Singing Guide: Kay Kyser
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Kay Kyser was an American bandleader and radio personality in the 1930s and 1940s. He rose to fame with his "Kollege of Musical Knowledge" radio show. His unique vocal style was characterized by smooth vocals, strong sense of rhythm, and crisp enunciation.
To learn singing like Kay Kyser, you need to develop your sense of rhythm and enunciation, along with a keen ear for melody. Here are some practical tips to achieve his style:
- Breathing: As breathing is the foundation of singing, start with the Farinelli breathing exercise to improve your breath control.
- Vocal Registers: Understand the chest voice and falsetto vocal registers and their transitions, as Kay Kyser was an exemplary of chest voice's capability.
- Range: Take the Vocal Range Test to discover your vocal range and get a sense of where to start.
- Rhythm and Enunciation: Open Mouth and Throat to learn the importance of clear articulation and tonal quality.
- Song Selection: Find songs with lively and upbeat jazz and big-band styles. Be sure to check Singing Carrots' search engine to find songs by your vocal range, difficulty level, and genre preferences.
Singing Carrots also offers a singing course for beginners, featuring 21 lessons that cover musical theory and practical tips essential for improving your singing. To help you achieve Kay Kyser's vocal style, Singing Carrots has provided some reference material, including warm-up exercises, helpful articles, and related educational videos:
- Breathing basics
- How to analyze your voice
- Voice registers & vocal break
- Open mouth & throat
- Kay Kyser's popular songs
To further develop your rhythm and enunciation and emulate Kay Kyser's style, try out these Singing Carrots' skill-building videos:
By following these tips and using Singing Carrots' resources, you can improve your singing and ultimately emulate the unique style of Kay Kyser.