Please note that these instructions are merely a reference. Ella Fitzgerald doesn’t sound like Diana Krall. Frank Sinatra doesn’t sound like Kurt Elling.

A voice is highly personal. If you’re not happy with your voice – in general, not your technique, we can work on that – I have to say this. The only real problem is when you want to sound like someone with a totally different voice. Singing jazz is about being the best jazz singing version of you. Copying someone is fine. Just not all of it. Only the bits that suit you. Combined with bits from others. That will make for a original mix that’ll be you. No one is truly original – we all copy from parents, teachers and idols – yet everyone is truly unique.

Back to finding your jazz voice. The famous jazz voices do have things in common. So let’s see what they are…

Step 1 – Range

You could start by reading any article or blog out loud – not too loud :) – and than slowly add some made up melody to it.

Step 2 – Loudness/volume

Make it easy on yourself! The softer you sing – with a mic it can sound as loud as you want it to, but the audience should be able to follow the lyrics  – the more room you have to add loudness/volume when needed (for dramatic effect or just to stress some important words in the lyrics).

However, singing in a way that is really comfortable for you is key. Don’t try hard to sing way softer than comfortable unless it is for dramatic effect.

In short, comfort is key!

Step 3A – clear

Jazz is generally sung with a microphone. A clear sound is the most common jazz sound. Your voice has a natural ‘timbre’ (the sound – amount and balance of highs and lows).

But keeping the mic nearer to your mouth will strengthen the low while keeping it further away will make your sound ‘thin’. So you can experiment with that as well.

Step 3B – breezy

A breezy sound takes a lot of air, so sing very soft and close to a microphone. Again, jazz is mostly sung with a microphone. So if you can, practice with a microphone often – not all the time – but regularly. Never underestimate the impact of a microphone.

A good microphone, sound system and/or good acoustics make a huge difference when singing. Try singing in a church – you’ll get what I mean. More on that in the “How to perform” section of Songbird.

Don’t mistake common for uninteresting though. As lots can be done to ‘color’ your sound. And your natural sound is pretty much unique anyway.

Besides, there’s loads more to singing jazz than just sound alone.

Step 4 – vibrato

Vibrato is the ‘vibrating’ of a tone. Alternating between a tiny bit lower and a tiny bit higher than the targeted note. It makes a tone sound dramatic yet ‘unsteady’. Not the relaxed sound we aim for in jazz. Only a special tool for some dramatic occasions.

You can make a vibrato wider by increasing the range between which you alternate. And you can increase or decrease the amount of time it takes to go from lower than the targeted note to higher. It’s a waveform. While the jazz sound is usually mostly (!) a straight line.

Step 5 – melody

Sure, it’s jazz. Anything goes, right? But sticking mostly to the melody (at first) creates opportunity for you.

Next time (or chorus) you sing the melody – for example, after some instrumental solos, or your vocal improvisation – any variation you make on it will be much more easily heard and felt by your audience.

Yes, there’s a world of opportunity. But you are like a general commanding your troopsyour possibilities: melodic, rhythmic and dynamic variations. Employ them wisely. Be tactical! Just marching all your troops into battle without strategy isn’t a good plan.

Always keep at least some possibilities in reserve.

Once the audience has heard you sing those awesome variations or high notes, what do you have left to impress?

The 5 S’s

Speak – Soft – Sound – Straight – Simple

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