Riffing Lesson: Natalie Weiss does Tori Kelly’s Pretty Young Thing

Riffing is something many people think is harder than it actually is. Let me illustrate…

So here is a video of the amazing American artist Tori Kelly. There is just incredible control and artistry in this video by Tori.

Check out her stuff – really fresh and inspiring!

There is a KILLER vocal riff at 2m22s, which I’ve been giving a bash and I can promise you – it’s tough! That said, it is not as difficult as it might seem once you’ve broken it down. Here’s a link to a great singer Natalie Weiss Breaking Down This Riff – she was even teaching at a training conference I went to back in August 2013!

There are a great many things we all think are very difficult, but actually, EVERYTHING is difficult… until we’ve done it so many times that it becomes easy. Not only that, but sometimes it just takes a different perspective and simpler approach to make even the most seemingly-complex issue become pretty straightforward to solve.

With that in mind, if you want to start learning to riff, and learn the riff she pulls off at 2m22s, then check out this awesome video from Natalie Weiss from ‘Breaking Down The Riffs’

See? It might sound crazy but if you take it slow and break it down, it’s actually not as insurmountable as it first seemed.

So do me (and you!) a favour – ask yourself – what was the last thing you decided you COULDN’T do vocally? Is it too fast? Too high? Too low? Once you break it down, you may start to see in-roads to help you tackle the issue you’re struggling with. Honestly, all you need to start moving towards doing the very thing you’re scared of is adopting a different perspective and utilising the right tools.

Beyoncé – Love On Top

What. a. tune.

Whether you love her, hate her, or just don’t really care, there is no denying the phenomenal global talent that is Beyonce Knowles.

She has incredibly vocal ability, robustness, and performance skills that are rare to say the least.

In this particular song she introduces some RIDICULOUS riffs and some nigh-on-impossible key changes. That said, I cover this sort of material with a number of singers and really help a number of people work towards making these sorts of riffs not just achievable, but a standard part of their repertoire.

Check it out, particularly the last 1m30s.

Bruno Mars & Travie McCoy – Billionaire Acoustic Version

As I just tweeted, I am preparing a video presentation on how to build your business, and one of the elements I’m talking about is the importance of blogging. So here is a quick blog on one of my favourite artists (who I have talked about loads before) – the Wonderful Bruno Mars

Apologies for the language at the start – not sure why he opted for that in this version!

What a tune though, and I love the acoustic version. Enjoy!

Bring Him Home – Alfie Boe

This is not my usual musical fare, but it’s so beautiful I felt the need to share it.

Just such a tender and beautiful sound, very well executed. His diction goes a bit astray – singing ‘bring him ham’ made me chuckle!

In any case, check out the magnificant Alfie Boe in Les Mis ‘Bring Him Home’ – amazing!

John Mayer – In Your Atmosphere

Came across this video of one of my favourite artists the other day. I’ve blogged about him before = the wonderfully talented John Mayer. If you’ve never heard him before, check him out.

Interesting point, his own bad habits with his voice were a major contributing factor to him ending up having major vocal surgery and being unable to sing for the last 18 months or so. Definitely worth working on your voice to avoid this!