Singing Guide: Otis Rush
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Otis Rush was a blues guitarist and singer who helped to shape the sound of Chicago Blues. Notably, Rush's vocal style was unique and immediately recognizable. In learning to sing like Otis Rush, it is helpful to understand the key elements of his singing style.
Rush's vocals were often described by critics as intense and emotional, characterized by a distinctive vibrato and a powerful, bluesy wail. His phrasing was often compared to that of a horn player, with a keen sense of timing and an ability to inject expressive nuance into his delivery.
One of the best ways to learn to sing like Otis Rush is to listen and imitate his recordings. Some of his most popular and influential songs include "I Can't Quit You Baby," "Double Trouble," and "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)."
To help develop your vocal skills and emulate Rush's singing style, Singing Carrots offers several resources that may be useful. The vocal range test can help determine your natural range and compare it to those of famous singers. The pitch accuracy test can also assess your pitch accuracy. Both of these tools are important to developing strong vocal control, which is crucial to singing with precision and power.
The vocal pitch monitor can help you see how well you are hitting each note in a song, while the pitch training tool is a great way to develop your abilities in this area. This tool includes interactive vocal warm-ups, pitch visualizer, and exercises for range and agility.
To become more proficient in singing like Otis Rush, it is important to focus on breathing, mouth and throat openness, vocal registers and vocal breaks, breath support, articulation, resonance in singing, posture, and onsets and offsets. Singing Carrots offers practical and insightful articles that cover these aspects of vocal technique. Exercises that focus on voice registers, mixed voice, and voice breaks may also be particularly helpful in emulating Rush's style.
With dedication and practice, anyone can develop vocal skills and deliver passionate, bluesy performances like those of Otis Rush.