Singing Advice & Vocal Technique Articles

June 26, 2012June 1, 2025

500 words or less: Five Great Male Vocalists

Another 500 words or less blog post, this time on five great male vocalists. Now, this is not meant to be a definitive list, and I reserve the right to change my mind tomorrow, but as of right this second, here are five great male vocalists I think you should have a listen to in more detail.

1. Freddie Mercury

Utterly amazing singer and performer. He seemed to be able to hold an audience in the palm of his hand. One minute he’d be strutting the stage, the next he would a quiet reserved man sitting having a pint and a cigarette in the corner of your local pub. Mercury’s sound was and is instantly recognisable, with a very clear and pristine tone to his voice, unlike many rock singers of his day. His songwriting was also prolific and he penned many hits for Queen.

2. Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder is a long-time student and friend of Seth Riggs – if you want to know more about Seth and his contribution to the world of voice and how this has influenced my teaching, just click here to find out more. Listen to pieces like ‘Lately’ and ‘For your love’ to hear the pure quality in his voice at all points in his range. He makes it sound effortless everywhere. Stevie is a total monster on vocals. What is perhaps even more impressive is his ability to just serve the song, even if ‘technically’ he wasn’t doing it correctly… even though he could… he just ‘felt’ for the song and that showed through his voice.

3. Bruno Mars

Already covered briefly in an earlier blog post, Bruno is an excellent singer and one of the few vocalists out there right now who do the voice real justice. He knows how to write catchy tunes, and deliver them with a real artistic flair. I think you’d struggle to find a more rounded artist in today’s current contemporary line-up. He is currently working on his next album, and I can’t wait for it.

4. Bono

Now, with the vocalists above listed, some of you might be surprised that I list Bono here. But great singing is far more than simply possessing great tone or great technique, it requires a sense of melody and an internal ‘feel’ for music and the piece you are singing. Bono not only writes great songs, but delivers them is a truly engaging manner. Check out any of their live DVDs to get a taste for how exceptional a frontman he is. His range, whilst perhaps more limited than other singers listed here, is more than sufficient to deliver the songs in his repertoire beautifully.

5. Bruce Dickinson

‘The’ frontman for Iron Maiden. Having seen these guys live, I think it could be argued that Bruce is the most energetic front man on the planet. I’ve been told he rehearses in advance of tours on roller skates so as to get his fitness up to a sufficient level to maintain his onstage antics. His range and tone is also closer to that of a skilled classical opera singer than some of the shouty or shrill singers that we might otherwise picture. Truly an exceptional singer.

Check all these guys out, because they are amazing.

June 25, 2012June 1, 2025

Jessie J – Domino

One of the most prolific performers out there at the time of publishing is Jessie J (real name Jessica Cornish). A contemporary of Leona Lewis and Adele, but with a far more eclectic and (I’d say!) interesting style. A little known fact about her is that during her teens she suffered a stroke!

This is one of my favourite pieces of hers, and grew on me within a few listens. Yes, it is a pop-piece, but it’s a lot of fun.

FYI the reason she is sitting down in this video is that she broke her foot around the time of this tour, and a throne was brought in to create a suitable place to rest her leg while also keeping the setting appropriate for the gig.

June 21, 2012July 21, 2025

Five Vocal Misconceptions – Think you can’t increase vocal range?

Things like ‘I can’t increase vocal range’ are just not true…

To increase vocal range, you just need the right tools, it’s not something you’re stuck with. While we’re on this topic, let me tell you about some other misconceptions…

Here’s another short and sweet post on some interesting points. This one is focusing on five misconceptions about the voice, but I’ve left the more controversial misconceptions for longer posts.

1. I’m stuck with the range I’ve got = WRONG

Range is NOT static – Many insist that the range you have is the range you are stuck with, and that you cannot increase your range – end of. This is simply not true. Singing is a matter of improving the co-ordination of your voice as an instrument, from your vocal cords through to your vocal tract and everything else… but that’s ALL stuff you have already. It’s not a question of strength as much as it a question of ‘balance’ and muscle co-ordination. Since starting to study effective vocal technique my useable vocal range has increased by over an octave and a half, all with quality, and adding to that daily. The same result can be achieved with any singer over time.

