I am interested in learning the basics of Jazz music theory. I'm wondering if there are any books that do not require being able to read music notation that explain the basics.
I'm interested in a book called "The Jazz Theory Book" by Mark Levine, but am wondering how advanced it is.
Jazz music theory
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- KVRian
- 948 posts since 24 Nov, 2011
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- KVRAF
- 2070 posts since 5 Oct, 2005
why not just learn to read ?
It's not that difficult.
It's not that difficult.
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- KVRAF
- 4265 posts since 21 Oct, 2001 from my bolthole in the south pacific
Mark Levine's book is full of examples in music notation. Learning how to decode (slowly) what notes are indicated in a chord voicing example should take you no more than a few minutes. Instantly recognising 5 voice altered chords in music notation is harder and takes quite a bit of time but you don't need that facility to take something useful away from a book like that. Just learn the basics - so that you can see what notes are indicated and go from there.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 948 posts since 24 Nov, 2011
Yeah. I would like to eventually learn to read music. I will probably get that book, as I have read good things about it.
As of right now, I'm just wanting to know some of the basics of Jazz. By basics I don't mean like cliche jazz sound; more like, how the different parts are related. It sounds to my ears like everything isn't perfectly in key or to scale.
I like to play by ear, and there are times when I will have (what I feel) is a decent bass or piano part. I'm just wondering how much freedom and experimentation there is w/ the style.
As of right now, I'm just wanting to know some of the basics of Jazz. By basics I don't mean like cliche jazz sound; more like, how the different parts are related. It sounds to my ears like everything isn't perfectly in key or to scale.
I like to play by ear, and there are times when I will have (what I feel) is a decent bass or piano part. I'm just wondering how much freedom and experimentation there is w/ the style.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 948 posts since 24 Nov, 2011
Here's some info I found on Wikipedia regarding Jazz music (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_scale). It's the best information I could find online so far.
Is this a pretty accurate depiction of what scales go w/ certain chords in jazz music? Some of these chords I've never used or even heard of. Like CMaj7♯11 chord and Csus4♭9. I assume it's C,E,G,B,D,F# and C,F,G, B♭,D♭ respectively.
Is this a pretty accurate depiction of what scales go w/ certain chords in jazz music? Some of these chords I've never used or even heard of. Like CMaj7♯11 chord and Csus4♭9. I assume it's C,E,G,B,D,F# and C,F,G, B♭,D♭ respectively.
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- KVRAF
- 4265 posts since 21 Oct, 2001 from my bolthole in the south pacific
Those are correct. You would often leave the G (the 5th) out of the voicing you use for the Cmaj7#11 chord [eg C root in the bass and B D E F# in the right hand if you are playing keys].djmino02 wrote:Here's some info I found on Wikipedia regarding Jazz music (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_scale). It's the best information I could find online so far.
Is this a pretty accurate depiction of what scales go w/ certain chords in jazz music? Some of these chords I've never used or even heard of. Like CMaj7♯11 chord and Csus4♭9. I assume it's C,E,G,B,D,F# and C,F,G, B♭,D♭ respectively.
In bebop for example you can play inside tones (tones of the chord and its more harmonious extensions - eg D and A over C7) and outside tones (eg playing Db or B over C7).
Effectively, all twelve tones are in play over any chord if the tone works in a musical context - loads of examples in things like the Charlie Parker Omnibook which contains transciptions of many of his solos.
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- KVRAF
- 2083 posts since 28 Feb, 2011
Jazz is among the most complex of musical genres, but there are many examples of pieces which are fairly simple and are mainly vehicles for improvisation. Groove3 has a great video by Eli Krantzburg [sp?] called Jazz Theory Explained. It may help to check out Eli's Music Theory Explained or his Songwriting Explained first though. Highly recommended as starting points.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 948 posts since 24 Nov, 2011
Cool. Thanks for the info. I should probably get a decent book on jazz piano chords, or find some better source material online. I know, or can at least figure out most chords, but some of those chords I wasn't sure on how to put them together.
The Eli Krantzberg videos look interesting.
The Eli Krantzberg videos look interesting.
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- KVRAF
- 7837 posts since 20 Jan, 2008
Don't sell yourself short by not learning how to read music. If you are reading this right now and you can't sight read you can learn to read music.
Reading notation will do more for you in the short and long term then not reading.
By the time I was 20 I'd already been in bands performed live paying gigs and had cut a few singles. But I couldn't get the better gigs and didn't know what I needed to take my playing to the next level. I got a small pamphlet book on how to read music. I studied it every day and I got some sheet music and played what I learned. It was easier then I thought it would be.
Because I knew how to read music I started getting better gigs. I'd back solo artists and eventually was a session musician. It wasn't because I could analyze theory. It was because I could read and perform the music in front of me. Every step there after in my musical education stemmed from my learning to read notation. If you think you can shortcut learning notation you are only short changing yourself.
Reading notation will do more for you in the short and long term then not reading.
By the time I was 20 I'd already been in bands performed live paying gigs and had cut a few singles. But I couldn't get the better gigs and didn't know what I needed to take my playing to the next level. I got a small pamphlet book on how to read music. I studied it every day and I got some sheet music and played what I learned. It was easier then I thought it would be.
Because I knew how to read music I started getting better gigs. I'd back solo artists and eventually was a session musician. It wasn't because I could analyze theory. It was because I could read and perform the music in front of me. Every step there after in my musical education stemmed from my learning to read notation. If you think you can shortcut learning notation you are only short changing yourself.
