Singing Guide: The Four Preps
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
If you're looking to learn more about the vocal style of The Four Preps, look no further! This article will guide you through the unique technique and methods to successfully learn to sing like them.
To begin, The Four Preps are known for their tightly blended harmonies. They use this technique in most of their popular hits such as "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)" and "Big Man".
To achieve a similar sound, it's important to be able to analyze your voice and determine your vocal range. Knowing your vocal range can help you to better match tones with the other members of the group. Singing Carrots' Vocal Range Test is a great resource to accomplish this.
The Four Preps used a lot of falsetto and harmonies in their music, so to emulate their sound, practice the Twang and Vibrato skills described in the Singing Carrots’ videos. The Twang Exercise video is perfect for developing the unique style characteristic of The Four Preps.
Another important aspect of The Four Preps’ style is their use of consonants and clear diction. To work on this skill, you should practice the Articulation techniques described in the Singing Carrots’ video. The Finger Bite exercise is a great way to practice clear articulation.
To sing like The Four Preps, you must also have control over your Breath Support. Singing Carrots’ articles on breathing basics can provide useful information here, specifically the article on breath support.
The song "More Money for You and Me" has a great example of chest voice and voice registers used by The Four Preps to create a pleasant sound. Chest Voice Explained is a helpful video to guide you through learning chest voice, and Voice Break and Mixed Voice tutorials will help you recognize those techniques. The Voice Registers & Vocal Break article highlights each voice register and explains how to practice transitioning between them.
Other important tips for singing like The Four Preps include practicing with the Vocal Pitch Monitor and using the Pitch Training tool to work on your pitch accuracy.
These various resources, exercises, and articles from Singing Carrots will help you to learn and perfect the unique singing style of The Four Preps. Happy singing!