When the average person hears the term “Classical” music, they think of those instrumental pieces that have been played by orchestras for hundreds of years interrupting the scores written by the likes of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven and Brahms to name but a few of the great composers.  When you talk of classical music, you not only speak of the greats of their day, but of the way the music is played and written. It is written using conventional music notation and then it is played exactly as it is written without deviation. Most often classical pieces are written to be played by an orchestra no matter what the reason the piece is composed for. That means that whether it is written for a movie score or the opening of a play it will be played the same.

Jazz is a type of music that has been through many phases to get where it has wound up. Its sound started off as what had been called Dixieland, and then it moved to big band, bebop and finally into a series of different types of jazz until it settled where it is now. Jazz is almost always music played only as an instrumental. It is usually played with saxophone and/or trumpet. Secondary instruments to play this genre include piano, bass, drums and guitar. Jazz is also well known for its inclusion of improvisation. No two performances will necessarily be the same–this, along with the fact that it a complex type of music to play, account for why those that play must be very talented musicians.  There have been some popular jazz singers as well.  Jazz has also been influenced by Latin music, and a little funk creating a new genre called Caffeine Jazz.

Gospel is a type of music that is connected with lyrics that are of a spiritual character. The strong vocals will mention things to do with religion and are usually sung by Christians in church choirs. There are several types of gospel music but they all have the same essence; a way of praying to and talking about their faith in a musical outpouring.

There are several types of alternative music that plays to particular groups of people. One of these genres is Goth music. This type of music is usually dark, gloomy and morose in theme and played more by electric guitar. Even Goth has its sub genres, which include Goth Rock, Punk Goth, Romantic Goth and Power Goth. They are all played on guitar with a little accompaniment on the drums. Each has its own sound though all are related to their Goth origins.

The genre of Funk music is a type of music created by African Americans. The late James Brown was well known for his funk style. The music has very strong jazz influences. It is best described as music with sharp guitars rhythms, a thick bass line, horn music that has incredible rhythms, a strong percussion section and overall an upbeat type of music. Its music you can dance to. That is a very important part of its style.

Many believed that Roy Orbison was blind. The dark glasses that he wore when he preformed proved this to them. The true story is that he wore prescription glasses and before a concert in Alabama, he accidentally left them on the plane. All he had with him were his prescription sunglasses, and so he wore those on stage. As he was touring he had no opportunity to get new ones so he continued to wear what he had. By the time the concerts were over, with the amount of media coverage he received, they had become a trademark.

How many people have heard the story that Cass Elliot died when she choked on a ham sandwich? The story has several similar themes some saying it was a ham sandwich or a chicken leg or even a chicken sandwich that was responsible for the death in 1974 of the Mama and Papas singer. But they are not true. People believed them because she had spent too many years fighting her weight gain, something that she was not really very good at.  There was a sandwich, ham for sure, that was found on the bed beside where she died. At first the police concluded that this might have been a factor in her death. But later it was concluded that she died from a heart attack having a weak heart caused by her excessive weight.

Many people have listened to the sweet song Puff the Magic Dragon. This folk song sung by Peter, Paul and Mary has gone through its own set of absurd rumors and all because of the time the song was sung. The assumption was that the hippies were singing about drugs, specifically about smoking marijuana. The little boy that the story is about, Jackie Piper is said to be a reference to rolling papers. While the place he loved, Honah Lee, turns into a place in Hawaii where the ground is fertile and the marijuana would grow well. The truth is a young man attending college, who wistfully saw his childhood, wrote the song, his youth, flying passed him.  Students were not even smoking marijuana when the song was written.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds had similar rumors surrounding it. The story here is that a young Julian Lennon, son of John, brought home a picture to show his father and that is what he told him it was about. Lennon and McCartney claimed to have not noticed the initials. Years later they did agree that some of their songs were about drugs, but that this one had been inspired solely by a young boy’s drawing.

Gene Simmons, singer for KISS, has an unusually long tongue and uses it to get the crowd going at their concerts. Due to the abnormal length of it rumors began to circulate that he had surgery to attach part of a cow’s tongue to his own. This was ridiculous because at the time he was performing, the 1970s, there was not medical technology that could possibly have accomplished such a thing. As well, his tongue does not look like a cow’s, but merely like a long human tongue.