Dell Vostro i9 64GB Ram Windows 11 Pro, Cubase, Bitwig, Mixcraft Guitar Pod Go, Linntrument Nektar P1, Novation Launchpad
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 948 posts since 24 Nov, 2011
I have some limited knowledge of music theory. I have read most of the book "Music Theory for Computer Musicians". However, I am far from reading and/or playing sheet music.
I would really like to find some good books on music theory; especially, regarding Jazz music.
I would really like to find some good books on music theory; especially, regarding Jazz music.
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- KVRAF
- 7837 posts since 20 Jan, 2008
The person stopping you is you.
Jazz isn't one isolated theory. it's many, you have to read to get the complete picture. And you have to apply what you've read to absorb it. For example tritone substitution. Tritone sub is something you can read about but seeing it and playing it brings the subject home to something you can use. Reading about tritone as a general idea will not make tritone happen for you. Going thru the process of seeing tritone substitutions in action and being able to identify them as such and being able to will them into your own performance be it someone else's music or someone else's will make tritone subs happen.
Jazz isn't one isolated theory. it's many, you have to read to get the complete picture. And you have to apply what you've read to absorb it. For example tritone substitution. Tritone sub is something you can read about but seeing it and playing it brings the subject home to something you can use. Reading about tritone as a general idea will not make tritone happen for you. Going thru the process of seeing tritone substitutions in action and being able to identify them as such and being able to will them into your own performance be it someone else's music or someone else's will make tritone subs happen.
Dell Vostro i9 64GB Ram Windows 11 Pro, Cubase, Bitwig, Mixcraft Guitar Pod Go, Linntrument Nektar P1, Novation Launchpad
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- KVRAF
- 1595 posts since 17 Nov, 2007 from Seattle, WA
Yep. Pretty much all of it is interlinked. One corner of music theory supports another part of theory such that you just can't get very far unless you familiarize with most all the stuff that precedes a topic. Being able to read music certainly fits in that paradigm. And it's if you know a bit of this & that about theory already, you'll probably find that it's easier to take care of than you thought.
Even if you did get a couple useful tidbits on jazz now, you'll really struggle to get any more of it later, as well as having trouble applying what you've already learned. It all interlinks like a damn spiderweb. =op
I took a music theory class last quarter, and skipped it's prereqs. It was a pop & jazz composition course, focusing mostly on chord movement, related to the sort of stuff you're asking about, and Tapper Mike's examples. Most students would have had to take two or three prereq courses before taking this one, but I skipped those. The teacher allowed me in since it had no relevance to my major anyways(electrical engineering), and I just wanted it for fun, not a certificate. And, as I explained to the teacher, I already had quite a bit of music and theory background. Near as I could tell, it was right where I needed to be... with a bit of reaching.
As it turned out, I couldn't keep up. I understood, generally, what was being covered, and I got some solid use out of it. But there were too many small holes in my knowledge, things that would've been covered in the prior class or two. I only got a fraction out of it than I thought I would as a result.
In reality, music theory is a bit like math in it's inter-dependence(albeit less severe). You'd be doing yourself a great disservice if you tried to skip steps right now. You will save time in the long run, and probably become a better musician, if you nail down the low-hanging fruit first to round out your knowledge instead of trying to get specific, targeted tidbits.
Find a good 300ish page book to round out you theory basics, and then come back to jazz next month. You won't be sorry. =)
It might be that the problem at hand is sorting through and figuring out what you know, and what you don't know. In that case, you might consider looking for a piano teacher to help coach you through that process for a couple sessions.
Even if you did get a couple useful tidbits on jazz now, you'll really struggle to get any more of it later, as well as having trouble applying what you've already learned. It all interlinks like a damn spiderweb. =op
I took a music theory class last quarter, and skipped it's prereqs. It was a pop & jazz composition course, focusing mostly on chord movement, related to the sort of stuff you're asking about, and Tapper Mike's examples. Most students would have had to take two or three prereq courses before taking this one, but I skipped those. The teacher allowed me in since it had no relevance to my major anyways(electrical engineering), and I just wanted it for fun, not a certificate. And, as I explained to the teacher, I already had quite a bit of music and theory background. Near as I could tell, it was right where I needed to be... with a bit of reaching.
As it turned out, I couldn't keep up. I understood, generally, what was being covered, and I got some solid use out of it. But there were too many small holes in my knowledge, things that would've been covered in the prior class or two. I only got a fraction out of it than I thought I would as a result.
In reality, music theory is a bit like math in it's inter-dependence(albeit less severe). You'd be doing yourself a great disservice if you tried to skip steps right now. You will save time in the long run, and probably become a better musician, if you nail down the low-hanging fruit first to round out your knowledge instead of trying to get specific, targeted tidbits.
Find a good 300ish page book to round out you theory basics, and then come back to jazz next month. You won't be sorry. =)
It might be that the problem at hand is sorting through and figuring out what you know, and what you don't know. In that case, you might consider looking for a piano teacher to help coach you through that process for a couple sessions.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 948 posts since 24 Nov, 2011
I'm starting to find a lot of good useful information online. One site in-particular called 8notes.com is pretty good. The sheet music have Midi files as well, which is pretty very helpful.
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- KVRAF
- 2083 posts since 28 Feb, 2011
Eli's Music Theory video starts you off at the very beginning. I've watched the whole thing to remind myself of stuff I forgot, and to learn stuff I never knew, such as the names of all the scales.