ellington piano transcription dissertation

Abstract: This dissertation provides a view into Duke Ellington's unique skills as an orchestrator, briefly illuminating how he developed those skills, and identifying several key writing techniques that comprise the core of his style. Important non-musical factors in his emergence as a composer and bandleader are discussed, beginning with a brief history of Ellington and his early ensembles, followed by a description of the professional music environment of the 1920s that encouraged many writers for small bands to evolve into composers and arrangers for the large ensembles of the 1930s big band era. Following this are explanations of some early jazz piano techniques that served as the foundation for Ellington's personal orchestration style, and a discussion of several musical devices Ellington used to create modern sounds for his bands (including parallelism, quartal harmony, and dominant 7 sharp-nine chords). A new concept developed by the author, called multifocalism, is introduced. This term describes a group of orchestration techniques that Ellington used to prevent a listener's attention from being fully drawn to a single musical element. Finally, there are brief profiles of several unique performers in the Ellington Orchestra, and a discussion of the important role each played in shaping the Ellington sound. This text includes excerpts and analyses of several key portions of Ellington's seminal 1935 work, Reminiscing in Tempo. Also presented and discussed are excerpts from many other landmark Ellington pieces, transcribed by the dissertation's author from original recordings of the Duke Ellington orchestra. These include Diminuendo & Crescendo in Blue (rec. 1957), Come Sunday (rec. 1958), East St. Louis Toodle-Oo (rec. 1927), Ko-Ko (rec. 1940). Jack the Bear (rec. 1940), Concerto for Cootie (rec. 1940), Dusk (rec. 1940), Harlem Airshaft (rec. 1940), and In a.
B-SIDE (Brown's student music publication) recently conducted a video interview with Ethnomusicology doctoral candidate Byrd McDaniel, regarding his research into the phenomenon of Air Guitar including its history, competitions, and culture. Byrd’s other research interests include karaoke, auto-tune hip hop, technoculture, irony, parody, double-voicedness, linguistic anthropology, participatory culture, and performance studies. (Distributed November 12, 2015) The music department is offering several new courses in the Spring, spanning an exciting range of diverse topics: SuperCollider programming, the music of the Mediterranean and North Africa, the intersection of politics, art, and religion, and the life and music of Olivier Messaien. See below for descriptions, times, and instructors. (Distributed October 30, 2015) Roomful of Blues: Back by Popular Demand Roomful of Blues swaggers, sways and swings with energy and precision.   [Chicago Sun-Times] A tour de force of horn-fried blues [Billboard] The five-time Grammy nominated band, Roomful of Blues, returns to campus on November 13th for a CONCERT and a blues WORKSHOP. and some lucky Brown students will get a chance to jam right alongside them onstage! (Distributed October 27, 2015) In pursuit of the Ondes Martenot Peter Asimov '14, an extraordinarily gifted pianist who enlivened the Music Department with his chamber, solo, and concerto performances, is currently pursuing graduate studies in Musicology at New College, Oxford University. (Distributed October 26, 2015) Prof. Wang Lu: Putting Imagination on the Page Professor Wang Lu, a new Assistant Professor of Music in the Brown Music Department, sees her new career as a chance for her to learn from the incredible talent of the students and faculty around her while sharing her own with them. She says, “I notice more and more that the students in the Music.
Date PostedUpdatedAuthorSubjectRepliesViews 2015/07/15PaulS95 Joy Ryder by Wayne Shorter034 Joy Ryder by Wayne ShorterThis is a transcription of the head of the piece Joy Ryder by Wayne Shorter. I transcribed this while listening to the version of the tune which appears on Shorter's 1988 album of the same name, mainly because it is a clear studio recording and it is played relatively slowly. Despite this, I do prefer the more recent, fast, and loose live versions which Shorter has played with his Footprints Quartet. Besides the simple tonic-to-dominant harmonic vamp in A minor over which solos are played on the 1988 version, the majority of the head lacks many clearly discernible chords, and I have only notated the chords of which I am fairly certain. Instead of using chords, the interest in this head mainly lies in the dissonant (I am almost tempted to say atonal), rhythmically-complex melodic counterpoint between Shorter's saxophone part and the bass part.This post contains the following attachment types: -image/jpeg 2015/06/21HalfNelson Not You Again by John Scofield03329 Not You Again by John ScofieldHere's a lead sheet for John Scofield's Not You Again as performed on his Works for Me. The harmonic structure of the tune is based on a jazz standard called There Will Never Be Another You by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon. The melody (played on a guitar) at bars 9 - 16 of letter A, and bars 9 - 12 of letter B is played in a very interpretive way. Best, VilleThis post contains the following attachment types: -application/pdf 2015/06/18SweetSoulSoundREQUEST: 1234 REQUEST: Does anyone have a lead sheet for Don Grolnick's brilliant tune Chime This , which is played by Michael Brecker on his album Don't Try This At Home ? post contains the following attachment types: -youtube.