Learning to Sing Like Billie Holiday

If you are looking to learn how to sing like a jazz superstar with a uniquely distinctive voice, then Billie Holiday is undoubtedly your inspiration. Her voice and style are so recognizable, and in this article, we are going to cover some fundamentals and techniques that will help you get closer to her sound.

Understand Billie's Vocal Style

One of the essential things in learning Billie's style is her unique phrasing. Billie's music is famous for her interpretation of jazz standards and turning them on their ear through her unique variations. Her vocal style is heavily influenced by the blues, so you want to get familiar with its features. You can listen to tracks like "Strange Fruit," "God Bless the Child," and "Good Morning Heartache" to hear Billie's vocal style in action.

The Low Register

One of Billie's signature sounds is her low and throaty voice. To get in the mood, lose your inhibitions and sing into your lower register, resulting in a low and relaxed tone as if you are speaking them rather than singing them.

Use Vibrato

Billie Holiday was famous for adding vibrato to her voice. Vibrato is the rapid change in frequency that can give the voice a distinctive, warm and inviting tone. You can listen to Billie's vocal phrasing in "Lady Sings the Blues" or "What a Little Moonlight Can Do."

Singing Melody in Tune

Billie Holiday had the power to linger in the tune, sharp flat notes and pause to portray the emotions of the song. Take advantage of the Singing Carrots "Vocal Pitch Monitor" and sing along the melody of Billie's songs to detect whether you hit the right pitch. With practice, you may hear an improvement in accuracy, even with songs that are notoriously challenging to cover.

Breathing Techniques

Breathing techniques are essential in helping you to sing like Billie Holiday. You need to take control of your breathing to be on pitch, on time, and to perform a fantastic range of stylistic variations. Pay attention to your breathing during everyday activities such as walking or working out. You can also use the Singing Carrots "Farinelli Breathing" exercise to learn the correct breathing technique.

Practicality

With a vast collection of songs, Billie Holiday has a few evergreens that you can use to train your voice and experiment with your phrasing. Songs like "All of Me," "Don't Explain," and "Gloomy Sunday" showcase her unique vocal style and are excellent for practice.

There is no doubt that learning to sing like Billie Holiday requires time, dedication, and perseverance. Nevertheless, the path to emulating her voice is bound to be a rewarding experience, even if it's just learning how to do vibrato or how to control your breathing techniques. With the resources provided by Singing Carrots, you'll have plenty of tools to help you study and improve your singing voice.