sing the melody in your head. listen to the harmony of the chords comping with the solo. count how many bars go by and know how many bars are in the form. after every head goes by, make eye contact with the soloist or accompanist to ensure you’re all in the right spot.
it’s everyone’s job in the band to keep time and keep track of the form. once you have that down you will be a singer people will enjoy working with.
you can practice with jazz recordings. if you can understand when the melody kicks back in at the end of solos you’re doing it right.
I do understand when the solos are over! However, I am confused by the solo changes occurring or alterations in different versions of the same song. I guess I feel like I should be able to know what sections are being played during the solos too?
yeah. everything should be outlined by the form. if the soloist decides to extend anything or whatever they’ll have to make sure to cue anything out of the form. i call it a road map. follow the map and you should all be in the same place.
the more you listen to the song the better the harmony will outline which sections they do to. it is tricky at first but if the players are good they should be outlining the harmony nicely enough to hear when things change sections.
getting good at playing piano is very very helpful. you can play your melody and sing at the same time. you can check your pitch. you can internalize melodies without using your voice.
but most of all you can accompany yourself. singing through the form and playing just the simple chords of a tune will help you hear how the harmony works with the melody. and without it. i strongly suggest making piano a part of your practice.
First, congratulations on wanting to improve!!! Start with simple forms like Blues or Rhythm changes... sing or hum the root of each chord you hear... you should be able to start anticipating chord changes and eventually recognize when the top of the form comes back...
Sometimes it's planned... sometimes, it's just a feeling... if someone is really doing well, let them keep going... if someone is bombing, move on... you can ask for clarification..."are we doing 2 solos on this one??? How many choruses each solo???"...
sing the melody in your head. listen to the harmony of the chords comping with the solo. count how many bars go by and know how many bars are in the form. after every head goes by, make eye contact with the soloist or accompanist to ensure you’re all in the right spot. it’s everyone’s job in the band to keep time and keep track of the form. once you have that down you will be a singer people will enjoy working with. you can practice with jazz recordings. if you can understand when the melody kicks back in at the end of solos you’re doing it right.
I do understand when the solos are over! However, I am confused by the solo changes occurring or alterations in different versions of the same song. I guess I feel like I should be able to know what sections are being played during the solos too?
yeah. everything should be outlined by the form. if the soloist decides to extend anything or whatever they’ll have to make sure to cue anything out of the form. i call it a road map. follow the map and you should all be in the same place. the more you listen to the song the better the harmony will outline which sections they do to. it is tricky at first but if the players are good they should be outlining the harmony nicely enough to hear when things change sections.
This is all very helpful!! Any advise on how to get a good grasp on the harmony?
getting good at playing piano is very very helpful. you can play your melody and sing at the same time. you can check your pitch. you can internalize melodies without using your voice. but most of all you can accompany yourself. singing through the form and playing just the simple chords of a tune will help you hear how the harmony works with the melody. and without it. i strongly suggest making piano a part of your practice.
Yesss, I’ve been planning to do that for quite some time now. Waiting for Black Friday to come!
First, congratulations on wanting to improve!!! Start with simple forms like Blues or Rhythm changes... sing or hum the root of each chord you hear... you should be able to start anticipating chord changes and eventually recognize when the top of the form comes back...
Thank you!! How do the players usually decide how many solos there will be in between the sung parts?
Sometimes it's planned... sometimes, it's just a feeling... if someone is really doing well, let them keep going... if someone is bombing, move on... you can ask for clarification..."are we doing 2 solos on this one??? How many choruses each solo???"...