Singing Guide: Brian McKnight
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
If you're aiming to learn how to sing like Brian McKnight, you're in for a treat! Brian McKnight is known for his smooth, soulful R&B, often featuring his exceptional falsetto and dynamic range. If you're looking to develop your singing technique to emulate his style, here are some tips:
Develop Your Falsetto and Range
One of Brian McKnight's signature techniques is his impressive falsetto, which he uses to great effect in many of his songs. Developing your falsetto takes time and practice, but it's an essential skill for capturing the essence of his sound. Work on your breath control and vocal range through exercises like Singing Carrot's Pitch Training or Vocal Range Test.
Focus on Smooth Transitions and Dynamics
Brian McKnight's range is notable for its fluidity and the ease with which he transitions between different registers. To develop this skill, you should practice exercises that focus on blending your chest, middle, and head voice. Also, work on applying dynamics to your singing for a more emotional and engaging performance. For help on voice breaks, use this Singing Carrots' Voice Registers & Vocal Break blog post.
Select Songs to Emulate McKnight's Styles
Brian McKnight's music offers an excellent range of styles, from smooth ballads to more uptempo soul numbers. Some great choices to explore include "Back at One," "One Last Cry," and "Anytime." As you practice, focus on emulating McKnight's delivery, phrasing, and use of falsetto. Use Singing Carrots' Song Search to find songs that match your vocal range, genre preference, and difficulty level.
Take Care of Your Voice
Brian McKnight's style requires a good deal of breath control and range, and both these techniques put significant strain on the voice. To avoid injury and strain, always warm up properly before singing, stay hydrated, and follow good singing technique. Check out Singing Carrots' Vocal Health blog post for tips on maintaining a healthy voice.
Video resources
- Breath/Warm-up/Practice-starter: Farinelli Breathing
- Voice Registers/Mixed Voice/Voice Break: Voice Break, Mixed Voice
- Chest Voice/Voice Registers: Chest Voice Explained, Singing Comfort Zone
- Onsets-offsets: Glottal Onset
- Emotion-control/Performing: Relaxing Breath, Stage Tips
- Nasality: Soft Palate, Stop Sounding Nasal
- Breath/Sustain: Sustain Vocal
- Warm-up/Practice-starter: 3 Minute Warm Up, Humming
- Articulation: Finger Bite
- Chest Voice/Voice Registers: Singing Comfort Zone
- Vibrato: Beggars Bounce, Diaphragm Bounce
- Growling: How to Growl Exercise
- Twang: How to Twang Exercise
- Posture: Good Singing Posture
Close Notes
Brian McKnight is one of the most gifted and soulful singers around. With practice and honing your skills with Singing Carrots' tools, you will be able to incorporate his unique vocal techniques, delivery, phrasing, and range into your singing.