Many people assume that playing the drums is no more than getting into the rhythm of a piece and hitting the skins. Yet, there is so much more to it than that. Listening to the piece you want to play can help you get its flow, but being able to read music will make a big difference to how you interrupt the piece.  Though it seems odd to many whom picture reading music only for those playing the stringed or wind instruments, if you read music, then your drumming will be much better. The feeling among musicians is that if a drummer does not read music, and many do not, then their playing will never be more than the bland replaying of the most basic rhythms. Further, if you dream of playing in recording sessions, you must be able to read music to understand what will be expected of you during the session.

When learning to play the drums, the first steps are always the most difficult and sometimes the most boring. The player must be able to learn the basics first. There are four essential types of drum strokes that the drummer must become familiar, comfortable and proficient with. These are called the full stroke, control stroke, up stroke and tap stroke. Each of these must be learned and become second nature to the drummer who must know when to use each technique. The first step in being a good drummer is mastering these basic strokes. You can learn them on your drum set or by using a practice pad. Either way this is your starting point.

Although, not as important as learning to read music, learning to write music can also improve your drumming skills. This is not so you can write your own pieces, though that may one day be something you can do, but so you can get the right flow of the music you may want to play.  If there is a piece you would like to learn, writing out the melody in musical notes can help you play it.

Along with this point is being able to listen to music and hear more than what the average person hears. You need to understand when the other instruments come in and know where your instrument comes in and why. You will also need to learn how the vocals are going to come in. Listening to some of the great drummers will also be useful and help you to define your own style.  If you hear something you like, try to write it out and see if you can play the piece. This uses your ears and your eyes to improve you drumming skills.

Finally, the most important way to improve your drumming skills is to practice. That may sound like a suggestion that you have heard way too many times, but it is a fact.  The more you practice the more comfortable you become playing the instrument, this is true of any instrument, and the more your skills will improve. You must make sure that life never gets too busy to put in practice time. This is time that is spent not playing with your band, or your friends, but just the drummer and his sticks working on their strokes at least two or three times weekly.

Musicians of the electronic age were St. Germain, Jazzanova, Portishead, Apex Twin and more who used live Jazz music to beats. The Cinematic Orchestra and Julien Lourau from Europe’s France were very successful with this style of music. However, those musicians who master keeping the traditional Jazz music combined with  new elements are the most loyal to the style from which it came.     In the millennium, Jazz elements became a part of the American Pop scene with the artist Norah Jones, and Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse.

There are sceptics who do not believe the music should be called Jazz. However, Christina Aguilera’s Back To Basics album used Jazz brass instruments with urban beats. Jazz music according to the National Public Radio filed a report stating that the music is becoming more popular with the public regarding the interest of the buyers of jazz music.

Rhythm and Blues music is a product of Jazz music that describes funk and soul. The musicians who successfully made their mark with this sound of jazz, boogie-woogie gospel, bebop and blues reinvented R&B into contemporary styles. Artist such as Robert Palmers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Prince, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Keith Sweat, Mariah Carey, En Vogue, Guy, Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Levert, Teddy Riley, Justin Timberlake, Aaliyah, Missy Elliot, Lauren Hill, Brian McKnight, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are a few of the many people who’ve made this music popular. Later on Pop artists like Pink, Britney Spears and Gwen Stephani used R&B musical elements in their songs. The wheel of the evolvement of Jazz music keeps turning into new styles, yet turns back at different times toward the root where it began.

Those who were in favor of the traditional Jazz music feared that the essence of Jazz music would be lost among all the new innovations.  Free thinking in the world of Jazz caused a division between the modernist and traditionalist. The world of Jazz music has changed to the point where Jazz once the leader turned into an element included in today’s works of art.  Nevertheless, nothing in the traditional Jazz music has changed, but the radios have extended their repertoire to include all the styles of music with jazz elements.

The array of Jazz music is present in the Jazz fests that included music with African elements that did not sound like Jazz music. One thing we all should look out for is the musical elements in Jazz that stand out such as the complex rhythm, and the chromatic chordal harmony or chord progressions typical for the Jazz Music.

One must think about the aesthetic nature of the songs, and the general sound of that style. The next action to make is to add a trait or two to the traditional music of your culture. In all music there are notes that sound horrible when played together or just plain uninteresting.

With research and experimentation one can find traits from many styles of music that could fit together perfectly. There you will have invented a new style of music by expanding your cultural music, or adding the ethnic trait to another style of music. One can always balance each trait evenly to make it difficult for anyone to point out anyone style to create a new style of mongrel music. Nevertheless, creating Jazz music is taking what is known and expanding it without abandoning the main core of the style.

