What is an Overture?

An overture is, simply, an introduction to a piece of music. Beyond that, its definition can become slightly unclear; what exactly constitutes an overture? Since it has no strict rules and can be found in musical theater, orchestral composition and choral ensembles, then it's possible that any introduction could be considered an overture, even the beginnings of rock songs. But that isn't necessarily the case; an overture is typically the introduction to a much longer piece of music or musical theater (especially opera) and will sometimes be in a stark contrast to the remainder of the work. Some sorts of overture, usually found in modern musicals, will act as a simple preview of the songs to be introduced within the play; it almost becomes a cut-down medley at this point. And though this may be the most common use of the overture today, it's not the most classic or traditional.


The overture got its start in 17th century French opera, most notably the works of Lully. This beginning overture form was far stricter than the form has ever been since; it involved a series of slow dotted-note rhythms intertwining with faster parts then moving back again. This type of overture was often energetic and lively, almost danceable in places. But as opera evolved to include sonata form, this type of overture became somewhat obsolete. It shifted to include the elements of sonata form, subject to somewhat experimental notions of various composers, and eventually became an art in its own right. The symphonic overture, an overture devoid of any following dramatic work, followed the same basic ideas found in the French overture, without making the dotted-note rhythms a necessity; it adhered to the slow-quick-slow pattern found in those original compositions. The rise of symphonic overture forced operatic overture into a less structured form, allowing it to exist as simply an important (and often contrasting) element within the piece, one that introduced the entire song to an awaiting audience.

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What is a "Fugue"?

A fugue is a fairly strict form of music composition; though it's loosened a bit over time, the most traditional examples of the form are very rigid. A fugue involves a variety of contrapuntal melodies, or parts, that work independently of each other until coming together near the end. It's somewhat like a canon; a fugue shares the same essential elements of counterpoint and shadowing.

A fugue usually has a bare minimum of three individual sections. The first section introduces the melodic theme, or subject, of the fugue in one part. Another part then mimics this theme but with certain variations; this following part can be a set interval above or below the leader or can even be in another key. The fugue melody then shifts to a third voice, which mimics the second; at this point, the first part will sometimes introduce a counterpoint while the second part is being shadowed. This chain of introduction and shadowing continues until every part has addressed the main subject.

The second part of a fugue develops the melody introduced in the first part but with a few crucial changes; these changes can be based on any of the melody's elements provided that it still retains an essential relation to the original subject. This contrapuntal element is given time to develop, moving through the various parts of the fugue at fixed points in time.

The ending of a fugue is usually a return to the original subject melody and its counterpoints. The rules are the most lax at this point in the fugue; the melodies can be repeated in the same or different order and can even incorporate canon-like rounds.







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What is a Harpsichord?

A harpsichord is the earliest precursor to the piano, sharing many of the same qualities; it is a stringed instrument using a series of keys to access the strings. But unlike a piano, which uses a hammer to hit the strings, a harpsichord actually plucks them, creating a distinctive sound not unlike that of a plucked violin. It was a massively popular instrument from the time of its invention (dated back to the 14th century) until the popularization of the piano. And the love of the harpsichord didn't even end at that point; many composers continued to write specifically for the instrument and many musicians (even modern, 20th century ones) frequently use it in performance.

As the term harpsichord actually means to refer to an entire family of similar instruments, there are a variety of forms and styles. The most famous harpsichord is known simply as the harpsichord, a large wooden instrument that looks not unlike a grand piano; in fact, this type of harpsichord was indeed the grand piano of the instrument group, used for public and high-society performances. The spinet harpsichord, yet another popular type, is a harpsichord with angled strings; the size of this harpsichord prevents an entirely horizontal positioning.

But the spinet harpsichord is not the smallest in the family; a series of small harpsichords were produced. The virginal harpsichord is a very small version tailored for women; the muselar virginal harpsichord is slightly larger than the virginal, with the strings attacked from their mid-points; and the spinet virginal harpsichord is a small harpsichord with angled strings. Additionally, an upright harpsichord called the clavicytherium was produced for a short time before it fell out of favor; this harpsichord was the true inspiration for the upright piano.



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Music articles you may have missed

Here are some articles I have written recently that do NOT appear in my blog, so you may have missed them. If any of them interest you, take a look:

Play music! The absolute joy of playing music!




Middle C -- The Piano Key That Lauched a Million Careers!



Play notes on the piano keyboard using all 88 piano keys.



Read music! Secrets of music reading and speed sight reading.



Chromatic and whole tone scales



Easy piano for beginners



Free "3 Chords You Absolutely, Positively HAVE to Know!"



