Sing Jazz for beginners

Name: Sing Jazz for beginners
Rating: 4.5 (133 reviews)

Learn how to find your jazz voice, timing, repertoire and style with jazz singer Ilse Huizinga

Created byIlse Huizinga

Last updated 6/2020

English

What you'll learn

You will understand the essentials of a jazzy sound and swinging timing
You'll get tools how to sing basic variations to the melody
You'll understand how to start developing your own style
You'll get a repertoire list of the basic jazz repertoire
What will you NOT learn: how to scat, how to improvise. For that, check out my other Udemy course: Let's Scat.
Sing Jazz for beginners is a very compact course - to spark your interest in jazz singing

Course content

1 section • 34 lectures • 37m total length

Introduction0:54
Explore the fundamentals of singing jazz, including using your voice for a jazzy tone, mastering swing rhythm, discovering melody variations, and building a basic jazz repertoire.
How to find your jazz sound0:10
Discover your jazz sound by learning how to use your voice, guided through five steps you can sing along with.
Step 1: Range0:39
Find your jazz voice by establishing a comfortable lower to mid range that mirrors your speaking voice for a relaxed, natural sound.
Step 2 – Loudness/volume0:23
Learn to control jazz vocal volume using a microphone to stay soft and intimate, maintaining a relaxed low-to-mid level with occasional higher dynamics.
Step 3.1 – Clear2:12
Learn to produce a clear, unstrained jazz tone that cuts through the air with a frontal sound; imagine a mosquito in room, then practice ne and na vowels on Summertime.
Step 3.2 – Breezy1:36
Practice the breezy, sensual jazz voice by using high air and soft tones, then insert 'ha' between words in Summertime to build clear and breezy vocal sounds.
Step 4 – Vibrato1:35
*vibrato is the 'shaking' of the tone. Instead of a steady tone with one clear frequency, a tone with vibrato fluctuates between frequencies directly above and below the 'core frequency'.
Step 5 – Melody1:28
*embellishments are 'decorations'. Instead of singing just the notes of the melody, all kinds of different notes are added in between. To make it sound fancy or soulful. Or to impress. It's what the Baroque period was famous for.
The 5 S’s1:08
Master the five s's—speak, soft, sound, straight, simple—sing in your speaking range, at lower to mid volume, and sing the melody with a clear or breezy sound, minimal vibrato.
Summary: How To Find Your Jazz Voice0:21
Timing0:16
*timing in general is the rhythmical placement of your notes. They could be on a beat (the counts in each bar, in jazz usually 4 in a four quarter beat: 1,2,3,4) or somewhere in between.
A straight timing can be used in jazz ballads or Bossa Novas for example.
But a straight timing isn't unique to jazz. It's also used in classical music and pop for example.
The swing feel is. That's why we focus on it here.
Timing: Swing feel1:06
Explore the jazz swing feel, a swinging bouncy style unique to jazz. Practice the melody with swing timing, using a 2-3-4 count to energize phrasing.
Timing: Finger snap1:29
Learn to snap on beats two and four to emphasize jazz rhythm, counting 1-2-3-4, then practice with scat language such as shoo be doo and dabada from in the mood.
Timing: Slow swing1:18
Develop your timing for jazz singing by practicing a slow swing tempo, starting with scat syllables and then adding words to a simple song.
Timing: Medium swing0:54
Practice medium swing tempo by using scat syllables and spoken words to hear and feel the rhythm, counting one two three four as you sing.
Timing: Up swing1:11
Master the up tempo swing feel by practicing slow, medium, and up tempo swing, using scat syllables and finger snaps to guide eighth-note phrasing.
More on your swing timing1:07
Variations0:10
Explore how to vary the melody and timing in jazz singing and add decorations to express freedom.
Variations: Legato – Staccato1:41
Learn to shape a melody by singing legato or staccato in sync with the story, and use small timing tweaks or a single word to inject energy.
Variations: Simplification0:54
Learn to simplify melodies by singing a whole phrase on one note, and explore varying the line 'who's in love with the beautiful eyes' using a single melody pitch.
Variations: Embellishments1:16
Explore jazz embellishments by turning a familiar tune into playful variations of 'Fly me to the moon' using upward and downward tones.
Variations: Direction0:58
Learn to vary the direction of melodic phrases by starting at different points, using the same notes, for jazz singing.
Variations: Back phrasing on a beat1:04
Explore back-phrasing by starting a sentence on a later beat, shifting rhythm. Practice examples like 'fly me to the moon' on the second beat to feel the timing.
Variations: Back phrasing between beats0:53
Learn back phrasing in jazz by starting between beats, using syncope to emphasize the second half of the beat, with examples like fly me to the moon.
Variations: Forward phrasing on a beat0:57
Practice forward phrasing by starting a phrase on the fourth beat before the measure, injecting energy into the melody. Use 'fly me to the moon' as the example.
Variations: Forward phrasing between beats0:42
Explore forward phrasing between beats by starting on the four-a, creating a swinging feel with 'Fly me to the moon' as an in-between-beat example.
Summary: Variations0:36
Repertoire0:35
Most singers learn to sing jazz with a certain repertoire. The so-called Jazz Standards. What songs are great to start with?

