Sing Like Steve Perry pt. 2: and why many lead singers LIE In Interviews!
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- Sup Vo1ceHeads!
This video's to follow up on Sing Like Steve Perry pt. 1, where we break down the charactristics of Steve Perry's voice, though I don't really apply them in that video in a holistic way.
That video's here:
• How to sing like Steve...
In this video I do a quick a cappella demonstration using the song "Only The Young" by Journey.
Steve Perry crooning isn't the sound I usually go for, check out my video on 'Crunch Voice' for that- while I'm hoping this is appreciated in the context of what I do more frequently, feel free to light me up in the comments if you must :)
After that, I attempt to dispel the myth of :voice type" in terms of the way you've likely been taught it. That's a concept for musical theater casting directors, and not for singers living and breathing in the 21st century, and I'll explain why here.
We talk 'lead singer interview voice' and why it's often not a singer's speaking voice in their own home going about their day-- the most extreme example of this phenomenon would of course be Michael Jackson who famously used a different speaking voice in interviews than he would use privately in his daily life, and many of his friends and family members will attest to that posthumously.
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Love your energy and humor, man! You clearly love singing, and it shows, which makes for a fun video.
I'd be interested to hear you talk more about where the registers overlap. I hear you saying that almost no male voice carries a pure belt above A4 (7:19), and that part of effective technique in heavy rock singing is to use a lighter registration up there and make it seem as if you're belting (7:47).
This sounds like what I've heard many singing teachers refer to as mix. Do you think about mix in your singing? What would you say is the difference, in terms of registration -- chest vs head, between Steve Perry and, say, Barry Gibb?
What a smart question, @baritone777 ! thank you for asking it.
Indeed, in this video I'm using the term 'belting' here because normal people are familiar with it- and 'pure belt' as '100% chest voice'- but really a 'belt' often refers to a 'chest-dominant mix', and that can indeed extend beyond A440 by a few notes.🎶
Yes, any professional-sounding singing is indeed a 'mix' of some kind, though many of my favorite singers will throw a couple words or a phrase out in pure chest voice for dramatic effect- Rob Halford is the king of this-- But a smooth operator like Steve Perry, or Barry Gib, wouldn't be caught dead doing that!
So to your question of Steve Perry's overall vocal configuration vs. Barry Gibbs, a few things jump out. Yes, Steve Perry uses a little more chest voice - but less than it sounds- maybe just 5-10% more Thyro-Arytenoid (Chest voice) on average. Steve Perry uses a little bit more vocal compression, though both singers are fairly decompressed by rock standards. Indeed Barry is VERY heady.
And while both singers use some degree of breath distortion, Steve Perry uses a lot more, and uses EQ techniques to bring out those breathy frequencies even more.
Hope this helps!
And if you'd like to work on something in greater detail please let me know here or at ian@allvoicemedia.com
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@@vo1cehead Cool. That distinction between chest mix and head mix sounds in line with what I've heard other voice teachers say. By the way, I wound up reading your website testimonial about finding a voice teacher who will teach you something other than classical and musical theater--boy do I understand that journey!
Full disclosure: I'm a singing teacher, and your videos have sparked a lively conversation among me and my colleagues! Especially the term "breath distortion" has us scratching our heads. Can you make a video to explain what you mean by that?
You say Steve Perry uses a little more chest register--which I take to mean a chest-dominant mix. In your demonstration in this video, are you putting that forth as an example of a chest-dominant sound? To my ears, it sounds more head than chest...hence by question about Barry Gibb. :)
@@baritone777always love a good debate!
Yes here’s the main different types of distortion in my understanding:
1) false vocal fold distortion (kinda sounds like a broken speaker, or like cookie monster. Popular in Death Metal
2) vocal fry - think steven tyler, rod stewart
3) breath distortion aka ‘breathiness’. Lettin some air escape beside the vocal folds. Also implies that this is combined with a little compression as well. Steve Perry, Rod Stewart (with vocal ‘fry’)
4) aryoepiglottic distorion: this basically kicks in when you’re singing with full twang, some call it ‘rasp’ but to me thats a general term
5) uvular distortion: putting the uvula in the way.. I think like Tina Turner does this, Brian Johnson a little bit. Ertha kitt doing her thing is this + vocal fry
I THINK rhat covers it :)
Maybe add ‘
5) knurdling’ or doing the kirmet the frog voice (otis redding)
6) any and all combinations of these
Yes, Steve Perry and Gibbs are both without question “head-dominant mix”- so is it like an 80/20 or like a 85/15 split? That would be where I’d say the debate belongs
@@vo1cehead Just emailed you!
You nailed the topic of voice types, Ian. I tell singers all the time that voice types and fachs are for Opera and Classical singing, without microphones.
@@DimitriosKMusic thank you Dimitrios! So many myths to dispel lol
Good stuff. Glad I discovered your channel. Ever hear Journey's "Something to Hide"? Steve Perry's vocal work in that song...I'm surprised the song was never a hit. Would love to hear you examine it and how Perry could reach such vocal heights and go from "ahhhhhh" smoothly into "oohhhh" at the very end.
Very cool, I will check it out! Though I think a ‘steve perry pt 3’ vid will hafta wait since I have so much catching up to do with other greats lol BUT I will def give it a listen and try to weave it into the next episode or maybe the one after ;)
@@vo1cehead Sounds good. Thanks!
@@kevinmkraftyou got it!