It has already been determined that the creation of basic Jazz music must include syncopation, speech rhythms, chromatic juxtaposition of 7th to 9th to 13th  chordal harmony using accidentals, improvisation and a walking bass line.  The usual instruments used in the creation of Jazz music are percussion, brass and string bass. Nowadays, strings and woodwinds can be added to the creation of Jazz music to add to the tonal quality of the sound. The upper stringed instruments as well as the lowest double bass stringed instruments can expand the sound of jazz music in the vertical matter of height, and depth  while the brass sounds stronger as the center of Jazz music.

The addition of the breathy sound of the woodwinds tends to soften the sound.  Therefore, having instruments from all the musical families balances the music to a fuller colorful atmosphere of sound. To diversify creation of Jazz music one should determine the elements to add or expand on.

The elements to look for would be tone color, rhythm, and resonance. Furthermore, take time to research the instruments for woodwinds, percussion, brass, and strings from other countries to see what can fit in the creation of Jazz music.

In Africa from the Middle to Central to the West, one can hear the intricate rhythmic improvisation of the percussive instruments that is often heard with Jazz Music.  These rhythms combined with the American Spirituals, Hymns, Blues, and the blue grass hillbilly musical sounds created a type of sound that originated in Jazz music.  However, the music was just a peculiar sound without a particular title to call it fifteen years later in 1915. The great pianist Earl Hines born in 1903 played this type of music before the title Jazz became an official style of music. The word “Jazz” which was formerly spelled as “Jass” has its origins as a type of American slang used to describe the sound of Jazz music.

It is the sound of Jazz music that began as an offspring from the origins that created this music. In the beginning of the century the instruments used in Jazz music were European  percussion, brass and woodwind instruments primarily for the military marching or dance bands.

Moreover, these instruments were used in the funeral marches in the deeper party of the southern area and well as the northern. The essence of the origins of Jazz music finally became developed into it’s own style with an original shape. In addition, origins of Jazz music expanded the style to the point where it cannot be defined as pure folk music even when some of its roots began there.

Once the education system included the study of music to train musicians in a formal setting it paved the way for many to learn the techniques to create music from the heart. The importance of the origins of Jazz music is to learn all about the sound that many have fell in love with.  Jazz music represents freedom to create color and sound that can be interpreted best by the performers and composers who create this style of music. The origins of Jazz music have been a subject worth debating over when it comes down to labelling it a particular style. Duke Ellington himself explained it as “its all music” due to the fact that the music has no particular structure or form it has to take.

Jazz music is not a simple style that can easily be defined except as free music that can easily meld into other styles of music to take it to another level.  Jazz music itself is an innovation of African, Impressionist, Spiritual, Hymnal, Blues and Blue Grass hillbilly music simultaneously combined into a music masterpiece.  The essence of the sound of Jazz music comes from the different musical elements from each part its origins as putting pieces of a puzzle together into one cohesive entity.
The Origins Of Jazz Music

The essence of the sound of Jazz music is so versatile due to the origins from which it first began.  In fact, New Orleans, Louisiana is the place where Jazz first began between 1850 and 1900 by African slaves as well as the freed people of color. The first style of Jazz music was known as Dixieland.

In Africa from the Middle to Central to the West, one can hear the intricate rhythmic improvisation of the percussive instruments that is often heard with Jazz Music.  These rhythms combined with the American Spirituals, Hymns, Blues, and the blue grass hillbilly musical sounds created a type of sound that originated in Jazz music.  However, the music was just a peculiar sound without a particular title to call it fifteen years later in 1915. The great pianist Earl Hines born in 1903 played this type of music before the title Jazz became an official style of music. The word “Jazz” which was formerly spelled as “Jass” has its origins as a type of American slang used to describe the sound of Jazz music.

It is the sound of Jazz music that began as an offspring from the origins that created this music. In the beginning of the century the instruments used in Jazz music were European  percussion, brass and woodwind instruments primarily for the military marching or dance bands.

Moreover, these instruments were used in the funeral marches in the deeper party of the southern area and well as the northern. The essence of the origins of Jazz music finally became developed into it’s own style with an original shape. In addition, origins of Jazz music expanded the style to the point where it cannot be defined as pure folk music even when some of its roots began there.

