Art of Improvisation

Spontaneous Music from Distinct Cultures

BY SAMUEL LAPP USIC FROM TWO CULTURES as distinct as Classical tradition from Palestine and Bop from American jazz doesnt always cross paths in our media, much less in musical elements. Yet in this investigation, two pieces from these dissimilar genres are compared and linked in ways that seem to bridge the vast geographical gap of 6,800 miles from which they hail. Our Middle Eastern musician is Simon Shaheen, a celebrated oud and violin player from Palestine who displays his talent as well as Arabic musical tradition in the release Turath, meaning heritage. Under investigation is the track Tahmilah Suznak, in which Shaheens skills are displayed on both oud and violin. Out of the 50s bop music of the United States comes our second artist, the legendary jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Here we analyze the upbeat tune Salt Peanuts from Groovin High.

THE ENSEMBLES
To begin our examination of these two pieces, we will first consider the orchestration in both works. In addition to himself on oud, violin, and bass oud, Shaheens ensemble includes Faruk Tekbilek on ney (flute), Hassan Ishkut on qanun (zither) and Samir Khalil on riqq (tambourine). Gillespies band contains: Dizzy Gillespie: trumpet Charlie Parker: alto sax Al Haig: Piano Curley Russell: bass Sid Catlett: drum set Comparing the two groups, it is apparent that both rely on a single percussion instrumentalist who keeps time. The leading melodic instruments of both bands (trumpet and sax in Gillespies; oud/violin and ney in Shaheens) often play the composed melodies in unison.

Riqq (Tambourine)

Oud (similar to a guitar) Kaman (Violin)

Ney (flute)

Dizzy Gillespies unique and famous trumpet

Track #1, 2

Qanun (similar to zither or dulcimer, descendent of Egyptian harp. Strings are tuned to the songs maqam) Art of Improvisation |1

Samuel M. Lapp 006563-008

FORM
Arabic music has several common traditional forms, one of which is the tahmilah (described at right). Jazz often uses forms that alternate between two composed sections and various instrumental solos. The pieces forms are outlined here It is immediately clear that the tunes have striking similarities in their forms. Both have an A section with a composed melody as the focus of attention. The melody is played in unison by the leads. Furthermore, the harmonic structure of the A theme is the basis for improvised solos later in the piece. They also contain a B section which utilizes a call and response phrase, and is repeated many times. The response becomes a recognizable motive which is repeated almost incessantly. In Salt Peanuts, this is the salt peanuts motive (above; Track 3); in the other tune there are two versions of a two-bar motive used as the response (Track 4).

Tahmilah- a traditional Arabic form with ABA structure:

A- A: introduces the maqam (scale); thematic composed material is played by lead instruments (flute/oud/violin) B- B: An improvised* 2-measure call from the leading instrument (oud) is followed by a composed 2-measure response by the takht (everyone else), which is repeats as the phrase occurs over and over C- A: Composed section is repeated *the first call is identical to the composed response Form of Tahmilah Suznak
A- Composed introduction A- oud repeats A +embellishments A- Return of full band B- Call and response; repeated 4 bar phrase B- response phrase changes A- Return to composed section B B A C- Short improvised violin solo B B A Form of Salt Peanuts Brief drum intro A- Composed section; horns in unison B- Call and response pattern Interlude B- Call and vocal response Improvisation section over intro B Improvised piano solo Improvised sax solo Improvised trumpet solo Short drum solo Unison horns outro, like intro

TONALITY
Being of completely different musical cultures and practices, these two pieces employ very different pitch sysTrack #3 Salt Peanuts Motive tems, or scales. Salt Peanuts, a Western Jazz piece, uses the standard twelveThis brings up an intreguing (if tone pitch scale of traditional Western small) link, which is that both pieces music, and is in the key of F major (a end as they began. Salt Peanuts repeats diatonic scale with seven tones per octhe introduction, with solo snare drum tave.) Being a jazz piece, accidentals and leading to a unison horn phrase and the chromatic tones (from the chromatic motive. Tahmilah ends as it began as scale but outside the key of F major) are well, repeating the A section. used freely to create harmonic interest and dissonance. Gillespies piece follows a very The improvised solo sections are common harmonic progression in jazz another important element of each known as rhythm changes (it uses the pieces form. Both feature chord changes of George Gershwins I improvisations by instruments with Got Rhythm). contrasting tone colors. In Tahmilah The Arabic piece, however, comes Suznak, Shaheen takes improvised solos from a culture where the standard 12on oud and violin. In the Gillespie tune, pitch system is not used. Instead Arabic piano, sax and trumpet each improvise a music is built on one of many maqamat solo. These solos, whether Middle (singular: Maqam). A maqam is like a Eastern or Western, display the scale in that it indicates the pitches to musicians improvisational abilities as be used in a song; however, the pitches they take the sole lead role and other can be microtonal, meaning they lie beinstruments drop into a supportive role. tween our chromatic tones. (For the sake of clarity they are referred to and Samuel Lapp 006563-008

Gillespie takes a solo

These motives unify and define their respective pieces. They become farmiliar and, especially in the case of salt peanuts, memorable. Their repetative occurance throughout the piece tie everything together. (In Salt Peanuts, the final use of the motive at the end reminds us its the catchy tune from earlier on.) 2| Art of Improvisation

notated as quarter tones, though there are subtle differences). Also, a maqam is more than just a scale; each carries with it certain traits, characteristics, associations and rules. (For example, a maqam might be associated with mourningor with the morning!). Like a major or minor scale, a maqam is made up of two tetrachords and thus has seven notes in an octave (there are many possible tetrachords, and each has a name). The F major scale and Maqam Suznak, which is used in our piece, are shown at right. Note that this maqam descends differently than it ascends (like the Western melodic minor scale!) While the rhythm changes progression is fundamental to Salt Peanuts, in Tahmilah Suznak much more focus is on the melody than the harmonic progression. Thus, both of the tonal systems entail seven pitches and two tetrachords per octave. Still, the tonalities are vastly different.

