Singing Guide: George Beverly Shea
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
George Beverly Shea was an iconic Canadian-born gospel singer who blessed the gospel world with his phenomenal voice for over 75 years. Although he’s known for his baritone voice, his range was actually much wider.
If you wish to learn how to sing like George Beverly Shea, there are a few things that can set you on the right track. First, it's important to know that he often phrased his songs in a way that emphasized the text, placing the emphasis on the right words, yet retaining a natural flow. His articulation, delivery, and tone were always perfect, bringing out the intended emotions of the song, which include warmth, joy, hope, and faith.
To help you get started, you can take the vocal range test on Singing Carrots to determine your vocal range, which will help you identify which of George Beverly Shea’s songs you can sing along with more easily. Once you have identified your range, you can use Singing Carrots’ search songs tool to find gospel songs that match your vocal range, difficulty, and genre preference. Out of Shea’s many songs, some of the most popular are How Great Thou Art, The Love of God, I’d Rather Have Jesus, In the Garden, and The Old Rugged Cross.
In addition to practicing gospel songs that fit your vocal range, here are some tips to help you learn how to sing like George Beverly Shea:
- Breath support: Shea was known for singing with a supported tone, properly using his diaphragm to push air out. Learn about breath support through this Singing Carrots blog article on breath support: Breath Support.
- Resonance: George Beverly Shea was known for singing with a resonance in his voice. Learn more about resonance using this Singing Carrots blog article: Resonance in singing.
- Voice Types: Learn more about voice types through this Singing Carrots blog article: Voice types.
- Warm-Up exercises: Here are a few exercises that can help you warm up before singing:
- Farinelli Breathing - A video tutorial on how to do Farinelli breathing.
- Humming exercise - A Youtube workout to help improve the quality of both your chest and head voice.
- Learn Proper Posture: Learn about how posture affects your singing through this Singing Carrots blog article: How posture affects your singing.
- Tips For Performing on stage: Learn some tips for performing on stage through this Singing Carrots blog article: Tips for performing on stage.
- Vibrato: Learn how to sing with vibrato through this Singing Carrots blog article: Singing with Vibrato.
With consistent practice, you too can learn how to sing like the legendary George Beverly Shea. And with Singing Carrots tools and resources, you have all the tools you need to start your journey to becoming a great gospel singer!