Tish Oney

Jazz Singing

A Guide to Pedagogy and Performance

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Tish Oney merges the worlds of jazz and classical singing in a comprehensive guide for those teaching and singing jazz. Legendary jazz singers' approaches are discussed providing unique insights. The book presents strategies to enhance improvisation and artistry and emphasizes mindful coordination of all aspects for authentic, healthy jazz singing.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Rowman & Littlefield
• Seitenzahl: 320
• Erscheinungstermin: 28. Februar 2022
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 235mm x 157mm x 22mm
• Gewicht: 608g
• ISBN-13: 9781538128442
• ISBN-10: 1538128446
• Artikelnr.: 62478021

Autorenporträt

By Tish Oney

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction
Voice pedagogy has long been a keen interest and scholarly focus of mine.
Jazz singing has been my professional niche since my teen years. Combining
these has become an irresistible, irreversible necessity. Why adopt a
composite method? I recognize that every individual possesses a unique set
of educational and experiential backgrounds. Each has had his/her own list
of mentors, teachers, methods, and philosophies that have resonated for
them. Jazz involves layering sound upon sound, rhythm over rhythm. It also
involves improvising with the melodic, harmonic and rhythmic material given
by the composer (as a starting point). The composite approach combines
traditional voice pedagogy tenets with authentic jazz stylization,
phrasing, diction and various methodologies for teaching jazz concepts. I
have found that adding the Dalcroze method, applications of various
instrumental approaches to improvisation, as well as a comparative study of
legendary jazz singers' techniques yields a composite, working model for
vocal jazz education.
Chapter 1: Vocal Anatomy
All professional singers, regardless of style of music performed, are
behooved to fully understand the anatomy of the organ through which they
make their livelihood. Most jazz voice textbooks omit this necessary
information. This chapter presents the anatomy and function of the vocal
mechanism.
Chapter 2: Vocal Health and Hygiene
How should a singer care for the voice? This chapter aims to present tips
for vocal preservation, healthy speech, do's and don'ts for maintaining
vocal health, and various pathological conditions that affect singers
(polyps, nodules, hemorrhages, cysts, vocal fold paralysis, etc.).
Chapter 3: Posture and Alignment
This chapter presents tenets of correct posture and body alignment that
optimize a singer's tone production. Fundamentals of spinal, jaw, and neck
alignment, and skeletal balance will be discussed.
Chapter 4: The Physics of Singing
This chapter discusses Myoelastic Aerodynamic Phonation which is the
process of translating breath energy into sound through the correct
coordination of the vocal mechanism.
Chapter 5: Managing the Breath
The quality of a singer's breath management determines the extent to which
the sung phrase is adequately energized and supported. This chapter
discusses the anatomy and function of the breathing mechanism, and presents
exercises that will enhance the jazz singer's breath management and
technique.
Chapter 6: Phonation, Articulation and Resonance
This chapter aims to educate the reader regarding the adduction of the
vocal folds, the action of the tongue and jaw in correctly articulating
consonants in a jazz style, the shaping of vowels and the coordination of
various resonance chambers. The author's Mix Continuum, a tool by which the
range of possible head/chest mix combinations for commercial singers may be
understood, experimented with, and practiced, will be presented.
Chapter 7: Jazz Stylization and Ornamentation
Implementation of jazz style and ornamentation will often help a novice
jazz singer sound immediately more authentic. This chapter explores various
musical techniques used by jazz vocalists to evoke jazz style, including
ornaments (smears, doits, falls, shakes, etc.).
Chapter 8: Vocal Improvisation
A. Melodic Embellishment
B. Scat Singing
C. Text-Based Improvisation
There are several styles of vocal improvisation that today's jazz vocalists
can explore. This chapter introduces those various approaches to
improvisation including melodic embellishment, scat syllables, text-based
improvisation, improvisation around the root motion, use of ornaments,
rhythmic displacement, and other types. Various jazz vocalists' approaches
to improvisation will be presented to illustrate each style.
Chapter 9: Phrasing
The art of phrasing a jazz standard hails back to the work of Lester Young.
Young taught Billie Holiday the fine touches of back-phrasing, and singers
have since taken their lead from Holiday's inventive approach. Singers must
be aware of both the musical phrases and the lyrical phrases to make
intelligent decisions about where to breathe, pause, or reach for a deeper
meaning within a text. This chapter aims to assist teachers and singers in
honing the art of interpretation through artful phrasing. The chapter also
encourages singers and teachers to delve deeply into textual expression.
Examples by masterful interpreters of jazz standards will be presented to
enhance understanding.
Chapter 10: Microphone Technique
The mic is half the jazz singer's instrument. How one wields its power can
make or break a budding vocalist. This chapter deals with how to hold and
maneuver the mic, how to deliver consonants, how to navigate range issues,
how to manage dynamics, and how to adjust one's resonance to project over a
band.
Chapter 11: Blend, Balance and Authentic Style in the Vocal Jazz Ensemble
All choral ensembles are faced with the challenges of blend, balance, and
stylistic authenticity. Vocal jazz ensembles face these same challenges,
but often with closer harmonies and fewer members. Since each member of a
vocal jazz ensemble is also generally a soloist with a microphone,
achieving a blended, balanced sound becomes even more difficult than in
traditional choirs.
Chapter 12: Dalcroze Eurhythmics in the Voice Studio and Choral Rehearsal
A. Solfege
B. Improvisation
C. Rhythm
Dalcroze Eurhythmics is a method of exploring music from a kinesthetic
standpoint, originally founded by Jaques Dalcroze. Dalcroze exercises
comprise three primary areas: Solfege, Improvisation, and Rhythm. Exploring
these musical areas using kinesthetic movement results in rapid growth of
musicianship, coordination, tonal memory and other important skills
imperative to the developing jazz singer.
Chapter 13: Applying Instrumental Methods to Jazz Voice
A. The Singer's Use of Scales
B. Thirds, Sevenths, and Extensions
C. Root Motion
D. Merging analytical and creative approaches
This chapter hones in on the theoretical background a jazz singer needs to
authentically perform this style of music. A thorough knowledge of scales
(major, minor, modal, chromatic, pentatonic, blues, bebop, etc.) provides a
wealth of material that singers can use to create meaningful solos.
Gravitating toward thirds and sevenths instead of roots and fifths frees
singers to explore the most important notes of the jazz chord. Practicing
the root motion of a song establishes a firm harmonic base upon which great
solos can be constructed. Since most jazz musicians can be separated into
two groups--those that play by sight-reading (analytical) and those that
play by ear (creative)--an important aspect of jazz pedagogy is training
musicians to utilize both analysis and creativity when they play.
Chapter 14: Psychological Considerations
Singing is a highly personal experience, and the sharing of one's voice
represents an intensely vulnerable activity, particularly when presenting
it before an audience. Singers are therefore subject to a wide range of
psychological states and influences. Teachers must be able to navigate
these delicate issues to help student singers identify and manage their
shifting mental and emotional health, so that consistently strong
performances may be delivered despite the constant ebbs and flows of life.
Chapter 15: Artistry-Putting it all Together
The coordination of body, breath, mind, and heart is where the key to
artistry lies. The true artist must perfect his/her vocal technique,
energize the tone with breath, facilitate mental focus and express the text
and music with sincerity. This chapter draws together many of the skills
individually explored elsewhere in the book.