Mavis Staples, best known as the lead singer of the Staple Singers, is an iconic American gospel singer and civil rights activist. Her music legacy reaches far beyond one single genre. Staples' work has consistently carried messages of hope, empowerment, and change, inspiring fans for decades.

In this article, we will discuss how to learn to sing like Mavis Staples, focusing on her throaty, soulful, and gritty tone.

Develop Your Breathing Technique

Breathing is the foundation of your voice. Good breathing leads to a sustainable and consistent tone, which is crucial to sing like Mavis. The Farinelli breathing exercise can help you take control of your breathing. This exercise is an essential warm-up for supporting long and involved phrases.

Warm-up

Singing warm-ups are essential for protecting your voice and ensuring that you can sing at your best. The humming exercises can help you warm up your vocal cords and get your voice ready for singing. The finger bite exercise is another excellent way to warm up before singing. Another great exercise is the 3-minute warm-up, which is perfect to gain control over your voice before singing.

Develop Your Chest Voice

Mavis' singing is characterized by the use of her chest voice. Her singing incorporates chest resonance, and there's a considerable amount of darker timbre in her singing. Singing in your chest voice essentially means that you're singing in your natural speaking voice. One way of developing your chest voice is singing scales. Practice singing scales in your chest voice.

Emulate Soulful Singers

Take inspiration from soulful singers like Mavis Staples, and learn how to bring character and emotion into your voice. Watch her performances, study her unique phrasing, and listen to how she builds tension and release through her singing.

Song Selection

Selecting the right songs is essential to develop your voice and style. Staples' music provides incredible opportunities to explore and experiment with different tones and techniques. To learn how to sing like Mavis, start by exploring some of her popular songs like "I'll Take You There," "Respect Yourself," and "Touch A Hand, Make A Friend."

Practice, Practice, Practice

The key to success is practice. Start practicing regularly, and try to listen to yourself and improve as you go along. Incorporate singing practice sessions into your daily routine. Use our Singing Carrots resources to widen your vocal range and perfect your singing skills.

In conclusion, developing a voice like Mavis Staples takes practice, persistence, and patience. By practicing breathing techniques, warm-ups, and developing chest resonance, you can learn how to sing like Mavis Staples. Additionally, take inspiration from soulful singers and pay attention to how to build tension and release through your singing. Start practicing with Mavis' songs, and with time and effort, you'll be able to develop your distinct voice and style.