ramble vox

can'tstoplaughingcan'tstoplaughing!!!!! typed a comment in a blog that reminds me of zany = Gintama...haven't been watching it for a long time..onedayoneday..one anime at a time..

ah, tight schedule nights: yesterday rehearsal, tnite, tmw (the real thing..my legs are trembling just thinking about it)..looking forward to Sun when the whole thing ends and i can breeeeeatheee..

once i asked a veteran jazz musician how does one sing jazz? Simple: you've gotta like jazz. Here's my expansion: To be more exact, you've gotta FEEL when you're singing jazz. Listen and be inspired by good ol' jazz singers (1920/30's yeeeeah!!!).

Maybe Louis Armstrong is a nice start since his tracks are very popular then try Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, Astrud Gilberto (aw man love her voice!) If you want a quiet voice try Lisa Ono, she's cool - not to mention multi-lingual - oh wow! But the best find older versions, i learn their vocal textures (dang smooth!) and stuffs (ever heard scat singing?)

Okayokay..so i hear my fellow vocalists screaming for more (don't spoil your vocal cords, please!). Someone typed this on the net on how to sing jazz. There are some vocal lingo (yes! for once in my life computer lingo no longer rules here!):

( ) denotes my own notes

"The vibrato is not broad...move the sound a bit more forward (as compared to classical choir-style). Think mellow rather than bright (i tried it - IT WORKS TREMENDOUSLY). Occasional melisma (oooh mineminemine - i liiiiike!) or slur, a bit of improvised melody around the original (which Frank Sinatra does it almost all the time changing the lyrics here and there so that's y i say it's best to listen to older tracks cos they have the original lyrics)"

want me to explain some of the techie stuffs? heheh, for once i RULE..i'll break it down with no definitions here

vibrato
as you sing to the last word you drag that last word and your voice shakes naturally - not from nervousness nor health reasons

How to get a temporary vibrato
Switch on a table or box fan. Turn it to the lowest speed. Say AAAAAAAH to the fan. You'll hear your voice sounding like an alienic voice chopped off, revived, again and again in an astounding speed. If you can't get the effect, turn speed 2. Or seek advice about your hearing. But if you already know that effect and your vocal chords have naturally vibrated - not necessary, unless you just wanna catch a cold from the fan which due to health reasons i strongly do not recommend

melisma
African-Americans are FAMOUS for that. Someone sings "yeah" but the "yeah" turns out to be "yi-ye-eh-eh-eh-ya" and strangely "yi" doesn't sound quite the same as "ye" and "eh" the next "eh" and so on. R&B singers still use it extensively, just listen on the radio - be amazed at how just one technique (melisma) is sang DIFFERENTLY..("differently" is actually variations and improvisions but let's not go there - too much information

slur
no stopping of two or more of the same sound or different sounds = they gliiiide smooooothly from one to another, slow songs and-jazz-singers usually use this "smoooooth" technique

and of course the best way to really experience vocal techniques...is to SING

ne, Tezuka?
one of those days when suddenly i quote Fuji Syuusuke's (Prince of Tennis) phrase which is usually used and repeated in Tezuka-Fuji fan fictions..that reminds me...i haven't been doing any fan fic for a long time...