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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, 1 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 2 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 3 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. 4 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. 5