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Jazz Starter Pack
Jazz Starter Pack
Jazz Starter Pack
T I M O T H Y G O N D O L A
J A Z Z
S T A R T E R
P A C K
The essential
guide for every
jazz learner!
© 2 0 2 3 G O N D O L A M U S I C
Welcome 1
Jazz Terminology 6
Scale Degrees 19
Roman Numerals 22
Welcome
ABOUT
Gondola Music is a music content, music
education, and education technology platform
founded by classical and jazz pianist Timothy
Gondola.
The lists of preeminent jazz artists and albums are in no way exhaustive; there are
multitudes of significant artists and records that didn't make it onto these pages. It's
up to you to explore and discover them!
To support Gondola Music & Timothy's YouTube channel, consider becoming a patron.
patreon.com/TimothyGondola
2
Beginner
All Blues Footprints
All Of Me I’ll Remember April
Autumn Leaves In A Mellow Tone
TIP: Click the names to
Blue Bossa Mr. P.C.
learn about the songs on
Blue Monk Lady Bird
learnjazzstandards.com
But Not For Me Solar
Bye Bye Blackbird So What
C-Jam Blues Summertime
Doxy Take The A Train
Intermediate
All The Things You Are How High The Moon
Alone Together It Could Happen To You
A Night In Tunisia Misty
Cherokee My Funny Valentine
Days Of Wine & Roses On Green Dolphin Street
East Of The Sun Someday My Prince Will Come
Fly Me To The Moon There Will Never Be Another You
Groovin' High tp What Is This Thing Called Love?
Have You Met Miss Jones Yesterdays
Advanced
Alice In Wonderland Donna Lee
Anthropology Giant Steps
Caravan In A Sentimental Mood
Confirmation I Love You
Billie’s Bounce Joy Spring
Body & Soul Oleo
Darn That Dream Round Midnight
3
Kind Of Blue
Year: 1959
Artist: Miles Davis
A Love Supreme
Year: 1964
Artist: John Coltrane
Headhunters
Year: 1973
Artist: Herbie Hancock
Native Dancer
Year: 1975
Artist: Wayne Shorter
5
Mirror Mirror
Year: 1980
Artist: Joe Henderson
People Time
Year: 1991 (2009 release)
Artist: Stan Gets & Kenny Barron
Esperanza
Year: 2008
Artist: Esperanza Spalding
Liquid Spirit
Year: 2013
Artist: Gregory Porter
The Epic
Year: 2015
Artist: Kamasi Washington
6
Blow
To play your instrument (usually refers to a saxophonist/trumpeter blowing their horn).
Cat
A cool musician.
Chart/Chord Chart
The chord progression of a tune written out with chord symbols, either with or without the
melody.
Chops
Technical skills and dexterity on your instrument, usually involving the ability to play very
quickly.
Combo
"Jazz combo" A small jazz group like a trio, quartet, or quintet.
Comping
Playing rhythmic accompanying chords, probably by a member of the rhythm section.
Changes
The chord progression.
Head
May refer either to (1) the beginning of a tune or (2) the entirety of the tune played once.
Jazz and other artists may tap their heads to signify to the other musicians that it is time to
return to the beginning of the tune.
Horn
Stand-in for your instrument, mostly referring to a saxophone or trumpet.
Fake Book
Earlier versions of the Real Book.
Jam
Free-playing music, mostly with other musicians, and usually involving improvisation.
7
Lead Sheet
A chord chart which include the melody.
Lick
A jazz "word" or "phrase" (series of notes) which artists can port to different tunes
and changes.
Line
A series of notes comprising a phrase.
Modal
Harmony or notes built on a musical mode.
Playing Out
Playing outside the safe, appropriate notes of a harmony to push the boundaries of
your music.
Pocket
Precise rhythm of a groove. To be "in the pocket" is to be perfectly in/on the beat..
Quartal
Chord shapes or harmonies built with perfect or augmented fourths.
