Jazz piano counterpoint: history, analysis, and exercises
Vasiljevic, Dimitrije
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/96160
Description
Title
Jazz piano counterpoint: history, analysis, and exercises
Author(s)
Vasiljevic, Dimitrije
Issue Date
2017-04-18
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Stephens, John Chip
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Stephens, John Chip
Committee Member(s)
Magee, Jeffrey
Lund, Erik
Gray, Larry
Department of Study
School of Music
Discipline
Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
A.Mus.D. (doctoral)
Keyword(s)
music
jazz
piano
analysis
counterpoint
Language
en
Abstract
The goal of this thesis is to examine the contrapuntal jazz piano techniques of
several reputable players known for the use of counterpoint in their playing. This
revolutionary approach to jazz piano
playing
introduced contrapuntal
thinking in which
voices became
more independent and the emphasis switched from
the
vertical
(chordal) to
the
horizontal
(melodic).
Even though pianists like Art Tatum and Bud Powell occasionally
used polyphony in their playing,
in the mid‐1950s,
Lennie Tristano
was
the first pianist to
extensively use counterpoint and even based
his solo piano style around it.
Tristano
commonly
played improvised lines accompanied by
a
left-hand
walking bass
line, thus
creating a two‐part counterpoint. Later, Bill Evans and
Keith Jarrett
further
developed this
concept by adding different rhythms to
the
voices and experimenting with
the movement
of inner voices within
a
given
chord voicing.
The modern concept of jazz piano
counterpoint was perfected by a number of
contemporary jazz pianists who seem to have
incorporated many ideas from
eighteenth- and nineteenth‐century counterpoint.
Some of
the most significant representatives are
Fred Hersch and Brad Mehldau, pianists widely
known for
their extensive use of polyphonic playing and personal improvisational styles
that largely rely on contrapuntal techniques. Moreover,
in each of these players’ personal
styles, certain distinctions have emerged. This
has manifested itself
in their
characteristic
treatments of melody, harmony,
and rhythm. The
rules, patterns,
and motifs
found in the
personal styles of the aforementioned players
will be
analyzed and categorized in this
thesis. Finally, a set of exercises and methods for practicing and adopting these contrapuntal concepts will be developed.
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