Not gonna lie I needed to hear this. As I heard a wise and widely respected producer once say... A guitarist wants the guitars turned UP in a mix. The bass player wants the bass turned UP in a mix. Same with the drummer, the keyboard guy and so on. But a vocalists... they always want their voice level turned DOWN in the mix. Singing is one of the most vulnerable methods of artistic expression EVER. Saying it takes courage to sing and convey emotion is spot on. And this video helped inspire me to seek freedom and expression instead of pitch-perfection. Thanks Chris. I seriously did need to hear this.
Chris, I've been following you for a year and I must say that following your free stuff alone has expanded my range and helped me develop the beginnings of my mixed voice and singing freely. When I have enough money I plan on taking your paid course in the coming months.
Not focusing on the note/pitch is spot on! I had to delete my tuner app on my phone. I found that, instead of just singing a song i liked, I’d use it to map out all the “high” notes and parts that I thought would be hard. Every time I’d get myself psyched out and tense up trying to hit them. This video is one of your best!
Found you a year ago and binged for weeks. My voice is now so different than when I started- more powerful, I found my mixed voice, increased my range…the list goes on. Now I’m working on more confidence in my own creativity 💖
3:27 As a composer, I totally agree with this. Melodies usually have this intrinsec emotional escence on them, from the emotional context from they where born. I believe it's our mission as singers to look for a way to interpet that emotion first, evoking and visualizing our own "emotional catalizer" to unleash the nature of that melody, and let the pitch flow naturally trough the intrinsec emotional escence of the melody. Thanks for this amazing video Chris, as always very inspirational, best wishes from Chile!
I can't hide my feelings in my voice, when I try it it just sounds awful. So if I'm not in the mood for a certain topic, then I can't sing about it. Or if something comes very close to me, then you can hear the notes slipping away in the song too! 😅 Nevertheless, I am very passionate about this hobby, but it would certainly stand in the way of a singing career! Therefore, I have great respect for the professionals and their flawless talent! Thanks for this insightful video! Lovely greetings!✌️
I have the same problem especially with new songs or singing songs about Mom in front of Mom or Aunt's. Repetition definitely helps me with this, sometimes more than others. Repetition of practicing the song and trying to improve over and over
Jeff Buckley had something to say about that, how the voice was the only part of the band one can’t fake. If you’re not into it that night, there’s no hiding it. You’re in good company.
Needed this one. Just started as a front man for a 3 piece metal band. Ive beating myself up about pitches figuring this song out. I now know what i want my goal to be. Thanks chris
So true Chris. It seems like the first time I try singing a song, it sounds expressive. The more I do it, the more I try to perfect it, the more bland it becomes.
I have been worrying about pitch less and less when performing and recording, because I was so insecure that i would be off key or mess up. I let it go and accepted that as long as I am in the general range and deliver it from my soul, it will be good. And it has been! Dance the night away by van halen apparently dave is off by 30 cents in pitch almost the whole song? Lol. Would never have guessed! Outshined by our beloved soundgarden; I notice some parts where chris is isn't really "off", but it's a different pitch than what would normally be expected. Thanks to you for the encouragement and videos once again!
Along these lines, bit tangential - AIC’s known for their harmonies right and really spine tingly rich vocal ocean of sound. Was illuminating for me when I heard some acapellas especially, the vocals are NOT pitch NAILED, DEF not pitch corrected or auto tuned. Typically Layne was the bright knife edge, creative and emotional and full of IMPERFECT character. Part of why i think we feel vulnerability from his singing. Then Jerry was a warmer chestier bottom, usually more steady pitch, but no judgement, less emotional unique quirky-burst of expression. ALL TOGETHER THO? The combination is hugely warm and phasy-wonderful in a brilliant “film vs digital” way (anecdotally and metaphorically). I’ve recreated similar effects as an imperfect beginner voice haha, and I just kept over dubbing till it became STRANGE and INTERESTING rather than ironing out all imperfections. I THEN tried pitch correcting all the errors. And honestly. Sounded like shit. For other reasons than that, hahaha. But primarily, it removed the warm union of imperfection into a chorus of exponential uninqueness. The “fixed” version was flat, boring, 2 dimensional, forgettable.
Wow. I have watched in the past a few 'other' voice coaches concentrate on exact pitch and then critiquing singers for going off pitch....but, I didn't think they were off pitch...they were being more expressive with their voice. Blows my mind for you to talk about this here. You are so right and so very good at this. THANK YOU! (edit for grammar only)
Been learning how to sing as a lead singer for 4 months. All the points of a bad singer is me now lol . Focusing on technique, worried about pitch etc etc. Your videos have been so good and I feel that I'm improving.
Finally someone with the best advice I have ever heard. It's no wonder why we sing at our best in the shower or the car. We are singing emotionally and for the enjoyment of the words and message. We aren't worried about being criitized or judged. We are willing to experiment with the sounds our voices make. We are almost like a baby making sounds and finding it fascinating how it sounds. You have also made me realise that sometimes when my throat gets sore, I have always put it down to bad technique. But, now I know sometimes it actually is listening to the words and getting emotionally involved in the story of the writer. Hence, I'm on the verge of crying with not only sadness but also happiness.
I only found this channel a week ago and it has already helped me tremendously with a really tough vocal arrangement\performance I've been having trouble with for months. Now every time I go to record vocals, I watch a few of Chris's videos beforehand, which loosens me up and gets me focused.