The Chord Chart



Harmony -- how musical notes mesh together to form an harmonic sound



Fingering On The Piano



Chords



Piano & Pianos


Piano Keys



Piano Notes


Piano Tips


Piano Lessons


Piano Videos  Many short videos on various piano topics.
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What is "Counterpoint:?

Counterpoint is a basic element of musical composition found when two or more melodies are played at the same time.

 It's used in nearly every composition, even popular ones. The counterpoint in a rock composition would be the lead vocals against the lead guitar, or the lead keyboards against the bass keyboards in an electronic composition. But it's rare to hear it described as a counterpoint in these situations; it's generally just referred to as a separate part. Counterpoint truly becomes counterpoint in classical fugues and canons, where the layering and shadowing of melodies is the very key to the composition. It's important to note, however, that counterpoint is only applicable to melodic elements; rhythmic elements, while adding a counterpoint to the other instruments in some respect, is not technically considered to be providing a counterpoint.

There exist various ways to create a counterpoint in classical composition, but the most common are retrograde, augmentation, diminution, inversion and dissonance. Creating a counterpoint based on these concepts is fairly simple in the text. A retrograde counterpoint is one in which the following melody is played backwards from the original melody; an augmentation counterpoint is one in which the original melody's notes are lengthened. Likewise, a diminution counterpoint is one in which the original melody's notes are shortened. A counterpoint inversion is one in which the intervals in the following melody are played opposite to the lead melody; this type of counterpoint can also be combined to create an inverted retrograde, playing the following melody backwards by both structure and interval. Finally, a dissonance counterpoint is one that is made dissonant, one that turns the consonant chords into dissonant ones; this is by far the most complicated type of counterpoint.

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What is a "Bolero"?

____ The Bolero is a Latin-based genre of music and dance known for its sensuality and intimacy; in fact, it's known to some as the second dance of love -- in addition to the rhumba, of course. But unlike the rhumba, bolero's origins are somewhat unclear and wildly debated. Some say that bolero originated as a Cuban dance that spread quickly to Spain; others say that Spain danced and played a version of the bolero long before Cuba altered the form. According to this idea, the bolero was created in Spain in the 18th century by the dancer and choreographer Sebastien Zezero. The form traveled to Cuba and by the mid-1800s had morphed into an almost entirely different form carrying the same name. The Cuban form of bolero is often thought to be the truest form of bolero, regardless of where it came from, and Pepe Sanchez's 1883 "Tristezas" is considered by some to be the first bolero ever formally written.
But regardless of who created what (and where), the bolero is an important element within both Cuban and Spanish culture, though the form is very different between the two. Cuban bolero is danced and played in 2/4 time and rooted strongly in African percussion. The bolero dance is very focused on couples, and the two dancers remain very close throughout the whole dance. Spanish bolero, on the other hand, is played in 3/4 time with a slightly less rhythmic undertone. The couples dancing Spanish bolero often dance apart (like modern informal fast dancing), only coming completely together at certain parts. Though the Spanish bolero style is still found occasionally, it is the Cuban style that gave birth to the various modern boleros still danced and played today.
Like most foreign music and dance styles, the bolero eventually found its way to the United States in the 1930s and became a sort of craze. As it shifted cultures, however, it underwent a few alterations. The American bolero shares more characteristics with the rhumba than any other traditional style, and it's slightly slower and far more intimate. Additionally, the American bolero was changed from the Cuban-based 2/4 to a slightly more relaxed 4/4.

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What a piano players needs to know about a choir

At the risk of sounding obvious, there are certain basic things that piano players need to know as they deal with other musicians. If they lived in a vacuum they would not need to know stuff like this, but we and they just don't have that luxury.

The choir, a simple vocal ensemble of varying sizes (generally more than 10 people), is one of the most popular forms of musical expression for vocalists, particularly because of its availability in a varitey of arenas. The church choir is by far the most common, but many singers also perform in a high-school choir, a collegiate choir or a community choir. And within those varieties of choir exist a number of choir styles. There exists the all-female choir, the all-male choir and the mixed choir, which is comprised of females and males under the vocal categories bass, tenor, alto and soprano. Additionally, a choir can be classified by the number of members; a symphonic choir is typically a large choir while a chamber choir is extremely small.


