- You've got your favorite singers.
I get it.
I've got my favorite singers too.
We love to listen to them because we love the sound
of their voice.
But did you know that trying to copy your favorite singer's
sound could wreck your own voice?
That sounds serious!
I better explain myself.
- [Announcer] Check one, check two.
- G'day wonderful people.
Welcome back to Voice Essentials,
the channel where everybody sings.
My name is Dr. Dan, and I believe your unique voice
deserves to be heard regardless of what others think.
And the key word in what I just said is unique.
There is no other voice on the planet like yours.
Never has been and never will be.
Even if we found your vocal doppelganger,
we'd still be able to pick out major differences
in your tone, vowel shapes and style.
Not to mention the shapes, size and dimensions
of your vocal anatomy.
Now, some of us are less than satisfied with our uniqueness;
and I get that too.
Not all of us were born drop dead gorgeous,
and even less of us were born with the IQ of a genius.
But to live a life of discontentment is to not live at all.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
But like you, I don't always feel
fearfully and wonderfully made.
In fact, there are days when I feel like I dropped out
of a cookie cutter, bland and boring in every way.
But we can't camp there!
We need to embrace all that we were born to be,
and not what someone else was born to be.
So, when it comes to your voice, I want to encourage you
to stop imitating other singers.
That's a dead-end track.
Let's face it, even if you emulate every aspect
of your favorite singer's voice, you'll still be
a poor reflection of the original.
Instead start developing your own unique voice.
Become the best singer you can possibly be
by workshopping your own sound and your own biology.
"But how?" I hear you ask, well a good place to start
is by copying other singers.
What? Didn't you just say?
Yes, but it's all in what you copy that's important?
Intrigued? Let me tell you more.
- [Announcer] Sound check.
- I just pointed out that we want to avoid copying things
like another singer's tone, and that's true.
But there is much more to this singing thing than tone.
Let's now talk through a range of things you can learn
from listening to your favorite singer
without placing your voice at risk.
Firstly, listen to the way the singer phrases.
My friend, Kim Chandler says,
"The thing that's separates amateurs from professionals
"is phrasing!"
Take note of the way the singer sings through the phrase.
Do their phrases have a long flowing line,
something we call legato, or is their phrasing
much choppier and disconnected?
Do they extend their phrases by holding onto the final vowel
or are their phrases clipped?
Of course, a good singer is going to be allowing
the song to dictate the terms somewhat,
and this raises another good point.
Professional singers will make good choices more often
than not; and the great singers make the right
artistic choice every time.
For example, knowing when to build the dynamic
of a song takes skill.
Next time you're listening to your favorite singer,
pay attention to where they choose to build the song,
and also where they choose to pull it back.
The third lesson is to learn from other singer's mistakes.
Even the best in the world get it wrong occasionally.
Unfortunately, there are those famous singers
who don't employ best practice
when it comes to vocal health and technique.
And occasionally, we read media reports about famous singers
who don't warm-up or cool-down before and after gigs.
These singers are setting a poor example,
not only for themselves but for the rest of us
who admire their voice.
Notice, that none of these things we've discussed
encourage you to emulate another singer.
They simply require you to listen, observe and learn.
Don't become a poor carbon copy!
You're better than that.
Become all that you were designed to be
and embrace your unique sound.
Of course, it is important that I state one small caveat,
and that is, if you are wanting to sing in a tribute band
then you will need to develop a sound and style
that closely emulates the original vocalist.
If this is you, then make sure your voice is technically
up to the task and be careful not to stretch your voice
too far outside it's natural parameters.
Have you got any other thoughts
when it comes to copying other singers?
Leave your comments below so that the whole Voice Essentials
community can read and learn from your ideas.
And be sure to share this video via your social networks
like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so that your friends
can be inspired to realize the full potential
of their unique singing voice also.
I hope to see you all again soon.
I'm Dr Dan, sing well.