You're absolutely right! Frank Sinatra's ability to convey the emotions and meaning behind the lyrics is one of the many factors that contributed to his greatness as a singer. His impeccable phrasing, timing, and tone allowed him to connect with listeners on a deep level and truly bring the songs to life. It's a great reminder for singers to focus not only on technical aspects but also on understanding and interpreting the lyrics. Connecting with the story and emotions of a song can make a significant difference in one's performance, resonating with the audience and leaving a lasting impact. Sinatra's legacy continues to inspire singers to prioritize the emotional depth of their performances.
You seem to give people a very strange image of Sinatra. We can understand from your video that is somewhat easy to sing like him, just don't show off and think about the lyrics. It's not just that, his timing, breath support, pitch, nailing both the high and low notes and sounding natural with all that giving so much emotion is veeery hard. HE MADE IT SOUND EASY, IT WAS NOT EASY. He got many years to develop his full charisma and his emotions to sound natural with the singing.
the drinking and smoking was fake,,,, Sinatra almost lost his voice early in his career... He took great care of his voice after that and could sing quite well up to his death... not many singers can achieve that in their eighties, but he did because he took great care of his voice
Indeed, Sinatra's range was great. Old Man River is a classic example of that. This video practically implies that Sinatra had limited range. Sinatra singing was not limited to a one octave range. This dude's a vocal coach?
Well it's relative. By almost all modern singers, he's limited. Imagine him trying to sing a Queen song or a Stevie Wonder song. However, he had swag and a style and a great entertainer. But as a vocalist, he was limited.
@@ericlind6581 Limited? Limited by modern standards? lololololololol Please, you're killing me. Stop, I can't breath lol You're comparing apples and oranges. Stevie Wonder and Freddie Mercury couldn't "swing" or sing a torch song like Sinatra, just as Sinatra would be out of his element, incredulous doing something like Bohemian Rhapsody. Sinatra is of the "Gold Standard" regardless of his place in the timeline of history. What is it that makes "today's" singers of a higher standard? So obviously Lady Gaga must be of a higher standard than Billy Holiday because she's current and up to "today's" standards. Thank you for the laugh. Limited? lololol
Mike Dragotta Sinatra sings in a semi talking style. His voice was severely limited, Give it up. Man had style and swag and was a great entertainer but as far as pure voice....limited. Comparing him to Mercury or George Michael or Wonder, there is absolutely no comparison at all. They are leagues above vocally. It’s obvious. Sinatra wasn’t a great torch singer either as he doesn’t emote that great with his monotonic talking sing style. Ever hear Mercury sing “Who Wants To Live Forever” or Geary’s Michael sing “Different Corner” or Wonder sing “Alfie”? Sinatra can’t touch that level of emoting. Swing music didn’t require vocal range...hence why Sinatra stuck to it.
@@ericlind6581 I don't want to insult you, but you know little about voice or the artistry of singing. As long as you know enough to appreciate the talents of Stevie Wonder and Freddie Mercury, I'll take what I can get and I'll leave it at that. But sorry, Sinatra was a GENIUS
When I did a baroque festival in New York, we were workshopping pieces and felt musically a little stuck with some of them. I told my conductor that I wanted to try something a little different but didn't tell her what specifically. Mentally, I used a jazz onset approach and it brought so much color to my Monteverdi and Caccini pieces- she loved it. When I told her I was approaching it like I do in jazz, she was ecstatic and we used the approach for the rest of the festival. I'm so glad you mentioned how genres outside of what you normally sing can increase your vocal capacity and musicality. My work in jazz, celtic, and folk singing has brought an enormous amount of color variety to my performances! Amen!
In terms of focusing on Sinatra's story telling, this video is quite good. Sinatra's phrasing was second to none. For instance, in "You Go To My Head" from "Nice N Easy", Sinatra puts "the round" in "and I find you spinning rouuund in my brain". It's vocal magic. Where this video falls flat is in the description of Frank's voice which changed at least 5 times during the course of his career. He did have a multi-octave range until his mid-50's when he pretty much lost his tenor voice but he more than made due with the lower range. I saw him in person 32 times from '75 through '92. At that time you went to see him rather than hear him but vocally, he never disappointed. In fact, his last performance at The Sands in 1992 in Atlantic City was incredible. It was 1965 all over again.
