Wait, What’s That Note?" (Theory & Notation)
This accidental lowers a note by a half step.
What is a Flat?
This trumpet player was nicknamed "Satchmo" and is famous for "What a Wonderful World."
Who is Louis Armstrong?
This instrument provides the "heartbeat" of the band and usually plays a "walking" line.
What is the Double Bass/Upright Bass?
This is the main melody of a jazz tune, usually played at the beginning and end.
What is the Head?
This symbol means to go back to the "sign."
What is Dal Segno or D.S.?
This term tells you to play a note short and detached, often looking like a small "dot."
What is Staccato?
Known as the "King of Swing," this clarinetist led one of the most popular big bands in the 1930s.
Who is Benny Goodman?
When a pianist plays rhythmic chords behind a soloist, they are doing this.
What is Comping?
This is the term for making up music on the spot.
What is Improvisation?
Saxophone and Clarinet players use these to vibrate and create sound; they are made of cane.
What are Reeds?
In jazz, these eighth notes are played unevenly, often described as a "long-short" triplet feel.
What are Swung Eighths?
This pianist and composer wrote "Take the 'A' Train" and "It Don't Mean a Thing."
Who is Duke Ellington?
This drum set piece is operated by a foot pedal and makes a "chick" sound on beats 2 and 4.
What is the Hi-hat?
If the director tells you to "take it from the top," they want you to start here.
What is the Beginning?
This brass attachment changes the tone of the instrument, such as a "cup," "plunger," or "Harmon."
What is a Mute?
This is the most common time signature in jazz, also known as "Common Time."
What is 4/4?
She was known as the "First Lady of Song" and was a master of scat singing.
Who is Ella Fitzgerald?
These are the three instruments that typically make up the "core" jazz rhythm section.
What are Piano, Bass, and Drums?
A short, repeated musical phrase used behind a soloist.
What is a Riff or a Lick?
This term indicates a "sliding" note from one pitch to another, common in trombone parts.
What is a Glissando?
To find the relative minor of a Major key, you go down this many half steps.
What is Three?
This bebop pioneer played a trumpet that pointed upward at a 45-degree angle, and puffed his cheeks while playing.
Who is Dizzy Gillespie?
This auxiliary percussion instrument is often used in band, but provides the essential "Latin" feel in Bossa Novas.
What is the Clave or Shaker?
This is the term for the end of a song, often involving a "tag."
What is the Coda or Outro?
A standard Big Band usually has this many saxophone players.
What is Five?