European Harmony

More formal influences from Europe pushed into jazz from New Orleans as a 'city of music' - three Grand Opera companies and two Symphony Orchestras, one of which was a Creole Orchestra.

The main 'white threads' were -

functional harmony, intonation, discipline and technique

Creole tradition of conservatory music, French schooling, formal music training, virtuoso musicians

instruments, typically from the military bands

evangelical church hymns, British folksongs and parlour songs

The first secular songs in America were usually borrowed from England and were revolutionary and patriotic songs - 'Chester', 'Yankee Doodle', 'My Days Have been so Wondrous Free' - and, of course, from the operas. Some publishers of church music started to produce sheet music for pianos in the home, folk wanted to play the songs they heard; Oliver Ditson in Boston and Atwill's Music Saloon in New York, precursors of Tin Pan Alley which emerged at the end of the century.

The 1865 emancipation unleashed the initial black innovations. But it was the Jim Crow laws of 1877 which led to the downgraded status of the Creoles. Significantly this forced the Creoles with their musical accomplishments into black music. Specifically into the dance hall dives and parade band music of the hot outdoor gatherings.

The blend of black dirty blues and Creole limpid virtuosity, thrown together not from choice but from a desire to play, resulted in the cooperative endeavours of the first jazz bands.

In the city everyone was living in close proximity to people that were not chosen and probably not liked but the reality was co-operate or die.

The forced co-operation of blacks and Creoles with different accomplishments and cultures in the functional music of the city was the final significant factor in the emergence of jazz.

Technical - 'rules' of Dixieland 'song sounds' from European harmony - ‘Road Maps’ & chords -

1. All songs finish on the tonic. Many songs also start on the tonic.

2. All songs move to the Dominant 7th – but you must remember when?

3. Most songs move to the Sub-Dominant. Hymns and blues go the Sub-Dominant first – but you must remember when?

4. Most Dominant 7ths move down the page, circle of 5ths - except in the blues. That is ‘chord sounds’ tend to rise a 4th (or fall a 5th). Especially 7th chords.

5. Most songs contain multiple 4 & 8 bar sections, most repeat sections, which tend to be ‘introduced’ by the Dominant 7ths.

6. Dixie songs ‘jump up the dial’ and resolve ‘back home’ down through the circle, 7th - 3rd - 7th - 3rd - - -.

7. Most songs finish with a circle of 5ths ‘run in’ on the tonic scale - Am7 to Dm7 to G7 to C.

8. Many songs use related minor chords with the same sound - E7 to Am.

9. Many songs change key especially in the middle 8.

10. Most songs don’t follow the rules …

Thus in the key of C – possible ‘substitutes’

C = tonic sound or Am & Em & also Ab with a big 3rd

G7 = dominant 7th sound or Bdim & also Db7 with the same ‘tritone’ & flat 5thF = subdominant sound or Dm  

C to G7 = sets up some tension = the F and B ‘tritone’ of the Dominant 7th. G7 to C is the ‘perfect cadence’ ‘resolving’ back to C smoothly = G tends to remain = B to C = te slides up do
= D to E = ra slides up me
= F to E = fa slides down to me = 7th slides to 3rd
= G to C = ding dong = down to finish or up so la te do up to continue

C7 to F = going somewhere/tension - gone to satisfying F = Subdominant = C tends to remain
F to C is the ‘Amen’ ‘plagal cadence’ back to C = F to E = fa slides down to me
= A to G = la slides down to sol
or = F to Fm to C = A slides to Ab slides to G

C to E7 = a dizzy Dixie jump then 7ths drive down the circle
= E7 / A7 / D7 / G7 back to C = resolving the 7th & 3rd tension by smooth 1/2 notes
or = Em7 / Am7 / Dm7 / G7 back to C = 2 notes always remain the same
E7 to Am (NOT Em7 to Am7) = the same sound as G7 to C (5th leads up to the minor 3rd instead of the 3rd leading up to the root) – also A7 to Dm = the same sound as C7 to F

Soooo … the early jazzers established a ‘Road Map’ for the song -

find & remember  the ‘structure’ – 8 / 12 / 16 / 32 bars & the repeats pattern

find & remember  the ‘tonal centre’ & the three chord trick

find & remember  the basic sound movements of the chord sequence

… think of the 12 bar blues … they all follow a variation of this pattern …early jazz songs are all more or less like 'Bill Bailey' … but they all have exceptions!!

Sooooo … expect & learn a family of chords for each key and learn the exceptions ...

 

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