Identify one technique used to create tension in jazz improvisation.

The choice of chromaticism as a technique to create tension in jazz improvisation is particularly significant because chromatic notes, which are not part of the underlying scale, introduce unexpected elements to the melody. These chromatic pitches can lead to dissonance and a sense of instability, effectively heightening emotional intensity within a performance.

Jazz musicians often incorporate chromatic passages to build excitement, challenge tonal expectations, and create moments of drama within their improvisational solos. This use of non-diatonic notes contrasts with more stable scalar approaches and serves to elevate the improvisational dialogue between musicians by maintaining a sense of unpredictability. Such techniques are essential for conveying deep expression and engaging the listener more profoundly in the jazz experience.

The other techniques mentioned—major scales, repeated melodies, and silence—play important roles in jazz, but they tend to establish stability or resolution rather than deliberately creating tension like chromaticism does.