Singing Guide: Cliff Edwards

Singing Guide: Cliff Edwards

Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources

Are you a beginner or advanced singer?

If you want to learn how to sing like Cliff Edwards, also known as Ukulele Ike, you are in for a treat! Edwards was an American singer, musician, and voice actor known for his charming style and unique vocal approach. He was especially famous for his falsetto voice and his work in the 1920s and 1930s. In this article, we’ll explore some of the musical and technical aspects that made Cliff Edwards a unique singer and how to approach his singing style using practical tips and resources provided by Singing Carrots.

Cliff Edwards’s Vocal Technique

One notable characteristic of Cliff Edwards’s singing style was his falsetto voice, which he used to great effect in many of his recordings. Cliff’s falsetto was light and airy, with a clear and sweet quality that appealed to many listeners. To produce a similar sound, one needs to develop a healthy use of falsetto, which requires good breath support and proper vocal alignment.

Another notable feature of Cliff Edwards’s singing was his great sense of musical phrasing. He had a unique way of embellishing melodies with rests, dynamic contrasts, and subtle changes of rhythm, which created a distinctive vocal style. If you want to emulate his phrasing, it is important to study and understand the melody of each song you want to sing and find ways to make it your own.

Songs to Showcase his Style

  • Singin' In The Rain
  • When You Wish Upon a Star
  • I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby
  • Paddlin' Madelin' Home
  • I’m Just a Vagabond Lover

Practical Tips to Sing like Cliff Edwards

  • Warm up your voice with Singing Carrots' Farinelli Breathing, which will help you learn to breathe correctly and help support the higher notes when singing in the falsetto range.
  • Train your ear with Singing Carrots' Pitch accuracy test and Pitch Training - Educational Singing Game, which will help you improve your intonation and your ability to hear and replicate melodic intervals.
  • Work with Singing Carrots' Vocal range test, which will help you understand your vocal range and which notes you can comfortably sing without straining your voice.
  • Practice phrasing and dynamic contrast using Singing Carrots' article on How to learn a song effectively. This will help you understand the nuances of a melody and think about how to make it your own.
  • Work on falsetto using Singing Carrots' Vocal Pitch Monitor and Voice Registers & Vocal Break. This will help you understand how to move between your chest and head registers and find the right placement for your falsetto.

Conclusion

Developing your vocal technique to sing like Cliff Edwards requires practice, patience, and attention to detail. Using the resources provided by Singing Carrots, you can work towards achieving your goals with confidence and precision. By studying songs that showcase Cliff Edwards’s unique vocal style and using the practical tips provided in this article, you can learn how to sing like one of the most iconic singers of his generation.

Learn more about this artist vocal range, voice type and repertoire.