- Home
- All exercises
- Melodies
- Scat – call and response
Scat – call and response
An original scat phrase in swing: a question that stops on the second, then an answer through the minor seventh down to the tonic. Both halves put the minor and the major third side by side.
An original scat phrase in two halves, sung together with the piano. The question climbs from the root through the minor third to the major third and the fifth, reaches the major sixth, comes back down and stops on the second. The answer starts on the fifth, passes the minor seventh, then drops through the major and minor third to the tonic. Putting both thirds side by side gives it a bluesy bend. The syllables are scat: “doo bee doo bah”.
How to do it
- After the two count-in clicks, sing with the piano. Use the scat syllables as written, one per note.
- Sing the question. It stops on the second and feels unfinished. Then sing the answer, which lands home on the tonic.
- Keep consonants short and light, vowels open. Feel the long–short swing in your body.
- On the roll, check the minor and major third: two separate blocks, a semitone apart.
- Hold the last note for two beats. Then the whole phrase comes again a semitone higher.
Coach's tip: Scat syllables are percussion: short, light consonants and open vowels. Feel the swing in your body – long, short – and don’t rush the answer.
What to watch out for
The minor third next to the major third is the trap. Singers often blur them into one block, or sing both too close together. Treat each as its own small step. In the answer the line falls from the minor seventh, and the lower notes sag if the breath fades, so keep it steady. Rushing the answer is common too. Use the short rest to breathe. If the syllables get sloppy, lower the tempo.
Who it's for
A level 2 melody for singers who've tried Scat warm-up in swing and want a longer phrase with a bit of a story. It sits in the middle of your range and suits the main block, or a playful close to a jazz session. Sing Blues scale with the “blue note” first to get the thirds into your ear. The Jazz style adds it to your daily training.
Opens the app in your browser. Free to start, no account needed. Put on headphones first.
Related exercises
- Silent Night A wide range (1.5 octaves) and long notes. A ballad in its purest form.
- Amazing Grace Pentatonic in practice. Melismas on “zing”, “a”, “was”, “but”.
- When the Saints Go Marching In Energetic, with long notes at the end of phrases.
- Pop phrase: acoustic verse An original phrase in the style of acoustic verses: low register, minor pentatonic, speech rhythm.
- Scat warm-up in swing Root, second, third, fifth and back down – lightly, on “doo-bee”. Swing rhythm: the first note of each pair is longer, the second short, as in jazz.
- Major pentatonic Five notes that almost all pop runs are built from.