Ib extended essay help !

Hey,

I'm doing an extended essay on music and I've decided on a topic

Jazz improvisation over certain harmonic progressions.

My problem is finding an actual problem and research question that I can derive from this topic to help me get started. Any ideas is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED =)))

Reply 1

gravesy

I can't say I know much about music, so my ideas may be completely irrelevant to your topic, but I have written an ee and hopefully you will find this useful :smile:

How about: 'Can jazz improvisation improve a song?' (or something slightly more technical haha)
Then like create a survey with specific songs and see what people think.
Just make sure you choose something you enjoy, otherwise you will fail it haha.

Reply 2

lastlullabyy

Original post by majoobies

For EE, you'll never do wrong with "To what extent...?". So maybe "To what extent do certain harmonic progressions influence jazz improvisation?"
But I'm a science person, wrote my EE from Psychology so maybe I think wrong... :dontknow:

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Reply 3

Buttercup26

I study Music at IB too (although my EE is in another subject), but nevertheless I may be able to help you:

First of all, you need to be more specific when saying "certain harmonic progressions". What type of progressions do you have in mind? Jazz improvisation would be played over jazz harmonies with 7th, 9th chords etc. Maybe you could go into these harmonies further and sort them into different forms, such as: 12 bar blues, Bossa Nova, Funk, Bebop, Ballads. If you listen to some of these forms, the improvisations are remarkably different.

So... for your research question, it could be somewhere along the lines of:

To what extent are jazz improvisations varied when played over different harmonic progressions?

Notice that I've changed 'certain' with 'different', so that it would imply that you are going analyse and compare the different harmonic progressions.
This is just another idea that you may want to consider. After all, it is your EE so your topic should be focused on and tailored to your interests and ideas for research.

Reply 4

ashleighgiles

Sorry if my post won't help a lot, but this is my share for you.

I did an EE in Environmental Systems and Societies, and I went to different institutes and specialists to study the history of climate change and other stuff in my country.
If you have the time, why don't you visit music institutes and/or Jazz enthusiasts regarding your case (in general). Surveys or questionnaires in your area regarding Jazz might be useful for your EE. It may not be a lot, but it might give you an idea on a research question.

Anyway that's just from me. Good luck with your EE though! :console: