What might someone who primarily plays jazz expect to learn from studying the music of the Beatles?
It is a well-known fact that the Beatles had no traditional music education, yet there is no doubt they were extremely talented composers. While their songs were not necessarily based on what we would describe as jazz chord progressions and rarely used any extended harmonies on chords, there is quite a bit a jazz player can learn from listening to and studying Beatles music.
I have just completed a course entitled The Music of the Beatles at the University of Rochester. The course tracks the musical development of the band, starting from the earliest days in Liverpool and Hamburg, moving through the excitement of Beatlemania, the rush of psychedelia, and the maturity of Abbey Road.
The Beatles were masters at creating memorable melodies and telling stories through music. In essence, these are the very skills needed for any jazz improviser. My goal, as I take on a solo, is to relate the most compelling and authentic story that I can possibly compose on the spot. Studying the music of the Beatles has allowed me to think differently about jazz improvisation. Jazz improvisation combines the technical aspects of playing the instrument with understanding the harmonic complexities of the chord progression. As a result of taking this course, I can now shift my focus from the technical aspects to thinking more in terms of melodic lines and creating and communicating an engaging and memorable story line.
While the focus was on the music itself, discussion also revolved around the recording techniques, the music business, the music of other artists, and the culture of the 1960s. There is probably no band or artist that has had more written about their music than the Beatles. This course synthesized much of that information into an account of the Beatles’ development as musicians and songwriters.
The course was taught by Dr. John Covach. Dr. Covach is a professor of music and director of the Institute for Popular Music at Rochester University. He received his B.Mus., M.Mus., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan.