Singing Guide: Snowy White

Singing Guide: Snowy White

Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources

Snowy White is one of the most accomplished guitarists in the rock world, a British blues-rock musician best known for his playing style. Born Terence Charles White on March 3, 1948, in Barnstaple, Devon, White started his career in the late 1960s as guitarist for a few bands, including Heavy Heart, before forming the group called The Downtown Flyers. That band backed up Pink Floyd for one tour in 1977, and a year later, he was asked to step in for a departing David Gilmour to play lead guitar on 1977’s "Animals" and the ensuing live dates. White went on to work with a variety of other musicians, including Thin Lizzy, Joe Cocker, and, most famously, Peter Green, with whom he played in The legendary Blues band and splinter group.

Snowy White's unique vocal technique can be broken down into a handful of components. First, he is an expert at bending strings, both up and down, to achieve harmonics. Second, his phrasing is full of repetition, with licks often used in the same position across the neck. Another unique aspect of his playing is the ability to sustain notes until they fade away naturally. His signature track is "Bird Of Paradise," a beautiful, slow ballad in A minor. In this song, Snowy’s unique style comes through with smooth, fluid phrases and bending of certain notes. Other noteworthy songs showcasing his unique style include "Love, Pain and Sorrow" and "Midnight Blues."

If you want to learn to sing like Snowy White, you need to develop an ear for bending notes, particularly up a half-step, which is one of his favorite techniques. Additionally, work on using repetition in your phrasing, both horizontally and vertically across the neck. Focus on sections of his songs where he is able to sustain notes, and practice doing this yourself across different intervals.

To improve your overall singing ability, be sure to take Singing Carrot's vocal range test and pitch accuracy test to determine areas you need to improve on. Check out the educational course for exercises on warming up and developing breath support. In addition, the search for songs by vocal range tool will help you find tracks that suit your singing abilities. Good posture, open mouth, and proper breathing are essential, and Singing Carrot's articles on breathing basics and breath support are great resources to consult.

Finally, to work with a guitarist to recreate Snowy White's signature sound, take advantage of the video tutorials on playing techniques such as Twang, Growling, Vibrato, Articulation, Voice registers, warm-ups, onsets, and chest voice.

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