If you are an aspiring musician looking to study Artie Shaw’s vocal techniques, you’ve come to the right place! Artie Shaw was a renowned jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader of the 1930s and 1940s swing era.

Shaw was known for his unique style and sound. To emulate his performance, you need to focus on mastering your clarinet and practice the key skills commonly used in jazz music. Jazz is a demanding genre of music that requires a skilled musician, but it’s also one of the most rewarding and exciting types of music to play.

Here are some tips to help you develop your clarinet skills and learn how to play the Artie Shaw way:

• Start with the basics: Before you can become a skilled jazz musician like Artie Shaw, you need to start with the basics of playing your instrument. Learn scales, arpeggios, and chords, as well as the fingerings for each note, so that you can play fluently and effortlessly.
• Listen to Artie Shaw’s music: Listen to Artie Shaw’s recordings often. The more you listen, the more you’ll start to internalize his sound and style.
• Focus on intonation: One hallmark of Artie Shaw’s playing was his impeccable intonation. Work on playing with perfect pitch. Use the pitch accuracy test on Singing Carrots to help you hone in on this skill.
• Work on speed and agility: Artie Shaw was known for his incredible speed and agility on the clarinet. Pay close attention to the tempo and rhythm of his music. Use the pitch training exercises on Singing Carrots to help you with this.
• Practice improvisation: Improvisation is a key element of jazz, and Artie Shaw was a master of it. Practice playing off the cuff, following your instincts, and improvising with chords and scales. The Pitch Training exercises on Singing Carrots will help you develop tonal memory, pitch recognition and harmonic ear training.
• Learn the “Shaw sound”: Artie Shaw had a unique style of playing, characterized by a fast, fluid, and singing tone that conveyed an effortless and soaring effect. Work on developing a similar tone, and make sure to practice making your clarinet “sing.”
• Articulate well: Artie Shaw had a distinctive phrasing technique, characterized by a crisp and precise articulation. Work on articulating your notes cleanly, using your tongue to break them into shorter staccato phrases.

To help support your journey to becoming a skilled clarinetist, Singing Carrots offers a variety of resources. Use the vocal range test to determine where your vocal skills are at, and the search song tool to find songs that match your vocal range, difficulty, and genre preference. You can find exercises like Twang, Growling, Vibrato, Chest Voice and more on the Skill-related Videos list provided. And for educational training, check out the singing course that covers singing theory and practical tips.

Congratulations! Now that you understand some of Artie Shaw’s key techniques, you’re well on your way to playing jazz like one of the greats!