Write your own

jazz piece

Mrs R Shapey

Oldham Hulme Grammar School

 What elements make up

a piece of jazz/blues music?

 12-bar jazz chord pattern
Use your set work by Miles Davis All Blues as inspiration for your own jazz composition.

Below is a 12-bar popular jazz chord pattern in G major. It is made up of chords I, IV and V.

Bar 1 Bar 2 Bar 3 Bar 4

I-G IV - C IG IG

Bar 5 Bar 6 Bar 7 Bar 8

IV C IV C IG I-G

Bar 9 Bar 10 Bar 11 Bar 12

V D7 IV C IG V D7

There are variations on this standard pattern, as shown below:

These are all in C major, but can be transposed into any key.

Choose one of these keys: F, E, Bb, Eb, A, and one of the above chord patterns (A-E) and fill in the table:
This sequence will form the basis of your composition, and may be repeated as many as 15 times! You will
need a linking passage of 4 or 8 bars between each repetition.

Even if you cant play all the chords yourself on piano or guitar, you can start off with just the root note
of each chord to give a single note bass line.

Creating a riff
Now that you have your chord pattern it is a good idea to create a riff a catchy, repeating bass line of 2 or
4 bars. Start it off on the tonic note and try to use the flattened 7th (In C major this is Bb) to make it
sounds more jazzy.

Sometimes a successful riff can be the starting point for a much longer composition, so it is worth getting it
right.

Here are some examples of jazz riffs:

Linking section
The linking section between each repetition of the 12-bar sequence gives the music space to
breathe. It also offers contrast in texture.

For the linking section you will need to choose a pattern of 4 chords in your chosen key. Here are some
popular progressions which may work.

I VI II V
In C maj: Cmaj7 Am7 Dm7 Gmaj7

In G maj: Gmaj7 Cm7 Am7 D maj7

VI II V I
In C maj: Am7 Dm7 Gmaj7 Cmaj7

In G maj: Em7 Am7 Dmaj7 Gmaj7

Or you could copy Miles Davis in All Blues and use bars 5-8 of the 12-bar sequence as the link (C-C-G-G).
 Adding a jazz melody
Once you have chosen your chord progression you can start to improvise over the top. This is not as
difficult as you might think!

1. Dont use too many notes to start with. Read below about using the blues scale. If you are in
the key of C, choose 2 notes from the C Blues scale e.g C and Eb.
2. Make up a tune using those 2 notes you can repeat the notes and use rests as well.
3. When the chord changes, you might be able to use the same notes, or you might need to chane
slightly.
4. Jazz melodies often contain the flattened notes, which dont always fit with the chords
underneath thats what gives jazz its distinctive sound!

The Blues scale comes from the minor pentatonic:

Then the diminished 5th interval is added:

Here is is in different keys to help you:

 Your main aim is to create a simple, catchy motif which can keep coming back to make your music memorable.

Rhythm
Here are some examples of jazz rhythms. Notice how some of the motifs have a quaver rest at the start of
the bar. At the beginning of a lot of jazz music it says swing, meaning that quavers written (example C)
will sound more dotted.

Try using triplets and tying quavers over the bar line.
 Other bits and pieces

II V I
In C major: Dm7 G7 Cmaj7

You can then use an added 9th with this chord progression:

This same chord progression uses added 7th, 9th and 13th:

This is how to extend this chord progression going down a tone each time:
 Arranging your piece
Now that you have your chord pattern, linking section and head motif you need to think about the
instruments and their arrangement.

You need to choose a melody instrument, bass instrument and harmony (chords) instrument.

Melody Bass Harmony (chords) + rhythm

Alto sax Double bass (acoustic bass) Piano

Trumpet Bass guitar (electric bass) Rhythm guitar (chords)

Tenor sax Drum kit

Trombone (can also play bass

line)

Lead guitar

Consider these questions:

Who will start the whole piece?

Which melody instrument will solo first?

How will I make my piece rhythmically interesting?