Just what bruce lee would say about fighting...no techniques,no thinking, ....just feeeel & express without any resistance. The leg would kick by itself, arm would defend the punch by itself. But if you actively think about doing all that , you'd get hit. Cheers man for putting this out !! I'd admit i used to sing better before i was brainwashed by these vocal coaches...but with a goal to sing C5s ,i practiced what they said.& after 2yrs of practicing ,i became a person who'd constantly & consciously think about pitch, tone, tempo , resonance,vibrato & all that while singing!! They made me tone deaf .Bruce lee would kick me in the nuts. Only a Month ago i started to sing my heart out & now it sounds perfect to me. High notes no problem. Distortion no problem. Again thanks for putting this video out man ! Cheers !
Love this video, Chris!😍 Now I know why your channel came so highly recommended. As a 65 yr old, this all makes sense to me. Yes, the best I can do at this stage of my vocal life is have that musical conversation. 😉
i swear to god this video came to me when i needed it most. thank you for validating and putting into words the feelings i’ve had about singing. i couldn’t agree more with all that you’ve said !
I am study to sing and study to English too. Your lessons and discourses so great for it! You do the best speacking and very useful things. Thank you a lot, Chris!
I am a completely terrible singer then. I identify with every one. I've never thought about that 3 C's. But you are right! I will focus to improve on those areas. Thanks
The first tip definitely helped! I noticed that my singing was elevated and more enunciated when I focused more on I guess how the singing feels in a conversational way
Due to Covidus-interuptus, had to stop voice lessons I'd just started. Without external feedback, figured it was no use working on how it sounded, so I've worked only on how singing feels. As in; 'Is this easy and comfortable to do?' and 'Do I/can I like or care about this song?". So. Much. Better. Can't imagine any other approach. Fits your 3 C's perfectly. Thank you so much for the video.
This is really encouraging...I've just been diagnosed with ADHD at 31 and I've struggled immensely with implenting structure my entire life. Even the smallest of habits and commitments trigger huge overwhelm. BUT there are some days when I practice singing for 2 hours, not because I've told myself I have to though - my curiosity has naturally led me from one breadcrumb to another and I've not been able to leave a song alone because I've *wanted* to try singing it 20 different ways. Stoking my interest first by playing, mimicking and following my genuine curiosity on the day naturally unfolds into practice, as opposed to my approach all these years, which has been to force myself to start with uninteresting, regimented, overwhelming vocal exercises. Technique naturally gets woven in along the way, but being playful is by far an easier and more enjoyable way into practice for me, and this feels very aligned with what you're talking about here.
Definitely agree with the courage. The metal scene in Alaska is swarmed with fry screamers, no pitch fry screaming at that. Everyone has been comfortable with that, but the audience reacts so much better when you are outside the ‘norm’
6:54 100% agree. Vocal teachers try to be so technical, but they forget that every voice is different and you should experiment with what your voice does.
I hesitated to click on this video because it wasn't about a technical subject but damn, clicking on it was seriously one of the best decisions I've made. I find myself getting so technical with everything and forgetting what singing and art is all about. Expression and creativity I'm always too afraid to create whether it's about my guitar playing or singing because I don't think I have enough technical ability to create but I know I'm wrong and you reminded me that. Thank you Chris :)
Worrying about every pitch, even in more speech-like singing, was really killing me before I enrolled in your course. One of the huge breakthroughs I've had was learning to live in that place between conversation and hyperfixated singing. This also made singing feel a lot more natural, which leads into the confidence thing. Awesome advice, as always. Keep up the great work, Chris. 👍
I've never had a vocal coach. I have played guitar for 10 years. I found in singing in my truck, that I was able to stretch my range over the course of a couple years by trying to stay in key, not pitch. If you're in the right scale, it doesn't entirely matter how far off your pitch is. Similar to playing chords on a guitar: if a chord shape is correct, it is correct all the way up the neck, even if one of the notes in the chord is technically out of key at one point. So if you can sing in with a song and your phrasing and inflection is in harmony, then it's okay if you're not perfectly an octave up or down. That's just how I looked at it, and I've found my way to being a capable singer.
This way of looking at it resonates with me so much. Being overly methodic, persisting over a certain note I can't reach comfortably, excercising just for the sake of it, this rigid approach was draining my will to sing. Others might like it, for sure. I found that for singing, just like when I learned guitar, I prefer to experiment in a controlled manner/environment, let's define it that way.
The issue of pitch is certainly secondary to expression or delivery and this perhaps is one of the reasons why the overuse or indiscriminate use of auto-tune is problematic especially when used on a singer that has a lot of soul, personality and individuality. I mean this so called expressive delivery via imperfect pitches that is conversational singing delivery is just ruined by the auto-tune correcting the notes to make them all generically precise (meaning every singer using auto-tune becoming and sounding the same in their delivery of notes hence taking away individuality, personality and idiosyncracies of each singer). Different singers would be unique in how they execute the so called conversational notes but auto-tune would simply make all those singers sounding exactly the same hence making them more on the generic side rather than making the singer with awesome personality shine in the song. Singers like Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant etc. not only use the art of conversational singing with tonnes of emotions but also the hallmark of being conversational (especially in rock) is tonnes of ATTITUDE (often with swag).......ironically while auto-tune will fix flat notes auto-tune will flatten the emotions and the attitude of these type of singers. You see some singers such as the ones I already mentioned above get away with imperfect notes while others will sound off and unpleasant because those iconic singers compensate their "pitch flaws" with emotional conviction, personality and don't forget very often they do so with INTENT (they wanted to sound that way)....and that has made all the difference. Ya see....quite often imperfection when it is done with intent is a skill rather than a flaw! Some do it better than others.....a lot better! Hence this is why auto-tune is unfair as it strengthens the mediocre singer (by fixing his/her pitches) but weakens the awesome singer (by flattening his/her emotions, attitude etc). 🤣 🤣 🤣
Damn this hit me right at my core! I'm guilty of all those things you said a bad singer do. This is the first time I'm hearing anybody say about singing. Thanks a lot man!!! This is indeed an eye opening for me.
