How do you self teach jazz vocal?!
Question: I've been doing classical all my life until I learnt the clarinet. My teacher taught jazz so that's how I started liking jazz. My mum's a classical big shot in my town so I'm forced to learn classical although my passion is jazz. I'm studying classical on the piano but want to do jazz vocal. Dad thinks jazz is sinful so I can't go to a jazz school. I can some what improvise but want to learn to do so like Ella Fitzgerald.
Is there any way I can self learn?Any tips or suggestions?
Answers: I've been doing classical all my life until I learnt the clarinet. My teacher taught jazz so that's how I started liking jazz. My mum's a classical big shot in my town so I'm forced to learn classical although my passion is jazz. I'm studying classical on the piano but want to do jazz vocal. Dad thinks jazz is sinful so I can't go to a jazz school. I can some what improvise but want to learn to do so like Ella Fitzgerald.
Is there any way I can self learn?Any tips or suggestions?
first get in use with the count. (the count is the motor that "push " the music.
then . the 12 bars ( the 12 bars is " the map",so You will know where You are "geographically" inside the tune.) the 12 bars will help You when singing in the Jazz combo.
I will be highly criticize for saying this......Ella Fitzgerald was lost in the tune most of the time.......
but Ella Knew how to get back with the Orchestra all the time . because Ella was a Master of the 12 bars.
I am an Amateur Pianist(weekend piano BANG-GER) in South Miami Beach. i am not part of the Quartet but every time I get there they call me to the stage.
try not to imitate nobody(easy to say, hard to do)
get Your own feeling of Jazz and go with Your feeling in to the music, wherever You get... it will be fantastic.
do not sing for the crowd,sing for You and enjoy it.
do not sing to be famous,but make it good.
record Your singing for You to evaluate.
BASIC KNOWLEDGE......
You throat is an instrument (your instrument)
this instrument CAN NOT TRANSPOSE
You need to know YOUR KEY SIGNATURE
every tune You will sing MUST BE WRITTEN in Your key signature
WARNINGS
Never attent to sing a tune in a key signature that is not Your key(at the moment You will be singing,You gonna hear Your self OUT OF TUNE and subsecuently You will effordly GONNA SPOIL YOUR THROAT)
Start listening to a variety of jazz vocalists. My personal favorites are Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaugn, and Billie Holiday. Get used to the jazz sound, the rythym, the attitude...
To be a jazz vocalist you MUST be able to count, and sing syncopations (seeing as you're classically trained...you can probably count). Being able to imporvise is absolutely essential if you want to go anywhere in the jazz world.
Start learning some standards, like Blue Moon and Misty (2 of my favorites!). Pick up the scores at your local sheet msuci provider, and analyze the syncopations...get a feel for the music.
Singing with a jazz band is a fabulous experience. Its a little daunting at first, but its so rewarding!
Bonne Chance!
I agree with Angelina P, here.
I would add that rarely, not very often, but every now and again, someone comes along whom is very gifted with a great ear for jazz vocals, a great voice and is just a natural at picking up the beat, all the chops and a natural at getting down tight in the center of the sound groove, always on key, has great pitch no matter what style of music they sing or play. Just a natural talent!
But, that is rare.
I might also add to what Angelina wrote herein; by saying that I learned from the great jazz masters, by getting their records, spinning them and working on copping all their musical licks and tricks, until I had them all down right and tight and could play them as part of all other styles of jazz music, down tight in the groove with the rest of the cats in the band!
It really helps to have a natural knack for great timing, phrasing and an ability to hear same from your fav jazz vocalists! Go out and get a copy of every Mel Torme album you can find! Down load them free from Limewire on the internet. You can't miss, learning from Ella Fitzgerald, whom wrote the book for jazz vocalists! Learn first from the best, and then from all the rest!
If you work hard, by yourself, you CAN learn to be a good jazz singer; but you need great patience for all the years it may-well take you to master jazz vocals and music. You will likely have to work hard, every day at practicing music to get anywhere with it! You will need a great ear, or learn to develop a great ear for singing in the tone center, (or: on key/pitch and in character with the music), and you must have a great sense of timing and rhythm/syncopation, or learn same! You've GOT to learn good improvs too! You aren't playing jazz if you don't play or sing good improvs! If you can get jazz singing down so tight that the improvs just bubble out of you naturally, you will be "in the pocket!"
One last thing you need to know, after you've learned all the chops and copped all the licks of the great jazz singers: we've already had one Ella Fitzgerald. She is and was a great jazz singing legend. So were Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and Mel Torme.
My point is: we already have one Ella Fitzgerald and all the other great Jazz singers; so YOU need to find your own niche to fill in Jazz music! Find and develop your own "style" of singing, you like/enjoy most and are most comfortable with. Then, as you learn that niche, start pushing-the-envelope, exploring all the edges of your style and see how far you can take that style or sound that is yours!
Don't be afraid to explore and experiment with all kinds of Jazz music! If you find other styles you love, then learn them well and make them your own, by singing them in your own way or style! Try to be original and keep your music fresh while not straying so far out of your own style envelope, that you fall flat on your face musically!
By the way, just because we all fall flat on our face musically a few times, (or, in other words: fail musically, try for a fancy run of notes or a fancy double octave slur gliss or try some other musical idea that we fail to land correctly, and we do this a few times), doesn't give us any right or reason to give-up and quit the music we love all together! Oh NO it doesn't!
Some of us just learn to not react visibly when we muff a cue or land a grace note or embellishment a little nervously, uncertainly. Regardless, we learn how to cover our small mistakes with our next improv and just keep on playing or singing to the best of our ability! We are ALL just human and therefore subject to err! The trick is not showing others you goofed-up and by learning how to cover the flubs musically somehow, or with our next brilliant improv idea!
To truly learn music to mastery level, you have to learn to fail gracefully, get up and figuratively speaking: wipe the mud off your face, get it out of your eyes so you can see clearly and get back up on that stage and sing! Failure is just a healthy part of learning and keeping you humble! It's all good for you! Once you fail that badly and eat some humble pie, you WON'T make THAT mistake again! Maybe some other mistake, but not that one! A lesson earned and learned the hard way, through failure, is a lesson truly learned, indeed!
Most universities have at least one jazz instrumental music instructor or one Jazz vocalist instructor whom you can hire to give you private jazz vocal lessons. This, you are likely to find, will be a much cheaper and more affordable way for you to learn at your own pace, than paying for jazz schooling or college.
Many music stores that cater to all kinds of musicians and singers, will have a list of music teachers that give private jazz vocal lessons too! You will often find pro jazz musicians whom teach jazz music in private lessons, as well! Many instructors will teach you, give your music lessons in rooms that are part of the music store, too!
You say you play the Clarinet and piano, why not learn jazz on them too and use what you learn playing Jazz music on those instruments, to help you learn more about good jazz vocals? It's ALL jazz, isn't it?
You need to be respectful to and of your parents always, but don't let ANYONE steal your dreams!
If your parents won't allow you to learn and practice jazz music in their home, then remember it IS their home! Wait until you are older or have a job so you can pay for your own way in life and pay for jazz music lessons or if needs be, rent a place where you can practice music away from home, so that you won't bother your parents as much and can still work on realizing your dream goals!
Well, I hope I haven't confused you more with what I've written herein!
I wish you the best of luck and a whole lifetime of fun and enjoyment from mastering Jazz vocals and finding your own niche in jazz music!
Don't let ANYONE steal your dreams!...Remember, where there is a strong will...there WILL BE a way to fulfill your hopes and dreams!
Good luck!
Jazzme 109