Quote
A melodic or rhythmic reference to another tune within the current tune.
Real Book
A compilation of lead sheets. The Real Book is the "bible" of jazz music.
Rhythm Changes
The chord changes from George Gershwin's I've Got Rhythm. This chord progression
has become so common in jazz composition that jazz artists have named it.
Rhythm Section
The instruments in a jazz group which provide the basis for rhythm and comping:
piano, drums, guitar, bass.
8
Scat
A kind of improvisation where the singer vocalizes sounds without words, sometimes imitating
the timbre of other instruments.
Shed
To practice or show your chops.
Shell Voicings
The root, third and seventh chord tones of a seventh chord; the main tones.
Standard
Jazz standard. Another name for a jazz song or tune.
Straight
Referring to eighth or sixteenth notes played with normal, unchanged rhythm.
Swing
Referring to eighth or sixteenth notes played with lilted, triplet-like rhythm.
Tag
Synonym for "repeat," referring to tagging the last few bars of a tune before ending.
Top
The beginning of a tune. To go back to the head means to go back to the top.
Turnaround
A chord progression, often in the circle of 4ths, which bridges one musical section to the next.
Vamp
A small section which gets repeated. Every tag is a vamp, but not every vamp is a tag.
Walk
Describes the motion of a quarter-note bass line.
1 3 5 Spelling (Key of C)
1) Minor ♮1 ♭3 ♮5 C ♭E G
2) Major ♮1 ♮3 ♮5 C E G
3) Diminished ♮1 ♭3 ♭5 C ♭E ♭G
4) Augmented ♮1 ♮3 #5 C E G#
The 7 is actually a half-step down from normal. So when we’re referring to chord
tone 7 in the key of C, we’re actually referring to B♭, the dominant/minor 7,
rather than B. The 7th is the only interval or chord tone that deviates from the
scale degrees.
For simplicity’s sake, I’ve used the key of C for all chord examples and diagrams,
but remember that a chord symbol can be in any key (Am7, Dmaj9, F#-11b9). In
each of these three examples I just gave, the 1 is the first note of that chord (A, D,
F# respectively).
♭5 and # 5
The 5 can be flatted or sharped. If the 5 becomes sharp (G natural to G sharp in
the key of C), the chord is called augmented. This is a peculiar harmony which
can sound somewhat spooky. Fun fact: an augmented triad is two major thirds
built upon each other. When the 5 is flatted (G natural to G flat in the key of C),
we don’t have a name for that harmony, the same way we call the sharp 5
augmented. However, if you flat the 5 and the 3 (G to Gb and E to Eb in the key of
C) your new harmony is called diminished.
Common chords with b5 Cm7(b5),
Common chords with #5 Cmaj7(#11,#5),
M7
Because the 7 is the only chord tone which is flat (minor), it can become major
(from Bb to B in the key of C).
♭9 and # 9
Flat and sharp 9 add spice to your regular dominant seven chord. They don’t
work too well with major seven chords and minor seven chords (#9 [D#] is
redundant in a minor seven chord, as it is equivalent to the flat 3 [Eb]).
Common chords with b9 C13(b9),
Common chords with #9 C7(#11,b9),
# 11 Sharp 11 can also be interpreted as II/I, or D/C. Where D’s 3 (F#) is C’s #11.
Common chords with #11 C7(#11,b9),
♭13 The flat 13 adds a fantastic touch to your dominant seven chord.
Note: An extension chord can imply the extensions beneath it. So if you see C13,
you can throw in the 9 and 11 as well, even though they’re not explicitly written.
Inversely, if you see a standard seventh chord symbol (e.g. Bm7, EbΔ7) it’s up to
your creative imagination to spice that chord up with extensions, even though
they’re not marked.
Slash chords
In your musical journey you will probably stumble upon slash chords. Every
seventh chord can also be represented by a slash chord. For instance, the Cmaj7
drawn below can be considered an E minor triad (Em: E-G-B) over the note C.
