passages so they resemble the articulations utilized when attempting to elicit that sound on an instrument.
If I were to clinic a group on a piece like Groovin’ Hard by Don Menza (below), here is how I would apply the concepts above: 1. Draw the swing clock to demonstrate the place- ment of the second eighth note (between 7:00 and 8:00) in the shuffle groove at various tempi (♩= 66 to ♩= 152).
2. Demonstrate how fluctuating the tempo of the excerpt changes the placement of second eighth note (♩= 66 to ♩= 152).
3. Ask the drummer to play an exaggerated shuf- fle rhythm, simultaneously playing on the ride cymbal and snare drum and making sure to play strongly on beats 2 and 4. (You may choose to decrease the tempo here to emphasize the shuffle)
4. Make sure the shuffle sub-division is internal-
on their bodies. (*As mentioned earlier, I try to stay away from anything that is not a character- istic consonant for articulation on a wind instru- ment – doo-‘bah’ or doo-‘vah’.)
6. Simplify the drum part by removing the exag- gerated sub-division and ask everyone to be responsible for keeping the jazz-subdivision in- ternally while scatting.
7. Add the entire rhythm section while having ev- eryone continue to scat.
8. Play the phrase on the instruments to deter- mine if the shuffle groove and articulation are uniform.
9. Attempt it at various tempi until the marked tempo is reached. (Remember that slower is harder at first)
10. Repeat any of the above steps until uniformity is attained.
For an excellent description of jazz articulation, I would recommend Jazz Pedagogy: The Jazz Educat
o r ’ s Handbook and Resource Guide by J. Richard Dunscomb
ized by everyone by having them tap it on their lap or chest.
5. Decide on what syllables you will use and have everyone use these syllables to scat the ex- cerpt (dat-doo-dat, da-un-do daht, etc.) while the drummer keeps the shuffle rhythm going and they keep the shuffle sub-division going
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and Dr. Willie Hill, Jr. One excellent resource in this text is Tolson’s Jazz Commandments – The Jazzer’s Dozen (Page 75).
Jazz Bill of Rights: All Eighth-notes Are Not Created Equal
MISSOURI SCHOOL MUSIC
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