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Jackson Browne & Bonnie Raitt - Poor Poor Pitiful Me

One of the special features of jazz music is the articulation that the various players use in expressing themselves through their music. Some players enjoy using the standard swing style articulation very common to the Swing and Bebop eras, others use little articulation relying on legato or slurred phrases, some use staccato in their playing to add interest or emphasize certain notes or phrases.

Most all players eventually arrive at a style of articulation that is suitable for expressing themselves. Young players often struggle with getting the various muscles to respond at the precise time the fingers touch the keys, be it saxophone, trumpet, piano, guitar or whatever. Think of articulation as proper enunciation. No one enjoys listening to a speaker or a musician who cannot properly or effectively get his message across because his mind is not coordinated with his voice, lips, fingers, breath, etc.

Some players seem to have a natural ability to articulate in the jazz idiom. These players usually have listened to records and have etched into their minds the common, most used styles of articulation of the major jazz musicians. In incorporating these past styles of articulation into his own concept of playing music, he often will borrow a little here, a little there, and some of his own, and in the end be able to play out of several bags, as it were.

One major stumbling block that may be turned into a stepping stone is the player’s use of too much tonguing tat tat tat tat or tut tut tut tut. Note: For keyboard, bass, guitar, and others, tonguing in this article can mean Attack or Emphasis. When you play several tongued notes in a row one right after the other, the effect is a choppy feel. The music of the past forty to fifty years has been leaning toward a more relaxed, legato, smooth sound and flow. When I hear a player play phrases with the tat tat or tut tut articulation, I immediately feel this person has not had a chance, or has not taken the time, to hear jazz music as it has been played over the past forty years by the major jazz players. He should be tonguing legato style, tah tah tah tah or tu tu tu tu. Jazz is still basically an aural art form and the chances for you to be a jazz player without listening to the music that has come before you are very slim. With all the records on the market today there is no excuse to not be aware of the various schools of articulation and the main exponents.
Sources: Jazz Handbook by Jamey Aebersold


Jackson Browne & Bonnie Raitt - Poor Poor Pitiful Me
  • Songwriter: Warren Zevon
  • Released: October 2004
  • Genre Rock, Country rock

"Bonnie Raitt has won 10 Grammy awards, including wins as Top Female Pop Vocalist, Best Rock Vocal and Rock Instrumental Performances, a testament to her versatility."

See previous Song of the Day

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Location: United States

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