The Jazz & Blues Retreats vocal coaches, use the Rhythm Accent and Titze Straw Methods for breathing practice. Please familiarise yourself before the course.
Rhythm Accent Method (my take on Svend Smith) Titze Straw Method. We will also be working with other SOVT exercises such as the lip bubble, tongue trill etc.
The day starts with a warm-up and technique session - with both tutors initially - and continues with band sessions. There will be ‘breakout’ opportunities for individual attention and sessions that we call Practical Theory for Singers.
Singing Overview:
- A Look at completed Student Questionaires - we aim to cover all queries.
- Voice Analysis: Listening to the speaking voices of the singers to see what we notice about the ‘natural’ speaking tones.
- Range, Registers & Transitions.
- Bel Canto to Screamo: A look at techniques and exercises: What are they about? Are you doing them properly? Are they appropriate to your style? Are you wasting your time?
- Aural Skills and Development - Hearing the Blues: See prescribed song below. This includes practical interval, chord and scale familiarity, which facilitates ad-libs and improvisation (below).
- Phrasing: We will look at phrasing and rhythm patterns in everyday speech and apply these to a standard.
- Ad-Libs, Improvisation, Running & Riffing, Scat Singing, Rapping: Again, we observe natural speech rhythms for our inspiration.
- Microphones, Microphone Technique and PA: If you really want to get into it - www.themagicofthemicrophone.com
- Stagecraft: How you handle yourself, the accompanist and audience.
- Prescribed Standard: Now each individual can put this together using the prescribed song. Please prepare the jazz standard ‘All Of Me’, there are examples below and we will explore keys, grooves and styles.
- Individual Standard: It’s time to apply the above to the individual songs. Please prepare two differing songs of your choice and bring the chord charts for accompaniment - if you have difficulty we can help.
- Question & Answer: Q&A sessions related to the questionnaires.
- Performances each evening!
Things to be Aware of…
- Once we get down to it, you’ll discover there is a huge amount to explore. Depending on participants, we may not cover all of it and the timetable may change. If there’s a particular aspect you’d like to cover, please let us know.
- A Wi-Fi enabled device for recording and playing audio and or video is a useful tool (most current phones) but maybe make sure you know how to use it! And you have ample memory and sufficient charge!
- Solo singers by definition, will be singing on their own, so please understand the need for patience as each singer goes through their song... more than once! It’s the nature of the beast.
- Clothing is entirely up to you but we might make a video of your performance - unless you don’t want that - so maybe bring something you’re happy to wear for that eventuality.
Useful Links & Videos
Below are some aspects of singing that some find challenging, and we will be looking at them but you may like to do some preparatory… prep.
Singing - Jazz & Blues Retreats
Connect, learn, perform, and be inspired, at our jazz retreat
in the heart of the English countryside.
Next retreat: 21-26 August 2022
Further Info & Booking - www.jazzandbluesretreats.com
iReal Pro is a great app for chords - mostly jazz but increasingly other genres. It costs about £15 and takes a bit of getting used to. You have to download charts from the forum once purchased but once you get sorted it’s great. It will also play a cheesy backing in any key or tempo, for you to practice to.
Ultimate Guitar is a good source of chords for pop songs - though sometimes wrong!
Please prepare the following Jazz Standard, and think about the key, style, groove in which you’d like to perform it.
The Seven States of High - suggestions and experiences regarding the singing of high notes.
Ad-libs vs Riffing & Running vs Scat Singing
All Of Me - Ella Fitzgerald
All Of Me - Frank Sinatra
All Of Me - Billie Holiday
All Of Me - Yours Truly
