Singing Guide: Clyde McPhatter
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Clyde McPhatter was an American singer, widely celebrated as one of the most influential R&B vocalists. McPhatter's unique vocal technique featured a high-pitched tenor and falsetto range, powerful voice projection and vibrato with glissandos. His soulful voice style inspired and influenced many great musicians such as Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, and Ben E. King. In this article, we will explore Clyde McPhatter's vocal style and discuss how you can learn to sing like him.
To start, it's important to assess your voice with a vocal range test to determine what vocal range you identify with. McPhatter was known for his high-pitched singing ability, so incorporating his vocal techniques requires developing your higher vocal register.
One of the best ways to improve your singing is by engaging in breathing, warm-up, and practice starters exercises, and Singing Carrots has some great ones in store for you. The Farinelli breathing exercise is super beneficial in helping you learn how to strategize taking in air and using your diaphragm muscles to power your vocals. The 3-minute warm-up video exercise provides an excellent foundation, preparing your vocal cords to start vocalizing and reach peak vocal performance.
In addition to these exercises, Singing Carrots also has exercises specific to developing your high-pitched range. The “Singing Comfort Zone” video teaches how to use the chest and head voice to transition to the mixed voice, enabling singers to produce pitch-perfect high notes. The “Voice Break” video teaches how to develop your mixed voice and how to control voice registers while avoiding vocal breaks.
McPhatter’s voice often included vibrato and glissando styles. Singing with vibrato requires voice training, and the “Singing with Vibrato” article by Singing Carrots can assist you in learning this technique.
It is important to select songs that showcase Clyde McPhatter’s vocal technique, such as “What A Dream,” “Treasure of Love,” and “Without Love (There is Nothing).” The Singing Carrots song search tool can help you identify songs suitable for your vocal range.
To become a great singer, one must constantly learn, practice, and refine their technique. Singing Carrots has a ton of useful articles to assist you in developing your voice, including; “How to analyze your voice,” “Why do we sing out of pitch?,” “Resonance in singing,” and “How to find your own authentic voice.” These articles provide strategies on how to maintain vocal health, breath support, articulation, and posture, among other helpful tactics to achieving your singing goals.
In conclusion, to learn to sing like Clyde McPhatter, start by identifying your vocal range and practicing exercises to improve your high-pitched range, supported by breathing and warm-up exercises. Listen and practice singing McPhatter's songs while incorporating his signature vocal techniques such as vibrato and glissando. Remember, every great singer learns, practices, and improves over time, and Singing Carrots has all the relevant resources and tools to help you elevate your voice to new heights.