more on this temperament thing

[David J. Severance]

David

As I said we are in complete agreement here.

David Severance

On Fri, 19 Oct 2001, David Love wrote:

> My point is that for most jazz pianists that I know, an altered V chord in
> the key of C should have the same character as and altered V chord in the
> key of Ab.  Seems simple enough.
> 
> David Love
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David J. Severance" <severanc@mail.wsu.edu>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: October 19, 2001 4:46 PM
> Subject: Re: more on this temperament thing
> 
> 
> >
> > David
> >
> > Bill Evan's 12 tone tune is the only atonal jazz composition I can think
> > of if there are more please let me know.  Again I think you are confusing
> > modulation with tonality which has a very specific meaning.  Atonality is
> > a compositional technique that was developed by Arnold Schoenberg and is
> > the systematic avoidance of permitting any single pitch to sound as a
> > tonal center.  There were a variety of ways that these composers
> > accomplished this that I won't go into here.  But the point I'm trying to
> > make is that tonality is achieved at the compositional level not the
> > performance level.  The  altered extensions a jazz pianist uses has
> > nothing
> > at all to do with whether or not the piece is tonal or atonal.  If instead
> > what you are saying is that jazz musicians prefer to achieve color with
> > their choice of chord extentions rather than unequal temperaments I agree
> > with you and ,in fact, have stated that in this forum. I have to take
> > issue with your first sentence, however. Jazzers improvise the melody,
> > the
> > rhythm the chord voicings but the one thing they don't improvise are the
> > changes! You can certainly do that up front, have it on the lead sheet but
> > that falls under the heading of composition or arranging not
> > improvisation.
> >
> > David Severance
> >
> >  On Fri, 19 Oct 2001, David Love wrote:
> >
> > > While many jazz compositions do have a tonal center, improvisational
> > > traditions take the pieces to a number of different keys and the return
> to
> > > the tonic is not always emphasized.  If a jazz musician is playing in F
> and
> > > uses C7 chord with a flat 5th and flat 9th and then modulates to Db,
> that
> > > Ab7 chord with a flat 5th and flat 9th will have a dramatically
> different
> > > character.  My experience is that most jazz musicians don't want that.
> > >
> > > David Love
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "david severance" <severanc@mail.wsu.edu>
> > > To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> > > Sent: October 19, 2001 9:31 AM
> > > Subject: Re: more on this temperament thing
> > >
> > >
> > > >   Once you get into music without a tonal center,
> > > > >i.e. some impressionist music, jazz, etc., then ET is better as you
> don't
> > > > >want key differences to be enhanced.
> > > > >
> > > > >David Love
> > > >
> > > > David
> > > >
> > > > I think you are confusing your musical terminology.  Most, if not all,
> > > > Impressionistic and Jazz are tonal in nature.  That is to say they
> have a
> > > > key center.  This doesn't mean that there are not transitory
> modulations
> > > to
> > > > other keys within the piece.  If anything Jazz is the form that is all
> > > about
> > > > tonality.  A jazzer never meant a ii V7 I progression he didn't like,
> in
> > > > fact we add them in where ever we can.  In western music you find the
> > > atonal
> > > > music in the works of the serious composer's of the 20th Century such
> as
> > > > Scheonberg, Aban Berg, Bartok and later Stravinsky and others.
> > > Interesting
> > > > music.
> > > >
> > > > David Severance
> > > >
> > >
> >
>