‘Timing’ is where notes are placed relative to the beat/rhythm: it’s a ‘rhythmical thing’. It is important to time your notes well because a random timing of your notes will result in chaos and the groove will be lost. Being right on time with your notes, not too early or too late, is one of the greatest joys; to be ‘one with the groove’.
Having control over the timing of your notes enables you to ‘groove’ or ‘swing’ as well as to time some notes early or late on purpose, to surprise your audience or to draw attention to a word. It also enables you to sound relaxed by timing everything a bit late or to ‘energize’ the beat by timing everything a bit early.
Record yourself singing a tune to find out how your timing is at the moment.
Is your timing (predominantly):
in time (on the beat / in the groove: ‘danceable’)
timed randomly (‘no steady time’ as in ‘no pulse’: not ‘danceable’)
laid back (behind the beat / groove: very relaxed)
in front (in front of the beat / groove: a bit hasty)
How to practice your timing:
Swing Feel: practice singing along with recordings of big bands. This is how Ella Fitzgerald got her unmatched sense of timing.
Ballads: you can use a laid back timing, to make the song lower in energy. Sing along with recordings of Shirley Horn.
Uptempo: you can use an over-active timing to sound more energetic, but don’t do this all the time, that might be too much of a good thing. Sing along with fast songs recorded by Anita O’Day for example.
Latin: Bossa Novas and latin songs require you to be on time or adopt the timing of Latin American performers. It’s a unique way of timing. It’s straight, but different from pop. Listen to Antonio Carlos Jobim and Astrud Gilberto for example.
Listen to the great jazz artists and study their sense of timing, sing along with their recordings. Singing along with artists like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Mark Murphy, Harry Connick jr. for example, is always a good idea.
Use a metronome, to practice a steady timing. Adjust the tempo and practice your songs in tempo .80, .120, .160 and any tempo you like.
Be aware of the first beat in the measure. If you always come in late, you lower the energy of the song.
Develop an ear for the bass notes, they will give you a sense of the quarter notes/the essence of the rhythm. Try to time them exactly as the bass does. Your timing isn’t really relative to the beat, it’s relative to the interpretation of the beat by the other musicians, especially bass and drums.
Practice singing the melody only on scat vowels da-ba / da-ba / da-ba, and ‘get together’ with the bass. Because you don’t have to sing the words, you can pay more attention to being on time.
Again: timing is a relative thing. Try to always be aware of how your band is timing and try to get in sync.
Songbird includes an exclusive method for ear training that’s also extremely effective for getting perfect pitch, and for a perfect timing as well! And it’s in the…. “How to improvise” guide!
Assignment
Analyze the timing of your favorite artists.