Sinatra is my favourite singer so I'm particularly glad you picked him. The fact that you emphasised the narrative of the song is really helpful and appropriate. I believe Marlon Brando saw Frank in concert and said he was incredible. Each song is a movie in 3 or 4 minutes.
This really helped, Ive been learning how to sing some of his songs and while I picked up early on that I need to sing with a smile on my face just to fit some joy, but I was so focused on how I sounded I didnt realize its the lyrics that had me fall in love with this kind of music, THANK YOU!!!!
He was almost always in tune (ok, maybe not on the beginning of My Way) but he almost always hit the notes on his studio recordings. Not sure what this nonsense is about the melody not being as important as the words.
I love Sinatra!! I admire his phrasing, Im actually working on my Jazz Phrasing and scat so, thanks for complementing what I'm working on right now without knowing :) Thanks for this videos Dr. Dan, you're the best!!
Notwithstanding his training and Metropolitan Opera moments, Sinatra never bothered with perfect notes or pitch, often wobbling, flubbing, and tuning while singing a note. His masterful idea was resonance above any thing else, trapping sound in that cavities of the face, using them as resonators. By this technique he sounded the same until his body gave out, and even then, kept right on singing well. He was fully formed, a full-fledged vocal beast, when he learned legato from Tommy Dorsey by stealing air. He was a thief who used the corners of his mouth right in front of the camera to steal breaths.
Myself and many of my classical vocalist friends have always wanted to scoop like Frank! It's interesting how I and many of my classical friends sing jazz as a pass time to regular classical work.
You're wrong. Sinatra didn't have a small vocal extension. He could reach bass notes and high ones, the same Nat king Cole, Dean Martin and many others from the style. Not only one octave, he could reach 2 octaves and a half. 🙏💥
My favourite Sinatra song is The Summer Wind. So much emotion, expressed quite sparely, without histrionics and the more powerful for that, IMO. He is a master of rubato and phrasing. What you say about always prioritising the lyrics is something that I've also heard baroque experts say - the importance of rhetoric, persuading the listener, in the "theatre of the mind". And like Corrie Donovan, I've also had more than one person leading Handel workshops encouraging a "swing" approach to make the semiquaver runs sound natural and fluid, not boring and mechanical.
Do you think being a tuba player for going on 6 years now assist in being able to hold the length of notes? lol I can on an absolute full breath hold a D2 for 9 measures at 78 BPM on mezzo-forte Maybe it does.. Just maybe..
I largely agree with what you've said here (especially about staying within an octave as a beginner) and for those who want to know more about Sinatra as well as other American pop singers of that generation (more or less) I recommend the book, "The Great American Popular Singers" by Henry Pleasants. However, I think it's important to add that Sinatra adapted his voice to deal with the physical limitations that developed over time (perhaps because he sang so much when young), so that there is the "young" and the "old" Sinatra. An example of the young Sinatra (though apparently lip synced) can be found here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xTnw_MmVptQ.html He was less "conversational" back then, and I'm not a fan of this rendition of "Old Man River," but the main point I'm making is that there is no one Sinatra; you've got to specify which style/voice you are referring to when talking about Sinatra's singing (even his daughter addressed this at least once on the official Sinatra web site). Perhaps more important for aspiring singers generally is that Sinatra adapted his voice very well to the microphone, and today there is the added element of all kinds of effects that can modify the voice, to the point that I'd argue that aspiring pop singers should consider learning how to sing with what is considered industry standard enhancements (auto-tune seems to be part of it now, for example or is for many if not most pop singers).
Thank you for this video Dr. Dan! Frank Sinatra is my model singer! Thank you for this video which emphasizes his style! 😃 Also because of your videos I already don't focus too much on gaining range but just enjoying my own range and by doing so, Im glad that those high notes just come gradually! 😍 This video challenges me to focus more on the narrative of the songs I will sing to make people feel what Im feeling as I sing. Thank you very much Dr. Dan! You're a genius! 😅
Far from “Ordinary”. He was the absolute KING of phrasing & delivery… but it was his TONE that made him the best. How he knew the microphone & understood how to lay a vocal on a record. People today are so wrapped up in vocal acrobatics and high placement, that most can’t appreciate the mastery, authenticity & taste in the vocals of classic jazz. The one guy who had ridiculous chops and rivaled Frank, was Cab Calloway. I’ve gotta say that he was cut above everyone, as far as a singer and frontman, in that era.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Frank Sinatra's mastery of phrasing and delivery truly set him apart. His unique tone and deep understanding of the microphone and recording process contributed significantly to his enduring legacy. You're right that today's focus on vocal acrobatics can sometimes overshadow the appreciation of classic jazz's nuanced vocal mastery. Cab Calloway indeed had incredible vocal skills and stage presence, making him a standout in that era as well. Both Sinatra and Calloway exemplified the artistry and authenticity that define the best in jazz vocals.
