Singing Guide: Bob Dorough

Singing Guide: Bob Dorough

Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources

Are you a beginner or advanced singer?

Bob Dorough is one of the most unique singers in jazz history. Known for his distinctive voice, his scat singing, and his songwriting, Dorough is a true original.

Learning to sing like Bob Dorough is a fun and rewarding challenge that will help you develop your sense of time, melody, and improvisation. To get started, it's important to study his vocal technique, as well as his songwriting. Here are some tips and resources that should help you get started.

Vocal Technique

Bob Dorough's voice is characterized by his warm tone, always-in-tune phrasing, and his ability to play with rhythm and melody. Some of the key elements of his vocal technique include:

Breath Control

Dorough's breath control is impeccable, allowing him to sing long phrases with ease. To improve your own breath control, Singing Carrots' breath support exercises can help.

Scat Singing

One of the most unique aspects of Dorough's vocal style is his use of scat singing, a technique that involves singing improvised syllables and nonsensical phrases. To learn how to scat like Dorough, Singing Carrots' pitch training exercises and vocal range test can help you develop your ear and vocal agility.

Rhythmic Accuracy

Another key aspect of Dorough's vocal style is his ability to play with rhythm and groove with the music. Practicing Singing Carrots' pitch accuracy test and pitch training exercises can help you improve your rhythmic accuracy.

Articulation

Dorough's ability to articulate his words clearly is essential in his approach to storytelling through song. To improve your own articulation, Singing Carrots' articulation exercises can help.

Songwriting

In addition to his distinctive voice, Dorough was also an accomplished songwriter, penning songs for jazz legends like Miles Davis and Blossom Dearie. To learn more about Dorough's songwriting technique, it's important to study his songs. Here are a few Dorough classics that showcase his unique style:

  • "Devil May Care"
  • "I've Got Just About Everything"
  • "Comin' Home Baby"
  • "Small Day Tomorrow"

Singing Carrots resources

To help you further enhance your singing, the following Singing Carrots resources are available:

Happy singing, and good luck on your journey to singing like Bob Dorough!

Learn more about this artist vocal range, voice type and repertoire.