Singing Guide: Robert E. Preston

Singing Guide: Robert E. Preston

Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources

Are you a beginner or advanced singer?

Robert E. Preston was a distinguished American tenor, performing on operatic stages around the world. A versatile singer, he also collaborated with many leading jazz and pop musicians of his time, contributing to the development of modern musicals. Preston was well-known for his unique ability to blend the genres of classical and popular styles while maintaining distinctive vocal expression, crisp phrasing, and impeccable diction.

One of Preston's most significant contributions to modern singing was his use of vocal twang. Twang is a specific vocal technique that amplifies the high and mid-range frequencies to create a brighter sound, with more focused and defined resonance. This technique is fundamental to contemporary popular genres, such as country, pop, and rock. Twang creates a desirable vocal distortion that adds excitement and emotion to the performance, allowing singers to reach higher notes and pitch accuracy more easily.

To learn singing like Robert E. Preston, start from analyzing your voice. Use Singing Carrots' vocal range test to determine your vocal range and identify which of the registers suits your natural singing voice. With your voice type identified, learn the breathing basics and how to support the breath with Singing Carrots' breath support article.

To get comfortable with vocal registers and your vocal break, Singing Carrots' voice registers article can help build an understanding of the different registers and how to transition smoothly between them.

Once you have familiarized yourself with basic techniques, it's time to introduce twang. Singing Carrots' entitled "Heavy Modal, Twang, Belting" is an informative read. It highlights the importance of twang and helps singers to learn how to integrate this technique into their singing voices.

Preston also had exceptional articulation, and to learn how to achieve that, one may read Singing Carrots' article on Articulation and watch the Finger Bite video. It helps to understand how to loosen up the jaw and tongue to get precision in sound.

Additionally, learning "Chest Voice Explained" helps singers to get control of chest voice, enabling them to achieve the twang sound.

To become proficient in singing like Robert E. Preston, practice singing many songs that use twang. One example would be "Seventy-Six Trombones." It features many high notes that use twang, demanding accuracy and control. Practicing with Singing Carrots' pitch accuracy test and Vocal pitch monitor will help in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your voice and enable you to see the difference in real-time.

As with any singing style, mastering it requires consistent practice. Follow Singing Carrots' educational singing course, which is jam-packed with exercises and practices that help improve singing. Techniques ranging from breathing techniques to vocal warm-ups are available to maintain a healthy voice.

With efficient guidance across a range of singing techniques, online tools and exercises, and a wealth of musical information, Singing Carrots makes it possible for you to learn to sing like Robert E. Preston. Take your time and work systematically, emphasizing on perfecting each technique, and soon you will start to hear an improvement in your sound.

Learn more about this artist vocal range, voice type and repertoire.