This slash chord would be: Em/C. The note underneath the slash is the bass
note, meaning the lowest note of a chord.
Note: 7th chords are not usually written as slash chords, these were just used to demonstrate the
concept.
You can also use slash chord symbols to represent chord inversions.
Sometimes the note underneath the slash represents not the bass note but a
chord (C). In these cases, regardless of the upper inversion, its chord symbol
stays the same (D).
The bottom chord need not be in standard triad form (C-E-G) as well. As is the
rule, the chord can be configured in any way so long as the root (tonic) is at the
bottom. However, unlike the bottom chord, the top chord of a slash chord does
not need to be in root position (not necessarily root position triad, but meaning
that the root is at the bottom chord like the D/C example chord in the second
measure below– all of the bottom chords listed below are in root position). As
mentioned before, here’s a simpler way of saying this: regardless of the upper
inversion, its chord symbol stays the same.
Final note: there are exceptions to the rule (as if this isn’t complicated enough).
Sometimes the bottom chord does not actually need to be in root position (in
other words, the root (tonic) does not actually need to be at the base of the
bottom chord) in order to be written as such in the chord symbol. For instance,
all of the examples below may be written as Abmaj7, as a matter of
interpretation. They also include extensions.
Voicings
The examples above also demonstrate the vast amount of different voicings you
can use for the same chord symbol. This is where jazz really blossoms. Use your
creativity to configure the notes in different orders, spacings, repeating certain
notes, dropping others, tossing in extensions… This is how we build creative and
luscious jazz chords.
Polychords
Whereas slash chords only involve upper chords sitting on a lower bass note
(with some exceptions as explained before) polychords involve the stacking of
two chords (or possibly more!). Below are some examples of polychords. Notice
that the bottom chord symbol is not simply the root note as in slash chord, but
an entire chord symbol.
You may also find triple polychords, involving two polychords and one bass note,
as is the case with example 1 and 2. Example 3 demonstrates three full chords, a
veritable triple polychord. In Example 4, the bottom two chords are actually an
inversion of the Eb major triad, so this can technically be considered a double
polychord, where the bottom chord is inverted.
Sus chords
Sus chords are a common and simple way to spruce up your piano chords. “Sus
chord” stands for suspended chord. This is when you suspend (replace) the 3
upwards to the 4, or
downwards to the 2.
Sus chords are either
Sus 2 or Sus 4, and they
are often used to
resolve to the major 3
harmony: Csus2 to C, or Csus4 to C. The Csus4 is a very common sound which
beautifully delays the resolution from the V to the I (V → Isus4 → I). If you come
across a chord symbol that simply shows sus (as in Fsus or Bbsus) this is implied
to be the sus 4.
You might find cases where the number is spelled before the sus (C4sus instead
of Csus4) which isn’t common but the two spellings are completely synonymous.
More common is sus9, sus11 and sus13 chords, with their synonymous spellings
of 9sus, 11sus and 13sus. The only difference between sus9 and sus2, and sus11
and sus4 is the presence of the 7. When it is present, the suspended note is
designated as an extension.
Add chords
Add chords are straightforward:
you simply add the appropriate
note: 2, 4 or 6. What
differentiates the add chord from
the sus chord is that the extra note does not replace the 3 (E), but rather
includes it. These chords sound crunchy and savory if well-placed in your music.
There exist add9, add11 and add 13 chords in guitar chord symbology, but when it
comes to piano symbols, you would only see these add extensions preceded by 7
in a chord symbol (for instance: C7add9, C7add11). These add extension chord
symbols are pretty much redundant, since C9 means the same thing as C7add9,
and C11 is synonymous with C7add11.
Quirks
5 Certain chords do not contain the three (mediant)– C5, B5, Ab5– etc. These
chords are as simple as they seem, containing only the one (root) and the five
(dominant). So, C5 is a chord which has C and G, but neither E nor any other
note (although you might find the C and/or G present more than once).
