Thelonious Monk & Dizzy Gillespie. Photo Credit: Paul Ryan: OldSchoolCool
I'm so sorry that I haven't been in contact for a few weeks!
I went in for surgery on the 14th of September and, in my usual fashion, thought I'd be back and at ‘em quicker than I was.
It turns out I had a hiatus hernia that was pushing my stomach into my diaphragm. TMI? My apologies.
I feel like I'm back to my usual self. However, I will be working on creating more balance moving forward to avoid developing another hernia.
Anyhow, where were we? In my last blog post, I promised you a jazz song!
I'm going to teach you the first jazz tune I ever properly learned, and it's pretty special to me. It's Thelonius Monk's – Blue Monk.
Now this song looks simple, but it is deceivingly complex. It's a blues melody with some crunchy chromaticism thrown in.
I'm telling you, it's satisfying to sing - especially with Abbey Lincoln's poignant lyrics!
Now, it's essential to let you know that learning a song is a process. So, the following may seem overwhelming.
Please don't feel like you need to do this all in one go. Give yourself a week!
I’m so excited to be sharing my process with you!
Let's get started!
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STEP 1: LISTEN
1. Listen to Theolonius Monk's live performance of the song. What is unique about his playing?
- Listen to Carmen McRae and Abbey Lincoln's version of the song? What are the similarities/differences? Specifically, look at tempo, melodic choices, and phrasing. Which version do you prefer and why?
STEP 2: LEARN THE MELODY
As mentioned above, this super hip blues melody is a great one to learn for its use of chromaticism and its outlining of the chords.
It also gives you a large slather of jazz language to add to your muscle memory.
If it feels like a struggle to hit the higher notes, please reach out, and I will send you a track in a lower key. Or show you how to change the key using an app.
STEP 3: LEARN THE HARMONY (GUIDETONES)
The next step in learning this song is understanding how the harmony works by singing through each chord's 3rds and 7ths.
As you can hear, these notes form a new melodic line.
This line will help you reference the chord changes when you are ready to improvise. You could simply use this line as a starting point before embellishing it with other jazz language.
Learn it so well that you can sing it off by heart, just like it's another melody.
The best way to learn the guide tones is to sing it with the song's lyrics; however, we will be using scat syllables instead of lyrics in this instance.
You are also singing the guidetone line with a rhythmic pattern in jazz called - The Charleston.
STEP 4: TRY YOUR MELODY AND GUIDETONE LINES WITH A BACKING TRACK
STEP 5: RESEARCH
It’s imperative to know your composer and/or singer. Not only is it respectful, considering this music belongs to the African American people, but it helps with connecting deeply to the song.
- Find out the background of this song. Check out:
+ the composer and lyricist
+ what kind of song is this? What is the form?
+ when was it written, and historically what was happening during this time.
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We can go even deeper with this! However, this is a great start!
I would LOVE to hear how you go with this. And if you are comfortable with this, I would love for you to share a recording of you singing it! You can send it to [email protected].
It will be 100% only listened to by myself.
Also, remember how I mentioned that I would be running a jazz singing course?
Well, the Fearless Singer Jazz Club - an 8-week course to build the skills to sing a 45min set of jazz standards (6 Songs) - starts on Wednesday November 10th. There will be six live online teaching sessions, video resources, and an inspiring, empowered group of singers to connect with. It’s going to be super special.
Anyhow, I leave you with a recording I made of Blue Monk when I was a wee jazz student 10-years ago.
Love
Mel X
