How to Sing and Emulate Al Jolson Like a Pro

In the golden age of Hollywood, Al Jolson was a mega-star. With his magnetic personality and incredible voice, he charmed audiences on stage and on the big screen. If you want to learn how to sing like Al Jolson, you're in luck. In this article, we'll break down his unique style and provide you with practical tips and resources to help you improve your singing and emulate the great Jolson.

Vocal Technique

Jolson's unique vocal style is characterized by powerful, emotive singing with a distinctive vibrato. To sing like Jolson, you need to master the following aspects of vocal technique:

Resonance

Resonance is a term used to describe the richness and depth of a singer's voice. Jolson's voice had a powerful resonance that he achieved by utilizing a technique called "chest voice." To achieve this vocal quality, you need to sing from your chest, rather than your throat.

Vibrato

Jolson's signature vibrato is another essential element to his unique sound. This is a technique where the singer alternates between slight variations in pitch to produce a rich, textured sound. To achieve this technique, you need first to master your breath support by using diaphragm breathing, as explained in an article that Singing Carrots offers.

Singing Tips to Sound like Al Jolson

To truly emulate Jolson's sound, you need to incorporate these practical tips into your practice routine:

Emotion

Jolson was known for his emotional delivery of songs. It is essential to feel the lyrics and convey the emotions in the song to move the audience emotionally. Singing with emotion and putting feeling into your performance is key to sounding like Jolson.

Microphone Control

Jolson was famously known for his use of the microphone on stage. He was one of the pioneers of the technique of "crooning" into the microphone, which is still used by modern-day singers today. Use the microphone to your advantage, and experiment with different distance techniques to achieve the same effect.

Pitch Accuracy

Jolson was a master of pitch accuracy, hitting each note with precision. Singing Carrot's pitch accuracy test is an excellent way to improve your pitch accuracy techniques, which is especially relevant to achieving Jolson's sound.

Al Jolson's Songs Showcasing His Singing Techniques

Here are some Al Jolson songs that showcase his unique style and vocal techniques that you can analyze and use as inspiration when singing:

• Swanee
• April Showers
• Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody
• California, Here I Come
• Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goo' Bye)

Singing Carrot's Resources

Singing Carrots offers resources to improve your singing and achieve the unique vocal style of Al Jolson, some of which are:

• Vocal Pitch Monitor to fine-tune your vibrato technique.
• Singing Course for Beginners to master the basics of singing.
• Vocal Range Test to discover your vocal range.
• Search by Vocal Range feature to find songs that match your voice.
• Pitch Accuracy Test to improve your pitch accuracy.

Conclusion

In summary, Al Jolson was a talented singer whose unique vocal style has stood the test of time. With the right vocal techniques, practical tips, and Singing Carrots' resources, you too can emulate the great Jolson. Incorporate emotion into your performance, improve your microphone control and pitch accuracy, and practice singing some of his famous songs.