Learning to Sing “Never Give All the Heart”
In Smash’s “Never Give All the Heart”, the vocalist employs unique contemporary vocal techniques such as Twang and Belting which can be learned and mastered with practice. Let’s break down these techniques and guide you through your learning journey.
Understanding the Techniques: Twang and Belting
- Twang: It is the edgy, bright, focused, and forward placed vocal sound which gives the voice a ringing quality. This is often used to cut through the noise without straining the vocal cords. Twang also allows for volume control. Famous songs with twang are Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and Bruno Mars’ “Just The Way You Are”. Learn more about Twang from Singing Carrots’ article, “Contemporary vocal techniques: Heavy modal, Twang, Belting”.
- Belting: A sustained high chest voice with open-throat technique that brings intensity and fullness to your sound, often used in pop, rock, musical theatre. Besides this song from Smash, you can also hear belting in songs like “Let it Go” from Frozen. To understand and learn the technique, Singing Carrots provides an excellent tutorial here as well.
Applying the Techniques
These techniques demand strength and precision, and it’s imperative to warm up your voice before practicing. A great warm-up exercise is “3 Minute Warm Up”. Practice the techniques using the How to Twang Exercise and Pitch Training – Educational Singing Game for better pitch accuracy and control.
Learning the Song
First, listen to “Never Give All the Heart” multiple times to internalize the melody, rhythm, techniques used, and the general feel of the song. Then break the song down and learn it phrase by phrase, focusing on pronunciation, tone, phrasing, and emotion. More tips on learning a song can be found in the article “How to learn a song effectively”.
Monitoring Your Progress
Don’t forget to regularly conduct a Vocal range test to see how your range is improving with practice. A Pitch accuracy test and Vocal Pitch Monitor can also help evaluate your pitch accuracy.
To wrap it up, learning to sing “Never Give All the Heart” can help enrich your understanding of contemporary vocal techniques. Take it slow, practice regularly, and remember – singing should always bring you joy!