Analysing improvisation

• Solo transcription.
• Analytic approaches
• Improvisational styles
• Differing approaches: historical v. personal

Why are Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane instantly recognisable? Where did Ella Fitzgerald find her inspiration? What makes a good solo, and how much thought goes into improvisation anyway? Solo analysis provides insight into the musical thinking of improvising musicians from all corners of the (musical) world.

Analysing composition
A piece of music – whether a song, a sonata or a symphony- has a form. Not only a beginning, a middle and an end, but a storyline. An integrated analysis of the 3-way interaction of melodic, rhythmic and harmonic structures within a piece can explain both the form and development of the narrative line. Highly recommended for composers & writers: an endless source of ideas and inspiration. “A good composer does not imitate, he steals” – Igor Stravinsky (possibly stealing from T.S.Eliot….)

Small-band Arranging

• writing for the rhythm section: (piano/keyboard/guitar/bass/drums)
• 2 & 3-part writing for melody instruments & voice.
• setting up the score and parts

A basic course for beginners, but dealing with some of the trickier subjects: how much.. and what.. to write for the drummer? How much information does an improvising musician actually want/need? And if you can handle 3-part writing, anything more is a breeze….

Bigband and Orchestral Arranging

• 4, 5-part and more.
• voicing techniques
• specialized instrumentation: strings/brass/woodwind/percussion/accordeons
• writing for vocal ensembles
• standard lineups: bigband, orchestra, wind- & brassbands
• handling large scores… and big ideas.

The list of possible subjects is actually endless.. depending on personal taste, needs & interest. I’m always happy to delve into subjects I know absolutely nothing about.. yet.

Songwriting

• finding a personal voice
• writing lyrics: style and subject matter
• relationship text, form & harmonic language
• arranging (where necessary).

“Listen, they’re playing our song…” we all recognise the situation, but how do you write a song – usually uniquely personal- which possesses enough emotional resonance to appeal to perfect strangers? Songwriting is not just about technique and craftsmanship, but about conveying a wider emotional meaning.. creating resonance.

The History of Jazz

• Roots: 1860-1900
• Changes in styles 1900-1990
• Key players: the movers and the shakers.
• A broad overview of the history and development of jazz styles.

Jazz History II: Connections
A series of 8 workshops about the relationship between jazz styles and social history:

• 1. From New Orleans to Chicago: being sold up the river.
• 2. Composition v. improvisation
• 3. Cool v. Hot: debunking the clichés
• 4. Coltrane: hard bop to free and the social scene
• 5. How free is free?
• 6. Latin jazz
• 7. The rise and fall of jazzrock
• 8. The 80’s: a jazz resurgence