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.

Practice the Circle of Fifths

You can use this circle diagram to practice drawing the circle of fifths. The dots around the circle indicate the places as if on a clock where you would draw each key. This is just designed to help you as you try to draw your own circle of fifths so that you don't worry too much about spacing.
If you click on the circle, it will open as its own window or tab. The right click on the circle and click "copy". You can then paste it into a word or paint program to print it out. Or you could click "save as" and save it to your computer and then open it via a word program. Good luck!

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.