Dr. John’s voice is a unique blend of Delta blues, New Orleans R&B, funk, rock and jazz. To learn to sing like Dr. John, it is essential to master the New Orleans style of playing blues and taking advantage of a physical approach to singing.

Breathing is a critical aspect of singing, and Dr. John’s powerful voice requires special techniques to maintain good breath control. The Farinelli breathing exercise is a great way to learn good breath support, which is a key aspect of any powerful voice, as well as the basis for learning to develop vibrato, sustain notes, and sing on pitch.

Dr. John’s vocals are characterized by his unique style, incorporating a wide range of phonetics, making significant use of the heavy modal technique, twang, and belting. The “Singing Comfort Zone” and the “Voice Break” exercises are particularly effective in developing the mixed voice and shifting between the chest and head registers more easily.

Incorporate the Finger Bite exercise to improve your articulation. The goal is to develop muscle memory for the correct placement and shape of the mouth, which improves diction and clarity of the words.

Dr. John’s ability to sing with emotion is a significant factor in his success. To improve your own emotional delivery, it is essential to focus on the message behind the lyrics of the song. Practicing the Relaxing Breath technique provides some relief from performance anxiety and pre-performance jitters and allows you to focus better on getting the message across in your vocals.

Some of Dr. John's most famous tracks showcasing his vocal techniques are “Right Place, Wrong Time,” “Iko Iko,” “I Walk on Guilded Splinters” and “Such a Night,” which are all great tracks to learn from.

Singing Carrots provides a broad range of useful tools to help master Dr. John’s vocal technique. The vocal range test can help determine your range, which is incredibly useful in choosing appropriate songs to sing. You can use the pitch test to evaluate your pitch accuracy, which forms a significant part of vocal expression. To improve on your current position, use the Pitch Training app, which includes interactive warm-ups, pitch visualizers, and range and agility exercises.

The Song Finding tool comes in handy when searching for suitable songs. The Educational Singing Course offers comprehensive coverage of all the fundamental aspects of singing, including breathing, vocal range, pitch, and the correct mouth shape for pronouncing vowels.

In conclusion, follow these steps to learn to sing like Dr. John:

• Practice the Farinelli breath exercise.
• Work on developing the ability to shift between chest and head voice.
• Use the Finger Bite exercise to improve articulation.
• Focus on the message behind the lyrics.
• Study and practice Dr. John's famous techniques while following the guidance provided by the range test, pitch test, and Pitch Training app.
• Use the Song Finding tool to identify the appropriate song to practice.
• Take the Educational Singing Course to get a solid foundation in the essential aspects of singing.