Singing Guide: Harvey Fierstein
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Harvey Fierstein is an Emmy, Tony, and Grammy award-winning actor, playwright, and screenwriter, primarily known for his gravelly voice, which he has described as sounding like "a frog who has swallowed a barbed wire fence." Fierstein's unique voice is a product of his graveling, throaty quality and can be challenging to replicate, but with enough effort and proper techniques, you can start sounding like him.
One of Fierstein's signature techniques is his resonant speaking voice. To build vocal resonance, try humming exercises daily for several minutes, and do some voice training games from Singing Carrots Pitch Training tool. When singing in your normal or chest voice, pay attention to your soft palate area. Don't forget to perform exercises in a comfortable singing zone to avoid any potential damage.
Fierstein also has an excellent sense of breath control. A good method to build that is the Farinelli Breathing Exercise. Practice this breathing method by starting with a hissing sound and holding your breath between exhales. This exercise can help you increase your lung capacity and improve breath control while singing.
One of the most distinct features of Fierstein's voice is his excellent use of twang. To acquire this technique, start that Singing Carrots How to Twang exercise. Twang is challenging to produce, but it can add tremendous excitement and power to your singing voice.
Another unique technique of Fierstein's singing style is using growling or vibrato in his voice to give it a playful quality, which makes his performance more engaging. You might want to check Singing Carrots Vibrato exercises such as Beggars Bounce or Diaphragm Bounce before exploring growling technique.
When it comes to practicing, you can add some Singing Carrots tips (https://singingcarrots.com/blog/how-to-learn-a-song-effectively/) to your routine. Spend enough time learning the lyrics and melody, start singing the tune with a metronome to improve your timing. Pay attention to how you position your mouth and throat while singing. Singing Carrots advice to open up your mouth and throat while singing can significantly help to improve your pitch accuracy and breathing.
Some key songs you can learn to help you develop your vocal technique and sing like Harvey Fierstein are "Time After Time," "I Am What I Am" and "Poor Unfortunate Souls." Singing Carrots vocal range search tool can help you to search for your suitable songs based on your vocal range, genre, and difficulty.
If you're interested in learning more about vocal health, posture, and vocal technique, the Singing Carrots educational article section has a lot of informative articles covering these subjects (https://singingcarrots.com/blog/). Remember to warm up before practicing, focus on your breathing and posture, be patient with vocal practice, and you will gradually start sounding like Harvey Fierstein.