To Sing or Not to Sing....

The debate on whether or not you should sing what you're playing when you solo is one that tends to divide jazz musicians and there seems to be a pretty even split between those who are for and those who are against it. If you're a horn player then obviously this doesn't concern you so go and do some practice or, better still, check out some of the other posts on this fabulous blog which will apply equally to you guys! ;-)

OK, let's have a look at the main arguments:

Why you should sing when you play

1. The main argument for singing whilst soloing is that it encourages you to play what you hear in your head and forces you to try and improvise, rather than relying on technical facility or recycled licks and clichés.
2. Received wisdom is that the goal of the jazz musician should be to learn to hear valid lines internally and reproduce them on his instrument and singing when you play is a good way of connecting you 'inner ear' to the external sound world.
3. Theoretically, singing what you're playing, if you're singing the correct pitches, will also help your aural skills and help you more easily identify intervals, chords and phrases when you are listening to music.
4. Because you have to breathe, singing will force you to take breaks in your lines, phrase better and prevent overplaying.

Why you shouldn't sing when you play

1. Some people find vocalising very distracting. Keith Jarrett is the obvious example of this, sometimes his 'singing' can sound like a pig caught in a hedge and some people find this so distracting that it stops them from listening to his piano playing. Is that something you want to risk?
2. Sometimes you think you're singing and playing simultaneously, but in fact you're simply approximating the shape of the melody and pitching the note comes after playing it - not the other way round. This means that none of the benefits above apply.
3. When you're singing, you tend to listen to your voice more than the notes that you're actually playing and you may not be playing what you think you are. Not being able to listen to your playing is obviously damaging.
4. Once you get into the habit of singing all the time, it can be very hard to stop. It's not too much of an issue in most live performances but on recording sessions it could be a problem. If you're recording your own music and aren't bothered by it that's OK, but if you can't play without singing then you may find people are more reluctant to hire you for sessions if they know they're going to have to put up with your vocalising on their record.

Singing whilst playing is an issue that divides opinion amongst musicians and personally, whilst I can see both sides of the argument I don't have a definitive opinion. I tend not to sing whilst playing myself, but I have had occasions where I have felt stuck in a rut or that I was 'treading water' on stage and singing has helped me get out of that. Nevertheless, I'm not sure that it is something I would encourage in any of my students as overall, I'm not sure the benefits outweigh the negative aspects.

One thing that I am convinced of is that you definitely shouldn't start vocalising just because Keith Jarrett or Oscar Peterson (or whoever) does it. In the same way taking heroin won't automatically make you play like Charlie Parker, grunting along with your solos won't make you swing like Oscar.

I have a feeling that singing whilst you are playing is probably something that is unconsciously developed by the many musicians that do it. Of course, there will be those who do it deliberately, either as an affectation or out of desire to copy musicians they admire that do, but generally I think if you aren't doing it already, then there's no compelling reason to start. It's definitely an interesting debate though and I would love to hear other opinions on this.
What are your thoughts on singing while your play?
http://playjazz.blog.co.uk/2010/01/21/the-debate-on-whether-or-not-you-should-sing-what-7846693/