Article: Once you feel comfortable with straightforward rhythms, it is time to start playing with shorter, but more complex, phrases. Duplets are simply two sounds thrown quickly together ("da-DA!"), and triplets are three sounds ("BEEP-da-BOP"). Instead of using straight quarter notes, where you have one sound per beat (1, 2, 3, 4), start stringing together these other phrases, leaving spaces in between them for a bouncy, swinging feel.  Hold some notes for three beats, cram 10 notes into two beats, and then leave some silence before launching back in. Rhythmic variety is about playing with the beat to create tension and surprise. Alternating different types of rhythms is a great way to craft a complex, enjoyable scat solo without crazy notes or vocal range. Check out both Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, for example, on "Stomping at the Savoy" for a master class in rhythmic variation. An extension of rhythmic variation, this is when you transcend the "written" rhythm and get into the song with improvisational fervor. Most scatting is over a swing feel, where the 2nd and 4th beats are emphasized. Think of counting out your "1 and, 2 and, 3 and, 4 and" with a little extra emphasis on these two beats. If you're going to hit a high note, or pause and come back in, make it on the swinging beats. Great scat singers, like any great soloist or musician, are locked into the underlying chords and melody of the song they sing over. They know when chord changes are coming, and adjust their melody right in time with the rest of the band. Listen to the song several times until the chords' feel natural, and you know exactly what your band is doing behind you. If you're hoping to play professionally, there are a few progressions you should know:   12-Bar Blues-- the most common progression in Western Music. No matter what the key, the chords will always change in the same order, meaning you can quickly scat to any 12-bar blues once you know the form.  I Got Rhythm -- known as the most covered chord progression in jazz, these changes are found in hundreds of songs, including popular music. Listen to versions from Duke Ellington to Django Reinhardt If you are classically trained, there is no reason to abandon your skills just to start scatting. Run through your exercises, scales, and warm-ups with improvised syllables and sounds, and start putting your vocal scales to music. As a warm up, read music but ignore the lyrics, trying to sound out just the notes of vocal, brass, and woodwind sheet music. Listen to Ella Fitzgerald closing out "Tenderly," a dear, calm, and loving song, with a deep and almost monstrous scat sound. And yet, it fits, complementing her smooth tone with an unexpected burst of passion and power. Scatting isn't about sounding "human." So, the further you can modulate and adjust your voice to sound more instrumental the better scat singer you'll become.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Introduce a little rhythmic variety with duplets and triplets. Get a little swing behind your scatting. Learn the chord progressions to improvise like a jazz singer. Scat through your vocal solos to bridge classical singing and scatting. Get a little weird with tone, voice, and coloring.