Structure
With
Mike LovattMike Lovatt shows how the structure of 'Transposition Blues', including its key change from D to F, shapes an authentic swing interpretation.
What's in the course
29 lessons (1h 2m) · 1 free
Lesson transcript
Lesson Overview: Exploring Structure and Style in Music
In this lesson, we're going to learn about how we can use structure to change style and take us on that musical journey we've talked about in previous lessons.
Analyzing the Piece: Transposition Blues
If we look at the piece, Transposition Blues, we can see it's kind of in two distinct parts:
- Part One: Starts off with two sharps in the key of D.
- Part Two: Moves into F.
You can see there's a three-beat rest as the key change goes into F. Halfway through the piece, there's a double bar marked that indicates that change in the structure.
Part One: A Groovy Slow Blues
The first half of the piece could be thought of as quite slow, a bluesy kind of digging in, groovy slow blues.
One of the pieces that springs to mind is from the Atomic Mr. Basie album. The Count Basie Orchestra were absolute perfectionists, playing with a fantastic groovy slow time.
Listen to the way in which they dig into this. We could play that first section thinking along those lines, considering that style.
Part Two: A Declamatory Louis Armstrong Style
The second section is more what I call a kind of declamatory Louis Armstrong style.
- Think of New Orleans.
- Think of Dixieland music.
We can apply that style to this piece, and I think it makes it sound really good.
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
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.