Once the education system included the study of music to train musicians in a formal setting it paved the way for many to learn the techniques to create music from the heart. The importance of the origins of Jazz music is to learn all about the sound that many have fell in love with.  Jazz music represents freedom to create color and sound that can be interpreted best by the performers and composers who create this style of music. The origins of Jazz music have been a subject worth debating over when it comes down to labelling it a particular style. Duke Ellington himself explained it as “its all music” due to the fact that the music has no particular structure or form it has to take.

Jazz music is not a simple style that can easily be defined except as free music that can easily meld into other styles of music to take it to another level.  Jazz music itself is an innovation of African, Impressionist, Spiritual, Hymnal, Blues and Blue Grass hillbilly music simultaneously combined into a music masterpiece.  The essence of the sound of Jazz music comes from the different musical elements from each part its origins as putting pieces of a puzzle together into one cohesive entity.

At this time, Jazz music moved away from the basic melodic element of the piece to produce a more abstract chordal sound of dissonant tones, and chromatic patterns. The dissonant tones in Jazz music can be heard when two tones are played simultaneously in a clashing manner that can either sound strange or terrible depending on how the tones of the chord fit together as melody notes from a particular key. Clashing sounds can also occur from the use of lowered fifths and raised fourths.

The chromatic sound of the music allows the musician to freely play each of the twelve tones of the instruments without restriction. Musicians were able to play substitute chords as well as altered chords that could change the key of the piece in a whim. The change in rhythm became more discreetly energetic in sound, which is used, predominantly in Jazz music today. For instance, the cymbal was hit in beat of a 1+a 2+ a 3 +a 4 +a while the snare and bass drum are suddenly hit without warning.

Soul Jazz- From the late 1950’s, a style of music that derived from gospel and soul using the tenor saxophone, repetition with melodic groove hooks, and less intricate improvisation that occurred over the chordal harmonies. The music from the popular radio artist of the time known as Ramsey Lewis wrote “The In Crowd” a hit in 1965. Souls Jazz music signature was powerful bass lines and changing tempo of the song.

Modal- Bill Evans a pianist of this time made his mark in the making of new jazz music styles by using examples of major and minor medieval church modes which produced altered sounds between two notes. This music broke the rules by allowing the musicians to form new harmonies regardless of the key.

Jazz Fusion- Between the 1960’s and 1970’s, Jazz music infused with rock to the horror of Jazz lovers. The sound of Jazz fusion is complicated chordal harmonies, and oddly mixed meters with syncopating rhythms. The instruments used are similar to the instruments used in today’s bands such as the electronic guitar, electric bass guitar, electric piano and synthesizer. The musicians Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Tony Williams and Frank Zappa and many others performed this music.

Smooth Jazz- From the 1970’s and 1980’s Jazz became a lighter pop style of fusion which begat muzak an electronic form of popular music on the radio. This music made popular by Kenny G., Najee and Grover Washington Jr. is played in many businesses to entertain customers.

Today the contemporary gospel music uses guitars, keyboard, piano, drums and brass instruments for their sound. One can usually tell during the ballads how Jazz chord harmonies are used in the keyboard and piano. The harmony in Barbershop music like Jazz came from the African American Black gospel church community, which use close four part harmony without accompaniment.  This particular style of music without accompaniment is known as A capella.  The Mills Brothers were popular Jazz musicians who learned how this harmonization in the barbershop owned by their father.

In many Jazz groups such as Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, Acoustix, Bara Vox, Beach Front, BR6 and more the harmonies are similar to that of barbershop. These harmonies are from the chromatic chordal harmony found in Jazz Music.  The group Take 6 has expanded the traditional four part harmonies to six tones. Jazz Music did not stop there, but grew into an array of different styles that produce different aesthetic appeal.

The aesthetic appeal can be found in how each part of the music makes one feel once heard. All the different elements from the lyrical content to the kaleidoscope of colorful harmony to the depth of the mood provide its own ambiance of sound. To give examples:

On the extent to which Jazz has expanded are listed below as new expressions to the music.

Vocalese - From 1952 to 1962 Eddie Jefferson and Jon Hendricks made their mark by using their vocals as a substitute for the music instrument in the exact melody. Meaning, the voice imitated the exact solo of a saxophonist solo. It was not wide accepted until the musicians above made it popular.

Cool Jazz- from the latter 1940’s and 1950’s a softer more gentle style of Jazz of both bop and swing with arranged harmonies that are present in Jazz ballads today.

