Singing Guide: The Smashing Pumpkins
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Welcome to this singing lesson on how to sing like The Smashing Pumpkins! One of the defining features of The Smashing Pumpkins’ sound is the unique voice of lead singer Billy Corgan. Corgan often employs a nasal tone with a high and strained quality, as well as some belting.
To achieve a similar vocal style, start with proper breathing techniques, which you can find in this breathing basics article and this breath support article. Breathing from the diaphragm will give your voice more power and control.
Another important skill for singing like Billy Corgan is finding your mixed voice. Mixed voice allows for smooth transitions between the chest voice and head voice, which can be found in this voice registers & vocal break article. Practice this mixed voice exercise to help find your mixed voice.
To achieve Billy Corgan’s distinctive nasal tone, try the Soft Palate exercise, which explains how to limit nasality. Also, you might find useful Stop Sounding Nasal exercise to help improve your diction.
Belting is another tool in Billy Corgan’s vocal toolbox. Practice this Chest Voice Explained exercise and use it to build strength and control in your chest voice.
To improve your overall singing and vocal technique, check out the educational singing course, which covers singing theory and practical tips. Take the vocal range test to find your current vocal range and work on expanding it with Pitch Training.
Some of the most popular Smashing Pumpkins’ songs that showcase Billy Corgan’s vocal style include "Today", "1979", "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", and "Disarm". Consider learning and practicing these songs with the help of search songs by vocal range tool, and use the lyrics and sheet music provided on Singing Carrots.
We hope that these Singing Carrots resources and tips will help you to sing like Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins. Keep practicing and have fun!