Tag: singing

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Shouting Masquerading As Singing: Reasons why so many singers are just yelling

DISCLAIMER: This article is not simply going to be another example of an old man yelling at a cloud.
Old man yells at cloud

It’s also not going to be a discussion around me staring into the middle distance and yearning for the “good ol’ days“.

But I will put it bluntly

There is an epidemic of shouting masquerading as singing, at least to my mind and my ear. And today I want to talk about why.

Over the years
To begin with, I’ve lost count of the number of events where every singer was just yelling their guts out. I’ve even seen singers step away from the microphone to show how loudly they can bellow their lyrics – it’s part of their performance piece. I’ve seen performers get gigs for not much more reason than they can belt notes louder than their peers. I’ve even been singing as part of a group, where when someone starts yelling their part, people think that equates to a more emotional performance.

What exactly is causing this? And what are the highest quality singers actually doing that sets them apart from some that might be accused of yelling?

Before we judge such singers too harshly…
… are there reasons behind why many resort to yelling? Are there tripwires that cause some singers to miss out on the path to higher quality?

I’m not for a second looking to justify or exonerate bad singing, but I also want to be clear that the voice has its complications. It would therefore be remiss to not discuss some of the physiological factors at play in this trend. Continue reading “Shouting Masquerading As Singing: Reasons why so many singers are just yelling”

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Learning to Riff: Why most people find it hard & why it can be easier than you think

I was having a conversation with a client recently about riffing: what it is, why it’s useful, and why it seems difficult to many.

For the ease of discussion let’s say that anything that extends the melody beyond the original for dramatic/musical effect is a ‘riff’, and that riffing is therefore the act of extending the melody in such a way.

I’d say that most singers want to get better at riffs/riffing, but that they find it hard to do. I’d also say that a lot of singers who think they are good at riffing are not as good as they think they are, and typically repeat the same old basic tricks over and over. But why is it hard to do? And could it be made easier?

The simple answer is yes, but there’s some important logic and understanding behind that answer. Let’s break it down. Continue reading “Learning to Riff: Why most people find it hard & why it can be easier than you think”

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Pavarotti on training your voice: What they don’t tell you about singing

So one great singer said to another…

The bass Jerome Hines once interviewed the tenor Luciano Pavarotti on training your voice, and this was his response:

“Now this passaggio… is the transition from the upper middle voice to the high voice, and I know that students are interested in your approach since you have such a flawless passaggio; it is so smooth a change one is not aware of it”

Pavarotti replied:

“It took me six years of study… and one must be convinced of it’s importance from the first day… never change ideas. You know, the first five or six months it is very depressing because it does not come out right, and you become cyanotic, red in the face. Then some students begin to think this approach is wrong, and they try the other way, but it will never bring them security of voice.”*

Context: Pavarotti didn’t start vocal training til he was 18/19. He also had a voice that could sail effortlessly up to an Eb5 even post puberty, and not a weak light sound, but a connected sound. Make no mistake, he was gifted with an instrument that makes singing easy and beautiful in a way that most of us couldn’t grasp… even before training.

AND EVEN THEN, he makes the above statement of how long it took to train his voice the correct way, of how FRUSTRATING it is was to train his voice properly, and how he saw (and perhaps related?) to those who doubt the process.

So what don’t you get told about singing?
Simply, you do not become a good to great singer in a handful of lessons, or even a year or two. Great and complete singers don’t just get “discovered” with zero to minimal training any more than polished and beautifully cut diamonds just get “found” in a coal mine – it takes work, even in the case of voices with great base materials like Pavarotti’s voice.

If it took the gifted but young Pavarotti a minimum of 6 years** to train his voice properly, you MUST understand that true and full development of the voice takes concerted, intentional, focused effort sustained over a period of years to achieve the kind of voice you can throw whatever you like at.

* – Extract from page 218 of Jerome Hines, “Great Singers on Great Singing” (click for the Amazon link)

** – I say a minimum of six years as Pavarotti continued to develop his voice daily well into his later life, and most crucially he was known to turn away roles he felt vocally not yet ready for, even though his range (even pre-training!) was ALREADY covering every possible piece of repertoire he would ever be asked to sing. It’s not about range or just the “mere” ability to hit the notes, it was about security of voice and quality of tone, and he knew that.

Learn More: Related Articles

If you want to learn more about vocal technique and great singing, you may enjoy these related articles:
The Difference between Amateurs and Pros
The problem with trying to teach voice using ONLY voice science
Vocal Pedagogy: Past, present and future
Singers: The Difference Between Vocalists and Performers
Can vocal technique help laryngitis?
What is vocal fach?
The Key to Vocal Consistency

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Donny Hathaway – A Song For You

This week I’ve been enjoying the wonderful tones of Donny Hathaway (not to be confused with Donnie Osmond!)

Listen to how incredibly smooooooth his voice and technique is. A lighter voice and singer certainly, but there’s depth and texture at every turn. He understood space and dynamics incredibly well despite having tonnes of facility with his instrument.

Do have a listen!

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Five More Songs from the Last Week

I had a load of positive feedback last time I posted a feature on five songs from the last week, so here we are again with another instalment!

1. Salley Gardens
A solid folk tune, this was brought in this week by a fab student whose voice has REALLY come on in the last few months. There are many versions, but this is one that I quite enjoy!

2. Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts
This was brought in at the end of the week by a local performer. Whilst too high in the original key for their particular voice, this stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

3. Demi Lovato – Skyscraper
This is an oft-talked about song by students but only a few bring it in to work on. This particular song requires quite an attitude to deliver just right, even with technique being under your belt!

4. Sting – If I Ever Lose My Faith
I am a moderate fan of Sting. I really enjoy certain pieces but there’s a large number of tracks I just don’t gel with. This one crossed my ears again via a cover someone had done on Facebook, and when I mentioned it in front of a student later in the week they jumped on the chance to give it a whirl!

5. Matt Redman – 10,000 Reasons
I work with a fair few church singers and worship leaders (if you’re not sure what this job is, it’s a kind of band leader and functional lead singer for modern church congregations), and it so happens that this track is a fairly common song to hear at modern churches these day by a writer of MANY modern hymn classics. It’s got a somewhat tricky ascent in the chorus, and is tough to nail with quality (given the ballad speed it goes it) without just yelling (as many leaders tend to do!).