This was the perfect thing for me to see and hear today. I've been struggling lately with focusing too much on pitch and getting into a negative head space when I feel that it's not completely right. Also have to confess that I haven't been warming up as much as I should, so time to go back to the nursery rhymes, which, by the way, is awesome . I've knocked out a few great Old King Coles. Time to get back to having fun and let the magic happen naturally. My singing has definitely improved and am so much less fearful of how I sound. Thanks so much!
I discovered your channel just 2 days ago from your Ado reactions and you've been very eye-opening! The advices you give are priceless and the fact that they can be applied to various aspects of life has been very helpful to me. If I have the courage and enough money in the future, I would definitely sign up for your vocal course. But for now, not yet since I'm only a 17 year old student still living with my parents haha
For the past 2 months I've found myself naturally grinding a lot of Soundgarden (for the first time), Jeff Buckley and Matt Corby with no investment in imitation or success and just releasing my voice - not realizing I was on a mission to internalize the 3 Cs... and here you are :D
This is so spot on. I love this video! A lot of this I have learned on my own (being unafraid of making mistakes, etc), but the way you explain it will really make new singers' path to becoming good easier (and it's also helping me keep up with the motivation). You're a great professional, my dude. Thumbs up for you.
@@chrisliepe It helps because it's something important to remember! I've been singing all my life, but alone and experimenting, and I've only started taking singing lessons, and the pressure to be technically ideal makes things stiff and easily create distance from this original place of creation and expression, that's much more global. I noticed this so strongly from more academically trained singers too, and it saddens me. It seems like the greatest beauty is in this experimental dialogue between what's within you and the music, and one can also learn to be their own judge and guide and uncover lots of possibilities from curiosity and attention alone 💚
Like many perhaps, I’m always my worsts critic but at the same I’m realistic. Personally, I considerable myself as a bad singer and for years I’ve tried improving but simply can’t. However, I’m stubborn and don’t care what others think of my singing, I simply do it bc it makes me happy so at least I got that going for. After watching this video, I just want to say thank you Chris, you opened my eyes into a new perspective on how I can improve with my singing journey, keep on rockin 🎸
When I can't hit the notes I will sing an octave under what they do. I know in time that my voice will warm up and let me hit those. It's definitely difficult to stretch your voice a bit without ruining it!
Marilyn Manson may not have the most beautiful voice but he knows how to be creative with his voice. You put a lot of great information in this video. Thanks for the video :)
I’ve been struggling for years to find my sound as a vocalist… and you are sincerely an inspiration for helping me be true to myself. Thank you so much!
I agree with the pitch thing. As a guitarist, it's amazing how good you can still get the guitar to sound when it is a surprisingly long way out of tune, so, If pitch isn't that important, why is there so much pitch correction and auto tuning used on vocals nowadays?
I hardly comment on any videos, but this sounds so genuine that it looks like it comes from god, it reminds me that I am mimicking and. I need to be myself.
It’s funny because for years everyone would ask me how I became such a good singer and who I got voice lessons from but never had one lesson. I wasn’t singing for a few years then started singing in different projects & decided to get into lessons and techniques and it took me backwards not forward. I’m still not back to where I was and am still trying to unlearn the bad habits so called experts gave me. When I just sang through my emotion and creativity I was always on. I think the key is to not over think things. But from the vids I’ve watched of yours I think I’d actually benefit from what you teach. Thanks!
I've made all those mistake and never become a singer. Besides, I lack creativity in general. What you said here is 100% true. This is what every aspiring singer needs to focus on before it's too late.
To me everything you just said makes total sense. And is the truth..You have opened my eyes and made me view my singing journey more clearly.Thank you for this video Chris, 🙏
Chris that was fantastic....I really appreciate you...First off I want to say what great deeper insight this is as to me its literally healing cause it is another pathway to look at the art of singing....a better way i think....I could never find anyone talking about these conversational styles...probably cause I did not know the term but in the last 5 years noticed mick jagger I was like its really hard to do I found out as I tried to sing some of the stones stuff and realized its his talking voice with almost singing added in then a bit of singing thrown in there here and there.....I always down played him cause he was'nt my favorite Steve Perry...Never have I found anyone on Ytube to give this deep lesson you gave.....ty
Ahh pitch, consider that both Ronnio Dio and Floor often go purposely of pitch to express something. Now they have the chops to be on pitch 100% of the time, but they choose to go above or below pitch in order to express themselves ... And boy, it sure work (they are both beyond incredible) Satch said something along the lines of worrying about doing too many exercises. He said that when composing he could default to making compositions that sound like guitar excercises, so he has to strike a balance. Take risks... Blackmore has often complained about virtuosos that all notes sound perfect, which means they are not taking risks and hence they are not pushing themselves to explore. Awesome stuff, Chris Liepe nails it again. This is what popped into my head as I saw the vid, hopefully it'll be useful to others :)
this video is so inspiring. your passion is contagious. I've been on my musical/ creative journey for almost 25 years now and you have helped me find a few more peices to the puzzle that are unlocking a new world of self expression for me. A million thank yous for sharing your creative wisdom and technical knowledge so freely and with such passion and vigor. you are a gem
I agree with everything you said... It motivates me and, in some way, liberates me to be creative and have fun with my voice instead of being very serious and rigorous. Thank you!
