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Hey Singers!
I’m Justin Stoney the Founder of New York Vocal Coaching
welcoming you to episode 6 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 we’re studying a singer that you’ve just got to RESPECT.
After all, we are in the presence of royalty.
♪ Promise love, and if it really is ♪
♪ Well, it's there in his kiss ♪
♪ Caviar for breakfast, champagne every night ♪
♪ And a midnight snack for every man that I invite ♪
♪ I said I'm evil ♪
♪ You better not bother with me ♪
♪ Forever, ever ♪
♪ Oh how I, how I, do ♪
Aretha Franklin grew up singing gospel in the great state of Meeeechigan.
And with her insane belt range incredible musicality,
and deep connection to every single word she sang -
Aretha was the very epitome of a Soul, R&B, and Gospel singer.
I’m excited for our team of experts to help us learn from this legendary singer.
First, Arbender Robinson is here to tell us about the importance of text.
♪
Hello Music Lovers, Artists, and Performers.
I am so excited to share this next clip with you.
Aretha Franklin, of course, singing a song that most
of us may already know.
But when it comes to performance, when it comes to performance technique,
we have the text of a song and we know that we need
to allow our audience to receive that text
and we have to know what the words are.
But there is another level.
Once we understand what we wish to do with the text,
we can then elevate our performance to an entirely different plateau.
And this video with Aretha Franklin is a prime example of that.
Taking a song that we know,
taking text that we already know,
but then deciding how we want to use that text.
And how we want our audience to receive the story
that we are delivering with the text
to elevate it to a completely different level.
So, check out this next clip, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
You better think about what you're saying.
You better think about the consequences of your actions.
Oh shut up woman!
♪ You better think (think) Think about what you're trying to do to me ♪
♪ Think (think, think) Let your mind go, let yourself be free ♪
♪ Let's go back, let's go back Let's go way on, way back when ♪
♪ I didn't even know you, You couldn't have been too much more than ten (just a child) ♪
♪ I ain't no psychiatrist, I ain't no doctor with degrees ♪
♪ But, it don't take too much high IQ's To see what you're doing to me ♪
♪ You better think (think) Think about what you're trying to do to me ♪
♪ Yeah, think (think, think) Let your mind go, let yourself be free ♪
♪ Oh, freedom (freedom), freedom (freedom) Oh, freedom, yeah, freedom ♪
Amazing stuff Arbender!
Next, David McCall.
How about Aretha’s “Dynamics”?
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Hi Everyone, David here!
Aretha Franklin.
A dynamic artist, and an artist when it comes to dynamics.
Dynamics are the choices in volume or intensity an artist makes.
An artist like Aretha can use dynamics to add
a layer of meaning to a phrase beyond what even
the melody and lyric can do.
Think of it as the artist's stamp on a song.
The dynamics scale rests between two posts: Forte and Piano.
Forte describes louder sounds.
Piano sounds are softer sounds.
The three primary tools to creating a dynamic vocal performance are
a Crescendo, which is to raise your volume, from piano to forte.
Next is Decrescendo, which is to lower your volume from forte to piano.
And finally a Messa Di Voce, which is to crescendo then decrescendo
all on the same note.
Now stay with me…
All this dynamic talk may have you thinking of choir
and formal wear and long bus trips,
but dynamics are crucial to all vocal performances - well, to all music even.
To put it bluntly: notes either grow, shrink or get boring.
Now let's hear Aretha be anything but boring.
♪ Skylark ♪
♪ Have you anything to say to me? ♪
♪ Won't you tell me where my love can be? ♪
There you had everything!
You had a Forte entrance, a 3 second decrescendo,
and a messa di voce all on the word “you”...
Dynamics are also a tool to surprise your listeners.
Listen for some dynamic surprises in “I Never Loved a Man,”
♪ How could any man, How could any man do you so bad ♪
♪ When baby, you know that I'm the sweetest thing ♪
♪ That you ever had ♪
♪ So kiss me once again ♪
♪ Don't you never, never say that we're through ♪
♪ 'Cause I ain't never Never ♪
Aretha, the Dynamic Queen of Soul, captures the crowd’s attention
over and over again.
Her dynamics keep us guessing and therefore we love to keep listening.
Back to you, Justin.
So cool.
Zac Bradford, what about Aretha’s longevity?
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Aretha Franklin had a career that spanned over five decades.
One key to her vocal longevity was that she
optimized all of the main elements of her vocal technique.
As the old saying goes, "many hands make light work."
If we apply this principle to singing we find that
when many parts of the vocal instrument is working efficiently,
then voice use is likely to be more effortless and sustainable.
So, let's take a look at how Aretha used her
breath, muscular coordination, and resonance.
In regards to breath, Aretha often used "Flow Phonation,"
This is the ideal balance of airflow, air pressure,
and glottal resistance for a given vocal task.
Which minimizes the wear and tear on the vocal folds.
In regards to muscular coordination,
Aretha accessed a wide pitch range in her singing
across her entire career.
Access to higher pitches in particular, meant that
her vocal folds were getting stretched regularly.
