How does the complexity of jazz compare to classical music?

Well… I don't think it's about complexity. Let me explain. There's “simple” jazz music and “simple” classical music as well… on paper. What I mean, it's not because it's simple that it is easier to play. read more

The Classical composer or performer has a long and rich body of music in written form that he uses to learn from while the Jazz musician uses a body of recorded music to learn. Because of it's small size, the modern Jazz ensemble allows loose interaction while the symphony orchestra's large size and diversity of instruments provides many different sounds and wide dynamic range. read more

Classical music prior to 1870 was harmonically simple compared to jazz. Classical music during/after Impressionism is comparable in complexity to jazz. read more

The classical period of music actually spans a time from of 1750 to 1800; thus, the term Classical is a misnomer and could more correctly be changed to Western Art Music or European Art Music. History of Jazz Music. Jazz is a distinctively American form of music, and its history occupies a much smaller span of time. read more