Singing Guide: Fontella Bass
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
How to Sing like Fontella Bass
Fontella Bass was an accomplished R&B and soul singer known for her smooth voice and powerful delivery. Her unique style was marked by a rich, resonant tone, impeccable phrasing, and soulful expression. This article will guide you on how to sing like Fontella Bass.
Vocal technique
To sing like Fontella Bass, you need to master the following vocal techniques.
Breath control
Fontella Bass had excellent breath control. To achieve this, keep your ribcage expanded and your abdominal muscles engaged while singing. Inhale deeply from your diaphragm, and exhale steadily and uniformly to produce long, sustained notes.
Vocal registers
Fontella Bass had a rich, resonant voice that spanned several vocal registers. You need to learn how to adjust your voice to produce notes in different registers, including your chest voice, middle voice, and head voice. A good way to do this is by practicing vocal exercises that help you transition smoothly between these registers.
Vibrato
Fontella Bass had a natural vibrato that added warmth and depth to her voice. You can develop vibrato by practicing sustained notes while varying the intensity of your voice. Try to produce a wobbly sound by shaking your voice slightly to produce a natural vibrato.
Songs that showcase Fontella Bass's style
To learn how to sing like Fontella Bass, you should listen to her music and study her style. Here are some of her songs that showcase her unique vocal technique:
- Rescue Me
- Don't Mess Up a Good Thing
- You'll Never Know
- I'm Leaving You
- The Soul Of A Man
Singing tips
Here are some practical tips to help you sing like Fontella Bass:
Practice scales and arpeggios to improve your vocal range.
You can use the vocal range test on Singing Carrots to determine your voice's range. Practicing scales and arpeggios regularly can expand your vocal range and help you hit higher and lower notes.
Use Singing Carrots' Pitch Accuracy Test to improve your pitch.
Start with the pitch accuracy test offered by Singing Carrots. Sing along to different notes to test and improve your singing's accuracy.
Warm-up before singing.
Cold muscles are more prone to injury, which is why you should always warm-up before singing. Singing Carrots' vocal warm-up exercises can help you prepare your voice and improve breath control.
Sing with emotion.
To sing like Fontella Bass, you need to convey emotion and soul in your voice. Practice singing with emotion, and use Singing Carrots' tips on how to sing with intuition, skills, emotion, and thinking.
Learn the lyrics of the song by heart.
Knowing the lyrics by heart allows you to fully concentrate on singing with emotion, enabling you to deliver a memorable performance.
Use Singing Carrots' Songbook.
Search for songs in Singing Carrots that match your vocal range, difficulty level, and genre preference. Create your performance set and get linked lyrics, sheet music, chords, karaoke, and YouTube audio. Visit the Songbook page to access Singing Carrots' Songbook.
Take the educational singing course.
Singing Carrots offers an educational singing course that covers singing theory and practical tips. The course is divided into 21 lessons. Completing the course will help you hone your vocal skills and broaden your knowledge of music.
Conclusion
Learning how to sing like Fontella Bass requires practice, dedication, and mastering the techniques of breath control, vocal registers, and vibrato. By following the tips and utilizing the resources provided by Singing Carrots, you can successfully sing like Fontella Bass and excel in your musical career.