Jazz Language

The following are terms invented by Charlie Banacos in the 1960’s for some of his many courses of music study for advanced musicians. The courses cover a series of methods and techniques to teach improvisation and composition in styles that came after the Be-Bop era. 

Charlie Banacos, in an interview, once stated that because of the advanced nature of these methods of playing, steps must be taken to avoid unmusical and mechanical playing and writing. He used these techniques in conjunction with special ear-training techniques geared to each individual’s development.

23rd Chords: This method deals with improvising in 12-tone and serial techniques. Banacos uses these over traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Chord on Chord: Term used by John Coltrane to describe one of his methods of improvising. It contains a series of methods and techniques to teach improvisation and composition in styles influenced by Coltrane and his followers.

Banacos’s course tracks the development of re-harmonization as applied to melody in addition to harmony from classical works to Art Tatum, Charlie Parker, Coltrane, Dolphy and others. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Hemiola Substratum Elisions: This course deals with rhythmic and directional concepts for creating melodies and various harmonic rhythms.

Intervallics:  His techniques in this course show how to use intervals as basic raw material to generate harmony and melody. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Overlaps: A series of exercises designed to enhance melodic ideas. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Pivots: This method deals with creating melodies by using common-tone pivots to join melodic groups. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Sprays: Contains a series of methods and techniques to teach sight-reading. The course uses all clefs and all transpositions and is geared to the level of the music student.

Tonal Paralypsis: The techniques in this course deal with aggregates and elision to form harmonic and melodic ideas. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Agogics: The course explains the use of accents and directional concepts to create psychological movement. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Double Mambos: This course is also called by the term Bitonal Pendulums by Banacos and demonstrates various usages of triad pairs and other structures to form melody and harmony. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Hexatonics: His techniques in this course explain how to use six-tone scales, triad-pairs, cells and other methods to generate harmony and melody. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Modal Sequences: In this course various sequences of interval groups are used on many scales and also uses diverse rhythmic patterns to create melodies. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Pandiatonics: Literally, the term means “all diatonic tones” and in this course Banacos teaches the student to use all tones from various scales and structures to form melodies and harmonies. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Reverse Tensions: It deals with the re-distribution of harmonic resources. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Superimpositions: These techniques enable the player to improvise and compose using two or more different structures melodically and harmonically at the same time. They are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Triad Pairs: It is part of his course on Double Mambos and Bitonal Pendulums. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Bitonal Pendulums: This course is also called by the term Double Mambos by Banacos and demonstrates various usages of triad pairs and other structures to form melody and harmony. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Harps: This style imitates the sound of the traditional harp and is greatly influenced by Debussy and post-impressionistic composers and in jazz it is used by Tatum, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and others. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Interconnecting Scales: It is a method of practice to enhance melodic continuity. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Number Permutation Systems: This course deals with an examination of all possible combinations of melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, and orchestral practices. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Pentatonics: Used to form melodies and harmonies using many five-tone scales. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.

Rhythm Systems: Contains a series of methods and techniques to teach improvisation, sight-reading and composition in all styles.

Tetratonics: Four-tone aggregates are used to form harmonic and melodic structures, tonally and atonally. These techniques are used with traditional harmony or as an alternative.