Best advice I’ve ever heard. Thanks Chris! I’ve discovered my true voice thanks to your videos and I don’t let people’s well-meant advice change my course. I recently had a succesful performance at a local festival. It was my first live performance in over 20 years and it felt great. Thank you so much for your perspective
it's very curious because everything bad singers do. I did it before, but thanks to chris I was able to learn what it really means to sing and broadcast and be creative. I think thanking you is an understatement for everything you've done for me. Thank you very much mate. greetings from Argentina :-)
This is really helpful, thank you so much. It gives me hope in continuing to develop my voice. I pretty much fit all three things you said - I guess because I am too stubborn and just want to sing and don't want to wait until I am perfect to perform. I just want to have fun, which is why I do so few exercises too. Thanks again!
Listening to you speak about music makes me emotional ngl ... You are truly a gem! :') ... And I'm glad you're finally adopting strategies to increase the views on the awesome content of yours, such as subscript of this videos's title lol ...
Pitch is still the most important though. We have decades of recordings of good singers singing on pitch! You might not think so because you take it for granted, or can't hear it. If you listen to Mick Jagger, he's on pitch at the very least on the end of each phrase, as a resolution. At the onset he'll be bending or sliding, maybe in the middle, but he always ends on pitch. When I sing, I slide and bend too, but always resolve on pitch. If I notice myself being off pitch while practicing, I hold the note until I get it right. It's not uncreative or restricting to sing on pitch, it's a baseline. And it feels so good to get it right, especially when you're playing an acoustic guitar, and your voice and the strings resonate together.
Wow, all points here are really great. The last point especially meant the most to me, I've been working mentally on not letting criticism or judgements get to me. It is indeed difficult to get to that point. Also, I always need to work up my courage a bit before I post any performance.
yes, that's absolutly true. I recently did a record of a song where I focussed a lot on pitch. I recorded this song earlier and the early version was clearly better then the current because of the emotional aspect. My mistake was, that I didn't feel this song at all on this day, so my record sounded souless. When you don't feel a song then it's abad idea to record it.
This video was so much needed!! I also made my singing great in this Lockdown period, but i just got into some unnecessary exercises which were not for my style and i ruined my voice, now im slowly getting my old voice back and your video motivated me and taught me even more, thank you so much chris❤️
Honestly your tips through RUclips have done so much to help guide me and improve my voice thank you! A lot of time just the reassurance on things I was doing and avoiding is nice cause it's hard to not guess and go should I do that or not? Especially what you said about the high notes
Great stuff. I am doing this all time, with every facet of creation, writing arranging producing ,singing, recording mixing. I have stopped listening to what others say is right and the way you should approach things. I do what i sounds good to me. If it sounds good it is good. Ill still listen to good ideas and implement them the way that i feel. Great content as always😎
What I've noticed is that different sounds are connected to different emotions. For example, in order to scream, you need to feel angry, in order to sing in falsetto, you need to feel sad etc.
So glad I stumbled on this video today. I'm tracking vocals for an original song (and it's actually a great song) and my first takes are unsatisfactory. Now I know why!
Exactly. Music is an art, not a sport or a science
Not gonna lie I needed to hear this. As I heard a wise and widely respected producer once say... A guitarist wants the guitars turned UP in a mix. The bass player wants the bass turned UP in a mix. Same with the drummer, the keyboard guy and so on. But a vocalists... they always want their voice level turned DOWN in the mix. Singing is one of the most vulnerable methods of artistic expression EVER. Saying it takes courage to sing and convey emotion is spot on. And this video helped inspire me to seek freedom and expression instead of pitch-perfection. Thanks Chris. I seriously did need to hear this.
Chris, I've been following you for a year and I must say that following your free stuff alone has expanded my range and helped me develop the beginnings of my mixed voice and singing freely.
When I have enough money I plan on taking your paid course in the coming months.
Highly worth it man
Not focusing on the note/pitch is spot on! I had to delete my tuner app on my phone. I found that, instead of just singing a song i liked, I’d use it to map out all the “high” notes and parts that I thought would be hard. Every time I’d get myself psyched out and tense up trying to hit them. This video is one of your best!
the courage one was so fucking important for me to hear cause i’ve been struggling with that so much
Found you a year ago and binged for weeks. My voice is now so different than when I started- more powerful, I found my mixed voice, increased my range…the list goes on. Now I’m working on more confidence in my own creativity 💖
feeling+creativity = good music ever
3:27 As a composer, I totally agree with this. Melodies usually have this intrinsec emotional escence on them, from the emotional context from they where born. I believe it's our mission as singers to look for a way to interpet that emotion first, evoking and visualizing our own "emotional catalizer" to unleash the nature of that melody, and let the pitch flow naturally trough the intrinsec emotional escence of the melody. Thanks for this amazing video Chris, as always very inspirational, best wishes from Chile!
