My first jazz piece

First jazz piece I wrote and it's basically a melodic trade off between a saxophone and a clarinet with a brass, string and drum backing.

Hope you enjoy

My first jazz piece

Edit: It's called Uptown Rhapsody and credit goes to Heklaphone45 for the name :D

Score would help.

The audio is very unimpressive. Live players would sound better - this is sibelius?

Anyway: in jazz dissonances and harmonies are handled very carefully, you are just throwing them around, and your melody doesn't even consider what's underneath. It might do you good to sit down and make a plan of what your primary chord scales are, how you can alter them, and what voicings/upper structures fit.

It's not sibelius its a brass synth I'm not sure if the sounds come from bad samples or are completely synthetic though. Also since I wrote it in fruity loops its all on piano roll so theres no score.

Just have to use your ears :ermm:

I know there isn't a score, but if there was any way you could have one, it would help.

First jazz piece, eh? Well I hate to say it but I really don't like jazz music at all. But this piece, while it certainly isn't exactly my taste, but somehow, it's actually quite nice.

The audio is dreadful, I can't tell if it's a clarinet, oboe, sax or trumpet! Which is why the score.

The idea itself is nice though. I don't think you are "throwing dissonances" at all. I think they work in here, and you should keep them. They are sometimes the best moments, ones that made me smile.

Very good work, especially for a first jazz piece :)

Hekla

I wanted a score to confirm what my ears were hearing. It's no big deal.

Anyway: in jazz dissonances and harmonies are handled very carefully, you are just throwing them around, and your melody doesn't even consider what's underneath. It might do you good to sit down and make a plan of what your primary chord scales are, how you can alter them, and what voicings/upper structures fit.

That's what I was thinking. I heard a lot of natural 9ths over dominant chords, major thirds when the harmonies really wanted minor, a lot of unnatural jumps and object notes that really had no business being object notes, a #9 over a major 7 tonic in the background (resolves to the third, but it's a full measure of that odd dissonant note), a "ti/7" in the melody over a vi chord *twitch*...

I'd encourage you as you begin delving into idiomatic jazz writing to stick with the notes of the chord changes and their preferred extensions. Also buy an omnibook (or realbook with a lot of bebop standards) and pay attention to how the composers/soloists use non-chord tones in the context of chords.

As it is, the lack of consideration for what the chords really "want" makes the tune sound like a random conglomeration of melodic notes, several of which are dissonant for no reason.

Thanks for sharing. :) It's not easy, I know.

i dont know what style is this piece it sounds like a mix of classical melodies with rock groove?

i think its got good motives, but its becoming repetitive 30 seconds before the end, which you should becareful if you don't the nice melody the become a nuisance.

jazz, well it ain't. for example, common thing are 7th chords, another common thing is walking bass, and definitely not a rock groove for swing.

you should really play some jazz before composing in that genre, but that's just my opinion. i hope i didn't sound like i don't care-on the contrary i encourage you to learn jazz, but i know it requires tons of practice and years of digesting time to really know jazz and even appreciate it(that's why alot of people hate it).

I bet this would sound really cool live! I love the percussion part too

I'm not here to tell you how you should do jazz, and frankly I don't care if you take my advice or not - but I am quite experienced in this field, and my advice on jazz is pretty good. It has already taught some conservatory students somethings....

@the J I used a jazz drum loop on a drum machine for it I just moved some of the notes for side sticks to snare, changed some velocities and added 3 hits on a tom. The cello plays a swing rhythm mostly (the first one on this link) http://www.ellington-music.co.uk/graphics/WebFig1.gif The sax and clarinet melodies may have used a more rock rhythm/phrasing I don't know but rock/metal was the first genre(s) I got into so it's likely.

Oh also I have some dim maj/min7 and dom7 chords in there. I think most of it is major and minor 7 chords

@bryla I am going to take your advice and be more careful next time. There's no point in posting if you don't learn anything from your mistakes and this is my first attempt and I undoubtedly have a lot to learn. If you could recommend any websites that you feel could teach me a lot I'd be grateful

And thanks man-o-war but from what I'm gathering here this piece is mostly preferred by people who don't listen to/compose a lot of if any jazz... Now I'm not sure what genre it is