One of the most challenging areas for singers with no previous musical background is learning to communicate with musicians. Aside from a chart or chord progression, how should you help the band members understand what you want from them?

There is a basic 5 step formula, which is most aptly named by jazz musicians; it’s called “talking down a tune”;

1. NAME OF TUNE AND KEY– This one is pretty self explanatory. If you don’t know the key, look it up (link to the reference on the site).

2. FEEL - The first thing to describe to your band is the FEEL of the piece. In other words, is it rock, blues, tango, cha-cha. Other things you might want to talk about are how loud or soft (dynamics) you want each section of the song. How do you want the instruments to fit together (i.e. drums, steady and throbbing or easy, played with brushes? Piano, busy or simple? Bass, walking or heavy?)

3. INTRO – There are several possible options here:
a. No Intro - Get your starting note from the piano or guitar and everybody starts together.
b. 4-bar – This four measure intro is a common one to start a song. Often the intro is the last four bars of the song tacked on at the beginning before you start to sing.
c. 8-bar – This eight measure intro is a common intro for swing numbers and some blues and rock tunes,
d. Rubato – This is an “out of time” or no tempo intro where you get a starting pitch and then sing the beginning of the song with musicians following you.
e. Rubato Verse – This a verse written by the composer to set the mood of the tune. If you’ve ever heard the song “Makin’ Whoopie”, the beginning lyric (Everytime I hear that march from Loengrin) is a good example of a Rubato Verse.
f. Vamp– Repetition of generally one to four chords repeated until the singer/lead is ready to start.

4. SOLOS– Who is taking the solo and when. Is it the piano the second time through the song or is there a guitar solo over the bridge or are you doing a scat over the second chorus?

5. ENDINGS– Several possible options:
a. Basie Ending – This is a short, four note ending commonly used in swing and other jazz tunes.
b. Ellington Ending – This is another common ending for jazz tunes where the piano ascends the scale to finish the piece.
c. Rit. Ending – Short for ritardando, here, the singer/lead cues the musicians to slow down the piece as you hit the last few measures. This is a common ending for many genres.
d. Tag Ending – This is a common way to end a song where the last two or four measures are repeated.
e. Vamp Ending – This is a repetition of one to four chords, ending on a cue from the singer/lead.

So, when you get done, you’ll end up saying something like:

“I’d like to do Lost in Space in G minor, medium tempo swing with an eight bar intro, a piano solo on the third time through and a tag ending.”

You might want to write out what you’re going to say until you get the hang of it. Its probably better to write it on a sticky note rather than your chart. That way, you can do it differently later on.

In addition to the basics, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. If it’s too slow, move your body to indicate that you want to pick up the tempo. If the piano is sounding too busy, don’t be afraid to ask for something simpler. Sometimes it’s hard to get the feel that you want in the rhythm without making some “ba doo wah wah wah” kinds of sounds. Don’t be shy or worry about seeming foolish. After all, you’ll feel less foolish on the night of the show when the band is playing the way you want them to play.