That is true
I can't hide my feelings in my voice, when I try it it just sounds awful. So if I'm not in the mood for a certain topic, then I can't sing about it. Or if something comes very close to me, then you can hear the notes slipping away in the song too! 😅 Nevertheless, I am very passionate about this hobby, but it would certainly stand in the way of a singing career! Therefore, I have great respect for the professionals and their flawless talent! Thanks for this insightful video! Lovely greetings!✌️
That sounds mire like a blessing if anything! I'm the same; if i can't relate, then I'm not "there".
@@JeffIndigo 😍🙏💋
I have the same problem especially with new songs or singing songs about Mom in front of Mom or Aunt's. Repetition definitely helps me with this, sometimes more than others. Repetition of practicing the song and trying to improve over and over
y is that a bad thing? this dude dont know shit
Jeff Buckley had something to say about that, how the voice was the only part of the band one can’t fake. If you’re not into it that night, there’s no hiding it. You’re in good company.
Needed this one. Just started as a front man for a 3 piece metal band. Ive beating myself up about pitches figuring this song out. I now know what i want my goal to be. Thanks chris
So true Chris. It seems like the first time I try singing a song, it sounds expressive. The more I do it, the more I try to perfect it, the more bland it becomes.
Now that you say I actually think this is true.
I have been worrying about pitch less and less when performing and recording, because I was so insecure that i would be off key or mess up. I let it go and accepted that as long as I am in the general range and deliver it from my soul, it will be good. And it has been! Dance the night away by van halen apparently dave is off by 30 cents in pitch almost the whole song? Lol. Would never have guessed!
Outshined by our beloved soundgarden; I notice some parts where chris is isn't really "off", but it's a different pitch than what would normally be expected.
Thanks to you for the encouragement and videos once again!
You're so welcome!
The band also tuned slightly flat.
Along these lines, bit tangential - AIC’s known for their harmonies right and really spine tingly rich vocal ocean of sound. Was illuminating for me when I heard some acapellas especially, the vocals are NOT pitch NAILED, DEF not pitch corrected or auto tuned. Typically Layne was the bright knife edge, creative and emotional and full of IMPERFECT character. Part of why i think we feel vulnerability from his singing. Then Jerry was a warmer chestier bottom, usually more steady pitch, but no judgement, less emotional unique quirky-burst of expression.
ALL TOGETHER THO? The combination is hugely warm and phasy-wonderful in a brilliant “film vs digital” way (anecdotally and metaphorically).
I’ve recreated similar effects as an imperfect beginner voice haha, and I just kept over dubbing till it became STRANGE and INTERESTING rather than ironing out all imperfections.
I THEN tried pitch correcting all the errors. And honestly. Sounded like shit. For other reasons than that, hahaha. But primarily, it removed the warm union of imperfection into a chorus of exponential uninqueness.
The “fixed” version was flat, boring, 2 dimensional, forgettable.
Wow. I have watched in the past a few 'other' voice coaches concentrate on exact pitch and then critiquing singers for going off pitch....but, I didn't think they were off pitch...they were being more expressive with their voice. Blows my mind for you to talk about this here. You are so right and so very good at this. THANK YOU! (edit for grammar only)
Been learning how to sing as a lead singer for 4 months. All the points of a bad singer is me now lol . Focusing on technique, worried about pitch etc etc. Your videos have been so good and I feel that I'm improving.
Finally someone with the best advice I have ever heard. It's no wonder why we sing at our best in the shower or the car. We are singing emotionally and for the enjoyment of the words and message. We aren't worried about being criitized or judged. We are willing to experiment with the sounds our voices make. We are almost like a baby making sounds and finding it fascinating how it sounds. You have also made me realise that sometimes when my throat gets sore, I have always put it down to bad technique. But, now I know sometimes it actually is listening to the words and getting emotionally involved in the story of the writer. Hence, I'm on the verge of crying with not only sadness but also happiness.
I only found this channel a week ago and it has already helped me tremendously with a really tough vocal arrangement\performance I've been having trouble with for months. Now every time I go to record vocals, I watch a few of Chris's videos beforehand, which loosens me up and gets me focused.
Just what bruce lee would say about fighting...no techniques,no thinking, ....just feeeel & express without any resistance.
The leg would kick by itself, arm would defend the punch by itself. But if you actively think about doing all that , you'd get hit.
Cheers man for putting this out !!
I'd admit i used to sing better before i was brainwashed by these vocal coaches...but with a goal to sing C5s ,i practiced what they said.& after 2yrs of practicing ,i became a person who'd constantly & consciously think about pitch, tone, tempo , resonance,vibrato & all that while singing!! They made me tone deaf .Bruce lee would kick me in the nuts.
Only a Month ago i started to sing my heart out & now it sounds perfect to me. High notes no problem. Distortion no problem.
Again thanks for putting this video out man ! Cheers !
I never knew Bruce Lee said such words of wisdom. Do u think that can translate over to fighting games?
Love this video, Chris!😍 Now I know why your channel came so highly recommended. As a 65 yr old, this all makes sense to me. Yes, the best I can do at this stage of my vocal life is have that musical conversation. 😉
i swear to god this video came to me when i needed it most. thank you for validating and putting into words the feelings i’ve had about singing. i couldn’t agree more with all that you’ve said !
I am study to sing and study to English too. Your lessons and discourses so great for it! You do the best speacking and very useful things. Thank you a lot, Chris!
These can also apply to lead guitar as well
Any form of art actually.
I needed to hear that. Thanks.
