Singing Guide: The Offspring
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
The Offspring: How to Sing Like Dexter Holland
The Offspring is an American punk rock band founded in 1984 in Garden Grove, California. They are known for their catchy melodies, fast-paced riffs, and punk attitudes. Dexter Holland, the lead singer of the band, has a unique vocal style that is characterized by its distinctive tone, aggressive phrasing, and powerful delivery. In this article, we'll explore some of the vocal techniques that Dexter Holland uses to create his signature sound and suggest some practical ways that you can use to sing like him.
Vibrato
One of the notable features of Dexter Holland's singing is his use of vibrato. Vibrato is a technique that involves oscillating the pitch of the voice to create a wavering effect. Holland makes use of vibrato in several of his songs, such as "The Kids Aren't Alright" and "Gone Away," to add emotional intensity to his delivery. To develop your vibrato, you can practice the vocal exercises available on Singing Carrots, such as "Beggars Bounce" and "Diaphragm Bounce."
Breath Support
Another important technique that Holland applies is breath support. As you'd expect, punk rock requires an impressive amount of energy, and Holland is an expert at channeling that energy through his voice without losing power or control. To improve your breath support, you could work through Singing Carrots' "Breath Support" and "Active and Passive Breathing" articles.
Catchy Choruses
One of the iconic features of The Offspring songs are their catchy choruses. Holland often uses melody and harmony to create hooks that stick in your head long after the song is over. To practice singing catchy melodies, you might consider using Singing Carrots' "Song Search" feature to find tracks that feature similarly memorable choruses.
Voice Registers
Finally, mastering punk rock vocals, like Holland's, requires an excellent control of voice registers. Holland often uses mixed voice to effortlessly leap through different vocal registers without losing tonal quality. For developing your voice registers, you can try Singing Carrots' "Voice Registers and Vocal Break" articles, along with the supplemental videos "Chest Voice Explained" and "Singing Comfort Zone."
In conclusion, singing like Dexter Holland requires a great combination of techniques, such as vibrato, breath support, catchy melodies, and control of voice registers. By practicing these techniques, you can achieve The Offspring's iconic punk rock sound and create a unique vocal style all your own. And the best part of all is that you can improve in all these areas by incorporating Singing Carrots' resources into your routine.