How to Scat
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Complete scat inspiration playlist, starting with scat master Cab Calloway, performing Harlem Camp Meeting with his orchestra, 1933. |
Instrumental Inspiration |
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Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra, "Take the A Train," 1941 |
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Blue Skies Instrumental |
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Allen Roth Orchestra, "I Got Rhythm," 1940 |
Lyrical Inspiration |
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Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, "Take the A Train" |
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Ella Fitzgerald, "Blue Skies" |
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Sarah Vaughan, "I Got Rhythm" |
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Ella Fitzgerald, "How High the Moon" |
Scat singing is the improvisation of jazz vocals, which began in the early 1920’s. Just how instrumentalists would improvise notes, melodies and rhythms over chords or a chorus, artists such as Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington began experimenting with scat singing vocals as a solo. Whether you are a newbie at scat singing or an advanced scat singer, here are some tips that will help you improve your vocal improvisation!
1. Listen
Start first by listening to some of the classic jazz instrumentalists.
This will help for getting the feel and style, rhythm, and melodic phrasing of how you can make your voice sound like an instrument.
Start listening especially to the lines that a trumpet, or saxophone may play - usually they play notes that are still within a vocalists' range.
Notice how the tone sounds, and specific sounds they make with their embouchure, tongue and lips.
Some classic songs you can start listening to would be “The A Train,”
"Blue Skies," "I got Rhythm."
These tunes are all on the page to the right. The instrumental versions are above the vocal versions.
Take a listen to some of the great scat singers of the past century - from Ella Fitzgerald to Sarah Vaughn, Anne Hampton Calloway to Kurt Elling.
By listening to these great artists, you will get a feel for the color, syllables, speed and space you can incorporate into your own scat singing!
2. Experiment
Now that you’ve done a lot of listening for some scatting inspirations, take a song like “How High the Moon” and create your own scat!
In scatting, there are no right or wrong syllables to use. Most vocalists stick to something like “doo-bee-doo-bee do” “Bah-bah-doo” “Dat-n-Dat." Try using these at first, and then create your own.
Take a 12 bar blues on the piano even and keep repeating it, searching for that scat with your voice that sounds pleasing to you. Experiment with different phrasing, space, ranges, and syllables.
There are no “correct” notes to sing -- you may create your own melody. However you must not ignore the music theory component of the scat singing. It’s important to familiarize yourself with the harmonics and scales of the chords you are singing with. If you sing notes that are completely irrelevant to the chords you are singing, it’s going to sound odd to the ear, and just like a bunch of random notes.
Scat singers are successful today because they study the chords they are singing over, and implement the scale of the chord with their voice. They also are able to find those money notes, like singing the 7th, 9th, 11th, or 13th of a chord, and this sometimes is what the ear is drawn to.
Remember to use the most of your range, your higher register and your lower register. Also, use different rhythm patterns, a double time scat and a half time feel. Explore with different syllables too.
Sit down and experiment which notes “work and don’t work” in your jazz scat. Some vocalists have exactly planned out what they will sing in their scat, and others are completely improvised. Try to find a balance of both!
3. Execute
The only way you will truly find out if your jazz scat is effective is to start performing! Find an acoustic rhythm section to perform with, whether it’s bass, drums and guitar, or the jazz band at your local high school or community, and start jamming. Try uptempos and ballads, swing tunes and bossanovas. All can have their own unique vocal scatting. Scatting with a band will be a bit different, because each instrument is playing a bit differently. You will have to listen to each individual instrument, so you are not competing with them.
Most important about scat singing is not to feel overwhelmed or stressed out about it, but to have fun and enjoy yourself! Enjoy playing with another instrument and listening to other instruments! Now go listen to some Jazz, and get out there and perform your scat!
If you are looking for more tips and guidance on your vocal improvisation, set up a lesson with one of the fantastic jazz vocal coaches on Lessonface.