Download You Can Learn to Scat Sing

In the soprano sight singing room I mentioned above,
almost all of the successful students used solfege patterns.
Although auditionees did demonstrate skill in melodic reading,
rhythmic errors still cost them points in the judging process.
How does a choral teacher address that problem? At
Emporia State, singers in the choir are taught the Takadimi syllables for all rhythmic notation. My rhythmic training had been
in count-singing with Robert Shaw. It worked well much of the
time but not always. The Takadimi system was developed by
Richard Hoffman, William Pelto and John W. White in 1996.You
can find more information at www.takadimi.net.
The music patterns Gordon suggests one must learn to
audiate are, of course, present in the choral literature we sing.
Making the transition from audiation to actual reading happens
when students begin to recognize the patterns on the page.
Flash cards are an old-school approach that helps students
focus on the same pattern or figure at the same time. A newer
tool is the document camera, a handy device that frees up the
hands of the teacher, allowing her to patsch the beat and sign
(Curwen) along with the singers.
In my way of thinking, kinesthetic involvement makes all the
difference. At Emporia State, choir members rehearse while
standing on the floor with their section in circles and folders
on music stands. Everyone is physically engaged in learning. Not
only are the singers mentally focused, but their vocal production
is energized and free.
In some choir programs, there is a disconnect between
sight singing exercises and the music to be rehearsed later in
the rehearsal. Dr. Krueger recommends preparing a study guide
for the music to be performed on concerts. Rhythm patterns,
tonal patterns and melodic lines are divided by section (soprano,
alto, tenor, etc.) and rehearsed together using the document
camera. Of course, the difficulty level of the literature to be
learned should match the skill level of the choir.
Those many hours spent judging sight singing at the district
auditions and observing carefully who did and did not have
success helped me rethink what was happening in my own
classroom.
The sight singing component of Northeast District KMEA
choir auditions came about thanks to pioneers such as Mary
Ann Roberson and Marie Lerner-Sexton, both of whom formerly taught in the Kansas City metro area. After teaching
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many years in the high school choral classroom, Lerner-Sexton
currently maintains a private voice studio in Olathe where she
continues to help students learn to read music in addition to
teaching them vocal technique. She believes the key to success
in sight singing is to “just do it!” Persistence and determination
pay big dividends.
Her students take quarterly written exams on music theory
basics and record themselves performing sight singing exercises
geared to their ability level. In addition to Krueger’s book mentioned above, Lerner-Sexton recommends Music Literacy for
Singers by Patti DeWitt for beginning students or those with
less experience in sight reading.
High school choral directors in the Northeast District of
Kansas have certainly been motivated by the demands of the
KMEA auditions. In my view, teaching audiation, developing
a common language for melodic and rhythmic reading skills,
kinesthetic involvement, persistence, and accountability are the
components which complete the sight singing “puzzle.” While
our choirs might not master everything at once, it is beautiful
to see the picture as a whole in action at Emporia State.
You Can Learn to Scat Sing –
Techniques to Enhance
Beginning Vocal Improvisation
by
Scott Fredrickson
Alaska Pacific University
Anchorage, Alaska
(Used with permission of www.nwacda.org,
Northwest Division’s website)
Have you ever forgotten the words or melody of a song
while you were singing it and then you made up something on
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make a short note longer, a long note shorter or leave out
notes altogether.
Do not add any new notes at this time.You are only altering
the original version for now.
the spot? Have you ever noticed that some people are better
at doing this than others? With a few simple concepts and a
little practice, you can learn vocal improvisation and teach it
using these same techniques.
The key to scat singing is the concept of a theme with variations. By isolating the basic elements of a song, syllables (lyrics),
melody, and rhythm and then modestly altering each, you can
develop the basic skills to become a scat singer.
Pairing Melody and Rhythm, Syllables and Melody, or
Syllables and Rhythm
The overall goal is to put together the three previously isolated musical elements (melody, rhythm, and syllables); however,
you should start by combining only two of the three elements
at one time.
Syllables
Select a song of your choice and forget about the lyrics—
for now. Sing the song using only the syllable du on the longer
notes and the syllable dut (don’t pronounce the “t”) on the
shorter notes.
When you become proficient using du and dut, select
other syllables. For long note values, use vu, du shu, wee, zee,
bee, dwee, or skwee. For short note values, use dop, bop, vop,
dot, bot, zot, or dit (don’t pronounce the final consonants).
Practice using a few of these syllables until you have developed
a set of nonsense lyrics for the song.
Melody and Rhythm
Sing the original song using only du and dut. Change a few
pitches and one or more rhythms.
Syllables and Melody
Sing the original song using only du and dut. Add a few
new syllables and change several melody notes. Avoid changing
any rhythms at this point.
Melody
Sing the song using only the syllables du and dut (remember—no final “t”) and change several notes of the original
melody. Keep expanding your variations by adding more of your
own pitches until the song begins to sound like another song
based on the original.
For example, instead of a melody note going up, change it
to go down and vice versa. Make sure you do not change any
of the rhythms at this point.
If you change too much of the original version, you have
become a “composer” and not a scat singer improvising on a
particular song.Your alterations should wrap around the original
song, not replace it.
Syllables and Rhythm
Sing the original song using only the syllables du and dut,
add a few new syllables from the list above, and change a few
of the rhythms. Remember, do not change any of the melody
notes yet.
Combining Three Elements: Syllables, Melody and
Rhythm
After you are proficient at combining any two of the three
elements, combine all three but start modestly, keeping the
melody on du and dut. Gradually increase the amount of new
material as you sing the original melody.
Isolating the individual musical elements (syllables, melody,
and rhythm) and practicing them separately prior to putting all
three together, you are more likely to achieve the proficiency
Rhythm
Go back to the original melody. Use du and dut, but
change a few rhythm patterns—not too many. For example,
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you desire as a scat singer.
Conclusion
—Keep the original melody in your mind at all times and use
it as the foundation for your improvisation.
—At first, keep your solo simple and near the original melody.
—Listen to some of the great jazz singers and learn from them.
Practice several of their “licks.”
—Enjoy the process.
—Good luck and good scatting!
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