Download the materials of melody #2

THE MATERIALS OF MELODY #2
In my first article about the use of melodic techniques in jazz
improvisation I began by defining melody and melodic improvising. In this
article I would like to introduce the musical materials from which melody
is created by more deeply defining melody. As we begin to understand the
building blocks that make up a melody, we can better see how to
integrate these materials into our solos to heighten the melodicism of our
playing. In both the compositional and improvisational processes the same
elements are used to create melody, so I will begin by examining melody
writing, and then relate those concepts to improvising.
The New College Encyclopedia of Music (W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.)
defines melody as "a succession of single musical sounds. The factors
which determine the character and effect of a melody are its Mode, its
Rhythm, and its Contour." That definition can be greatly expanded to
include the complete qualities that any given melody exhibits. Of course,
every jazz solo is a spontaneously composed melody, so all of the factors
that make up a composed melody are also present in an improvised
solo. The major difference is that in jazz, many of the elements of the
melodic solo line, such as tempo, subdivision, etc., are predetermined by
the piece upon which the improvisation is based, instead of being newly
created for each composition.
Essentially, a melody is a set of intervals having a rhythmic relation to
each other which is grouped into natural phrases. From this most basic
definition we can begin to identify the elements that make up a
melody. As both my definition and that from the encyclopedia above
states, the materials of melody fall into 3 basic categories. The
encyclopedia uses the terms "mode", "rhythm" and "contour". In this
article I prefer to use the terms Intervallic Content, Rhythmic Content and
Phrasing because I believe that they more completely describe all of the
materials of melody from an elemental starting point. Mode, a musical
entity made up of intervals, hence falls under that category. Contour is
the result of intervals combined in a phrase and is better included as a
subcategory of phrasing.
I want to point out here that the materials of melody are entirely different
from the techniques for developing melodic materials, which I will address
in a subsequent column. Melodic materials are the building blocks, and
development techniques are the various ways in which the building blocks
can be combined, altered and extended to create melodies and build
longer phrases.
The materials of melody are really a set of intuitive musical guidelines that
occur to us naturally (although clearly more naturally to some than
others). In order to facilitate our natural process of creating melody,
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however, it is useful to study the process and its elements in detail so that
we can develop a vocabulary from which to draw as we intuitively
improvise. It is very important to remember, though, that the best
melodic soloing doesn't come from a studied, intellectual approach to
using these musical materials. Melodicism in improvisation or composition
reflects not only an awareness and understanding of melodic materials,
but also an openness to the moment, an avoidance of cliche, trust in one's
instincts, and a willingness to let your ear take you where it will. The level
of study and preparation that one has ideally serves only to inform the
intuitive guide that we all possess, and which we often censor in favor of
the comfort of playing what we know.
Let's look at the first category, Intervallic Content. In my music
encyclopedia an interval is defined as "the distance in pitch between two
notes...." In the development of melody, the interval class more strongly
affects the sound and effect of an interval than its major, minor, perfect,
augmented or diminished quality. Invertible intervals create the following
classes, each of which has a unique sound and character:
- 2nds, 7ths and 9ths
- 3rds and 6ths
- 4ths and 5ths.
Additionally, because the size of the intervals has a direct effect on the
contour of the line, we can group intervals into categories of large and
small, which also possess a defining character:
- 2nds, 3rds (scalar or triadic -smooth sounding)
- 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths, octaves, 9ths and beyond (angular sounding).
So, the intervallic content of a melodic phrase can be seen in the context
of large versus small movements and in the context of the dissonant or
consonant quality of those movements. The diatonic or chromatic nature
of the intervals in relation to the chord/scale and the consistency of
interval class - mixed or one sound - changes our perception of their
dissonance or consonance. Small intervals of one class chromatically
outside the chord/scale can sound as consonant as larger leaps mixing
interval classes that are diatonic to the chord.
