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Hey Singers!
I’m Justin Stoney, the Founder of New York Vocal Coaching
welcoming you to Ep. 18 of Voice Lessons Online.
This is 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 was discovered
at age 13 from
YouTube videos of him singing.
And after that, it was hit after hit after hit.
You’ve probably heard of him before.
Who is Justice Beaver?
....
He's a crime fighting beaver.
Our friend Justin Bieber!
Why’d that have to stop?
Because we’ve got learning to do!
First, from David McCall who is here to tell about
Justin’s Riffs and Runs…
Hi there!
So today we're talking about
one of the most iconic pop stars of our time.
Justin Bieber.
And specifically I'm going to talk about Justin's ability
to riff so well.
Now riffing is when we rapidly move the pitch of our voice.
And we can also change the volume
and sometimes the register as well.
Now it's a great way to add color
and to insert your personality into your singing.
And Justin is one of the best in the game.
Now one of Justin's most notable riffs
He shows off in "What Do You Mean".
He starts with a low note
and then quickly jumps to a higher note
so quickly, so smoothly,
it creates a seamless transition.
Another amazing example of Justin Bieber's riffing skills,
is in the song "Love Yourself".
Listen to how he slides from one note to another
with ease and precision.
Now to help you develop your own riffing skills
here's a fun, simple, low stakes exercise.
Choose a song that you're really familiar with.
I'm going to choose "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".
Personal favorite!
♪ Twinkle twinkle little star ♪
you know it!
Now, add a riff to that last word.
♪ Star ♪
Start speeding it up.
♪ Star ♪
♪ Twinkle twinkle little star ♪
Play with it!
There's nothing to lose, everything to gain.
Remember, be patient with yourself,
and be brave.
Your riffing will start to approach Justin's in no time.
Awesome David!
Next, Zac Bradford, what about Justin’s use
of his Mix in his upper range?
Hi Singers!
I think of a vocal mix as a vocal coordination
that combines elements of different registers.
Primarily that of chest voice, or M1, with elements of head voice, or M2.
These elements can include things like,
breath flow, pressure, and resistance,
vocal fold length, tension, and mass,
as well as compression & decompression,
and resonance strategies.
Justin Bieber is a singer who takes full advantage of
combining these various elements in his singing.
In this example when singing in the higher part of his range
Justin mixes in a way that combines power with flexibility.
Awesome, right?
So let’s break down this mix!
I believe he achieves the power through the bright resonance,
which the human ear perceives as louder.
He also maintains some vertical mass on the vocal folds.
He combines these elements with the stretching of the vocal folds
which is particularly helpful for singing higher pitches
more easily.
This combination of elements, as well as his
skillful use of the microphone
allows him to sing with more ease and flexibility
while maintaining power in his upper range.
Singers, I encourage you to combine these various elements
in ways that feel really good
and help you to express yourself!
Singers, that's all for me today
I look forward to seeing you again real soon.
Great stuff Good Sir!
And Nicolás Hormazábal, what can we learn from
Justin’s changing voice?
The voice change can be difficult for many singers,
but for someone like Justin Bieber,
who achieved fame in his childhood,
it can be even more challenging.
The pressure of critics and fans can make one feel insecure
and resist the change.
However, Justin Bieber is a great example of how to accept
and adapt to the voice change.
As his voice developed, instead of resisting,
he worked hard to improve his technique and make his new voice
work for him.
When Justin Bieber started his singing career at a young age,
his voice had a high-pitched and youthful tone
with a soprano vocal classification.
His upper vocal range was particularly notable.
However, as he approached adulthood,
his voice began to change.
His tone became deeper and richer, and his vocal classification
shifted from soprano to tenor.
As his voice developed, he also gained more control and strength,
which allowed him to approach a variety of musical and genres.
Our voice changes from childhood to adulthood are notable.
Sometimes it can be difficult to accept the change,
but with effort and dedication, you can be a great adult singer,
just as Justin Bieber did by accepting his voice changes.
Very good points!
And Andy King, I love this - what about Justin’s swagger?
Let’s talk about putting some swagger in your singing.
Many singers certainly have it, and Justin Bieber is no different
and is a fantastic example of what I mean by this.
To have swagger means to have confidence,
it refers to how someone handles themselves,
to how they move.
And in this case, how they perform and sing.
Let’s check out two very different performance examples.
I wanted to include both of these because they’re
very different performance settings and yet we still feel the swagger.
We hear it in the falsetto and riffing
We hear it in the quick lyrics.
And we see it in the dancing and the simple blocking through the house.
For me, swagger isn’t the same thing for every single person.
It doesn’t look or sound the same in every person.
What I want to impart you with is NOT that I want you
to be just like Justin Bieber, but that I want you to step into
your own personal power as a vocalist,
performer and human being.
I believe that everyone has their own sense of swagger.
I believe that it’s inside of them AND that it can be developed.
Take some time to watch other performers
and see what makes them tick.
What draws you to them?
What’s interesting?
Then figure out what makes YOU tick.
What gives YOU confidence.
What’s interesting about YOU.
If you’re honoring all you are and stepping into that power
I have no doubt you will also be putting some swagger
into YOUR singing. Thanks Andy.
And thanks to all our experts!
I’m going to share what I’ve learned from Justin in a moment,
but first - here are some resources to help you go and
love yourself on your vocal journey.
To get to know the Voice Lessons Online team or schedule a lesson,
visit VoiceLessonsOnline.com.
To get your copy of Justin Stoney's book
"Sing Like Never Before", visit SingLikeNeverBefore.com
If you'd like a vocal course that you can do from home,
check out the Voice Lessons To The World Vocal Course.
Our 12 part program takes you on a journey
from beginner to master level vocal exercises.
Find it at VoiceLessonsToTheWorld.com.
If you're a voice teacher looking to master your craft,
join our worldwide community at VoiceTeacherTraining.com.
Finally, if you'd like free vocal tips sent to you each day,
sign up at DailyVocalTips.com.
Now, it’s not just because he’s got a great name…
I have always been a huge Justin fan.
I like his songs, I like style, and frankly - I like his technique.
A lot.
It is not to be underestimated!
One of the most important elements of pop music
is the ability to move through textures in the voice.
That means that we go from breathy… to clean… t
to fried or distorted… back to clean… back to breathy.
Often we even do this within one line of singing.
Here’s an example…
Another similar skill is being able to switch registers
quickly and skillfully.
For example, going from Mix to Falsetto and back - like it’s nothing…
But, while I love these skills so much,
these aren’t what I love the most about Justin’s singing.
It’s the SOLID.
When Justin goes from his world-class breathy production
to his clean sounds, it’s a thing of glory…
Or, similarly, when Justin goes from his Falsetto to his
clean/compressed Mix, same thing…
It is just SO efficient.
And voice students often work for years to be able to do this.
I’ll say it another way -
when Justin gets clean and compressed,
does he get louder?
Nope.
Breath doesn’t change.
Does he raise his larynx?
Nope. No change.
Does he do something funky with his resonance strategy?
Again. Nope.
It’s just the cords man.
Just the cords. Going whoa boy!
Just one more…
I might go as far as to say that this skill is the definition
of good vocal technique.
So thank you Justin.
For making all of us Justin’s out there look good.
And for making the world of singing a better place.
We’ll see you next time for more Voice Lessons Online!
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