I am a completely terrible singer then. I identify with every one. I've never thought about that 3 C's. But you are right! I will focus to improve on those areas. Thanks
You're the best. You deep understand what a singer feels.
The first tip definitely helped! I noticed that my singing was elevated and more enunciated when I focused more on I guess how the singing feels in a conversational way
Bro this video is actually invaluable. I just recorded a song today and the conversation aspect was not there, so thanks for this.
Due to Covidus-interuptus, had to stop voice lessons I'd just started. Without external feedback, figured it was no use working on how it sounded, so I've worked only on how singing feels. As in; 'Is this easy and comfortable to do?' and 'Do I/can I like or care about this song?". So. Much. Better. Can't imagine any other approach. Fits your 3 C's perfectly. Thank you so much for the video.
This is really encouraging...I've just been diagnosed with ADHD at 31 and I've struggled immensely with implenting structure my entire life. Even the smallest of habits and commitments trigger huge overwhelm. BUT there are some days when I practice singing for 2 hours, not because I've told myself I have to though - my curiosity has naturally led me from one breadcrumb to another and I've not been able to leave a song alone because I've *wanted* to try singing it 20 different ways. Stoking my interest first by playing, mimicking and following my genuine curiosity on the day naturally unfolds into practice, as opposed to my approach all these years, which has been to force myself to start with uninteresting, regimented, overwhelming vocal exercises. Technique naturally gets woven in along the way, but being playful is by far an easier and more enjoyable way into practice for me, and this feels very aligned with what you're talking about here.
Definitely agree with the courage. The metal scene in Alaska is swarmed with fry screamers, no pitch fry screaming at that. Everyone has been comfortable with that, but the audience reacts so much better when you are outside the ‘norm’
6:54 100% agree. Vocal teachers try to be so technical, but they forget that every voice is different and you should experiment with what your voice does.
Man I’m not even a singer yet I find so much value in your videos as a musician. You rock Chris!!!
I hesitated to click on this video because it wasn't about a technical subject but damn, clicking on it was seriously one of the best decisions I've made. I find myself getting so technical with everything and forgetting what singing and art is all about. Expression and creativity
I'm always too afraid to create whether it's about my guitar playing or singing because I don't think I have enough technical ability to create but I know I'm wrong and you reminded me that. Thank you Chris :)
Glad you resonated with it and that you clicked!
Worrying about every pitch, even in more speech-like singing, was really killing me before I enrolled in your course. One of the huge breakthroughs I've had was learning to live in that place between conversation and hyperfixated singing. This also made singing feel a lot more natural, which leads into the confidence thing. Awesome advice, as always. Keep up the great work, Chris. 👍
When he said creative I instantly thought of Spencer from periphery and then he said that. That's awesome.
I've never had a vocal coach. I have played guitar for 10 years.
I found in singing in my truck, that I was able to stretch my range over the course of a couple years by trying to stay in key, not pitch. If you're in the right scale, it doesn't entirely matter how far off your pitch is. Similar to playing chords on a guitar: if a chord shape is correct, it is correct all the way up the neck, even if one of the notes in the chord is technically out of key at one point. So if you can sing in with a song and your phrasing and inflection is in harmony, then it's okay if you're not perfectly an octave up or down. That's just how I looked at it, and I've found my way to being a capable singer.
This way of looking at it resonates with me so much. Being overly methodic, persisting over a certain note I can't reach comfortably, excercising just for the sake of it, this rigid approach was draining my will to sing. Others might like it, for sure.
I found that for singing, just like when I learned guitar, I prefer to experiment in a controlled manner/environment, let's define it that way.
The issue of pitch is certainly secondary to expression or delivery and this perhaps is one of the reasons why the overuse or indiscriminate use of auto-tune is problematic especially when used on a singer that has a lot of soul, personality and individuality. I mean this so called expressive delivery via imperfect pitches that is conversational singing delivery is just ruined by the auto-tune correcting the notes to make them all generically precise (meaning every singer using auto-tune becoming and sounding the same in their delivery of notes hence taking away individuality, personality and idiosyncracies of each singer). Different singers would be unique in how they execute the so called conversational notes but auto-tune would simply make all those singers sounding exactly the same hence making them more on the generic side rather than making the singer with awesome personality shine in the song. Singers like Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant etc. not only use the art of conversational singing with tonnes of emotions but also the hallmark of being conversational (especially in rock) is tonnes of ATTITUDE (often with swag).......ironically while auto-tune will fix flat notes auto-tune will flatten the emotions and the attitude of these type of singers. You see some singers such as the ones I already mentioned above get away with imperfect notes while others will sound off and unpleasant because those iconic singers compensate their "pitch flaws" with emotional conviction, personality and don't forget very often they do so with INTENT (they wanted to sound that way)....and that has made all the difference. Ya see....quite often imperfection when it is done with intent is a skill rather than a flaw! Some do it better than others.....a lot better! Hence this is why auto-tune is unfair as it strengthens the mediocre singer (by fixing his/her pitches) but weakens the awesome singer (by flattening his/her emotions, attitude etc). 🤣 🤣 🤣
Damn this hit me right at my core! I'm guilty of all those things you said a bad singer do. This is the first time I'm hearing anybody say about singing. Thanks a lot man!!! This is indeed an eye opening for me.
You are spot on with this video Chris !! I'm guilty of all three !!
My Friend you are totally eloquent, blesses for you and you family
This is great advices! So easy to forget this and listen to peoples jugdement. Thanks for the reminder👍
Bad singers react to what other people say is much more deeper than it seems. You can apply this on everything in your life!
