David Archuleta: Parachutes and Airplanes

One of my students, Whitnie, sent me a link to this song a while back. I've been a little slow sharing on here but I wanted to post the video and also share what she said about it.

"To me this is an amazing example of energy and really good support especially to be able to just hit "airplanes" and not have to slide into it and it's still strong and not held back really.. and I think his "O" vowel is nice too."

Thanks, Whitnie!

I have a difficult time understanding a lot of what he saying. However, I thnk this is mostly due to the recording {and the screaming fans}. His energy is amazing and makes the song so much more fun than if he just stood there barely breathing out the words. I also love the "o" and "oo" vowels. They are so round and have a nice quality. His support on airplanes is very good and well held out. A fun song made even better by an artists ability to execute it well, manage his breathing and summon up a lot of energy, and use good vowels. Beautiful.

Katharine McPhee: My Destiny

Very nice start.
A bit airy in the first chorus. Anytime she sings "quietly", she goes airy. Unless this is done on purpose, it's an indication she doesn't know how to sing quietly. When she sings loudly, her voice almost goes nasally and makes her sound younger than I think she is.
Trying the "scratchy" technique on the second verse, which I am not really a huge fan of.
Good control of the moving notes. I like the vowel whenever she has an "ee" in the word {e.g. "destiny"}.

Carrie Underwood: I Told You So

All of her vowels are appropriately very country. There is a lot of country twang to this song, which should probably be expected from a Randy Travis song.
There is also a nasally quality to her voice, though I think this is just done stylistically. I love the control she uses for all the moving notes. They are not just arbitrarily moving around, but she is doing everything on purpose.
I would like to hear her transition into head when she sings "I told you so" just because it sounds a little strained, or at least just not to push so much.
All in all, this is a great song and Carrie does a wonderful job executing it.

Christina Perri: Jar of Hearts

Christina has a deeper quality to her voice. This makes the whole song seem lower than it is. It is a very distinctive style.
This song is pretty basic, almost boring because there isn't anything different throughout the whole thing. It has a very limited range and vocally she doesn't do much. She also appears to be straining as she's singing because there are times I can see every vein in her neck poking through. That isn't a very healthy way to sing and I don't recommend it.
{Note: this music video is kind of weird.}

Brooke White: High Hopes and Heartbreak

Her voice quality makes me think of the 60's and 70's. I'm not exactly sure why. It isn't a bad thing, it just means her quality is more unique than so many people today. But I like that she isn't trying to belt everything out of her body. Her voice is more unique and easier on the ears than some other artists of the day.
There isn't a lot going on with the range of the song. It just sits in about the same place, but she executes all the notes very well. There aren't any notes that have less quality than others because they are too high or low. I take this to mean that she is a good artist because she sings songs she knows she can sing well. She also does the moving notes well. I do think the "ah" of the word "high" could be a fuller quality, but I do love her "oo"s at the end.

Kelly Clarkson: Before Your Love

I really appreciate that Kelly is able to sing without the super airy quality of softer tones that so many artists employ. She does have some belting she employs for the choruses, but I don't think she overdoes it, which is refreshing.
She seems to be missing the second half of the diphthong on many of the "ah" vowels {except for the word "shine"}. Her consonants also seem to be missing several times and I probably wouldn't know what she was saying if it were not for the lyrics. But she executes the notes so well and has such obvious control.

Martina McBride: Anyway

Martina always such artistic quality and control to her voice. She knows what she wants to sound like and she knows how to do it. Most importantly, she knows how to do it well. It is very refreshing to listen to an artist who can sing loudly without sounding like she's pushing or straining her voice.
I love her "oo" vowels and the "ey" vowel, which is good since it's in this song a lot. Some of her vowels are very country, but she is very effective at singing country music without using all the twang typically associated with it.
Her breath is wonderful and you know she utilizes her air with great efficiency.

Sarah McLachlan: Angel

This song seems so ethereal, so easy and light. Sarah's voice quality really makes this possible. The airiness she employs throughout the whole song gives it that "on the wind" quality that makes it such a great song. This is a good example of how airy voice quality is applied stylistically to make the song better.
Her consonants are lacking and sometimes not even there. This makes it difficult to understand what she's saying. Her focus is mainly of vowels, leaving consonants in the dust of wishing we had a little more. However, in doing this she does add to the mystic quality of the song.

Katy Perry: Firework

This song is really quite fun. The very beginning sounds a little too much like everyone else. There isn't much unique about her voice until she gets into each chorus. The verses sound like they could be almost anyone. The belting is not exactly a style I like that much. I actually really like hearing her transition into head the few times she does it. Her voice sounds a little forced. I'm also not a huge fan of the "oh" and "oo" vowels, just because I think they could be fuller.

Lea Salonga: "Nothing"

I am in love with this song! It is such a fun song and has so much about it that would make it a fun song to sing. I am also a big fan Lea Salonga. I think she has a beautiful voice.



Her vowels are always so beautiful and so fitting with each character that she "plays" while she sings this song. You can tell as you watch that she is playing each character. She isn't just singing a bunch of words. That makes this performance more powerful.


You cna also tell she has such breath energy and focus.


Unless profanity doesn't bother you, I do recommend muting the video at about 3:00 through 3:04.







Start talking guys. Tell me what you think of this performance. Talk about specific words, vowels or phrases that you feel were good/not so good.

