Singing Guide: Pulp

Singing Guide: Pulp

Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources

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Pulp's Vocal Style and Tips to Sound Like Jarvis Cocker

Pulp is a famous British band that rose to popularity in the '90s and early 2000s. If you're looking to learn how to sing like Jarvis Cocker or capture the essence of the band's sound, here are some tips and tricks to get you started.

Vocal Style

Cocker's signature vocal style features a distinctive blend of falsetto and spoken-word narrative. To replicate it, you'll need to master a few key techniques:

  • Enunciation: Cocker is known for his clear, articulate enunciation of lyrics. Try practicing speaking the lyrics of a song, really exaggerating your mouth movements to get a sense of the emphasis and pacing of each word.
  • Emotion: Cocker's vocals are deeply emotive, expressing a range of feelings from anger and frustration to longing and heartbreak. Practice tapping into those emotions and using your voice to convey them.
  • Falsetto: Cocker frequently employs falsetto in his singing, especially during the chorus of many Pulp songs. One way to practice falsetto is to start singing at the top of your vocal range and gradually shifting to a higher pitch until you hit the falsetto register.
  • Vibrato: Cocker uses a lot of vibrato to give his vocals a unique sense of depth and texture. Practice producing vibrato by gently oscillating the pitch of your voice while holding a note.

Famous songs

To really capture the essence of Pulp's sound, you'll want to focus on some of their most famous songs:

  1. Common People
  2. Disco 2000
  3. Babies
  4. Sorted for E's & Wizz

Each of these tracks exemplifies Cocker's unique vocal style and also makes use of some of the techniques discussed above.

Singing Tips

Here are some general singing tips to help you improve your vocals and capture Jarvis Cocker's vibe:

  • Breath control is key in achieving vocal power and stability. Try some of the exercises in our Breathing basics article.
  • Mastering proper posture and breathing technique is essential for vocal success. Check out our article on How posture affects your singing for advice and tips.
  • If you're struggling with pitch accuracy or need to improve your range, try out Singing Carrots' Vocal Range Test and Pitch Accuracy Test.
  • Singing Carrots' Pitch Training features exercises and warm-ups for developing pitch, range, agility, and ear training skills.
  • Singing Carrots' Song search will help you find tracks that match your vocal range, genre preferences, and difficulty level.
  • The educational singing course is a complete package of 21 lessons, covering everything from singing theory to practical tips and exercises.

Conclusion

If you love Jarvis Cocker's vocal style and want to sing like him, remember to focus on enunciation, emotion, falsetto, and vibrato. Practice singing Pulp's most famous tracks to get a good sense of the band's signature sound. Finally, take advantage of the resources and tools available via Singing Carrots to improve your vocal skills and develop your own unique style.

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