Witchcraft: Piano/Vocal/Chords Digital Sheet Music

"Witchcraft" is a sophisticated, short-form standard that teaches singers how to navigate chromatic harmony and jazz-inflected melodies without requiring operatic vocal weight. The combination of Frank Sinatra's definitive recording with Anita Baker's soulful interpretation gives students two contrasting approaches to the same song, making this an ideal teaching resource for understanding stylistic choice and vocal personality.

Sophisticated and playful at once. "Witchcraft" moves with conversational ease, its chromatic twists suggesting a knowing smile rather than drama. The melody sits comfortably in the voice while the harmony keeps listeners slightly off-balance in the best way, creating an almost hypnotic quality that rewards careful listening.

Singers in jazz ensembles, pop/standards programs, and vocal studio settings who are ready to tackle harmonic sophistication and stylistic nuance. This works well for high school singers with solid musicianship and for college-level jazz and popular music students building their interpretation skills.

• Shape the opening phrase to land naturally on the word "witchcraft," resisting the urge to oversell the lyric early. Let the melody breathe and the harmony do the work.
• Pay attention to chord extensions (sevenths, ninths) in the accompaniment; they define the jazz vocabulary of the tune and should inform your phrasing choices.
• Track the arc of the song across all its sections rather than treating each phrase in isolation. The tune builds from conversational to declarative, and your vocal energy should follow that trajectory.
• Balance legato singing with the rhythmic precision the song demands. This isn't a ballad; the accompaniment has momentum.

Pair this with other mid-tempo standards in a jazz or pops concert to demonstrate different interpretive approaches and stylistic maturity. It also works well in a unit on American songwriting, where studying both the Sinatra and Baker recordings alongside the chart helps students understand how arrangement, tempo, and vocal color reshape a composition.

• Reading jazz chord changes and playing chord extensions on piano
• Phrasing across chromatic harmony without losing melodic clarity
• Stylistic choices in vocal production and interpretation
• Balancing lyrical communication with rhythmic precision