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Hey Singers - I’m Justin Stoney - the Founder of New York Vocal Coaching
welcoming you to Ep. 8 of Voice Lessons Online.
The show where passionate Voice Teachers from all over the world
help us LEARN from some of the greatest singers of all time.
Today’s singer - you probably haven’t heard of before.
And we like to do that on this show.
Introduce you to obscure and lesser known artists.
Singers with talent that really should get more recognition.
Nah I’m just kidding… It’s Beyoncé!
♪ If I were a boy ♪
♪ I think I could understand ♪
♪ When I need you, you make everything stop ♪
♪ Finally, you put my love on top baby ♪
♪ I grind til I own it, I twirl on my halo♪
♪ Now on, Now on ♪
Beyoncé is among the most gifted vocalists of today and of all-time.
From her earlier days with Destiny’s Child, to Dreamgirls,
to becoming the most awarded singer… ever.
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Beyonce is irreplaceable.
And that’s why I’m excited to learn what makes Sasha just so fierce…
First, Arbender Robinson is here to tell us
about the Joy that emanates from Beyonce’s performing…
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Hello Musicians, artists and music lovers.
I want to talk to you about something and that is finding
the pure joy in the music that you're making, that you're creating,
that you're sharing with your audiences, or the music that you're listening to.
One of the things that I love most about Beyoncé,
outside of the fact that she's going to sound great,
outside of the fact that she's going to put on a great show,
outside of the fact that she's a wonderful music writer.
I love that she is able to share pure joy in the work that she's doing.
Pure joy in the music.
And sometimes as we're studying music,
sometimes as we are working on our craft,
sometimes we forget to share just the pure joy of it.
So I want you to watch this first clip of Beyoncé.
Let's see if you can find moments where she is just sharing pure joy.
Take a look.
♪ Cleaned a lot of plates down in Memphis ♪
♪ Pumped a lot of tane down in New Orleans ♪
♪ But I never saw the good side of the city♪
♪ Until I hitched a ride on a riverboat queen ♪
♪Big wheels keep on turning ♪
♪ Proud Mary keep on burning ♪
♪And we're rolling, rolling, Rolling on the river♪
♪ Oo oo oo oo ♪
♪Alright!♪
Awesome.
So in this clip not only is she paying tribute to celebrating her music,
she's also paying tribute to the wonderful Tina Turner.
I love that she, at least to my ear, is stepping out of her zone
of what she normally sings
and finding her own voice and her own feel
behind what I would call rock music.
That's super exciting.
And now let's take a look at this next clip where you'll see Beyoncé
finding joy in another way in this same song.
Check it out.
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I love you!
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Alright, so now we get to see Beyoncé celebrating her dancing skills
and living inside of some of the iconic moves
that Tina Turner would do.
So I encourage you in your own work,
in your own presentation to really find those moments
where you celebrate the pure joy of making music.
It's that last element that can amplify or lift your performance to that next level.
So we already know we're going to sound great,
we already know we're going to communicate a message,
we already know our technique,
and those things are going to be there.
Now we just find the moments to purely enjoy
and have fun in the work that we're doing.
That is that last element that is going to push it over the top
and I think Beyoncé is a master at making sure that we celebrate
that part of the music process as well.
Alright, thanks bye!
Awesome Arbender!
Next, Andy King.
Tell us about the many colors that we hear in Beyonce’s voice…
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Hi everyone I want to talk with you about the importance of exploring
and the power of using every nook and cranny of your voice.
And we are going to do that through Beyoncé.
To start, we're going to listen to two short clips within one of her most famous songs
“Halo”.
Before we listen though, your challenge is to pick out as many different
vocal and musical choices that she makes.
Here we go…
♪ I found a way to let you in ♪
♪ But I never really had a doubt ♪
♪ Standing in the light of your halo ♪
♪ I've got my angel now ♪
♪ It's like I've been awakened ♪
♪ Every rule I had you break it ♪
♪ It's the risk that I'm takin' ♪
♪ I ain't ever gonna shut you out ♪
♪ Everywhere I'm lookin' now ♪
♪ Won't fade away fade away ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
What did you hear?
This is what I heard:
Register changes, different larynx heights, crescendos, decrescendos, vocal fry,
quiet singing, strength, riffing, vibrato, breathiness, straight tone, yodels-
I could go on and on and on.
And that list was from one song within one performance.
So here's the deal, you know when you're in a lesson
And your teacher asks you to make some bizarre or silly sound?
We've all been there, I know you do.
That performance is why!
All of those funny exercises we do are there to lead us into
building a voice and a performance that’s as colorful and powerful as “Halo”.
Here’s your challenge,
when you are practicing and performing, ask yourself-
“What would Beyoncé do?”
Just kidding…Kinda…
Are you infusing as much organic and purposeful color and depth into
your singing as you can?
If you aren’t, why not?
There’s not reason you can’t do all of the
things we listed before.
And next time you’re singing, I encourage you to try them all.
Excellent!
Now, Kacey Velasquez what about the authenticity that Beyonce sings with?
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Hey singers!
I am so excited to talk about one of the most influential artists
in my life and in the music industry today, Beyoncé.
It's no secret that Beyoncé is one of the most
incredible vocalists of our time with incredible vocal control and technique.
But what really makes Beyoncé stand out from the rest
is the way she always means what she sings.
She feels the music, she tells the story of the songs,
and she always creates powerful connections with her audiences everywhere.
Let's take a look at this next clip and watch Beyoncé in action.
♪ And your heart is broken 'cause I walked away ♪
♪ Show me your scars ♪
♪ And I won't walk away ♪
♪ Oh, and I know I promised ♪
So amazing!
So first we notice that Beyoncé's eyes are closed.
