Variation is in fact improvisation. And improvisation is everything you do that’s not written by the composer.
And that’s why it’s key to get your hands on the original melody if possible. Or listen to many different renditions of a song. To filter out the variations on the melody made by the artist.
One of the greatest joys there is in singing jazz, is the freedom to vary your tune at will, alter the melody, alter the tone color, or alter your timing. When do you do that? Usually, you sing the first chorus (the first time you sing the lyrics) mostly respecting to the melody the composer wrote. After that, the world is your oyster.
You’ve encountered variations in PART 1 – Basics. However, there’s almost no limit to the amount and types of variations. Only your imagination.
Making variations might be difficult for you, regardless of this or any other guide. Improvising could turn out not be one of your ‘strengths’. Don’t worry. There are plenty of other ways to sing jazz and express yourself. Plenty of ways to engage audiences. You can vary your tone. Emphasize different words. Vary your outfits. Focus on your interaction with the audience, or the band. Or have a wonderful sound and/or stage presence for example.
Take a look at the video, I’ll give you some examples for varying your tune.
This video features the following examples for varying your tune, singing Georgia on my mind:
- chromatic variation (the smallest distances between notes)
- using separate notes of the chord tones (the notes of the chord – requires knowledge of chord symbols)
- big melodic leaps
- bending your notes
- changing the direction of a melodic phrase
- simplify the melody
- saying it instead of singing it
- sustaining your notes
Assignment
Analyze renditions by various artists of the song you selected and copy and practice your favorites of their variations on the melody.