I included a list of great jazz standards for you. These songs are known all over the world, so whenever you feel like singing on an international stage, you’ll be fine with these. You’ll find them at the bottom of this page.

Many titles yet may be unfamiliar to you. In that case, you can always go to Youtube and hear Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan or Frank Sinatra sing that certain song. The list I included are a great starting point and you could make it your first goal to sing all these songs.

Then… when you want to go a step further – it’s a good thing to be aware of this:

Finding repertoire that fits you like a glove and that helps you expressing who you are as a jazz singer is a wonderful and interesting journey.

In the Great American Songbook, the canon of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century, you will come across songs by famous composers such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen and Duke Ellington. The vocal jazz repertoire isn’t limited to this material, but it is an essential part and a great place to start since it is part of the repertoire of virtually every jazz musician. It has become part of the jazz language.

Real- and Fakebooks are books that contain collections of songs by many composers; the ones just mentioned and others. They are an important source!!!

Real/Fake books can be purchased! For high or low voices! Including lyrics! Here they are on Amazon, but Google “Vocal Real Book” and add “high voice” or “low voice” and you’ll find other vendors as well.

Low voices: https://www.amazon.com/Real-Book-Vol-Low-Voice/dp/1423451228

High voices: https://www.amazon.com/Real-Vocal-Book-voice-Second/dp/0634060805

Going through individual songbooks of those composers is a great way of finding lesser known repertoire.
Choosing your style3:46
Choose a jazz style that fits your talents to build confidence and save energy. Explore entertainer, storyteller, and instrumentalist paths with examples and tailored repertoires.
Learning a new song2:13
Learn a new song by identifying the composer, finding an original score, learning the original melody, and listening to many renditions to shape your own style.
Practicing1:21
Record yourself, listen, and judge your progress to sing jazz confidently; use iRealpro with thousands of jazz charts to practice with a simulated band in any key, feel, or tempo.
Recommended basic vocal jazz repertoire list: 30 songs1:49
Recommended "Listen to Jazz Singers" list0:21
Extra information on fragments of songs used in this course0:13

Requirements

Your interest for music - for singing

Description

You like to sing jazz. Or jazzy. But how do you do that?

In this course, expert Ilse Huizinga shows you how. Step by step.

You'll learn how to:

get that jazzy sound,
get that jazzy feel; that special swinging timing,
find those jazzy variations on the melody,
find suitable songs to start with - to build your own repertoire of jazz songs.

Relaxed, consice and clear instructions. From a pro with over 25 years of experience performing, recording and coaching worldwide.

What is Sing Jazz for Beginners NOT?

Ilse's course is not for singers who want to learn how to improvise. That would be a step too far in this course, in Ilse's opinion. First learn the basics. After that, you can develop your art and learn how to scat if you fancy doing that!

Who this course is for:

For singers who want to learn about jazz singing and timing
Classical singers with an interest in jazz singing
Pop, country and r&b singers with an interest in jazz singing
Musicians with an interest in jazz singing