Singing Guide: Clarice Taylor
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Clarice Taylor was an African American actress and singer, who found great success in Broadway, film, and television. Her unique style of singing focused on commanding the stage through her powerful presence and emotional depth. If you're looking to learn how to sing like Clarice Taylor, here are some tips and resources to get you started.
Vocal Technique
One of the defining characteristics of Clarice Taylor’s vocal style was her ability to convey deep emotions through her powerful voice. To learn how to do this for yourself, consider working on the following points:
- Breath Control: Mastering your breath control is crucial to achieving the kind of sustained, heart-felt notes that Taylor was so good at delivering. Check out SingingCarrots' helpful article on Breath Support for tips and exercises.
- Vibrato: Vibrato is an important tool in any singer's arsenal, and Taylor was no exception. Work on mastering your vibrato with the breathing and warm-up exercises found in this SingingCarrots resource on Singing with Vibrato.
- Emotional Control: Taylor's powerful performances hinged on her ability to convey deep emotions through her voice. To get in touch with your own emotions and learn how to channel them through your voice, check out this SingingCarrots article on Singing with Intuition, Skills, Emotion, and Thinking.
Songs
To get a better sense of Taylor's vocal style, listen to some of her signature songs. "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" showcases Taylor's ability to reach deep into the soul of a song and deliver a truly powerful performance. "High Hopes" is another great example of how Taylor's commanding stage presence can bring a song to life. Finally, check out "Take the "A" Train," which highlights Taylor's ability to sing in a jazzy, upbeat style.
Singing Resources
To further refine your singing skills and hone in on Taylor's particular style, take advantage of the wealth of resources available on SingingCarrots:
- Use the Vocal range test to determine your range, and compare it to Taylor's vocal style.
- Take the Pitch accuracy test to refine your pitch accuracy.
- Use the Vocal Pitch Monitor to see notes you're singing in real-time and improve your pitch accuracy.
- Try the Pitch Training - Educational Singing Game to add some fun to your singing practice.
- Search for songs that match your vocal range, difficulty, and genre preference with Search songs, including songs in Taylor's style.
- Discover vocal ranges of over 5000 famous singers, including Taylor, at Vocal ranges of famous singers.
- Sign up for the Singing course to improve your singing skills and technique.
With these resources, you'll be well on your way to learning to sing like Clarice Taylor!