Singing Guide: Johnny Rivers
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Finding Your Voice
The first step in learning to sing like Johnny Rivers is understanding your voice. Taking Singing Carrots‘Vocal range test will help you understand your vocal range. Johnny Rivers sings a lot in the upper register, so if you want to emulate his style, you'll need to work on your falsetto. Additionally, Rivers often employs a throaty, gritty sound that comes from the chest voice. If you're more comfortable in your head voice, focused pitch training, such as Singing Carrots’ Pitch Training will help you develop this chest range.
Emulating Technique
Rivers has a unique style that blends traditional R&B and rock elements. He uses a lot of grace notes and slides to add soulfulness and depth to his performance. However, one notable aspect of Rivers' technique is his vibrato. Proper warm-ups, such as Singing Carrots' Breathe warm-up exercises, and training techniques such as Singing Carrots’ Singing with Vibrato program are critical to replicating Rivers’ technique.
Song Selection
Rivers is famous for his blues and rock 'n' roll songs, many of which showcase his unique vocal style. To emulate his sound, practice singing along with some of his greatest hits like "Memphis Tennessee" and "Midnight Special." You can use Singing Carrots’ Song search to find rivers's and other similar music based on voice range, difficulty, and genre preference.
Additional Resources
If you need a more in-depth understanding of singing and vocal techniques to help you learn to sing like Johnny Rivers, Singing Carrots offers a wide range of helpful articles, such as How to analyze your voice, Voice registers & vocal break which are essential for getting started.
For a more guided training, it is recommended to check out singing course such as Singing Carrots’ Singing For Beginners course program.
Incorporating Singing Carrots’ resources into your practice routine will give you a comprehensive understanding of singing and help you get closer to sounding like Johnny Rivers.