And stretching is healthy for muscle tissue,
which includes- you guessed it- the vocal folds.
In regards to resonance, Aretha used resonance to
increase and enhance the power and volume in her voice.
This meant she didn't need to use excessive breath pressure
and "force" to achieve big powerful "money notes."
♪ You make me feel so good inside (good inside) ♪
♪ And I just want to be (want to be) Close to you, you make me feel so alive ♪
♪ If you really really need me Like you said that you do ♪
♪ Oh baby, oh baby ♪
♪ Oh oh I need you Yeah ♪
♪ R-E-S-P-E-C-T ♪
♪ Find out what it means to me ♪
♪ R-E-S-P-E-C-T ♪
♪ Take care, TCB, oh ♪
♪ Oh a little respect yeah ♪
♪ And he ran like a bandit I don't understand it ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah ♪
♪ Jimmy Lee, this one's for me ♪
♪ And I'll always remember History, biology ♪
♪ And that magical oh December ♪
♪ There is no one but you Love me too ♪
♪ And answer my prayer ♪
♪ (And answer my prayer baby) ♪
♪ Oh answer my prayer baby ♪
♪ (Answer my prayer baby) ♪
♪ Answer my prayer ♪
♪ Oh answer it babe ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ This is my prayer ♪
♪ Skylark ♪
♪ I don’t know if you can find All of these things ♪
So by taking a broader view and considering
all of these elements in your vocal practice
I trust that you, too, will enjoy longevity
like the ever-inspiring Aretha Franklin.
Thanks good sir!
Next, Andy King is here to tell us about
Aretha’s knack for making different genres work for her style!
Andy?
♪
Hi everyone, I’m Andy King and I’m going to be talking to you about
Aretha Franklin’s ability to make any style and genre of song her own.
I’m going to show you a few clips of Aretha singing
songs that are all different stylistically.
And yet Aretha, the Queen of Soul,
does each of them justice because she has such a command
of her own voice.
Here she is singing an opera aria, Nessun Dorma, from the 1926 opera Turandot...
♪ Vincerò! ♪
♪ cerò! ♪
And this is her singing a musical theatre song,
I Dreamed A Dream from Les Mis written in the 1980s...
♪ He walked a summer, he walked a summer by my side ♪
♪ He filled my days, he filled my days with endless wonder ♪
♪ He took my childhood in his stride ♪
♪ Ah, but he was gone when autumn came ♪
And finally this is her singing what was originally a hymn,
America The Beautiful, first published in 1910...
♪ America, america ♪
♪ God shed His grace on thee ♪
As you can hear Aretha Franklin is imbuing her utterly iconic voice and styling
onto each of these completely different songs.
Now, you might be asking...
what does the Queen of Soul’s voice have to do with me?
As a voice teacher I encourage my singers
to do two things when learning songs.
First, we want to learn the ins and outs of every style we are singing.
We want to understand the technical and stylistic differences between
singing an opera aria, a musical theatre song, and a hymn.
Second, I also encourage my singers to work their own voice
and style into different songs.
Both of these challenges require skill, musicality, and practice.
To do that we have to not only understand our own instrument,
but also the genre we’re singing.
Challenge yourself today
to learn a song in two different ways-
the stylistically accurate way and also the way that
makes your voice unique and you.
Thanks Andy!
And thanks to our team of experts!
I’m going to share what I’ve learned from Aretha in a moment,
but first here are ways to show a little RESPECT to 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.
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join our worldwide community at VoiceTeacherTraining.com.
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sign up at DailyVocalTips.com.
Now, of course, Aretha Franklin is as good of a belter as we’ve ever seen.
But, the question is WHY?
Or - I should say - HOW?
Well, lots of reasons.
But, if you haven’t noticed already, Aretha Franklin was not just a great belter.
She was skilled in ALL of her vocal registers.
And because of her easy access to the top of the voice,
she was able to blend quite a bit of Head Voice elements into her Upper Belt
- to achieve that iconic Aretha sound.
Like this…
♪ And I just want to be (want to be) ♪
♪ Close to you, you make me feel so alive ♪
♪ You make me feel, You make me feel ♪
♪ You make me feel like a natural woman (woman) ♪
♪ You really really make me feel ♪
Or this…
♪ Whoa ♪
♪ Forever, ever ♪
♪ Ever, oh ♪
♪ Forever, ever ♪
♪ Oh how I, how I Ooo ♪
♪ We’ll be together ♪
Or this...
♪ Oh no no no ♪
♪ I’m losing you Ooo ♪
When singers come to lessons to learn to belt, they’re often surprised.
Because the first thing that we work on is Head Voice!
And also Flageolet.
Why?
Because at the end of the day, the Head Voice and Flageolet
FEED the Belt.
They keep it flexible, they keep it healthy,
they keep it sounding effortless.
Now, people often ask me what it takes to be a really great singer.
But let’s close by asking Aretha…
To Aretha being a singer means:
“... using to the highest degree possible the
gift that God gave me to use.”
Amen Ms. Franklin.
And may I say - “Long live the Queen!”
We’ll see you next time for more Voice Lessons Online.
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