Writing Homework Help

Preparing for Listening Guide Assignment (#2)

As you prepare for the Listening Guide assignment due later this semester, it is important that you continue to develop your listening skills and the ability to recognize instruments, timbres, and musical forms common to jazz.

Listen to the recording of Benny Goodman’s “Blue Skies” (1938). In a word document (.doc or .docx file), identify the instruments you hear on this recording as well as the style of music you think best describes the song (for example blues, ragtime, New Orleans jazz, etc.). Also, identify which instruments have solos and where they occur (use the timings included on the attached recording (for example, “At 1:13, the electric guitar has a solo”). In addition, see if you can identify the musical form. Review the discussion of musical form in Chapter 2 (included as .pdf under “Resources” included under Week 1). There is quite a bit of dynamic contrast in this tune; pay special attention to how the orchestra plays, including their accompanying role(s) and dynamics.

In addition to the information above, please describe any difficulties you may still have in identifying instruments, counting measures, hearing form. Also identify any musical characteristics/features discussed in the text that are present in this recording (discussions of musical timbre (for example, do any instruments use mutes?), performance styles (“growls,” slides, etc.), “stop time” techniques, polyphonic or homophonic texture?

Blue Skies by Benny Goodman from Live At Carnegie Hall 1938 Concert on Columbia. – YouTube