Soul Ingredients®: Pedagogy of Soul

Soul Ingredients®: Pedagogy of Soul relates to the identification of generic components of music expression commonly found in folk-based African-American music styles.  

There are five (5) basic musical aspects/entities a performer often uses to musically express their emotions.

  •     Melodic Improvisation 
  •     Rhythmic Improvisation and Tempo
  •     Textual Improvisation
  •     Vocal Qualities and Nuances
  •     Dynamics and Emotional Intensity
The manner in which these aspects are executed are dependent upon the vocabulary established by the musical culture of the genre the singer is performing.  For example, a jazz singer may express sadness by slurring the words to the song with a breathy, vibrato-less tone.  A blues singer might slur words and sorrowful moans in between the phrases.  Soul Ingredients®: Pedagogy of Soul itemizes these differences from a more broad perspectives.