2. I struggle with the high notes, I must be an alto/bass = WRONG

Range does not determine voice type – You may know that the bass guitar is an octave lower than the guitar, but they share LOTS of notes in common with one another. Common notes do not make a bass into a guitar, nor vice versa, they sound different. Likewise, many male singers with large ranges can hit soprano notes. This does not make them sopranoes. Similarly, sopranoes share notes with tenors. This doesn’t make them tenors. Just because you struggle with high notes doesn’t mean you are (necessarily) a lower type of voice. Voice type is not determined by range but the specific mechanics of a person’s voice, as these are distinctly different in the separate voice types. You can absolutely increase vocal range from where you currently are, you just need the right tools to experience it.

3. That guy/girl can sing so loud! They must be amazing singers = WRONG

Loudness does not reflect skill – We are all impressed by loud singers. And confidence in (good) singing is a big part of that. However, as we looked at in the explanation in the beginner course on the engine of the voice, loudness can come about not because of skill, but because of a lack of skill. Many singers cannot help but be excessively loud at the top of their range because they lack the balance to control that co-ordination. Now, skilled singers can and should be able achieve a high volume and a true forte in their voice, but volume alone does not reflect skill.

4. I can rely on the microphone and sound engineer to fix my voice = WRONG

Microphones cannot replace correct singing technique – In the same way that a guitar amp reproduces what is going on at the guitar and can complement what is going on at the guitar, a microphone reproduces and complements what the voice is doing… but it cannot compensate for weaknesses in the voice. Don’t think that autotune can fix something where you need to increase vocal range or improve your technique. There is simply no substitute for having good vocal technique and a balanced vocal ability.

5. Wow! That artist sounds amazing on the album, they must sound that way all the time = WRONG

The tape recorder doesn’t lie, but albums do – What we hear inside our own head when we sing is not what the audience hears. When we sing we need to record ourselves and listen back to hear the truth. However, when we listen to produced vocals on an album, we are NOT hearing the truth. We are hearing vast amounts of compression, multiple takes spliced together, and professional mastering on a singer’s voice, that masks and hides many of the problems we might hear in our own voices when we record one-take at home. The message is, we need to record ourselves to hear what we really sound like, but we cannot trust this same principle when listening to recorded albums. Don’t think that your favourite artist sounds that good with perfect pitching and nuance all the time – albums lie. Here’s a video to prove it to you.

Learn More: Related Articles

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June 19, 2012June 1, 2025

This is the Moment

Another quick post on some Youtube gold. This one is a rendition of a piece from the musical Jekyll and Hyde – ‘This is the Moment – performed beautifully by Joseph Mahowald. Check it out. The ending makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Beautiful.

June 11, 2012July 5, 2025

500 words or less: Five Good Habits for Vocal Health

Singing Voice Hurts? Here’s What to Do

If your singing voice hurts, you’re not alone. Many singers experience discomfort or even pain when using their voice. Keeping your voice healthy is critical for both short-term performance and long-term vocal health. Here are my top 5 essential tips to help protect and strengthen your voice:

1. Always Carry a Bottle of Water

Hydration is critical for vocal health. I recommend carrying a bottle of water with you at all times. Whether you sip, gargle, or simply have it nearby, this habit will help combat dehydration and keep your vocal folds lubricated. Staying hydrated is one of the simplest ways to avoid pain if your singing voice hurts.

2. Avoid Speaking Over Loud Noise

Trying to talk over loud environments like gigs, concerts, or crowded venues puts tremendous strain on your vocal folds. This can cause swelling (adema) and temporary or even permanent damage. If you’re in a noisy place, either speak minimally or protect your hearing and voice with earplugs. Prevention is key to protecting your singing voice from unnecessary injury.

3. Stay Away from Smoke and Smokers

Smoking—and even passive smoke inhalation—is devastating to vocal health. Smoking dries out the vocal folds and causes long-term damage to the delicate tissues you rely on to sing. If you take your singing career seriously, avoid smoke-filled environments whenever possible to protect your vocal longevity.

