- Hi.
I'm Doctor Dan, a contemporary voice specialist.
Welcome to Voice Essentials.
In this video, I've got a new friend with me,
his name is Mark Baxter, and he's a vocal coach
from the states.
But don't hold that against him.
Since he's a baritone and I'm a tenor
we're gonna explore the differences in timbre and range
between these two voice types
and ultimately cover what makes a voice unique
after this.
- [Woman] Sound check.
Check one, check two.
- Actually, I'm the real Doctor Dan,
that crazy imposter is my friend and colleague
Mark Baxter from voicelesson.com.
Mark has a great singing channel here on YouTube
and I really encourage you to check it out
and subscribe at the end of today's video.
I've invited Mark to join me for today's instruction
because I love collaborating with other
high quality singing teachers,
right here on YouTube, and Mark is one of the best.
When Mark and I got together to discuss
today's collaboration, he suggested we showcase
the differences between our two voices.
I immediately jumped at the idea because many of you
have queried me about the challenges of singing
cover songs in their original keys.
And while we won't be specifically discussing
cover songs per se, I think it will be helpful
to highlight why some of you are struggling to sing
those extreme notes at either end of your range.
You see, each of us is born with a predefined
anatomical structure.
I didn't have any choice as to my physical height,
I'm five foot eight and that's all there is to it,
nothing I can do will ever change my physical stature.
And so it is with my voice.
I've been born with a voice that is generally classified
as tenor.
My voice sits so high I'm often mistaken on the phone
as a woman.
Aside from mistaken identity, my high pitched voice
can also sound thin and squeaky if I'm not careful.
I share my vocal weaknesses because
singing higher is what most people today want to do.
People often hear my voice and comment
that they'd love to be able to sing as high as I can.
Funnily enough, I've always desired the opposite,
I'm envious of the richer, fuller notes
that I hear baritones singing.
I think at the of the day, we often want what we don't have
but we generally don't account for the challenges
that accompany our heart's desire.
So today, Mark and I are going to sing through
a range of notes and scales to demonstrate
the differences in our tone and timbre.
Not to highlight each other's weaknesses
but to celebrate our unique vocal qualities.
- [Woman] Sound check.
- Okay, so let's have a listen to four single notes
sung using an 'ah' vowel.
First you'll hear my voice, followed then by Mark's.
And we'll move low to high.
(singing notes)
I'm sure you could hear the difference
between our two voices.
As we continue it's important to remember
that we're not listening for difference
in vocal expertise, but moreover the difference in tone.
Now, let's have a listen to five note scale.
Again, I'll start, then Mark will follow
and the rang we're covering is C three to G four.
(singing scale)
What are you hearing?
Be sure to leave your observations in the comments
section below so we can all benefit from your remarks.
Finally, let's have a listen to the difference
between our two voices when we cause them
to work through the transitions.
We'll start on C three again but this time
we'll move right through to C five
just so we get to hear how our different voice types
negotiate the transitions between the registers.
(singing scales)
The aim of today's video was to celebrate
the biological differences between a tenor and a baritone.
Of course, the same applies when comparing
any two types of voice.
In fact we often hear variances when comparing
two voices of the same voice classification.
Every one of us has an inherit vocal challenge,
and many of them are accounted for by our anatomy.
The take home fact, your voice is unique
and should be celebrated accordingly.
- [Woman] Sound check.
- Now wasn't that interesting.
I hope you left with a new appreciation
of how our anatomy influences both our range
and our timbre.
But ultimately, I hope you're also left
with an appreciation of your special anatomy.
Nobody has your vocal signature.
So to be a unique singer, all you need to do is sing freely.
Now I would like to suggest before I sign off,
that you take a trip over to voicelesson.com
and become a subscriber.
My friend Mark Baxter is a terribly insecure chap
and he really relies on his numbers growing
in order to feel good about himself.
So sad.
And I hope it will stop him from doing
incredibly horrible Aussie accents.
Now as I always say, I'm Doctor Dan
from Voice Essentials, sing well.