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Course Syllabus

MUSC 4110 Contemporary Keyboard Harmony

  • Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
  • Department: Music
  • Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 3; Lecture: 3; Lab: 0
  • Prerequisites: MUSC 2160, Successful Piano Proficiency Exam or permission of instructor
  • Semesters Offered: TBA
  • Semester Approved: Summer 2024
  • Five-Year Review Semester: Spring 2029
  • End Semester: Spring 2030
  • Optimum Class Size: 16
  • Maximum Class Size: 24

Course Description

This course builds on the skills learned in class piano to jazz and popular music. Assignments will focus on chording, improvised jazz accompaniment (comping), lead-sheet reading and other keyboard skills for popular and jazz music genres. This course gives students the opportunity to improve piano skills acquired during the proficiency process and prepares students to participate in jazz and commercial music ensembles, apply these skills in composition and arranging, and pass these skills on to future students.

Justification

The ability to create harmony at the keyboard is a part of many class piano and piano proficiency requirements for traditional music programs (including similar courses at Snow College). However, the additional focus on contemporary music in the Commercial Music degree requires that students learn additional keyboard skills that focus primarily on jazz and other modern harmonic structure and notation. Courses similar to this one are part of commercial music degree programs at colleges and universities throughout the US.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will be able to identify, write and construct modern harmony from chord symbols, included extended and altered chords.
  2. Students will be able to provide appropriate harmonic support from chord symbols that is suitable for use in popular, rock and contemporary ensembles.
  3. Students will be able to play melody and harmony in the jazz style using rootless voicings.
  4. Students will be able to play and write two-handed voicings in the jazz style that are appropriate for use in small jazz ensemble and big band ensemble formats.
  5. Students will understand and apply idiomatic style and rhythm elements that are appropriate in swing, latin, funk and other styles.
  6. Students will complete a transcription of a selected jazz master recording, and perform it in class.

Course Content

This class will focus on some or all of the following principles and skills1. Chord structure2. Chord Symbols3. Chording strategies for pop/rock music4. The connection of the 3rd and 7th and voice leading5. Rhythmic elements of jazz comping6. Left-hand jazz voicings7. Two-hand jazz voicings8. The tritone substitute and other harmonic embellishments9. Other voicing strategies10. Latin, Funk and other stylesInstructors are encouraged to cater course content to student interests and utilize familiar material to facilitate conceptual understanding and connection to existing knowledge bases.