Singing Guide: Musiq
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Musiq Soulchild is a popular American R&B and soul singer, known for his unique vocal style and ability to blend different musical genres into his music. His music has a soulful sound with influences of jazz, funk, and hip hop, making him stand out among his contemporaries. If you want to learn how to sing like Musiq, you will need to understand his unique style and incorporate it into your own singing. In this article, we will explore some of Musiq's signature vocal techniques, his popular songs, and Singing Carrots resources to help you learn them.
Learning Musiq’s Unique Vocal Technique
Use of Falsetto
Musiq predominantly uses his falsetto voice while singing, which gives his music a unique soulful feel. His falsetto generally has a breathy tone that makes his vocals sound emotional and relaxed. To incorporate Musiq's falsetto technique into your singing, you can start by practicing singing in a higher range using a soft and breathy tone. You can also practice singing falsettos along with his songs, it will help you identify the nuances of his falsetto.
Portamento
Musiq also uses portamento to connect notes smoothly, giving his voice a distinctive glide. The transition between two notes may feel deliberate giving the singing a relaxed feel. You can learn this technique by practicing gliding between notes and connecting the syllables smoothly. This will develop your sense of control and enhance your vocal technique.
Vibrato
Musiq also uses vibrato to add a captivating effect to his voice, which can enhance the emotional aspect of his music. Vibrato is a slight variation of pitch, adding richness and warmth to a voice. To learn vibrato, practice holding a note and pulsating it gently. You can also try to incorporate vibrato while singing along his songs or take help from Singing Carrots vibrato video resource.
The Most Popular Songs of Musiq
“Just Friends (Sunny)”
“Just Friends (Sunny)” is one of Musiq Soulchild's most popular songs. It features Musiq's trademark voice and showcases his unique style. The song has a catchy and upbeat melody, making it perfect for showcasing your vocal range while having fun. Practicing the song will help you learn Musiq's use of falsetto and vibrato through its different phases.
“Love”
“Love” is another popular song from Musiq Soulchild. It has a beautiful melody with emotional lyrics, and Musiq's voice has a natural flow throughout the song. The song features Musiq's use of portamento and vibrato, which make the song a great choice for practicing these techniques.
Singing Carrots Resources to Learn Musiq’s Techniques
To learn Musiq's techniques and incorporate them into your own singing, Singing Carrots offers several resources that you can use. The Pitch Training educational game has interactive lessons and exercises to improve vibrato and portamento skills. The Vocal range test and pitch accuracy test are useful tools to measure your vocal range and improve pitch accuracy. The search song feature can help you find songs that match your vocal range and style preferences.
The heavy modal, Twang and Belting exercises are prerequisites to learning common contemporary singing techniques, which are explained in the Singing Carrots article “Contemporary vocal techniques: Heavy modal, Twang, Belting”. The video resources available can improve singing on buzzing/humming, sustain exercises, vibrato exercises, breath techniques, posture-assisted singing, voice registers, etc. In addition, it also provides educational singing courses for beginners.
Final Thoughts
Musiq Soulchild has a unique, soulful singing style that blends different genres and techniques into his music. To learn to sing like Musiq, practice his use of falsetto, vibrato, and portamento, as well as songs that showcase his distinctive vocal style. Singing Carrots resources offer useful exercises and tools that can enhance your skills and help you become a better singer. With consistent practice, you too can master Musiq's techniques and develop your own unique vocal style.