Academic literature on the topic 'Saxophone Methods (Jazz)'

The relevance of the topic is stipulated by the fact that saxophone performance is becoming widespread nowadays, it substantiates the needs to establish new performing schools and to initiate researches aimed at improving methods of playing the saxophone. The purpose of the article is to pay special attention to the social status of the saxophone, its role in the system of professional music education and the evolution of performing techniques of playing the saxophone. The research methods are as follows: theoretical analysis of scientific and methodological literature, comparative studies. Summary: The main scientific and methodological works devoted to the improvement of methods and techniques of playing the saxophone are considered. In the historical aspect, some theoretical works of domestic and foreign authors on the methods and techniques of playing the saxophone have been analysed: the American researcher Carr W.E.J., who identified the physiological features of playing wooden wind instruments (the flute, the oboe, the clarinet, the bassoon and the saxophone); the Russian Professor Ivanov V. D., who identified modification forms and types of saxophone music; the Ukrainian researchers Kyrylov S. V., who singled out the so-called "concert face of the saxophonist" and the associated set of his / her professional skills, Krupey M. V., who historically analysed saxophone performance and determined the stylistic basis for the formation of saxophonist’s performing skills, Professor V. Apatskyi, who came to the conclusion that the advantage of an "o-shaped" ear cushion is a peculiar position of the lower lip, which is necessary for flexible control of the cane. The article also considers scientific and methodological works of foreign authors, reflecting the problematic and related issues of saxophone performance, which allowed us to draw the following conclusions: academic and jazz saxophone performances develop in parallel and are interdependent; the recognition of the saxophone individuality contributes to the transformations within the professional system of education, the teaching of the saxophone having become narrowly professional in this connection; the development of saxophone performance has led to the creation of national schools, which stipulated a rise in the number of musicians of the new formation, both academic and jazz.

The objectives of this research were 1) to study the conditions and problems of instructional management in the Saxophone Practical Skills course in higher education institutions in Thailand, and 2) to propose guidelines for developing the instructional management in the Saxophone Practical Skills course in higher education institutions in Thailand. It is qualitative research. It applied the method of interviewing and observing instructors teaching the Saxophone Practical Skills course in higher education institutions in Thailand, a total of 9 people. The data was then analyzed, the content synthesized, and descriptive reports were written. The research results showed that 1) instructional management in the Saxophone Practical Skills course uses two teaching principles and methods: Classical Saxophone and Jazz Saxophone. Problems encountered in the instruction are the embouchure, air support, tone quality, articulation, performance techniques, understanding of musical performance, the condition of the learner's instruments, and the insufficient places of training for the learner, and 2) the guideline for developing the instructional management consists of to choose the suitable teaching method that the individual learners, encourage students to perform soloists or band members, and attend musical performances.

Statement of the problem. Creativity of Gr. Washington Jr. studied, although he was a very popular performer and improviser. The official site provides the most detailed material on the heritage of Gr. Washington Jr., a section is not well of A. West’s dissertation (Aaron J. West) is devoted to the method of his improvisation, Gr. Washington Jr. is mentioned in studies on the theory and history of jazz (Aebersold, 1992; Ellenberger, 2005; Levine, 1995) as well as in a research essay on “smooth” jazz (Flynn, 2014; Mader, 2012). The purpose of the article is to outline the main features of Grover Washington Jr’s improvisation on saxophone. The research methodology combines several sources: works on the theory of improvisation (Ferand, 1957; Bailey, 1993; Stetsiuk, 2020; Zotov, 2018), works on performance style and interpretation as communication (Adorno, 2002, Nikolaevska, 2020). Based on a combination of methods, the article defines “style of improvisation” as a system of four dimensions: the phenomenological considers improvisation as a method of music-making based on the instantaneous transmission of what appears in empirical time; pragmatic – explores improvisation as a set of elements that are formed in the language of an individual musician and objectified “here and now” according to certain laws of form; personal – interprets improvisation from the standpoint of the psychological and spiritual qualities of a musician-improviser; communicative – studies improvisation from the point of communication between the musician(s) in the group and the musician(s) with the audience. The study uses this proposed definition to analyse Gr. Washington Jr’s works. Scientific novelty is declared by the analysis of “style of improvisation” as a system of four dimensions (phenomenological, pragmatic, personal and communicative). Conclusions and results of the study. The article revealed the features of Gr. Washington’s style of improvisation on the example of his albums “Inner City Blues” (1971), “Mister Magic” (1975) and “Winelight” (1980), which belonged to the crossover music of the 1970s and established musical and cultural paradigms of the smooth jazz in the 1980s. The pragmatic dimension of the style is evident in the saxophone timbre (“multi-timbre” instrument); modal harmony (an evolution from a “two-chord vamp” to richer harmonic thinking, from smooth jazz to fusion); predominantly “horizontal” melodic thinking; tendency to build short phrases. The communicative dimension is expressed in the predominance of the declamatory (recitative) style of jazz improvisation, which returned jazz to the traditions of the swing era, phenomenally manifesting itself in the work of Washington and influencing the further development of jazz.

