1. Secret #1: Kickass Vocal Technique
Vocal technique is one of the best kept secret weapons in the industry. No one talks about it, or wants to admit it — but it’s the discerning difference between the good and the great voices out there. And the great singers practice it to be on their A game. All the time.
Lady Gaga blew us away at her Oscar performance a few years back— and are you ready for this? She not only worked with a coach, she worked with a coach every day for 6 months! Why you ask? Because she wanted to blow people away with her voice. And it worked. Brilliant.
Legend Whitney Houston, known for her incredible vocal chops, was going back to training just before she passed away. She knew, as did Clive, how important her practice was to her voice. And she was one of the greatest singers of all time.
When it’s your voice and career on the line, who wouldn’t want every possible trick and technique in the book?
Pro singers vocalize 5 days a week.
Aspiring singers vocalize 2 days a week.
Hobbyists vocalize whenever they feel like it ;).
Quick Tip: Study vocal technique 5x a week for a period of 2-3 (or more) years. I studied and trained for 8 years. I vocalized 5x a week for 5 years. That’s what it takes for a contemporary singer to build a killer voice and a technique that will run on auto-pilot (which is what you need.) And hey, don’t mess around with cheap techniques. They’ll cost you time, money and your vocal health in the long run.
2. Secret #2: Signature Style
Singers that catch our attention have their own style and sound. They sing with their Voice, not someone else’s. They don’t mimic. As tempting as it might be to do, do not copy another singers sound. Find your own.
Quick Tip: How do you find your own sound? Here’s three things to try:
- Sing and perform a LOT. Every chance you get. It takes a lot of singing to get good.
- Go more in the direction of what your voice wants to do. Don’t fight it, be yourself. Great singers build on what they have, not what they don’t have.
- Record a lot. Work with a vocal arranger or coach who can help you build your sound.
3. Secret #3: Badass Breath Control
Yep. This is a big one. I get this question all the time. How do I hit high notes with more power? How do I belt? How do I hold a note better. It’s all breath. Breath brings fullness, range, big notes, high notes and power to the voice. Air and breath are the fuel for your voice. It makes sound by creating movement at the vocal folds so they can vibrate. Most singers don’t breathe enough and often their breathing muscles are tight and constricted. Use your breath to better fuel your voice and to open your rib-cage allowing the diaphragm to drop.
4. Secret #4: Killer Clarity & Tone
People always ask me, what’s the most important “tell” of a singer’s voice. What’s the one thing, that makes great singers so intoxicating. I would say “tone.” It’s the first thing to please or to offend the listener. A nasal or throaty tone vs. an open or full timbre or interesting texture make a difference in how the voice lands in our ears.
Quick Tip: How does one develop better tone? Technique is the true path. A quick fix is to sing without pushing air past your vocal cords. And the quickest path is to use Hearfones in technique or rehearsal at home. They will help you build tone faster than anything else. Find them on Amazon.
5. Secret #5: Original Riffs and Runs
I remember in the 80’s when I was an aspiring singer in New York. I remember hearing about Mariah Carey (who sang backup for Teena Marie at the time.) She would practice riffs all the time. Sitting on the bus, waitin’ for a train, walking around Manhattan, she would practice her runs. Riffs, runs, and melismas are one of the distinct features that brings an original sound to a great voice. Everyone uses them differently. Some use a lot of them, and some singers use few. It’s all about taste and style. As a vocal arranger, I style the person’s voice depending on their genre and aesthetic. It makes all the difference in the delivery.
Quick Tip: Start by practicing runs of singers you love to learn the pentatonic scales and the kinds of runs they do. Work them into your voice like a vocal exercise. Riffs take practice to perfect speed and accuracy. Then once you’ve got them under your belt, bring your own twist to your runs to make them more original 😉.
6. Secret #6: A Solid Belt Voice
All great singers master their belt voice. Commonly referred to as “chest” voice, it’s the ability to to sing with power. On a technical level this means having laryngeal compression or resistance. When you sing with more power or force, generally you are sending more air which pushes up against the laryngeal muscles (your voice box) and pushes it upward. This leaves the voice vulnerable to cracking, shaking and it won’t be able to handle the force of the air.
Quick Tip: Think down for higher notes. Work to keep your voice in chest voice to improve laryngeal resistance and build your chest voice. Don’t force it, but build slowly and healthfully.
7. Secret # 7: Amazing Phrasing
One of the biggest “tells” of a great singer is their phrasing. Phrasing is the rhythm of the vocal line – how it sits in the music. Phrasing in pop music comes from rhythm and blues, so if you want better phrasing, study blues singers to sit in the music more effectively. Improving your rhythm skills by taking up drums or tapping the beat of the music while you sing to get that internal metronome inside you, are ways to beef up your skills. Many famous singers are drummers. A little known fact of the album 25 is that Adele played drums on “Hello” alongside producer Greg Kurstin. Marvin Gaye, Don Henley and Peter Gabriel are also drummers, besides being vocalists. My past Grammy winning student Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, was chosen as the lead singer for Steely Dan, not because of his vocal quality, as much as his ability to phrase. He had great vocal phrasing. It makes great singers.
Quick Tip: Sing “the blues” to take your phrasing up several notches. Learn to sit in to the music, don’t rush your phrases or you’ll sound too “eager.” Also, try singing your own songs with a more “blues” approach by adding scoops and simple riffs where appropriate.
Full article https://www.caricole.com/15-best-kept-secrets-grammy-winning-singers-2/