To make this interval discussion a little less abstract, think of the
difference between playing lines using only small intervals like 2nds and
3rds, which translates into scales and triadic-based arpeggios (much of
the history of classical music as well as jazz improvisation uses these
sounds) and using larger intervals like 4ths, 5ths, 7ths and 9ths. I leave
6ths out of both classes for now because I often hear them in this context
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as part of the triadic-based arpeggio sound. The angularity of larger
intervals creates a distinctly different sound than the smooth flow of the
smaller intervals - Aaron Copland versus Amadeus Mozart. These larger
intervals played diatonically expand the sound of the chord/scale without
actually playing "out", while using small intervals that are chromatically
unrelated to the chord can sound more "inside" while actually being "out".
Obviously there are myriad combinations and effects from which we can
choose. Developing a practice regimen that enables you to use intervals in
new ways - incorporating interval classes and developing fluidity with
larger intervals both diatonically and chromatically - will enhance your
ability to create new melodies when you improvise. Once again, the ear
needs to be the ultimate arbiter of one's choices. Melodic soloing is
probably the most direct expression of each player's uniqueness, so
playing only what intuitively flows and not intellectually choosing
something because you know that it “works” will better lead you to your
own deep melodicism.
The second category of melodic materials we will examine is
Rhythmic. Going back again to the encyclopedia for a start, we find
rhythm defined as "the organisation of music in respect to time" and that
"the rhythmic character of a phrase, period, section or movement of a
composition is a fundamental element in its style and the chief criterion
for distinctions of style." So, the elements that make up the "rhythmic
character" of any given melodic line, distinguishing it stylistically from
other lines or phrases, include:
- meter
- eighth note subdivision
- the level of complexity or density, i.e. whole notes versus 16th notes
- the range of note lengths (16th through whole notes...) and the ratios
between them
- accents that imply other meters, subdivisions, etc.
- syncopations, hemiolas and other types of displacement.
In jazz compositions which are used as vehicles for improvisation, most or
all of these elements are built into the piece already, and create a context
for the improvisation.
The third and final musical component of melody is the Phrase, which is
defined as “a unit of melody, of indeterminate length....and is a unit of
harmonic progression as well as of melody. Shorter or longer units may be
called phrases if they form a unit in both melodic design and underlying
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harmony.” The elements of the phrase that we can isolate and that help
us in designing our improvised phrases in relation to the harmony of the
tune include:
- length
- rhythmic placement and length of the melodic phrase in relation to the
harmonic phrase
- contour of the line in terms of pitch, dynamics, changes in intensity and
complexity, and resolution of dissonance
- tessitura (pitch range)
- density (ratio of notes to rests)
- cadential resolution.
The interaction of these three musical materials, Intervallic Content,
Rhythmic Content, and Phrase, creates melody, and how well we utilize
them as improvisors greatly affects the melodicism of our solos. Because
each of these categories, and their sub-components, helps to define the
"style" of a melody and the "feel" of the piece, they act as starting points
for the improvisation and can be used as avenues to develop your
melodies.
As an improvisor, inventive use of interval choice can lead you to play
more melodic lines. Being aware of the effect of rhythmic choices on the
melodic content of your solos will also help you to avoid rote lick playing
and lead you to begin to pre-hear everything that you play, a necessary
ingredient of melodic soloing. Playing many 16th note runs in a ballad, for
example, creates a particular sound that many people wouldn't hear as
melodic, but a great succession of half notes wouldn't necessarily sound
any more lyrical, either. Additionally, we are in control of our phrases'
density, the emphasis of subdivision, and the variety of general note
length that we use.
The length of the improvised phrase, its relationship to the cadential
points in the harmony, and its ratio of notes to rests creates the contour
of the phrase and can be manipulated to great musical effect by the
improvisor. The pitch range, or tessitura, of the improvised line is also a
choice we can use to our melodic advantage. I will save a more complete
discussion of phrasing for a later article, but would like to mention that
melodic phrasing is a natural, not an intellectually imposed, shaping of the
intervallic and rhythmic elements in a melody, and is most dependent on
how it is played for its effect.
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In my next article I will expand on these melodic materials through the
use
of
musical
examples
from
both
compositions
and
improvisations. Playing melodically is both an art and an intuitive musical
expression, but a deeper understanding of how great melodies are put
together, and of the choices available to the improviser, will help to
greatly expand your ability to play melodic solos.
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