Research in Music Series: A Talk by Ben Geyer

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025; 11am, Bromery Center Rm. 419, Free

Research in Music Series: A Talk by Music Theory Lecturer, Ben Geyer

Mt. Holyoke College Lecturer in Music

"Fixed and Variable Harmonic Zones in a Corpus of 79 Jazz Standards"

Abstract: Previous corpus studies of jazz standards have represented tunes through lead sheets (Broze and Shanahan 2013, Salley and Shanahan 2016). Lead sheets are widely available and represent tunes conveniently as chord symbols, permitting insightful analysis of large data sets. However, as Geyer has argued, lead sheets do not capture harmonic improvisation, in which tunes oscillate between "variable" harmonic zones and "fixed" harmonic zones (2025). In this talk, Geyer presents a small corpus that represents 79 tunes according to their fixed zones. This method may seem to erase variable zones, but in fact it clarifies their immediate context - the fixed zones that guide and constrain their treatment. Further, the corpus reduces noise in the harmonic system by registering consistencies that are disguised when lead sheets select different chords in equivalent fixed-chord contexts.

Ben Geyer bio:

Ben Geyer is a jazz practitioner and a music theorist focused on jazz performance practice. His article, “Maria Schneider’s Forms,” won the David Kraehenbuehl Prize from the Journal of Music Theory. He has presented at conferences including the Society for Music Theory and Analytical Approaches to World Music, and has been an invited speaker at the University of South Carolina, Wheaton College, and the University of North Texas Division of Jazz Studies. Geyer’s investment in inclusive music theory pedagogy is reflected in his textbook, Music Theory in Mind and Culture. As a bandleader/pianist/composer, he has released two albums. Visit www.bengeyer.com for more information and resources.