harmolodics

British

/ ˌhɑːməˈlɒdɪks /

noun

(functioning as singular) jazz the technique of each musician in a group simultaneously improvising around the melodic and rhythmic patterns in a tune, rather than one musician improvising on its underlying harmonic pattern while the others play an accompaniment

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

harmolodic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of harmolodics

C20: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Just Me, Just Me” is his lockdown-era play on “Just You, Just Me” — though it’s got more in common with Ornette Coleman’s wily harmolodics than with any prewar jazz standard.

From New York Times • Jan. 7, 2022

Garcia was a longtime fan and occasional collaborator with the late jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman, whose theory of harmolodics was reflected in the Dead's democratic approach to jamming.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 5, 2015

Coleman's outlaw approach involved what he called "harmolodics" - breaking away from traditional harmonic structure and "removing the caste system from music."

From Reuters • Jun. 11, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023