Why are you singing that way?

June 26, 2008 4:20 AM

Curious about a certain phenomenon in music, where someone sings the same notes that he's playing on guitar...

It seems to be something that jam bands might do, or some kind of blues/jazz thing, but I never was good with categorizing bands. One example off the top of my head is Sublime's "Under My Voodoo" (here's a crappy youtube version), not that Sublime falls into any of those categories.

Where did this come from, and is it supposed to be showing off some kind of skill? I don't completely get it, as from a musical point of view, usually different voices complement — rather than copy — each other. I'm genuinely curious what this is all about.

posted by knave to Media & Arts (14 answers total)

I think one of the points is that the musician is improvising, but singing shows that s/he knows what he's going to play before he plays it, even if only for a split second. This doesn't sound very surprising, except that a lot of rock players use fingering patterns rather than playing a tune in their head, and would be very hard pressed to sing along with what they're playing.

For example, imagine singing an improvised solo, then playing the exact same thing on the guitar. Memory issues aside, it's non-trivial.

To be honest I don't get it really either but I'm sometimes faintly impressed for the above reasons.

Much harder is to improvise a tune and sing along in harmony to it, thirds or sixths say.
posted by unSane at 4:31 AM on June 26, 2008

I was just trying it the other day on my guitar. I don't know what you call it but it isn't easy at first and requires some practice. I found it difficult to get my voice to hit the same notes as the guitar while improvising. I guess the skill is synching your hands to your voice, while improvising. Showing that the improvisation is coming from your brain and that you are not just going through the motions of playing whatever licks you have memorized.

That said, if I would decide which lick or run to play, practice it and then add the voice, I found it to be easier. It sounds improvised, but it really wasn't. I assume if I just practiced it, it would improve and I would be able to truly improvise instead of playing memorized phrases.

I would like to know if it has a real name though. I've mainly heard it on jazz records. Maybe George Benson does it on a few songs or in live footage I've seen. I've heard Jimi Hendrix do it on a few bootlegs.
posted by chillmost at 4:34 AM on June 26, 2008

Hmmm, according to George Benson's wikipedia entry, it's called "scat-lead".
posted by chillmost at 4:39 AM on June 26, 2008

I can do this and its always struck me that it's a totally un-remarkable skill - or rather it just shows that you have a certain proficiency in given scales on the guitar. It *might* be impressive to someone who can't play a musical instrument, but that's never really pumped my nads, so to speak.

The way George Benson does it, in this clip at around 3m30s is impressive only in so far as the guitar playing is impressive - that he would know what it's going to sound like as he plays it isn't.
posted by Jofus at 4:45 AM on June 26, 2008

For the song that embodies Jofus' "un-remarkable" comment (but is utterly charming nonetheless), reference "The Biz vs. the Nuge" off the Beastie Boys' Check Your Head.

For the real thing, though, I've never heard a name for it — it's not quite scatting.
posted by electric_counterpoint at 5:09 AM on June 26, 2008

I think I have read it being called "vocalization."
posted by drjimmy11 at 5:19 AM on June 26, 2008

It's very much a blues thing. If you go through the recordings of bluesmen from the 30s and 40s, many of them do it. I believe Muddy Waters did it occasionally though I can't think of a track that has an example. Jimi Hendrix did it a lot, see for example, Voodoo Child (Slight Return) or Crosstown Traffic
posted by wabbittwax at 5:29 AM on June 26, 2008

... David Gilmour also does it in his solo for Wish You Were Here
posted by wabbittwax at 5:36 AM on June 26, 2008

Maybe "unremarkable" is a touch cruel.
posted by Jofus at 5:43 AM on June 26, 2008

I was going to mention David Gilmour but wabbittwax beat me to it. But, not to leave without contributing, while looking for a clip of Gilmour doing it I found this "List of notable scat singers".
posted by micayetoca at 5:54 AM on June 26, 2008

Gatemouth Brown did it sparingly to great effect. The Beatles did it as well on "I Want You (Shes So Heavy)". I've done it while noodling around at home but the technique doesn't lend itself well to country guitar unless your mimicking the lead singer's voice during a hook. I personally love the way it sounds. To me, its like a poor man's Octavia.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 7:47 AM on June 26, 2008

It's not about showing off, it's about creating an interesting timbre by combining the guitar and the voice into a single "instrument". Done poorly, it can come off as very trite. Done well, it can be the coolest thing you've ever heard. I don't know if this technique is called anything in particular; I'd call it "doubling your lead line".
posted by Aquaman at 8:55 AM on June 26, 2008

While not exactly what you asked, from a historical perspective it might be on topic to mention that Slam Stewart's signature style in the 30s and 40s (and beyond) was something similar -- playing bass and humming/singing the same notes an octave higher.
posted by Balonious Assault at 9:28 AM on June 26, 2008

I don't completely get it, as from a musical point of view, usually different voices complement — rather than copy — each other.

I don't think this is true at all. Unison doubling has been a valuable part of the orchestrator's repertoire for a very long time. A violin and a flute playing the same line in unison creates a different timbre than just a violin or just a flute. Similarly with a guitar and a voice. It's not just showing off, it's the deliberate creation of a particular sound.

For another example, Andrew Bird often sings or whistles in unison with his violin or glockenspiel playing to excellent effect.
posted by ludwig_van at 9:56 AM on June 26, 2008