Boy, this is so great. Telling the story of the songs is the most important. Love it. Thanks, Dr. Dan!! I just subscribed and I can't wait to learn more!!
Great video Dan... mainly for the fact that you're paying homage to real artists of yesterday that paved the way for the future... and Sinatra, is one of those artists that the new generation really needs to know about it... well done and very informative...
I can sing in the range of Sinatra. I don't sound like Sinatra though. I can sing Jim Morrison. I don't sound like Morrison though. I can sing in Elvis' range (lower register of course). I don't sound like Elvis though. You can't sound like someone unless you're naturally given that voice. I have heard people sound exactly like someone else. I have no idea how but it's God-given I guess. I'm a female baritone and I feel proud of that!
Benny Goodman was the "King of Swing" not Frank Sinatra. Sinatra had a range that was a little more than 2 octaves. Compare how high Sinatra goes on the last note of the original recording of "All or Nothing at All" and how low he is on "Fools Rush In". Some noteworthy characteristics about Sinatra's singing are his breath control (a good example is "In the Wee Small Hours") and his vibrato was very good throughout his range, nice and even, not too fast or exagerated. He was able to maintain good vibrato even on his lowest notes which is particulary difficult. He also put vibrato on just about all notes that were more than a beat long, this is much different than how singers sing in todays pop where they usually only use vibrato on very long notes and often only towards the end of the note (delayed vibrato). Of course his phrasing was a very distinguishing characteristic of his singing. Also he had a tendency to almost over annunciate the words of a song - particularly with phrases that end with a word that ended in 's' As he grew older, his Jersey/Hoboken accent seemed to be more noticeable. I think he generally tried to hide it early in his career but seemed not to care as much as he got older. He never sang in falsetto, which is probably why he didn't stray outside of a little more than 2 octaves. Here's my go at "Summer Wind" if anyone wants to comment: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rHaHLwiJl0Y.html
I think you are talking about elderly Sinatra. I would encourage you to go listen to early Sinatra. With love, he was never called “The King of Swing.”
nuh uh, the first point, I don't care about lyrics initially, ever. I hear how the song sounds, if it sounds bad, no amount of incredible storytelling will draw me in, good lyrics are a component to make a song great, but if the melody doesn't stand out, I don't care. There's a reason for saying music is a language anyone can understand, because, music should primarily speak in melodies not words
Frank could reach high f sharp above middle C and low G way down there. - He certainly sang more than 1 octave.Your advice is intelligent and authoritative. Thanks.
Great messages here Dr Dan, thanks very much! And strange as it may sound as I'm female, hey yeah, I wouldn't mind being able to sing like Frank Sinatra !😊
With Sinatra you can always imagine his stage performance through his vocal delivery. His personality shines through. Listen to Live at the Sands. That's the biggest challenge. To be yourself not acting like someone else. So forget about singing like Frank. Move on.
To croon effectively, follow these steps: 1. Relax your body and voice. 2. Develop breath control. 3. Choose slow, romantic songs. 4. Sing with emotion and expression. 5. Use vibrato sparingly. 6. Utilise dynamics for volume and intensity. 7. Master legato phrasing. 8. Develop a warm, rich vocal tone. 9. Listen to classic crooners for inspiration. 10. Practice consistently and consider working with a vocal coach.
Thank you so much for this video! Such a pleasure to hear what Dr. Dan has to say about one of my favorite singers.. great advice here.. Frank Sinatra is the ultimate example to follow if one wants to sing with confidence! Btw, making videos like this one is a great idea!
I got the tip, sure it's a good one, BUT.. if Frank Sinatra had the voice of an hamster, he never became famous as "The voice".. no matter how good he was as storyteller.
Hello Dr Dan You are right about Sinatra s voice... I would love your oppinion on my version of MY WAY please see RU-vid Nikos Georgas MY WAY i would appreciate that very much Thank you