Kiss the Girl by Various Artists

Kiss the Girl

Colbie Caillat:
She has a rather smokey, gravelly quality to her voice. It is a lovely voice and very unique, which is a lot of fun. I love her oo vowels and the clarityas she sings. I don't think I love the word "girl" which is surprising since it is a word that appears so often in this song!



Ashley Tisdale:
A younger sounding voice. Her words seems a bit over-exaterated and the slight "growling" is not something I'm really a fan of. The quality of the vowels could be higher with a bit more depth giving the whole song more color.




Original Disney Version:
The accent of the singer makes this verion naturally higher in the vowel department. I also think there is more animation in his voice and, of course, thanks to all the back-vocals this version is more fun than the others.



Okay, students! Your turn. Tell me what you think in the comments.

Part of Your World by Jodi Benson

This is the original vocalist on The Little Mermaid.  She has a pretty good example of some nice high vowels. All of the vowels that are typically deeper, such as ah, eh, and oh, are pretty well executed. I also like that she acts with her voice. Such a speaking a line or word, having fun with her questions, etc., all help bring the song to life.
Her voice does sound a bit nasally and that is, I believe, a quality that is just a part of her voice. However, because of that quality, other vowels such as ih and ae are more forward without the depth to them. But I do like her example of making even the deeper vowels sit a little higher so they have more color.



Leave comments telling me what you are hearing and noticing on particular words or phrases.

Lou Monte: Bella Notte

Listen to the beautiful vowels of Lou Monte singing Bella Notte. His consonants are so crisp and clear that they make his words sound beautiful and so understandable. Also, his vowels are pure and clean. He isn't fudging or altering his vowels at all, which also adds to the clean sound of the words.

He also has lovely breath control to manage the long phrases, the delicate turns and swoons he manages so effortlessly. He is not just sliding around on every whim with no direction or control. You can tell that he knows how he wants to sound and he makes that happen.

Tongue Twister - Good Blood

Tongue Twister

Works the plosive consonants d & b and the plosive voiced "g".

Good

Blood

Bad

Blood

Note: Tongue twisters should be practiced in their purest form, as in using good, pure vowels. It is good to practice the words slowly until they can be said extremely well and then it is recommended that practice be sped up until the words can be spoken very clearly at a quicker tempo. It is also mandatory that much laughing take place in the practice of tongue twisters. Thank you.

Tongue Twister - Peter Piper

Tongue Twister

Works plosive vowel p, a voiceless ejective t, and the voiceless plosive "k".

Peter

Piper

Picked a

Peck

For added difficulty, add the words

"of Pickled Peppers"

to the end.

Note: Tongue twisters should be practiced in their purest form, as in using good, pure vowels. It is good to practice the words slowly until they can be said extremely well and then it is recommended that practice be sped up until the words can be spoken very clearly at a quicker tempo. It is also mandatory that much laughing take place in the practice of tongue twisters. Thank you.

Tongue Twister - Rubber Baby

Tongue Twister

Works plosive consonants b, d, and p and the voiced plosive g. Throwing in the nasal consonant m also adds a little trick.

Rubber

Baby

Buggy

Bumpers

Note: Tongue twisters should be practiced in their purest form, as in using good, pure vowels. It is good to practice the words slowly until they can be said extremely well and then it is recommended that practice be sped up until the words can be spoken very clearly at a quicker tempo. It is also mandatory that much laughing take place in the practice of tongue twisters. Thank you.

Alicia Keys: "No One"

Alicia Keys singing "No One"

The words "days and nights" at the very beginning are very nice.

I think she does well singing "No one" as one can be a difficult word to sing because of the vowel. I also like the word "around" because the diphthong is performed so well. The second part of the vowel is right at the very end of the word, which is perfect. I also love "world" and "have". The vowels are so beautiful.

However, I don't love the way she sings "you", which is fairly often in this song. The reason I struggle is because it sounds more like she's singing "yoohhh", rather than the pure sound of "oo", which makes "you" so beautiful. You can even see her lips as she sings the word, that they are not forming an "oo" shape. This is one reason forming the right shapes with the lips is so crucial.

Kelly Clarkson: "God Bless America"

Kelly Clarkson singing "God Bless America"

The words "beside" and "guide" sound as though they are only "ah" vowels, which isn't exactly the case. These arel diphthong vowels and require the second vowel to make them really pure.

I love her "oh" vowels, as in "home" and "foam".They are perfectly deep for this purpose and have some good clarity.

I don't love her last note as it sounds strained and forced and doesn't lend itself to very much color.

All in all, a quick example of some good vowels & some not so good vowels.

Jessica Simpson: "God Bless America"

Jessica Simpson singing "God Bless America".

 

I think the very first word is lacking in any color. The vowel is very bland. This unfortunately sets up the rest of the song for a poor performance, speaking strictly in the sense of listening for good vowels. I feel as though volume is trying to make up for lack of color in the vowels. The vowels are too wide and not defined enough to make them each beautiful and clear.

Martina McBride: "God Bless America"

Martina McBride singing "God Bless America".

This is the perfect example of a country singer singing a song that is not country.

"Beside", "guide" the first time she sings them are very country {I wish I could think of another way to describe what I hear}. However, the second time she sings them they are deeper and purer.

"prairies", "foam", "home" and "bless" are always very pure and lovely.

At about 2:30 - 2:40 in this song is a fantastic example of using the diaphragm and breath control in singing with a lot of volume and strength and quieting down. That is a great example of the breath energy principle.