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01-15-2025 03:39 PM
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Anyone else is welcome to post clips of them singing too.
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Brave man.
Originally Posted by AllanAllen
You have a nice voice though!
Is it maybe a little low for you? Being the only thing I've heard you sing, I guess I can't really say. But sounds maybe like if it were a whole step higher or something it might sit well?
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I’ll give that a try. It was not a comfortable key, not a painful one either, but things have been easier to sing.
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There's that slippery slope... A few vocal tunes, you start getting requests for a few more. You learn them. Get many more gigs. Wow this is cool. Turns out there is lots of work out there, after all, guys! In a few years: "We're thinking of including some instrumentals in our set..." Originally Posted by AllanAllen
Joking aside, the few jazz gigs I did last year were done as a duo with a guy who loves to sing, and is very good at it, and gets a great reaction. But it's very easy to fall back on that, especially the improved reaction when compared to instrumentals. I felt we were moving too far in that direction, but I think if one is able to sing and one can do it well, then there's great joy to be had there.
I do think being a great singer probably takes more work than being a great guitar player. As with anything there are many thousands of hours of practice needed, and every one of those hours is an hour that could have been used for guitar practice. So it's a big decision.
You did a good job. You have a nice tone, and that relaxed way of singing is just what that tune needs. I have a very low bass voice, so I wasn't bothered by your choice of register. I do find it hard to sing jazz tunes when, often, the note once is singing isn't in the chord being played. Without that reference note I find pitching hard. This is one reason why I've always struggled with one of the recommended ways of transcribing (listen to a line, sing it, transcribe it from what you're singing) as I just can't pitch accurately enough when it's non-chord tones. It's a great choice of tune - I love Nat King Cole's version, but of course you're then going to be compared to Nat King Cole. Nevertheless, keep at it, that style is clearly eminently doable for you. There are a lot of artists singing in that style (including a wonderful album by Kenny Burrell of which I forget the name).
Good work. I look forward to some more.
Derek
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Allan -
It is a bit low. Try it in C, top note A, bottom note C.
I think digger has a point. If they like the first song they'll clamour for more... :-)
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I thought this was in C? I tried it in D, or at least, a step up from what I thought was C, and it seemed a little easier.
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Your first chord with the vocal is C7. That's in Eb, usually the published key. You can't sing at that pitch which is why you're singing low. The changes in C are:
A7/F7 - E7/A7 - D7/G7 - C6/E7
A7/F7 - E7/A7 - D7/G7 - C6/C7
F6/F#o - C6/C7 - F6/F#o - Bm7b5/E7
A7/F7 - E7/A7 - D7/G7 - C6/ (F7-E7)
Vocal starting note A.
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It’s Weaver of Dreams, I have it on now, really cool, I like it. A more direct influence on me is Mose Allison.There are a lot of artists singing in that style (including a wonderful album by Kenny Burrell of which I forget the name).
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Oh yeah, 3 flats. I just assumed it was bluesy C changes. Originally Posted by ragman1
The bridge makes more sense now too,
going to IV. Thanks
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Here are some things that helped me a lot:
1. Singing lessons
I took private singing lessons for about a year and a half. These were invaluable. It's important to get professional help, including defining your "sweet spot" so you can choose keys well. Mine is basically C3 to C4.
2. Use the Real Vocal books
Learn the correct melodies and standard phrasing stone cold. Put away your guitar and use a piano instead to learn the melodies.
3. Think of yourself as a singer rather than as a guitar player
Practice your vocal tunes without playing the guitar. Use backing or karaoke tracks, but learn the vocal correctly before you pick up your guitar again.
Just what worked for me, YMMV...
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Allan -
For what it's worth, I liked the way you were singing it, nice and cool, laid back, casual... smooth :-)
But also don't forget the other advice, that people do like tunes, words and emotions. They might, if they decide you're a great singer, want more songs and less tunes. You might have to give up the guitar and become a crooner
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Intonation and clean singing are essential-you need to work on it. Preferably with a good teacher.
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Yes Mose is great, too. They do tend to make it sound a lot easier than it is. One of my favourite jazz vocal albums is the Tony Bennett one with George Barnes on the guitar and (I think) Ruby Braff on the trumpet / cornet. You'd swear Tony Bennett was doing not much more than talk / singing until you try it. And I can never get enough George Barnes, either. Originally Posted by AllanAllen
Derek
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A singing coach will show you how to breathe and offer some exercises and warm-up routines. And, I suspect, might push you to sing in a higher register. That last is what my very experienced playing partner kept doing with me, since I was singing out of my ordinary speaking voice. And though I do not have big pipes or range (I eke out one octave), that nudging made a difference in the songs that were already within my reach and encouraged me to expand what I thought I could take on.
BTW, there's an interesting version of "Gee Baby" on a Bucky Pizzarelli-Zoot Sims album (variously released as "Nirvana" or "Send in the Clowns"): Zoot and Buddy Rich each take a vocal chorus, and they're both good. I've learned not to be surprised when a horn player sings well (all that breath control), but Buddy was a revelation. And yeah, those Tony Bennett/Braff-Barnes Quartet Rodgers & Hart albums are wonderful--right up there with Ella for offering straight-ahead, canonical readings of the songs.
As for vocals in a jazz context--why not? The group I sit in with has two very strong singers, and having the option of singing rather than just jazzifying a standard gives their sets a nice variety. But then, I'm of the school that feels that dance and song are the deepest roots of all music.
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Buddy Rich did 3 vocal albums. Here’s one of them.
Buddy Rich Just Sings - YouTube
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I’ll worry about that if people start showing up at gigs for me… unlikely. Originally Posted by ragman1
Allan -
For what it's worth, I liked the way you were singing it, nice and cool, laid back, casual... smooth :-)
But also don't forget the other advice, that people do like tunes, words and emotions. They might, if they decide you're a great singer, want more songs and less tunes. You might have to give up the guitar and become a crooner
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Last edited by benhatchins; 02-24-2025 at 06:47 AM.
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Thanks for checking it out!
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I've played with many a jazz guy that sings well. None of them have had singing lessons. Lucky Bs! Originally Posted by kris
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Allan, I'd still like to hear Ain't I Good To You sung higher, probably in C.
See, it needs to project and that takes energy. You can't be tired or worried about disturbing people in the house. Standing up is good and a certain degree of physical fitness definitely helps. You've got to sort of throw it out into the ether, so to speak.
If you listen or watch yourself listening to a singer you really like, what's happening is that you're basically feeling what they're feeling, and that's why you like it. Because they feel it, so do you. That's the secret.
Any chance?
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A few lessons with a professional from singing have not hurt anyone yet. Originally Posted by garybaldy
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I'm a fan. It already sounds decent without much 'proper' singing on the vowels and projecting from your chest etc. I think if you get some of that down then you can for sure sing some at gigs and have the audience think you're a legit singer. Doesn't have to be Buble projecting all over the place but if you learn just a little singing principles I think it will be good.
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I'm just envious that they can do it without Originally Posted by kris
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Somebody who can sing just sings. Singing lessons won't make someone who can't sing, sing. What lessons will do is make someone who can't sing sound like someone who can't sing who's been taking lessons. Stiff, awkward and awful.
You might benefit from lessons if you're singing opera or appearing on Broadway. But someone singing jazz songs at a local gig just needs to get up and sing. If they can, they can. If they can't they probably never will.
And I really mean it.
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