Vamp (music)
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In music and especially jazz, a vamp is simply a repeating musical figure or accompaniment.[1] The equivalent in classical music would be an ostinato. A background vamp provides a performer, or perhaps the pianist's right hand, a harmonic framework upon which to improvise. A vamp often acts as a springboard at the opening of an improvisation.
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[edit] Overview
Classic examples of vamping in jazz include:
- "So What": the two-note "Sooooo what?" figure, regularly played by the piano and the trumpet throughout.
- "Take Five": the repeated, syncopated figure with which pianist Dave Brubeck introduces the tune, and which he plays with his left hand throughout.
- "A Night in Tunisia"
- "Maiden Voyage"
- "Cantaloupe Island"
Similarly, in musical theater, a vamp is a figure of one or more measures which the orchestra repeats during dialogue or stage business. Here the purpose of a vamp is to allow the singers as much time to prepare for the song or the next verse as is necessary, without either requiring the music to pause until the singers are ready or requiring the action on stage to be carefully synchronized with music of a fixed length. Once the vamp section is completed, the music will continue on to the next section, and create a continuous underscoring.
A vamp is commonly used in gospel music, often at the end of a song.
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
- Corozine, Vince (2002). Arranging Music for the Real World: Classical and Commercial Aspects. Alfred Publishing. ISBN 0-7866-4961-5.
[edit] References
- ^ Corozine 2002, p.124
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