This was the perfect thing for me to see and hear today. I've been struggling lately with focusing too much on pitch and getting into a negative head space when I feel that it's not completely right. Also have to confess that I haven't been warming up as much as I should, so time to go back to the nursery rhymes, which, by the way, is awesome . I've knocked out a few great Old King Coles. Time to get back to having fun and let the magic happen naturally. My singing has definitely improved and am so much less fearful of how I sound. Thanks so much!
I discovered your channel just 2 days ago from your Ado reactions and you've been very eye-opening! The advices you give are priceless and the fact that they can be applied to various aspects of life has been very helpful to me. If I have the courage and enough money in the future, I would definitely sign up for your vocal course. But for now, not yet since I'm only a 17 year old student still living with my parents haha
Welcome aboard! So glad to have you here :) … and looking forward to possibly working with you more closely in the future!
For the past 2 months I've found myself naturally grinding a lot of Soundgarden (for the first time), Jeff Buckley and Matt Corby with no investment in imitation or success and just releasing my voice - not realizing I was on a mission to internalize the 3 Cs... and here you are :D
This is so spot on. I love this video! A lot of this I have learned on my own (being unafraid of making mistakes, etc), but the way you explain it will really make new singers' path to becoming good easier (and it's also helping me keep up with the motivation). You're a great professional, my dude. Thumbs up for you.
Weird
I definitely wouldn't call myself a good singer, and yet I check all the boxes
Maybe I'm on my way to be good, which is encouraging
I'd glad Freebyrds! Keep emotionally engaging with your voice and keep creating!
Hard agree! Thank you for sharing this ❤
You are so welcome!
@@chrisliepe It helps because it's something important to remember! I've been singing all my life, but alone and experimenting, and I've only started taking singing lessons, and the pressure to be technically ideal makes things stiff and easily create distance from this original place of creation and expression, that's much more global. I noticed this so strongly from more academically trained singers too, and it saddens me. It seems like the greatest beauty is in this experimental dialogue between what's within you and the music, and one can also learn to be their own judge and guide and uncover lots of possibilities from curiosity and attention alone 💚
this is one of the most real advice videos about singing ive watched
Like many perhaps, I’m always my worsts critic but at the same I’m realistic. Personally, I considerable myself as a bad singer and for years I’ve tried improving but simply can’t. However, I’m stubborn and don’t care what others think of my singing, I simply do it bc it makes me happy so at least I got that going for. After watching this video, I just want to say thank you Chris, you opened my eyes into a new perspective on how I can improve with my singing journey, keep on rockin 🎸
When I can't hit the notes I will sing an octave under what they do. I know in time that my voice will warm up and let me hit those. It's definitely difficult to stretch your voice a bit without ruining it!
Marilyn Manson may not have the most beautiful voice but he knows how to be creative with his voice. You put a lot of great information in this video. Thanks for the video :)
Absolutely, he is very creative with his voice, he does his own thing
I’ve been struggling for years to find my sound as a vocalist… and you are sincerely an inspiration for helping me be true to myself. Thank you so much!
Thanks. Im working on this one. Great help Chris
I agree with the pitch thing. As a guitarist, it's amazing how good you can still get the guitar to sound when it is a surprisingly long way out of tune, so, If pitch isn't that important, why is there so much pitch correction and auto tuning used on vocals nowadays?
totaly agree，just like designing， good design is creating ， not do everyone like，caus good design is everyone like must.
I hardly comment on any videos, but this sounds so genuine that it looks like it comes from god, it reminds me that I am mimicking and. I need to be myself.
It’s funny because for years everyone would ask me how I became such a good singer and who I got voice lessons from but never had one lesson.
I wasn’t singing for a few years then started singing in different projects & decided to get into lessons and techniques and it took me backwards not forward.
I’m still not back to where I was and am still trying to unlearn the bad habits so called experts gave me. When I just sang through my emotion and creativity I was always on.
I think the key is to not over think things. But from the vids I’ve watched of yours I think I’d actually benefit from what you teach.
Thanks!
Your advice is on point, it made me realise stuff I haven't realised before, thank you Chris.
Oh, yeah, the intro came back!) Thanks so much, Chris
I've made all those mistake and never become a singer. Besides, I lack creativity in general.
What you said here is 100% true. This is what every aspiring singer needs to focus on before it's too late.
To me everything you just said makes total sense. And is the truth..You have opened my eyes and made me view my singing journey more clearly.Thank you for this video Chris, 🙏
Needed this one. Thanks for being a great teacher :)
This is exactly what my friend is saying for last 2 years who is a natural gifted singer…
Chris that was fantastic....I really appreciate you...First off I want to say what great deeper insight this is as to me its literally healing cause it is another pathway to look at the art of singing....a better way i think....I could never find anyone talking about these conversational styles...probably cause I did not know the term but in the last 5 years noticed mick jagger I was like its really hard to do I found out as I tried to sing some of the stones stuff and realized its his talking voice with almost singing added in then a bit of singing thrown in there here and there.....I always down played him cause he was'nt my favorite Steve Perry...Never have I found anyone on Ytube to give this deep lesson you gave.....ty
changed my life this morning thank you Chris
Ahh pitch, consider that both Ronnio Dio and Floor often go purposely of pitch to express something.
