Singing Guide: Reg Dixon
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Reg Dixon was an English comedian, actor, and singer known for his distinctive vocal style and lighthearted delivery. His signature songs "My Old Dutch" and "The Biggest Aspidistra in the World" have endured to become British music hall classics.
If you want to learn to sing like Reg Dixon, focus on developing a clear, conversational vocal style and mastering the nuances of comedic timing.
To get started, you should work on analyzing your own voice and determining your vocal type using Singing Carrots' "Voice types" resource. This will allow you to understand your natural vocal range and develop a sense of pitch that you can build on with Singing Carrots' "Pitch accuracy test" and "Pitch Training - Educational Singing Game" tools.
Once you have a good sense of your own voice, it's time to dive into Reg Dixon's specific vocal technique. In his songs, Dixon often used a light, conversational vocal tone and relied on subtle shifts in inflection to convey comedic timing and emotion. To emulate his style, experiment with using your voice in a similar way and using Singing Carrots' "Breathing basics" and "Breath support" articles to optimize your breath control. Pay special attention to using Singing Carrots' "Open mouth & throat" techniques to achieve a clear, resonant tone.
To master Reg Dixon's comedic timing, study his performances and analyze the way he uses his vocal inflection to deliver jokes and create a sense of humor. You can use Singing Carrots' "How to learn a song effectively" article to help you memorize the humorous lyrics and focus on delivering them with the proper timing.
If you want to dive even further into Reg Dixon's unique style, Singing Carrots provides a number of additional resources: check out "Contemporary vocal techniques: Heavy modal, Twang, Belting" and "Resonance in singing" to explore some additional vocal techniques to add depth and nuance to your performances. For further insights into comedic timing and performance tips more generally, explore Singing Carrots' "Singing with intuition, skills, emotion, and thinking," "How to overcome stage fright," and "Tips for performing on stage" articles.
With a bit of practice and the resources available at Singing Carrots, you can develop a clearer, more expressive voice and master the nuances of comedic timing that made Reg Dixon such a beloved performer.