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Looking at the Laura standard proposed by DrJellyFish, I noticed that it specifically says "Ballad or Medium.
Excuse the amateur question, could someone give a brief description of these two "indications" and potentially others.
Thanks in advance
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Hi, sorry for the delay; the issue is not that simple: from a certain point of view it would concern metronomic speed, but it is also a matter of intention; a ballad could be around 72, a medium from 120 to 140, but it is a very approximate definition. In a ballad I would keep the rhythm more "steady", in a medium I would bring the bass in 4, one note for every quarter note, but also in 2, implying the pulse in 4. Now I am looking for some examples.
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for example: Keith Jarrett Trio - When I fall in love", ballad
http://youtu.be/tqKNcksw1u8
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Ray Brown Trio (with a sensational Geoff Keezer on piano) - When I fall in love, medium swing
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http://youtu.be/wRzsrm3iq5I
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What I haven't understood is whether a metronomic indication is enough, or if even the absence of a rhythmic or harmonic density is required to fall within the patterns proposed by Dr
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Well, a metronome with an indication of the tempo would be ideal (like ballad 60 for the quarter note or latin 120 for the quarter note...) but often you only find "ballad", "medium", "medium up", "fast", and so on. Which doesn't give you much indication. Also because often in jazz practice a piece labeled as a ballad can be performed fast, etc.
One example is Cole Porter's "What is this thing called love", which is currently fashionable to perform at dizzying speeds.
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