Now they have the chops to be on pitch 100% of the time, but they choose to go above or below pitch in order to express themselves ... And boy, it sure work (they are both beyond incredible)
Satch said something along the lines of worrying about doing too many exercises. He said that when composing he could default to making compositions that sound like guitar excercises, so he has to strike a balance.
Take risks... Blackmore has often complained about virtuosos that all notes sound perfect, which means they are not taking risks and hence they are not pushing themselves to explore.
Awesome stuff, Chris Liepe nails it again. This is what popped into my head as I saw the vid, hopefully it'll be useful to others :)
Very helpful additions!
Not click bait. Interesting and helpful.
this video is so inspiring. your passion is contagious. I've been on my musical/ creative journey for almost 25 years now and you have helped me find a few more peices to the puzzle that are unlocking a new world of self expression for me. A million thank yous for sharing your creative wisdom and technical knowledge so freely and with such passion and vigor. you are a gem
I agree with everything you said... It motivates me and, in some way, liberates me to be creative and have fun with my voice instead of being very serious and rigorous. Thank you!
It’s all about the feeling you are so right 💯🙏
Best advice I’ve ever heard. Thanks Chris! I’ve discovered my true voice thanks to your videos and I don’t let people’s well-meant advice change my course. I recently had a succesful performance at a local festival. It was my first live performance in over 20 years and it felt great. Thank you so much for your perspective
it's very curious because everything bad singers do. I did it before, but thanks to chris I was able to learn what it really means to sing and broadcast and be creative. I think thanking you is an understatement for everything you've done for me. Thank you very much mate. greetings from Argentina :-)
This is really helpful, thank you so much. It gives me hope in continuing to develop my voice. I pretty much fit all three things you said - I guess because I am too stubborn and just want to sing and don't want to wait until I am perfect to perform. I just want to have fun, which is why I do so few exercises too. Thanks again!
Old video but this is gold. Exactly what I kinda always believed but this reinforced it
Listening to you speak about music makes me emotional ngl ... You are truly a gem! :') ... And I'm glad you're finally adopting strategies to increase the views on the awesome content of yours, such as subscript of this videos's title lol ...
Thank you, thank you, thank you Chris!!! ❤
Pitch is still the most important though. We have decades of recordings of good singers singing on pitch! You might not think so because you take it for granted, or can't hear it. If you listen to Mick Jagger, he's on pitch at the very least on the end of each phrase, as a resolution. At the onset he'll be bending or sliding, maybe in the middle, but he always ends on pitch. When I sing, I slide and bend too, but always resolve on pitch. If I notice myself being off pitch while practicing, I hold the note until I get it right. It's not uncreative or restricting to sing on pitch, it's a baseline. And it feels so good to get it right, especially when you're playing an acoustic guitar, and your voice and the strings resonate together.
DUDE I love this, as someone learning to be better: I've gotten so much from your videos, it's insaaaane❤️❤️❤️
Wow, all points here are really great. The last point especially meant the most to me, I've been working mentally on not letting criticism or judgements get to me. It is indeed difficult to get to that point. Also, I always need to work up my courage a bit before I post any performance.
I just don’t get it…i work as a va, have even won prizes, but I can’t sing at all…
I love your conceptual approach. Figuring out the why goes a long way towards the how.
yes, that's absolutly true. I recently did a record of a song where I focussed a lot on pitch. I recorded this song earlier and the early version was clearly better then the current because of the emotional aspect. My mistake was, that I didn't feel this song at all on this day, so my record sounded souless. When you don't feel a song then it's abad idea to record it.
You are right. First time I sang skyfall I focused on the pitch and it sounded empty but when I sang for fun it sounded amazing to me.
This video was so much needed!! I also made my singing great in this Lockdown period, but i just got into some unnecessary exercises which were not for my style and i ruined my voice, now im slowly getting my old voice back and your video motivated me and taught me even more, thank you so much chris❤️
I knew that it was going to hurt, but I wached anyway! haha :) Thank u Chris for sharing!
This has proven to be some of the best advice for me. Thanks!
Honestly your tips through RUclips have done so much to help guide me and improve my voice thank you! A lot of time just the reassurance on things I was doing and avoiding is nice cause it's hard to not guess and go should I do that or not? Especially what you said about the high notes
Comment for da algorithm
Streak count: 97
Soo close
Good video Chris it's all about expressing your feelings
It actually takes quite a lot of skill to express complex emotions through singing
Great stuff. I am doing this all time, with every facet of creation, writing arranging producing ,singing, recording mixing. I have stopped listening to what others say is right and the way you should approach things. I do what i sounds good to me. If it sounds good it is good. Ill still listen to good ideas and implement them the way that i feel. Great content as always😎
GOOD LESSON - I AGREE.
Thank you so much for this video. It's the most important knowledge I've gotten as a singer.
Thanks, Chris. Always nice to watch your video when upset
Why are you upset?
What I've noticed is that different sounds are connected to different emotions. For example, in order to scream, you need to feel angry, in order to sing in falsetto, you need to feel sad etc.
So glad I stumbled on this video today. I'm tracking vocals for an original song (and it's actually a great song) and my first takes are unsatisfactory. Now I know why!
Thank you Chris, needed to hear this. I always enjoy your videos
Love this, Chris. Thanks for articulating the journey so well. Really enjoying the channel 🙏
Great advice from Chris! Thank you so much. Appreciate! I'm too focus on techniques earlier, thus can't deliver the song naturally.
Best video I have ever watched we should build you a statue man. Thanks for making this
Awesome advice, man! I think this applies to any instrument.