Search engine for discovering works of Art, research articles, and books related to Art and Culture
ShareThis
Javascript must be enabled to continue!

Learning Jazz Language by Aural Imitation: A Usage-Based Communicative Jazz Theory (Part 1)

View through CrossRef
Abstract How can imitation lead to free musical expression? This article explores the role of auditory imitation in jazz. Even though many renowned jazz musicians have assessed the method of imitating recorded music, no systematic study has hitherto explored how the method prepares for aural jazz improvisation. The article picks up an assumption presented by Berliner (1994), suggesting that learning jazz by aural imitation is “just like” learning a mother tongue. The article studies three potential stages in the method, comparing with imitative, rhythmic, multimodal, and protosymbolic behavior of infant perception (building on the works of Stern, Trevarthen, and Merleau-Ponty). The demonstrations of the aural-imitation method draw on pedagogic experiences accumulated since 1979 in the Jazz Program at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. By analyzing structures of behavior suggested by the method, the article indicates key traits that render aural jazz improvisation possible, such as a fundamental sense of rhythm, formation of symbolic behavior, joint musical attention, and the facility to “hear via the other.” In conclusion, we critically address a frequent theoretical model describing musical improvisation as a synthesis of discrete elements or building blocks.
Title: Learning Jazz Language by Aural Imitation: A Usage-Based Communicative Jazz Theory (Part 1)
Description:
Abstract How can imitation lead to free musical expression? This article explores the role of auditory imitation in jazz.
Even though many renowned jazz musicians have assessed the method of imitating recorded music, no systematic study has hitherto explored how the method prepares for aural jazz improvisation.
The article picks up an assumption presented by Berliner (1994), suggesting that learning jazz by aural imitation is “just like” learning a mother tongue.
The article studies three potential stages in the method, comparing with imitative, rhythmic, multimodal, and protosymbolic behavior of infant perception (building on the works of Stern, Trevarthen, and Merleau-Ponty).
The demonstrations of the aural-imitation method draw on pedagogic experiences accumulated since 1979 in the Jazz Program at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
By analyzing structures of behavior suggested by the method, the article indicates key traits that render aural jazz improvisation possible, such as a fundamental sense of rhythm, formation of symbolic behavior, joint musical attention, and the facility to “hear via the other.
” In conclusion, we critically address a frequent theoretical model describing musical improvisation as a synthesis of discrete elements or building blocks.

Related Results

Learning Jazz Language by Aural Imitation: A Usage-Based Communicative Jazz Theory (Part 2)
Learning Jazz Language by Aural Imitation: A Usage-Based Communicative Jazz Theory (Part 2)
Abstract How can imitation lead to free musical expression? This article explores the role of auditory imitation in jazz. Even though many renowned jazz musicians ha...
Staging jazz pasts within commercial European jazz festivals: The case of the North Sea Jazz Festival
Staging jazz pasts within commercial European jazz festivals: The case of the North Sea Jazz Festival
This article examines the North Sea Jazz Festival in order to highlight the growing influence of both ‘convergence culture’ (Jenkins) and prevailing jazz mythologies upon the recep...
Game Theory in Business Ethics: Bad Ideology or Bad Press?
Game Theory in Business Ethics: Bad Ideology or Bad Press?
Solomon’s article and Binmore’s response exemplify a standard exchange between the game theorist and those critical of applying game theory to ethics. The critic of game theory lis...
ACQUISITION: PROCESS, STRATEGY, PROBLEM IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING
ACQUISITION: PROCESS, STRATEGY, PROBLEM IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING
This paper explained the pattern of overcoming difficulties of foreign language learning, identifying based one previous study in learning English as a foreign language. Yet, it al...
Graphic Design for Children with Learning Disabilities Based on the Isaan Mural Painting
Graphic Design for Children with Learning Disabilities Based on the Isaan Mural Painting
The study of 'Graphic design for children with learning disabilities' is a study that delves into learning-disabled children in the Isaan region. The author used the survey to form...
Jazz as a Black American Art Form: Definitions of the Jazz Preservation Act
Jazz as a Black American Art Form: Definitions of the Jazz Preservation Act
Jazz music and culture have experienced a surge in popularity after the passage of the Jazz Preservation Act (JPA) in 1987. This resolution defined jazz as a black American art for...
Intercultural Competence Development Among University Students From a Self-Regulated Learning Perspective
Intercultural Competence Development Among University Students From a Self-Regulated Learning Perspective
Abstract. Intercultural competence is defined as a lifelong learning task that can be developed in any intergroup situation. A self-regulated learning model is applied to better un...

Back to Top