Vocal Jazz style lessons:
Front Phrasing
In this lesson, Rachel discusses another popular way to style a jazz standard: front-phrasing. Front-phrasing occurs when a singer begins to sing a line of melody sooner than it is expected, and is often done to create forward-motion or to add more emphasis to the lyrics of a song. She chose the standard “All of Me” to demonstrate the importance of front-phrasing with energy and confidence, while maintaining a good swing feel.
Steps:
Learn a jazz standard, such as “All of Me.” As you did with back-phrasing, take note of where the phrasing naturally occurs in the melody by looking at a lead sheet or lyric sheet. For example, one phrase of “All of Me” would be: “All of me, why not take all of me? Can’t you see I’m no good without you?” Which can be broken down into two smaller phrases: “All of me, why not take all of me,” and “Can’t you see I’m no good without you?”
Practice changing the phrasing so that it happens earlier than you would expect. This works particularly well when anticipating downbeats (the beginning of each next measure) as Rachel did at the beginning of All of Me. A metronome, tapping your foot or singing with a rhythm section will help you feel the downbeats strongly!
Tips:
In order to front-phrase, first identify where the phrases of your song naturally occur. As with back-phrasing, we recommend writing out the lyrics as sentences so you can speak and sing through them as they naturally flow.
Make sure you know the melody solidly before front-phrasing!
Front-phrasing can sometimes feel scarier than back-phrasing you are anticipating what comes next in a song. Make sure you begin your front-phrasing confidently so that you sing with energy and awareness of where you are in the measure. Taking a supported breath, keeping a good swing feel and maintaining a good tone will lead to successful front-phrasing.
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