**

Ascending:

Descending: *name of tetrachord **scale degree tetrachord starts on (in solfeggio) Note: a backwards flat sign indicates a half flat Tahmilah Suznak uses the iqaat wahda, which means one in Arabic (implying the simplicity with only a single dum). When examining the rhythmic foundations of both pieces, the first link is simple and fundamental: both pieces are in meter. As in most quadruple meter music, the first and third beats receive emphasis; the first beat of each measure is marked by a bass hit. A big difference in rhythm lies in the tempo: Salt Peanuts is at a breakneck tempo while Tahmilah is at a moderate pace. (in Beats Per Minute)

METER
Jazz music, especially in Gillespies era, is usually in quadruple meter, with swung eighth notes creating rhythmic interest. Salt Peanuts has a straight forward beat with the kick drum on beats one and three and the snare on beats two and four; the defining element of the drumming is the swung eighth notes on the hi-hats or ride. Swung Eighth notes Arabic musics rhythms are based on iqaat, which provide the rhythmic framework of strong and weak beats. Most Arabic drums (including the riqq, or tambourine) can produce two pitches, one lower and one higher. In the iqaat, low (think of the kick drum) and high (snare) beats are denoted by dums and taks, respectively.

D- dum T- tak
ent line. (However, it could be argued that in Salt Peanuts, as the syncopated piano part contrasts that of the trumpets, there is more of a heterophonic texture.) Each ensemble includes some instruments whose primary role is in melody and others capable of harmonic support and chords. Both of these types of instruments are given improvised solos in their respective pieces. An interesting link in the improvised solos of each song is compared on the following page.

Salt Peanuts: Tahmilah Suznak:

TEXTURE

= 300 = 140

The texture in both pieces is basically homophonic: one or more instruments play a single melodic line which is the focus of attention, while rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment are secondary and do not follow an independArt of Improvisation |3

Samuel M. Lapp 006563-008

Track #5, 6

The oud solo and piano solo in Tahmilah Suznak and Salt Peanuts, respectively, are played by chordophone string instruments with moderate, more subtle tones; despite the capability to play chords and harmonies, the focus of each solo is on the primary melodic line with much less involvement of harmonies or, in the case of the piano, the left hand.

The saxophone and trumpet solos in Salt Peanuts, as well as the violin solo in Tahmilah Suznak, are played by monophonic instruments (who generally play one note at a time); the timbre of these instruments are pronounced and cut through the mix in both songs, commanding complete attention to their monophonic melodic line; in these solos the musicians display virtuosity and create excitement with embellishments, fast licks and dramatic pauses. Track #7, 8 The box above investigated a final interesting link, considering the timbres and tonal qualities of the soling instruments. The instruments from each ensemble played very similar roles in their pieces melodic, harmonic and improvisational elements. One might never have imagined that two pieces, seemingly so incompatible, could share so much in the way of musical elements. Shaheens Arabic traditional music and Gillespies American jazz are surely two unlikely partners, but their musical similarities bridge the oceanic gap which separates them. Maybe it should not come as a surprise that Arabic jazz has developed a successful East-meets-West story both in America and the Middle East. Certainly, these musical traditions have more in common than what first meets the ear. Article by Samuel Lapp

WRAPPING UP
After examining the medium, form, tonality, meter and textures of the selected works, it is apparent that though dissimilar in some ways, these two contrasting pieces share fascinating musical links. Being from two cultures with distinct musical traditions, the pieces contrasted sharply in tonality. Interestingly, though completely different tuning systems and sets of pitches were employed by the two cultures, both used scales made up of two four-note segments in each octave. Nonetheless, the use of microtones and the differing ascending and descending versions of Maqam Suznak contrasted sharply with the diatonic western key of Salt Peanuts, F major.

The meter and rhythms of the two pieces, being at very different tempos, seemed at first to be quite different. However upon looking closer at the metric forms of each piece, similarities were drawn between the quadruple meters and accent patterns.

These two contrasting pieces share fascinating musical links

Perhaps the strongest or closest link between the songs was their similarities in form. Bot pieces had two sections, the first of which was the main thematic section, with a composed melodic line played in unison. Then came the astonishingly similar secondary sections, in which both used a repeated call and response idea that established a repetitive, two measure motive. In both cases, this motive defined and unified its piece. Improvisation is an important element of both cultures explored, and the forms of each piece left room for improvised solos from multiple instruments. The two pieces had many interesting links in texture despite the differences in the ensembles. In both pieces, a single melodic line was played by one or more instruments while other layers provided support.

Track Listings
for the accompanying audio CD

Track #1 Track #2 Track #3 Track #4 Track #5 Track #6 Track #7 Track #8

Shaheens ensemble Gillespies ensemble Salt Peanuts Motive Tahmilah response motive Oud solo Piano solo Violin Solo Alto Sax Solo

If you would like to hear the pieces discussed in this article in full, they can be found on grooveshark.com for free listening. This work was created to fulfill the Musical Links Investigation requirement for IB Music Higher Level. Samuel Lapp 006563-008

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