Quote Of The Day:
“How Can You Mend A Broken Heart – How Can You Stop The Rain From Falling Down”
Robin and Maurice Gibb
Another sad day in the music world as, Robin Gibb, the second brother of Bee Gees fame passed away leaving Barry, the eldest of the Brothers Gibb, as the last man standing. The trio first came out with the first of many hit songs in the late 1960’s and had a roller-coaster ride of success through the 70’s and 80’s. One thing was undeniable about the band, and that was their highly recognizable vocal blend when they sang their infamous 3-part harmony.
When singers strive to get a great vocal blend, it is an advantage to be from the same family. However, if the singers in the band are not related, following a few simple tips can help you create an amazing vocal blend that could very well become your band’s signature sound without having sprouted from the same family tree.
There is something in my vocal coaching program I call “Air To Tone Ratio” and I have even written an entire blog devoted to this a few months ago. Everyone has a unique balance of tone and air in regard to the sound of their own voice. Learning to manipulate or control that ratio is very beneficial when learning to blend with other singers. For example, if one singer tends to have a voice that is really “toney” (think Willie Nelson), learning to take the edge of the sound of their voice by wrapping it with air will really help this kind of singer blend with other singers in the group. If everyone learns to add a little air to their voice, it can lock all the singers together in this lovely ball of sound with great tone at the core and a pad of air around the outside. The way you achieve more air around your tone is by taking in bigger breaths and letting more air escape around your notes by engaging a faster kind of diaphragm support which propels the air out around your tone.
On the flipside of this, if you are singing back ground vocals on a kickin’ Gospel or R & B style song, you’ll want to remove the air from your voice and sing with a strong tone along with the other singers to create a big wall of sound that has power, energy and conveys a certain message. This is achieved by finding your “calling voice” by taking in big singer’s breaths, pulling your diaphragm back towards your backbone with purpose and controlling the amount of air that escapes with your tone to be minimal. Experiment with different degrees of diaphragm support to get a feel for controlling the air that comes out around the tone of your voice. The song will tell you what it needs from you in regard to how much air or tone you’ll need to sing with as a vocal group. There is a magic equation that you will hit when everyone is adding the right ratio helping create the perfect vocal blend.
There is one more thing to be aware of when trying to achieve the right vocal blend and that is volume of each individual singer in the vocal ensemble. Use your ears and listen to the stage monitors or front of house sound system for your own part in the overall mix. If you are not singing the melody, which should be the dominant part, and you are hearing yourself a bit too much, back off the microphone a little until you hear the right amount of yourself in the mix. If you listen and are drowned out by the other singers in the harmony parts, you can work your mic a little closer, or ask them (politely) to back off the mic a little or ask if they mind if the soundperson takes them down in the overall mix a little. This takes finessing and tweaking until everyone is happy with what they are hearing so that they can sing their parts to the best of their abilities contributing to the great overall sound of the vocals.
When singers perform together it may take awhile until you hit that glorious vocal blend we all strive for. Experimenting with mic proximity, personal air to tone ratio, and how your soundperson deals with the blend out front are all contributing variables to finding the perfect blend. Once it clicks, it’s euphoric.
Until Next Time… Breathe and Happy Singing!
Angela
It’s out and it’s fabulous…get my new vocal coaching program here:
www.5pointsingingsystem.com/live/manual
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