Musical phrases in Jazz standards and Popular music are typically
4 bars long.
Often a
phrase contains a musical 'comma' in the middle, which sub-
divides it into two 2 bar
segments.
In Jazz improvisation a phrase can of course have
any length, this adds very much to the interest and 'surprise'
element of a good solo. We will come to that aspect a bit later
in the Course. But to develop good phrasing skills you should
first work on 2 bar segments and 4 bar phrases until you are rock
solid on that.
The 12 bar blues is an ideal
and easy to use vehicle to hone you phrasing skills on.
The melody of Bab's Jam
uses the typical phrase development of the traditional blues.
It consists of three 4 bar phrases :
- the 1st phrase consists of a call (2 bars) and
response (2 bars)
- the 2nd phrase repeats the first phrase (again with
the same call and response)
- the 3rd phrase introduces new material,
resolving the statements of the first two phrases