When they're closed we can tell she's really feeling the music,
she's diving deeper into her vocals
And when she opens her eyes she's looking directly at the camera
and the audience in front of her.
By doing this, you feel that she is telling the story right to you.
To elevate the performance even more
she uses hand gestures on specific lyrics.
This helps us believe her and feel like we're a part of the song with her.
Let's take a look at this next clip where we can actually
hear Beyoncé meaning what she's singing.
♪ I know you're prob'ly thinkin' "what's up with B?" ♪
♪ Oh I been crying ♪
♪ Oooh ♪
So amazing, right?
In this performance, Beyoncé is diving deeper into stylistic elements
like dynamics, riffs, distortion.
And she even adds a crying sound on the lyric "crying".
Just so amazing.
So, from Beyoncé we can learn that your performance
can be elevated when you actually mean what sing.
And you can practice this in voice lessons,
practicing diving in deeper to the meaning of your songs
and creating authentic, genuine connections to your audiences.
Alright singers, thank you so much for having me again
and I will see you soon!
So good Kacey.
And David McCall, what about stylistic nuances like straight tone and vibrato?
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Hi! David here.
Beyonce’s vocals are excellent.
She can use her voice to caress as well as attack with clarity and richness.
Part of that comes from her use of vibrato.
Vibrato is a recurring pitch bend away and back to the fundamental pitch.
You hear it as the flutter, the waver, or the warble
depending on how far you bend the pitch away from the fundamental pitch.
Conversely, straight-tone singing is singing the fundamental pitch
without any pitch bend.
The play between the two can help heighten the emotion of a song:
Straight tone can build in intensity and lead to vocal release with vibrato.
♪ And I'm soaked in your love ♪
♪ And love is right in my path, in my grasp ♪
♪ And me and you belong ♪
Great song. Beyonce can turbo charge her vibrato
with chest dominance, compression, and distortion…
♪ But I'll be moving on If you don't, if you won't ♪
♪ Listen to the song here in my heart ♪
♪ A melody I start but I will complete ♪
Or she can relax and warm the vibrato
with decompression and vocal fold release...
♪ Misty watercolor memories ♪
♪ Of the way we were ♪
If you happen to struggle with vibrato, try this exercise:
Take one pitch on AH and bend it once.
AH -ah- AH
Let it feel like someone surprised you.
AH -ah- AH
Add several more surprises now:
AH -ah- AH AH -ah- AH
If that doesn’t work for you, try this:
make the ambulance sound: OO-EE-OO-EE
Now this is important: RELAX.
Let the pitch change more from the change of the vowel
rather than trying to sing those two notes individually.
Let's try again.
OO-EE-OO
Alright, now let's stick to one vowel….
OOO-OOO-OOO
Speed it up.
OOO-OOO-OOO
Alright, be patient with yourself.
Vibrato is just like every other vocal skill.
It takes time and patience to build, as well as listening to
excellent vibrato-using singers, like Beyoncé .
Thanks David! And thanks to all our experts!
I’m going to share what I’ve learned from Beyonce in a moment.
But first - here are some more ways to be crazy in love with your
vocal journey!
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When folks ask me to list artists that I think have great vocal technique -
Beyoncé is an obvious choice.
But, as you and I have talked about so many times throughout the years,
vocal technique is not just about the mechanics of singing.
It’s about how the vocal journey and the inner journey are intertwined.
Let’s not take for granted that
Beyoncé is not only an inspirational musician,
but also an unbelievably courageous person.
She’s been through depression, heartbreaks, disappointments, criticisms.
You name it.
And time and again, she’s turned lemons literally into lemonade.
How did she do it?
Well, one way is through Sasha Fierce.
If you’re not familiar with Sasha Fierce, this is Beyoncé’s INGENIOUS
Alter Ego.
Like, when you're getting ready to go on stage and perform,
Sasha Fierce, when does she show up?
Usually when I hear the crowd, when I put on my stilettos,
umm, when, like the moment right before when you're nervous
and that other thing kind of takes over for you.
Then Sasha Fierce appears, and my posture and the way I speak
and everything is different.
But now, is it like a process that happens too?
Like you were talking about the high heels,
The lashes go on, and the makeup and all that stuff.
Absolutely.
It's kinda of like when I do a movie, becoming the character.
Once you put on the wig, and once you put on the clothes
you walk different.
It's kind of this character that I've created over the years.
Ahuh. And how is Sasha Fierce different from "I Am"?
Well, you know, definitely wearing that body suit
I could never walk out here and do that.
Does Sasha Fierce ever go home?
Um, sometimes.
[Laughter]
Not often.
Only on special occasions.
Yeah, shows up sometimes at the house.
Yes, yeah.
But definitely when I'm nervous, or whenever I have to perform.
Whenever I have to do choreography or something that's difficult.
It's no different from anyone else.
No different from anyone else?
Very interesting.
And very insightful.
You see, we all have fears, doubts, and anxieties
that keep us from becoming the singer that we want to be.
Even Beyoncé.
But we need a strategy to overcome this.
To me, Beyoncé’s Sasha Fierce plan is as good as it gets.
And I challenge us all to do that same thing.
Maybe when I’m feeling shy, I could become “Stoney Swag”.
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But my question for you is what will you become?
What alter ego can help you find your boldest, bravest,
and most daring performer ever?
The mistake we often make is to think that we need to reveal
the deepest parts of ourselves FIRST.
No no no.
Remember that even the greats have a little stage fright.
And sometimes being in character at first is exactly what we need
to actually discover how to be our most authentic self later on.
So, the moral of the story -
if you’re not a Queen…
Be.
And if you don’t feel like a Queen…
Be.
And always remember who taught you that one.
Ms. Fierce.
The Queen…
Bey.
We’ll see you next time for more Voice Lessons Online.
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