Though some types of choir, such as the community choir, don't require much out of an audition (if they require an audition at all), there are certain traits a vocalist must possess in order to be able to handle the duties of choir membership. First and foremost, the choir member must be able to sing in tune; it seems common knowledge, but many would-be choir members are impervious to this ability. But singing in tune isn't enough -- choir members must also be able to blend their voice within the presence of other voices, to control vibrato and volume; the point to a choir, after all, is to hear an amalgamation of voices not one in particular. It is also vitally important that a choir member be able to read sheet music. An inability to read music will inevitably lead to the choir member never being able to learn his or her parts. Sight-reading, or the ability to read a piece of music without ever having seen it, is especially preferable for choir members, as a conductor will frequently ask the choir to sing through an entire piece immediately in order to get a sense of the music. Lastly, a choir member must have an independent ear; that is, they must be able to sing their part even while hearing a different part coming from the alto or tenor section. If a choir member has this problem and it's very slight, the conductor will usually place them in a position far from any imposing alternative parts, but a consistent inability to hear one's own voice will ultimately lead to a choir member having a difficult time with the entire performance.





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What is a Chromatic Scale? What is a Chromatic Progression?

Most everyone knows what a major scale sounds like -- if you play all the white keys on the piano from C up to the next C an octave higher, that is the C major scale. You played all the white keys, but left out all the black keys. You played 8 white keys -- from the lowest C up to the highest C -- and you played a combination of whole steps (when you skipped a black key) and half steps (like between E and F, and B and C).

Now instead of leaving out the black keys, play ALL the keys from C to C -- black and white. Instead of an 8 note scale, you have a 13 note scale, and that is called a CHROMATIC SCALE. You could have started at any point -- not just on C -- and it would still be a chromatic scale. So a chromatic scale is entirely made up of half steps -- no whole steps -- you play every key, black and white.

A chromatic progression, therefore, is a chord progression that moves up of down by 1/2 steps; for example, from the C chord to the Db chord, or the F# chord to the G chord, and so on.

Where do you go to become a Professional Jazz Musician?

Where do you go to become a Professional Jazz Musician or work in the Jazz industry? Unless you have the talents of an Oscar Peterson or Amad Jamal or Bill Evans, you can go to school, the same thing you do to become a lawyer or a doctor. Don’t be fooled by thinking that because music is driven by creativity that education does not play a big role because it does. Having the proper fundamentals in music especially in your area of expertise is no longer optional.



Today there are many schools to choose from that have a Collegiate Jazz Program, almost too many. One of the finist is in Boston -- the Berklee School of Music, from which many jazz artists have come. Basically, you need to decide where you want to go and then start to research. Narrow down a list of criteria that you want in a school, and examine factors such as their job placement rate. Eventually you will find what you are looking for.



Depending on your ambition, you can go to college or university and achieve either a diploma, a bachelor’s degree, even a masters and PhD. You should enroll in a program that will provide you with what you need to be successful in your chosen career direction. Some of the careers available when you graduate from a Collegiate Jazz program are:



• Arranger

• Composer

• Conductor

• Copyist

• Orchestrator

• Record Producer



Schools offer real practical experience like co-ops and the chance to play live and perform in small and large ensembles. Each school will provide you with the opportunity to gain experience in collaboration and give you a networking foundation that you can rely on down the road. In today’s world prospective employers want people that have an education because it demonstrates that you have a foundation for learning in this field before they hire you.



School curriculums will offer many courses like composition and arranging, score analysis, jazz fusion composition and post bebop harmonic innovations. You have the ability to select what is most applicable to you and best of all most schools employ a faculty of industry professionals. There is nothing better then learning from someone with real industry experience and practical advice.



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What does "SATB" mean?

For those who haven't grown up around choral music or in church, the term "SATB" might look like some strange code or an abbreviation for some government agency.

But all it means is: S=soprano  A=alto  T=tenor  B=bass. In choral music there is a line of music for each part -- a line for the sopranos, a line of music for the altos, a line for the tenors, and a line for the basses.

The sopranos, of course, are the highest vocalists of the four, so their part usually is the melody -- the tune of the piece -- and is written in the treble clef. Right below the soprano line is the alto line, also in the treble clef, but lower than the soprano line.

In the bass clef the tenor part is on top, and the bass part on the bottom, in keeping with the vocal range of each type of singer.

If you look in a hymnbook (not the more contemporary chorus books) you will see there are 4 parts almost always all the way through the song. Those 4 parts are for the four vocal ranges we just mentioned: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.

Piano players just starting out often play out of a hymn book just like it is written -- the trouble is, it was not written for a piano player, but for 4 different ranges of singers. That's why pianists need to learn what chord is represented by each stack of notes, from the bass up to the soprano, so they can then fill in and create a larger sound than they ever could just playing the singers parts.


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