INSIDE FLAP

As music evolves, so do the techniques, mechanics and esthetics that musicians use change and develop to express their new approaches to melody, harmony and rhythm. Improvising musicians have been creating and performing music for thousands of years; as musicians who have studied jazz for a number of years can attest, this art form, by its very nature, will continue to evolve. And like all musicians, we draw much of our inspiration through studying the performances of all the great artists throughout the history of our music.

With the continued development of melody, form and harmony, so has rhythm grown to encompass the concepts of many musicians that are introducing challenging new ideas based on meter and form. Since the introduction of African, Afro-Cuban, Indian, South Pacific and Asian music into American culture, musicians have used these influences in both their compositions and improvising.

By applying some of these ideas over standard forms, such as the blues, we can gain an understanding of how these concepts can be applied to many different musical genres. But the idea for many of these exercises is to gain more control over the basic quarter note, of pulse and of form.

These exercises are also meant to be played with other musicians; they are not just solo studies. The best way to learn these concepts is to work in any musical setting you can organize, be it duo, trio or quartet. Often you may want to rehearse in a group setting with a metronome running to help guide the musicians. Once you and your bandmates develop these ideas, begin writing and performing your own compositions and formulating your own ideas.