What Do You Call Singing Without Words?

[dipole]

When a singer is performing a song, and they're singing syllables which are not words or have any meaning, but only have some aesthetic quality.

For example, "la la la" or here in this song from about 2:25-2:50



What is the term or word for this?

 

[Vagn]

When a singer is performing a song, and they're singing syllables which are not words or have any meaning, but only have some aesthetic quality.

For example, "la la la" or here in this song from about 2:25-2:50



What is the term or word for this?

Scat singing is perhaps the closest description?

 

[DennisN]

Hi! Maybe there is another more modern term, I'm not sure/don't remember, but otherwise there is something called "scat singing":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scat_singing

(EDIT: Another post just before mine about it, I was a couple of seconds late...))

 

[DennisN]

Couldn't resist posting this clip: :)

 

[zoobyshoe]

Morrissey isn't scat singing in the linked song. What he's doing is closer to yodeling, though it isn't all that way over into yodeling.

I can't think of any blanket term that covers all singing of meaningless sounds.

 

[TumblingDice]

What is the term or word for this?

"Non-lexical vocables" is the umbrella term. There are specific terms for different genres, such as 'scat' in jazz already mentioned. Doo-Wop (Sha-Na-Na, "Get a Job"), blurred lyrics ("Mairzy Doats"), and nonsense (Disney's done quite a few, "Zip-a-dee-Doo-Dah", "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" et al.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-lexical_vocables_in_music

 

[dipole]

Ha, well that's about as straight forward as it gets. I'm surprised there's not a more colloquial term though.

 

[SteamKing]

When a singer is performing a song, and they're singing syllables which are not words or have any meaning, but only have some aesthetic quality.

For example, "la la la" or here in this song from about 2:25-2:50



What is the term or word for this?

It referred to as 'vocal improvisation', where the voice is manipulated to act as another musical instrument:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scat_singing