blue note

Re: Walter J. Klanker, T.D. 489, set, 4, 95, S8911290@ALF.LET.UVA.NL.

"The Joy of Music", A Panther Book, First published in Great Britain by
Weindenfeld & Nicolson Limited 1960, Reprinted 1968.
Panther edition published 1969."
Copyright (c) Leonard Berstein 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959.

p. 102-105

The book comes with a LP 33 RPM record.
(Columbia Records, LP, CL 919, "What is Jazz", Leonard Bernstein)
--"Printed in Great Britain by Cox & Wyman Ltd., London, Reading and Fakenham,
and published by Panther Books. 3 Upper James Street, London, W.1"
-- Chapter (unnumbered) "The world of Jazz" p. 97- .

Summary:

--The so called Blue Notes result from the bemolization of Major 3rd, the
Fifth, and the Major seventh. That's right melodically speaking.
--But real Jazz (in Piano, or in any other musical harmony) occurs when these
two notes are simultaneously played, i.e. the diatonic together with its
bemol, trying "to make" an intermediate note. This note when it sounds by a
free intonation instrument (like the human voice) it is a "quarter tone",
approx. two commas up the bemol and two commas down the diatonic.
--Sometimes the diatonic is played one Octave below (alone or in a chord),
making a chord (interval) of Major Seventh.

--I think this matter must be related with the Leading Note, classic and
western concept (Italian or Spanish "la nota sensible" = The sensitive note).
--I believe the Italian or Spanish word "sensible" (sensitive, not "sensible"
in English, alas!) is better than the English "leading", because it gives a
particular point of view.

--In music the "better" intervals are the Unison (1/1), and the Octave (2/1),
and this bemol or quarter tone down resolve in the Unison or in the Octave.
It's the note of the greatest emotive tension.
In this way the highest tension together with the better resolution make a
very particular chord !


--Eduardo.

Eduardo Sabat-Garibaldi E-mail : esabat@chasque.apc.org
Simon Bolivar 1260 Phone: (05982) 78 09 52
11300 Montevideo FAX : (05982) 29 83 91 (Automatico)

Uruguay


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