Before the tutorial class on the 19th october I made a first attempt at the learning contract what is attached below. Following the feedback given at the pitch session I was advised to narrow the scope of my project down so that I focussed on one genre of jazz or on one particular chord progression. This was in order to provide a critical framework for the project. For example, expaining the effect of harmony on improvisation by reference to what is normally done within the chord progression.
Aim of Honours project
The overall aim of my honours project is to explore how harmony shapes the course of improvisation and how it defines the sound quality of the scales being used. The project will focus on the common jazz chord progression I,II, II,V,I in order to make the project of manageble scope. By persuing this project I would aim to create an accessable guide which would explain fully the effect of harmony on improvisation, rather than the improviser simply accepting the effect through their own trial and error. This should ensure that the project is of high educational value. In addition there will be performance based examples of what is explained in the guide. The project should therefore be of appeal to jazz academics and musicians wishing to improve their improvising through a full awareness of the underlying principles of harmony. There is therefore a desire that the finished project should take a unique slant on what is already available.
Objectives of project
The subject area of my project foccusses on jazz improvisation and harmony. I will concentrate my research on these areas and relate the results of the research to the focus of my project. I will study what material currently exists regarding guides on improvisation to see what common approaches to the subject are currently taken. I will also identify any limitations of these common approaches with a desire that in my guide this will be filled. I will research harmony both in terms of music theory and the natural conditions that facilitate it. My project will draw on elements from all of these subject areas and I will seek the opinion of my piano teacher who is an expert in jazz so that I can see if he can identify any further research material or offer contrary opinion. I will apply the resarch so that it meets the focus of my project. This would comprise of applying the research done on harmony and improvisation to explain the effect of harmony on improvisation by producing a guide. I will also seek to make performance an integral part of the outcome so that what is explained in the guide can be heard. I will focus on the common I,II,II,V,I progression used in standards such as The Girl from Ipanema, Take the A train and Mood Indigo. In order to test the project, it will be measured against the critical framework which hopefully will become established as a result of using just one chord progression. (EG,explaining the effect of harmony by referring to what is normally done in these standards that use the progression) The underlying end goal is that I improve my own improvising and hopefully become an expert at the particular chord progression that I am foccusing on.
Major tasks
In compiling research material I will prepare a bibliography that contains all of the resources that I think are relevant to my project. I will then document all the relevant literature obtained and looks for examples of what is listed in practice, eg common approaches to improvisation. If I find research material that I think would be beneficial to my project then this will be listed. To do this I will keep in mind the scope of my project. I would further discuss this with my piano teacher who is an expert in the field of jazz in order to obtain a second opinion. This should also help with identifying limitations that I wish to fill in my project. I will study and produce my own transcriptions in order to further contribute to the objective of understanding approaches to improvisation within the chosen chord progression. This should help constitute towards the critical framework I am measuring my project against. In researching harmony I will again identify the range of literature and write commentary on aspects which are relevant to my project. I will test the knowledge acquired about harmony and then by means of experimentation and by referring to the critical framework, test what approaches work. One of the objectives is to make performance an integral part of the project. To implement this, I will compose so that the performances
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