Articulation
Lesson time: (2min 15sec)
Mike Lovatt looks at articulation in swing, how to decide which notes to play short and which to play long so your phrasing actually swings.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Play Authentic Swing Trumpet
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Articulation in Swing Music: Shorts and Longs
Now we're going to look at articulation in swing music, specifically the difference between shorts and longs.
Deciding on Note Lengths
- How do we decide how to play a short or a long note?
- What did you think of those two performances of a small step?
- One had short notes.
- The other had long notes.
Which did you prefer?
Reflections on the Performances
Maybe you thought that actually, neither of those things sounded particularly swingy.
- I was swinging the quavers, but it still sounded wrong.
- It didn't sound like we knew how to play swing music.
Trying a New Approach
So now, let's try playing this piece with all the notes that are marked short.
- Let's leave all the other ones.
- Now we're swinging the quavers and we've made decisions on shorts and longs.
I think it's starting to sound quite swingy!
About the instructor
Mike Lovatt studied at Trinity College of Music, where he was awarded the Jon Kelly Jazz Scholarship. He has performed and recorded across a huge range of styles with artists including Quincy Jones, Robbie Williams, Eric Clapton, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Buble, Oasis, Michel Legrand, Tony Bennett, Shirley Bassey and Danny Elfman, among many others. As Principal Trumpet in London's West End, Mike has performed in Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, The Producers, Billy Elliot, Guys and Dolls, Saturday Night Fever, My Fair Lady and Spamalot, amongst others. He has played on movie soundtracks including the James Bond films, Harry Potter with the London Symphony Orchestra, the award-winning Chicago, Kevin Spacey's Beyond the Sea, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Madagascar and The Corpse Bride. He is featured on trumpet and cornet in George Fenton's Mrs Henderson Presents, and on trumpet in Looking for Eric. Mike is principal trumpet with the Grammy-nominated John Wilson Orchestra and has been featured in their celebrated BBC Promenade concerts and recordings. Mike is sought after as a teacher and clinician, and is a professor of trumpet at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music. In April 2013 he was proud to be awarded the prestigious Derek Watkins' Chair of Trumpet at the Royal Academy of Music, London. In his MusicGurus courses, Mike shares the secrets behind his versatility, showing you how to nail authentic swing, rock and Latin trumpet styles so you can play any of them with confidence and the right feel. read more