Hard Bop-From the middle of 1950’s the church’s spiritual and gospel roots of African style returned to the Jazz music, which assisted in the making of Rhythm and Blues. One example of this music is Davis’ work titled “Walkin”.

Mainstream- From the 1950’s era, Jazz improvisation changed from single line melodic ornamentation to chordal which appeared again as a loose form of Jazz music in the later part of the 1970’s and 1980’s. This style was influenced by the cool, classical, and hard bop Jazz styles.

Ringo Starr is said by some to have lucked into the hottest gig in England by nothing more than being in the right place at the right time. Others will tell you that it was George Martin, familiar with the talents of Starr, who was a known nightclub drummer, who recommended this fourth member of the group because he was certain it would benefit the other three. None of them were against this addition to the group and later when they broke up Ringo played on albums reordered for both Lennon and for Harrison. His own solo career continues to this day. He may not be as popular as Lennon or McCartney, but he has a loyal following. He is the only Beatle to not reach the top ten in the United Kingdom during their solo career. Ringo was the one everyone said was the funny one.

George Harrison was a very talented guitar player. He played lead guitar during his career with the Beatles. Although most fans did not seem to realize it he wrote at least one song or sang lead one song on each Beatle album. After the break-up of the group Harrison was the first one whose success as a solo performer brought him not only a number one single but also a number one album.  He played the sitar after his early visits to India and was a fan of the ukulele, which he enjoyed playing.  George was called the quiet Beatle.

Paul McCartney, often referred to as the cute one, may have had the most successful solo career of them all. He was a prolific song writer, though his need to change the Beatles songs from those written by Lennon/McCartney to written by McCartney/Lennon angered a lot of fans and made him look foolish. McCartney is listed as the single most successful composer/musician in modern musical accounts. He sold over one hundred million singles and had sixty gold records. He continues to perform today.  Few are aware that he played drums on a few of the Beatles songs when Starr was unavailable to record. Paul is also a poet and artist having shown his work in galleries in New York and London.

Then there was John Lennon. He was seen as the mouthy one, the one who spoke his mind even when it got him into trouble. He played the guitar, harmonica and keyboards. Lennon’s solo career was not the success he had hoped for and with his anti-war stance and his deportation fight he was not as prolific a composer as he had once been. It wasn’t until 1980, after taking some years off to be with his second son, that his career began to return. His murder in 1980 put an end to what is believed by many to have been one of the all time great musicians of our time.

To begin with you should research different instruments. This can be done in several ways. Listen to music played by various instruments and decide which sound you like. Look on the Internet and learn how the instrument is played. Then go to music stores and see what they look like. Ask to hold the ones you think you will like. These simple first steps will help you narrow down your search.

Look to the physical aspect of the instruments you like. You may realize that some are too heavy or awkward for you to play. If you are a petite person you may find choosing a cello a bad match. Some instruments need the musician to have long fingers or facial agility. You need to determine if you have the unusual things that some instruments require. If you do then you should proceed with your interest. If you do not than you must choose a different instrument.

A good musical instrument is not cheap and when you buy your first one there are certain financial considerations to take into account. While there are some you can buy second hand others should not be; saving money while still getting a good instrument does not always go hand in hand. You can look into renting if it is a big instrument you want to play like a piano or cello.  Especially if you do not know how you will like playing this it is a better alternative than spending a huge amount of money on a hope. You can also rent many smaller instruments. If you are doing this with a wind instrument you will have to buy only the mouthpiece. You want that to be yours only.

If you are looking to play something solely for your own pleasure that is one thing but if you are looking to play so you can join an orchestra or band that also influences your instrument choice. Playing piano is wonderful but it is an instrument you are more likely to play alone.

If you can find someone local to teach you this is so much better than trying to learn by yourself. Private lessons should not be too costly and will give you a good start on how to hold and play your instrument. Whether you continue taking lessons after the first few will depend how confident you feel with the instrument, whether you are able to read music or if you just enjoy the lessons and feel you will benefit from continuing with them.

If you feel that the instrument you have chosen is not right for you it is perfectly normal to change what you are playing. It is not unusual at all for people to change to another instrument in the same family. Perhaps the violin is a little too small for you and so you change to a viola instead. Or maybe the brass instrument you are playing is too heavy, or awkward for you to play. It is more important to make the change early than play something you are not comfortable with.