  Tonic

  Subdominant

  Dominant
• What was the most common verse structure for blues music?

  Three-line stanza
• What is the blues scale?

  The minor pentatonic scale with a flattened fifth
• What are the main rhythmic features of blues music?

  Swing rhythms

  Syncopation
• Which instruments are found in the rhythm section of jazz music?

  Bass

  Drums

  Keyboard/Guitar
• What is the drummers job in the rhythm section?

  Keep a steady beat

  Add excitement to the performance

  Add fills between phrases and sections
• What is the bass players job in the rhythm section?

  Lay down the groove

  Establish the beat of the music

  Play the root note of the chords and support the harmonies
• What is the chord players job in the rhythm section?

  Playing the chords in an interesting way

  Accompany the tune
• What is meant by standard in jazz music?

  When a song is really popular
• What is meant by head in jazz music?

  The main theme/riff
• What is meant by chorus in jazz music?

  How jazz musicians refer to the chord changes and progression in a piece of music
• What is meant by chord extensions in jazz music?

  When extra notes are added to the basic triad to achieve a different sound and complexity