Singing Guide: Kate Smith
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Kate Smith was an American singer who is best known for her rendition of "God Bless America". She had a prominent career in radio, television and music, and was known for her powerful, expressive voice. In order to learn to sing like Kate Smith, it is important to focus on developing a rich, full voice with excellent breath control and strong vibrato.
One of Kate Smith's signature vocal techniques was her powerful chest voice, which she used to convey a sense of warmth and depth in her singing. To develop this technique, it is important to work on strengthening the chest voice through vocal exercises and warmups. Singing exercises that focus on expanding your range, such as lip trills and descending octave scales, can help you develop more power and control in your chest voice.
Another key aspect of Kate Smith's vocal style was her use of vibrato. Vibrato is a natural pulsating effect that can give your singing more depth, warmth, and expressiveness. To develop your vibrato, try practicing breathing exercises that focus on controlling your breath. Some examples are the Farinelli breathing exercise or the Sustain Vocal exercise. Once you are comfortable with your breath control, try practicing vocal exercises that focus on producing a steady and consistent vibrato. Singing songs that showcase vibrato is also helpful. Some examples of Kate Smith's songs that feature vibrant vibrato are "The White Cliffs of Dover" and "When You Wish Upon a Star."
It is also important to pay attention to your posture and breathing when singing, as this can greatly affect the quality of your voice. Practicing good posture, such as keeping your shoulders back and your chest lifted, can help you achieve a better breathing technique, which is essential for singing like Kate Smith.
In order to practice and further develop your singing skills, Singing Carrots provides a variety of resources that can help. The vocal range test is a useful tool for determining your own vocal range, which can help you choose songs that best showcase your voice. The pitch accuracy test can help you assess your pitch accuracy, and the Vocal Pitch Monitor can help you visualize and work on your pitch. For those wanting to practice specific vocal techniques, Singing Carrots' Pitch Training is a useful tool with interactive warm-ups, pitch visualizers, and exercises for range and agility.
In conclusion, to learn to sing like Kate Smith, it is important to focus on developing a powerful chest voice, a strong vibrato, and excellent breath control. Practicing good posture, breathing techniques, and using tools such as Singing Carrots' resources can also be beneficial in developing your skills as a singer. Singing some of Kate Smith's most iconic songs such as "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "The White Cliffs of Dover" will help you hear and feel a different aspect of singing that you can incorporate in your singing journey.