Problem statement. Among Kharkiv composers, one of the significant places is occupied by Igor Kovach (1924–2003), a representative of the Kharkiv School of composers and Ukrainian musical culture of the 20th century. His works include music and stage, orchestra, concert, song, choral and literary-musical compositions, music for theatre performances, music for films and TV films. The creative legacy of Igor Kostyantynovych Kovach has a close connection with the children’s audience; it includes both instrumental music for young performers and theatrical music, where children from performers become listener, among them the fairy-tale ballets “The Northern Tale” and “Bambi”. The children’s music by I. K. Kovach did not receive proper consideration except for short newspaper essays and magazine notes, M. Bevz’s (2007) article devoted to children’s piano music. Thus, the problem of holistic study of children’s stage music by Igor Kovach still remains open. Objectives. The present article is devoted to the identification of musicalthematic, timbre-texture, genre-stylistic features, with the help of which the multifaceted figurative world of the ballet “Bambi” is embodied. The aim and the tasks of this research – to reveal the specifics of the figurative world of the fairytale ballet “Bambi” and to identify the musical means by which it is embodied. The role of the orchestra is established, the means of thematic characteristics of the characters are traced, and the peculiarities of the musical language stipulated by the requirements of the chosen genre are noted. Methodology. To achieve the aim we have used special scientific methods: genre, stylistic, intonation-dramaturgical and compositional ones. The presentation of the main material. The music for the fairy-tale ballet “Bambi” belongs to two authors: Igor Kovach and his son Yuri. The new features inherent in the sound palette are manifested in the instrumentation, where along with the usual composition of a modern symphony orchestra there are saxophones, rhythm- and bass-guitars, drums, which due to their timbres bring a sharp taste of emotional and behavioural looseness. Introducing the qualities of non-academic tradition into the academic orchestra, the authors, on the one hand, use them according to their origin, on the other – turn them into an organic part of the symphonic score. By making a “concession” to pop music, simplifying harmonious language, freeing it from the extreme manifestations of expanded tonality, bringing it closer, on the one hand, to classical-romantic, on the other – to jazz, Igor Kovach showed his inherent sense of modernity, “address quality” of creativity. Conclusions. Thus, the fabulous multifaceted world of “Bambi” is revealed in the ballet owing to the bright thinking and language of the composer. The action of the ballet takes place against the background of bright genre sketches, which are as if immersed in the very density of life. This impression arises due to the dynamics of rhythms, colourful orchestration, and a variety of styles, addressed to the sound world of today. Generalized intonations of academic art organically coexist with the turns of song quality of different origins, dance quality, march quality, jazz improvisations, which was facilitated by the co-authorship with Yuri Kovach.

Charlie Parker has been much appreciated as an improviser, but he was also an important jazz composer, a topic yet to be studied in depth. Parker’s compositions offer insight into his total musicianship as well as provide a summary of early bebop style. Because he left no working manuscripts, we cannot examine his compositions evolving on paper. We do possess occasional single parts for trumpet or alto saxophone of pieces written for recording sessions and four Library of Congress lead sheets copied in his hand, and, as an introduction, I show examples of such manuscripts. The article continues by exploring what we can infer about Parker’s compositional processes from those instances where he made revisions to improve or create the final product. In particular, there is one instance of Parker revising a work already completed (“Ornithology”), one instance of Parker combining two pieces by another composer into one of his own (“My Little Suede Shoes”), and two instances of Parker composing in the studio where we can hear his revisions immediately (“Red Cross” and “Blues (Fast)”). The middle part of the paper explores Parker in these creative settings. Parker’s methods sometimes differ from traditional composition and suggest that we reconsider the usual distinction between improvisation and composition. I conclude with observations on Parker’s procedures, proposing refinements to ontological models of musical works to account for jazz compositions.

The saxophone is the most iconic instrument in jazz. Ask random people which instrument comes to mind when they think of jazz music, and it would surely be the saxophone. Saxophones play throughout charts and are required to navigate a variety of textures and roles, including beautiful unison melodies, technical harmonized solis, chordal comping, and slow-moving background chords, as well as to fill out the body of the band during full ensemble tuttis. This chapter introduces techniques and articulations specific to jazz saxophone style. Jazz-specific techniques such as subtone, tongue stopping, and half-tonguing are presented alongside teaching strategies and exercises. Other techniques discussed include methods of decorating or personalizing notes with scoops, fall offs, and terminal vibrato. Jazz saxophone pedagogical materials are presented in addition to a listening list of great historical saxophonists. The chapter concludes with a debate on the merits of mouthpieces, reeds, and saxophones marketed as jazz-specific items.