This is very interesting, but I do think voice types do exist, Freddie Mercury and Jonny Cash does have different chest voice ranges, but it not that far apart as what people believe on the high end, the difference is more in lower notes than higher notes. I do agree that people should never limit themselves due to voice types. Your speaking voice does not equal your singing voice, you don't speak with support from the diaphragm, except if you are some type of theater actor. Your tessitura or your comfortable range determines your voice type, not your extreme high or extreme low notes. For example Steve Perry has a vocal range of C3 - C6, but he has only sung the C6 note once in his life. In truth 80 - 90% of all singing is done in your comfortable range. If you constantly try to sing outside of your comfortable range your voice will become tired and your endurance will not be very good. There is something to voice types but usually people focus on the wrong concept or aspects of voice types, it is a way to categorize singers. It is meant to be a useful tool to help singers. And there is some interesting and more finer details about voice types that people do not realize. Voice types are not just about range. Range is perhaps the least interesting or important aspect of voice types.
Steve Perry is an extremely light tenor, lighter than Michael Jackson.
Opera tenors also sometimes speak in very light voices, it is done for vocal placement, it is sometimes done to keep the voice high. In opera the tenor voice is the most unnatural it is the voice that requires the most work and construction.
This is excellent information Zenobi, thank you so much for adding it. I plead ignorance as to opera technique, I don't know the language and I can't replicate the technique in anything but the most superficial ways- I know it's generally the lowest larynx style of singing. I still maintain most of the technical information hasn't really adapted to the microphone age-- nor SHOULD it- I like Opera being what it is! But I will take this excellent information into consideration.
Do you have any book recommendations I can check out regarding this pedagogy?
@@vo1cehead Thanks. There are some books but honestly opera pedagogy is like 100 times more contentious than contemporary singing,. In contemporary singing there is basically one style, people might disagree about terminology but everyone tends to support the same process. In opera there is at least 4 or more different styles, each operatic country had their own technique, and descriptions, and people don't agree on which style should be followed. Although some people would say that all good technique is done in in a similar way. You have to sing with a lowered larynx but it is not so much about just lowering the larynx, the idea is really to create an open throat and as much space as possible in the pharynx. The volume and resonance comes from the throat through appoggio breathing. The larynx should never be lowered by force, the larynx should remain flexible, it can only be lowered by breath. There should be no tension or obstructions. You first have to start by creating space in the back of the throat by learning to singing a "U" vowel.
Those are the very basics for technique, I will give you some channels to look at you can learn quicker from these types channels and the from the comment section. Most of it does translate to contemporary singing, in your example with Steve Perry you mentioned a lowered larynx, it is good to have a stable larynx you don't necessary have to lower the larynx but it is better if it is stable but flexible.
The reason why you cannot use the speaking voice at all to determine someone's voice type is because our speech have deteriorated somewhat, all of us speak in a very mumbled fashion. If you go back to the 1940's and 50's, you can hear people spoke quite differently, they spoke in a much stronger manner. People use to speak with actual cord closure. There is a video of Audrey Hepburn where she talks about the way that she spoke and that they all learned to speak in this manner at school. We are now far removed from that, the way we speak is very muffled, it is more like mumbling.
When singing teachers first started talking about the speaking voice and the singing voice they were actually referring more to way a theater actor has to speak. In earlier years the normal speaking voice was closer to that same sound. We are currently very far removed from that today.
As for voice types, different voices can have different types of emotional expression that can be explored or where they excel. That is an interesting aspect that is far removed from range.
One book I can mention to get started is The History of Bel Canto by Rodolfo Celletti. You can read it for free on archive. But there a few great channels that you can learn a lot from. I will post some links below, I don't want my long reply to disappear again.
@@vo1cehead
Exploring more about the idea of the speaking voice: ruclips.net/video/_i_s4mqoUgc/видео.html
Head voice: ruclips.net/video/TZphODkstV/видео.html
The lowered larynx: ruclips.net/video/i9TnjbHlEOo/видео.html
Twang vs Squillo and a quick history on how certain idea in singing developed ruclips.net/video/QJUtyRxSxAQ/видео.html
How to sing like Steve Perry: Be Steve Perry. He is a once in a lifetime anomaly
That would sure help… I think Pineda was doing a pretty decent job though it looks like he’s been struggling to sustain it over the long-term
@@vo1cehead agreed. I like Arnel. But, just like Steve, he is losing his voice. Father Time is cruel.
@@jennifero7189 yes, although he's still young for it to just be age alone. I imagine he's been driving too much breath pressure and hasn't been practicing singing super light n' clean in his down-time, that might have helped- also maybe not getting enough rest. Imagine a rags-to-riches story like that, would be tough not to want to celebrate too much
Very sneaky lol 👏
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This all just sounds like falsetto.
Its head-dominant mix
No, it did not. What you probably mean is that it was not chest voice, which is correct. You can use this style for singing and it will sound great.
@@xGogita okay. So I didn’t mean it sounds like an airy, thin, weak falsetto sound but it was very quiet and lacked power and volume. So sounding like a slightly reinforced falsetto which is really easy to do. The kind of singing in the darkness. (Love them by the way). But this isn’t really mix. Unless mix is defined by any blending of sounds and then it means nothing.
Either way, it doesn’t sound like he’s making the same technical choices Steve Perry is making, because I don’t think he knows how to.
@@xGogita thank you!