Every now and then I come across a piece of music in which someone is playing an instrument while simultaneously vocalizing the exact same part. Is there a name for this style of performance?
Here are a couple of examples. First, George Benson vocalizing most of his guitar solo in “On Broadway” (video cued to where it really gets going:
And second, David Darling plays cello while vocalizing the same part in “Sockdolager” by Paul Winter:
He used something called a Talk Box. Peter Frampton is the guy who really got people’s attention w/ that on his live album.
I don’t think that Benson is using a talkbox on that recording; he’s just doing scat singing along with his own guitar playing. It sounds to me like the cello player is doing much the same.
A talkbox gives a very distinctive and distorted sound, and neither of those recordings sound anything like it to me. For those unfamiliar with the talkbox, here’s a recording of Frampton using it on “Show Me the Way” (video is cued up to the right spot):
The voice is just another instrument, so I would just call it the same thing as when two instruments do it: Doubling.
The Mellotron used short loops of sampled voices for each note. It has been in many songs such as “Strawberry Fields Forever”
The greatest of all:
I don’t know what it’s called, but Slam Stewart used to do it:
Deodato whistles along with electric piano solo:
Most mainstream exposure to the talkbox probably comes from Bon Jovi: Richie Sambora used it in some of his guitar work on “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “It’s My Life”.
And yes, neither of the two songs I shared features a talkbox, which only modifies the guitar’s sound and doesn’t include any vocalization by the performer. In “On Broadway” and “Sockdolager”, you can definitely hear the performer’s vocal cords independent of their instruments’ sounds.
Thanks, this looks like the answer. Wikipedia doesn’t have distinct page for doubling, but it does have a disambiguation page that lists this:
- The assignment of a melody to two instruments in an arrangement
Yep, that’s pretty much it.
Also including, as well as Mr. Frampton, Joe Walsh (such as on “Rocky Mountain Way”) and Joe Perry of Aerosmith (such as on “Sweet Emotion”).
I think a good example is here:
The vocal part is called vocalese.
Wikipedia will tell you that the difference between vocalese and scatting is whether recognizeable words are used vs nonsense syllables, but many jazz musicians (like me) believe that the difference is solely whether the notes are predetermined or improvised on the spot. If an instrument and a voice are hitting the same notes at the same time, the vocals are vocalese. Scat singing is a combination of nonsense syllables and in-the-moment improvisation.
Hendrix’s “Gypsy Eyes” is another.
It’s surprising difficult to sing and play an instrument simultaneously. Some were quite skilled at it, such as Geddy Lee. Others couldn’t do it no matter how hard they tried, e.g. Frank Zappa.
And what did Mr. Frampton want to do to you with that talkbox? (answer in “Do You Feel Like We Do?”}
I watched a whole bunch of Midnight Special episodes from 1975. One of the acts was Orleans doing “Dance With Me”. There was a closeup of the keyboard player’s filthy talk box tube. I almost lost my lunch.
Even under the best of circumstances, Frank wasn’t much of a singer. Even I can sing his parts, and I can’t sing for shit. But you’re right that he could not sing and play guitar at the same time at all. Couldn’t even really hold his guitar and sing at the same time.
Speaking of Zappa, the thread topic reminded me of this, which isn’t my favorite song but I love the little vocalese section:
Should be cued up to 2:10 when the vocalese starts. In my memory it was Ray White or Ike Willis doing it, and I was going to ask if it’s still vocalese if someone else is playing the instrument. But it’s (clearly) Bobby Martin singing and on keyboard.
(Song title is Chana in de Bushwop.)
I’m a huge Zappa fan, and… no argument here.
Case in point: the Four Deuces put out a song called “W-P-L-J”, which stands for “white port and lemon juice.” Their original version of the song has some exceptional singing. Just great stuff. Frank made a cover of it, with him singing. He’s a terrible singer, just listen.
George Duke does it brilliantly on Zappa’s album “Roxy and Elsewhere”.
B.B. King was another guitar great who couldn’t sing and play at the same time.