Learning Vocal Style - What You Must Master

Learning a new style or new genre of singing is a lot like learning another language. And just like a new language, we learn best when we immerse our ears in it.

Acquiring a new vocal style or genre includes mastering new types of...

• Phrasing

 Jazz singer Jane Monheit and pop singer Alanis Morrissette have quite different approaches to phrasing. The jazz singer phrases like speech... it's laid back, legato smooth with emphasis on the downbeats of phrases like a jazz pianist. The pop singer's phrasing is very much on the beat, with inner beat lyrics artfully tucked in phrases like a percussion instrument.

• Diction

The type of diction, or articulation, that you use can vary greatly in different musical genres. Get it wrong and you sound like an American in beginner French! Take R&B and musical theater. R&B diction is relaxed, flowing easily from word to word, not overpronounced. Listen to Brian McKnight. On the other hand, musical theater diction needs to be crisp, clearly formed. A fun example is Kristin Chenoweth. I would caution that whatever the genre, the lyrics need to be understood by that genre's audience (in otherwords, articulated in the way they are used to hearing). Otherwise, you lose 1/3 of your performance impact.

• Embellishments (vocal licks)

Melodic embellishments, commonly known as vocal licks, are an important marker of the genre you're trying to sing. R&B singers often use rapid fire type vocal runs. Think Rihanna.

Country singing tends to use more slurs and trail offs. Vince Gill and my vocal student Pam Tillis are good examples of country style. Jason Aldean reveals a rocker style of country. But you hear the slurs and trail offs.

Pop singing typically uses less slurring, quicker vocal lick articulation, slurring to the center of the note quicker. Check out Bruno Mars for an example.

Hard rock/metal of course makes use of screams, rasp and cries. "Immigrant Song" from Girl With The Dragon Tattoo with Karen O and Trent Resnor provides a great example. Better yet, check out my vocal student and friend Salem Jones with her band "One Soul Thrust". Warning... you must know how to do these vocal embellishments in a healthy way or you won't last in this genre. Salem trains like a vocal athlete.

• Vibrato

Bluegrass singing uses no vibrato (straight tone) or what I like to call a fast 'shimmer'. Alison Krauss is the queen of this genre. Southern gospel singers often use slow wave vibratto. Check out my friend Ronny Hinson's classic song "The Lighthouse". Jazz singing requires complete control of vibrato... when to use straight tone and when to shimmer it out, quite by choice. Pop singer sometimes use a gentle vibrato, like my vocal student Mat Kearney.

• Rhythm

Both big band, blues and hip-hop singers lay lyrics consistently behind the beat just a bit. Consider Alicia Keys on her smash "Fallin".  R8B singers sometimes lay back and sometimes sing right on the beat. Pop and bluegrass singers usually stay centered on the beat.

• Subgenre Variables

 More than ever, genres are cross-pollinating each other. Figure out your favorite singers within the over-all genre you want to learn and check out how their choices of all the above. Study even more nuances of the style you want to learn, such as tone (how nasal or masky is their sound?), pitch habits (do they tend to flat thirds or hit the center of the third exactly, etc), how do they pronounce vowel sounds and dipthongs, so they like to flip into head voice ?

Next post... the fastest way to learn all this stuff.