4. If You Lose Your Voice, Rest Longer Than You Think

When you’ve lost your voice, it’s often a sign of swollen vocal folds. While complete vocal rest can speed recovery, it’s vital to continue resting even after your voice returns. Resuming vocal use too soon risks re-injury and can make problems chronic. Always allow extra recovery time after any vocal trauma.

5. Listen to Your Body

Every singer’s voice is different. Some voices can handle hours of use; others fatigue quickly. Learn to recognise the signs of fatigue, strain, and discomfort. Over time, as your stamina grows, you’ll be able to do more safely. But until then, respect your body’s limits to prevent injuries before they happen.

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Learn More About Vocal Health

If you want to explore more on vocal health, singing technique, and avoiding injury, check out these related articles:

June 5, 2012June 1, 2025

Rhyming + Songwriting

Stumbled upon this great clip today covering some helpful songwriting tips, so I had to share.

I felt the need to share because someone intuitively commented on this very idea in a songwriting workshop I went to. The presenter in this video discusses how choosing your words to rhyme or not rhyme, or to imperfectly rhyme, can really change or ‘subvert’ the mood of a song. Rhymes create predictability, and this can be a good thing, e.g. to help a listener engage with the song and make it feel familiar and comfortable. Or you might want to take the listener away from a comfortable place… all this can be done just with how you rhyme, and this video explains really clearly how that might work.

June 5, 2012July 6, 2025

Bruno Mars – Runaway Baby

Great artist, great tune, great performance.

Bruno (real name Peter Gene Hernandez) has only had one album to date, entitled ‘Doo Wops and Hooligans’ released in late 2010, but it’s pretty epic as a first offering. He’s currently getting a new album recorded and I plan on picking it up as soon as it’s out.

Reggae?
His debut album features a variety of tunes all with reasonably different styles, but all have a distinctive Hawaiian/reggae backdrop… you might think I’m making that up, but if you listen closely it’s a common theme running through almost every track and this is even admitted by Bruno himself in a few interviews, citing growing up in Hawaii as a major influence in his lifestyle and writing.

Here’s a thing or three…
Focusing on a few of the tracks:
– ‘Just the way you are’ – This has arguably been the most successful song from the album. It’s a feel-good anthem played at weddings across the world in the last few years. The melody on the chorus is really simple, memorable, and the last line is a good ‘hook’ that really sticks in your mind. I like it anyway!
– ‘The Other Side’ – The amazing Cee-Lo Green features in this track (Cee-Lo will be featured in a later blog post) and it is a stonkingly cool track. Artistically, I like the way the lyrics say very little, but you paint a whole world in your mind. Technically, the melody of the chorus is stupendous, as it 100% out of chest voice… not a single note in chest voice, and it goes a good octave about chest voice too. But you’d never know, Bruno just makes it sounds as effortless as he was telling you about it… amazing.
– ‘Runaway Baby’ – The song linked to above is the song that sold me on Bruno Mars and made me buy his album. I’d heard ‘The Lazy Song’ which I really don’t like (sorry!) and that turned me off, but then I heard this and saw this performance and it made me want to hear more of this guy. Great thing about this is how catchy the riff is, and how simple the melody is, but the rhythms are infectious. Love it.

And I’ll leave you with…
The best thing about Bruno (I feel) is how he marries technical ability with songwriting ability and has brought that out into the market relatively late in his life. He was in his mid-20s before he started to make waves across the world, which is late by some standards, but had been a successful songwriter in his own right for other artists. I think that is very encouraging for those who harbour desires of a musical career but think that because they are not 18 anymore then they can’t make it. Bruno stands apart and shows that this isn’t true. His technical ability is amazing, but he uses that to great effect to serve the songs he rights, which are immensely catchy in their own right.

In short, Bruno rocks, have a listen. The songs might seem impossible to some, but with the right guidance they are totally achievable. Also, let me know if there are any other artists you’d like me to look at.