♭9 and # 9
Flat 9 chords sound great, and so do sharp nine chords. What if
you combined them? You’d end up with this strikingly salient
harmony. The # 9 (D#) is represented by Eb in the chord to
your right.
Note: At the end of the day, chord symbol notation isn’t one-size-fits-all. You will
likely come across different variations and idiosyncrasies, so treat chord symbols
as a guides to chord harmony rather than unbreakable gospel (LaVerne, 2015).
Scale Degrees
In order to understand music theory, chord symbology, and roman numerals you
must know scale degrees. There are seven scale degrees, each corresponding to
one note in the major scale, or the interval (second, third, fourth, etc.)
Oftentimes the scale degree of a chord is mentioned only as the number: “play
the 6 [in that C chord]” or “E minor has a flat 3” or “the augmented triad has a
sharp 5.” To flat a scale degree means to move the note down a half-step, and to
sharp a scale degree means to move the note up a half-step.
The most important scale degree in any chord is the 1 (tonic), the first and
foundation note. The second most important scale degree is the 5 (dominant). If
we add the 3 (mediant), we now have the skeleton for some beautiful chords.
7ths and extensions (explained ahead) are the key to those awesome jazzy
chords. Scale degrees repeat every new octave; so if you’re in the key of C, every
D on the piano will be a 2, every B will be a 7, etc.
Scale degrees become a little more interesting in the world of jazz theory. We
have what are called extensions. The interval of a 9th (D), up from C, is called the
9th. Likewise, the 11th (F) is called the 11th, and the 13th (A) is called the 13th.
However, in terms of jazz theory, the 10th is considered the 3rd (mediant), and
the 12th is considered the 5th (dominant). This is because when we have a 7th
chord (a triad which has the 1, 3, and 5, with a 7 on top of it) the harmonic quality
changes greatly with an extension.
Scale Degree
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
C C D E F G A B
C#/Db Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C
D D E F# G A B C#
D#/Eb Eb F G Ab Bb C D
E E F# G# A B C# D#
Key F F G A Bb C D E
F#/Gb Gb Ab Bb C Db Eb F
G G A B C D E F#
G#/Ab Ab Bbm Cm Db Eb F Gb
A A B C# D E F# G#
A#/Bb Bb C D Eb F G A
B B C# D# E F# G# A#
Roman numerals are built off scale degrees, the seven tones of a major scale.
Another way to say this is that the Roman numeral notes are diatonic, they
belong to the major scale of the given key. In the key of C, these notes are C (1),
D (2), E (3), F (4), G (5), A (6), B (7).
Using the notes of the home key (in the case of C, all white notes of the C major
scale) we build triads upon the scale tones. Capital case indicates a major triad,
while lower case indicates a minor triad. The lower case with degree sign° means
diminished. This is a triad with a flat 3 and flat 5.
It is important to realize that when someone refers to “the 2 [chord]” in the key
of C, they are referring to a D minor chord in Roman Numeral Analysis.
You’ll notice that Roman numeral symbols themselves can change depending on
the key you’re in. In this case we’re in the key of A minor.
You may also be in a major key like C major, and the composer has decided to
use a notes that doesn’t not correspond to the standard Roman numerals. This is
normal and the Roman numeral symbols will change capitalization to reflect that
change. For example, if our piece is in the key of C major, a D major chord will be
written as II, instead of lowercase ii.
As aforementioned, chords are not limited to their natural quality within the
Roman Numeral system. Each chord can be modified to minor, half-diminished,
fully-diminished, etc.
You can also use accidentals (sharp and flats) to deviate from the scale degrees.
In the key of C, a bII (flat 2) would correspond to a Db chord instead of a D
chord. Likewise, the bVI chord would correspond to the Ab rather than A.
Notes (gondolamusic.co/notes)
Blog (gondolamusic.co/blog)
Tutorials (gondolamusic.co/shop/tutorials)
Transcriptions (youtube.com/@timothygondola)