Online singing teachers and their methods Ken Templin

A student recently asked,

“How do I know if I’ve found my voice? I don’t have an instructor… so I don’t know how to find it.”

And here’s my reply:

Thought #1… No one else can "find" your voice/style for you. Only you can do that. So the fact that you haven’t hired a 1-on-1 singing instructor means nothing, in terms of discovering/choosing your voice.

Thought #2… Finding your style is about discovering what you love in singing… both in what *you* do, when you sing… and also what you love about other singers, when they sing.

Thought #3… It takes time. To branch out, and find new influences… and sort through what you like, and what you don’t like… and to figure out how to “re-interpret” those influences, in your own style, and integrate them with your other influences. And realistically, your style… and so “your voice”... will be constantly evolving.

Thought #4… Here’s a practical suggestion: try writing and singing your own music. That way there’s no one to copy… and so you’re forced to see how YOU would sing a song. This will go a long ways towards helping you discover, choose, and refine your style. Even if the song you write is simple… and even if it’s not something you totally love. Do it anyway! It’ll be really helpful for you, in your journey to find your voice.

To your singing,
-Ken Tamplin

Have singers become less skilled since the 70's & 80's?

 Since I did not practice for the last few days, because I am starting to question why would I choose this or that pop song, I dont feel anything when I sing them, because the lyrics did not inspire me any sympathetic vibes... thats why opera last a bit longer, because its usually dealing with more stable issues more common basic issues, like jealousy etc.

but still I am reading all kinds of online singing teachers and their specialities, here is an email from one of the teachers, Ken Templin, he gave a short history of modern/pop singers since 40s, its nice to have a simple clear historic acct of who whos when, and it really made me laugh, when it came to the 90s

"Alright. Now let's look at the venerated rock vocalists of the 90's. But first, some context: the 90's were musically defined by grunge; i.e., “I hate my parents, I hate society, I hate the institution, life sucks, I want to die young, you owe me something”... and “I could never play like those guys in the 70’s and 80’s so I won't even try.” I know it sounds like I’m being silly in describing the 90’s undertones… but I’m actually being serious.

So, who were the guys hailed as the greats of the 90’s?

Kurt Cobain. (little range. emotion, yes)
Eddie Vedder (little range. emotion, yes)
Scott Weiland (little range, emotion, yes)
Christ Cornell (one of the few that had it all)
Anthony Kiedis (little range, good story teller)
Layne Staley (approaching what Cornell had)

I will listen to a sample from each of the people on the list.

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More:

Hey Shuengit,

A student recently emailed me and asked:

“Ken, why did we have a lot of vocalists in 70’s and 80’s who hit those high notes… and only a few modern singers can do it now? I’ve spoken with many modern vocalists — boys and girls — and it’s a problem for most them to sing something like Motley Crue, Deep Purple, and so on… in the original key. Even for girls. What happened to singers? Do they not train that ability to sing high… or what?”

Great question. And before I answer it… let’s back up a little before the 70’s and 80’s.

(Also note: I’m only going to focus on male vocalists in my response)

Okay, so in the 1940's… the "popular male vocalists" (and most popular to imitate) were:

Frank Sinatra
Louis Armstrong
Nat King Cole
Bing Crosby

… and several others like them. None of those singers focused on "high notes.” They focused on the style of the day — which was: warm textures, tone, pitch, theatrical styles, etc.

And then when the 50's came around, doo wop and early Rock & Roll were starting to take over… with songs like "In The Still Of The Night”; it was the unfolding of early rock, with artists like…

Elvis Presley
Bill Haley
Ricky Nelson
(More) Sinatra
The Coasters
Paul Anka

… and the likes. Still no real vocal calisthenics for high notes (except in the opera world with Caruso, Jussi Boreland, Pavarotti, Placido Domingo etc.).

But by the end of the 1950's, we started to see the Sam Cooke's of the world emerging (Sam was born in 1931, which means he was 20 in 1951). Though Sam’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” — with his epic high C opening — didn’t come out until ‘64… he had been on the scene since the late 50’s, setting a new precedent for singing styles (he was Steve Perry’s biggest influence).

So, moving on… in the 1960’s, the most popular and influential singers were…

Sam Cooke
Ray Charles
Bob Dylan
Donovan
Paul Mc Cartney
Van Morrison
Ben E. King
And Williams
David Bowie
Jim Morrison
Michael Jackson (the early years)
And many others

If you’re familiar with these artists… you know that they were a big shift in style, range, etc. from earlier singers. And then, by the time the 1970's rolled around… in the Rock genre, we had an EXPLOSION of great artists, all influencing each other and pushing each other towards greater artistry and style:

Freddie Mercury
Brad Delp
Robert Plant
Steve Walsh
Jon Anderson
Steve Perry
Ian Gillan
Glenn Hughes
David Coverdale
Lou Gramm
Mickey Thomas
Sammy Hagar
Bon Scott/Brian Johnson
Bruce Dickinson
Tommy Shaw and Dennis D. Young
(And of course I have to mention Stevie Wonder... just because)

Why such a big explosion of talent… and, frankly, vocal greatness?

Well, all the friendly ‘competition’ was pushing artists/bands towards that greatness; the greatness of Freddie Mercury, for example, challenged and inspired all his peers to become great, and unique, and to develop their style and virtuosity. This was happening in singing, guitar playing, keyboard playing, drumming, and everything really.

And then, when we get to the 80's, we saw the next generation of this:

Bryan Adams
Axl Rose
Bon Jovi
Bobby Kimball (aslo 70's)
Klaus Mein (also 70's)
Rob Halford (also 70's)
Sting (also 70's)
Geddy Lee (also 70's)
Miljenko Matijević
Tony Harnell
Billy Squire
Air Supply (sorry had to include them for range :-)) 
Hall and Oates (not rock, but 70' 80's honorable mention)

… and obviously I’m leaving out a ton of great artists, but you get my point; there were a LOT of them. And all of them were pushing each other towards greater musical skill and style.

Alright. Now let's look at the venerated rock vocalists of the 90's. But first, some context: the 90's were musically defined by grunge; i.e., “I hate my parents, I hate society, I hate the institution, life sucks, I want to die young, you owe me something”... and “I could never play like those guys in the 70’s and 80’s so I won't even try.” I know it sounds like I’m being silly in describing the 90’s undertones… but I’m actually being serious.

So, who were the guys hailed as the greats of the 90’s?

Kurt Cobain. (little range. emotion, yes)
Eddie Vedder (little range. emotion, yes)
Scott Weiland (little range, emotion, yes)

Christ Cornell (one of the few that had it all)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuUDRU9-HRk  Chris Cornell - "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Prince Cover) [Live @ SiriusXM] | Lithium

Anthony Kiedis (little range, good story teller)
Layne Staley (approaching what Cornell had)

I could go on… but the point is, we see a sharp decline not just in singing, but in overall musicianship too. I didn't see many (or any) guitarists like Eddie Van Halen come out in the 90’s.

When we combine this decline in musicianship with environmental issues (i.e. people getting sick all the time, compared to 40 years ago) and lack of desire for virtuosity… we get modern rock… and, frankly, much of modern music.

So have singers become less skilled since the 70’s & 80’s?

I’d argue that in general, ‘yes.’

And now you know why :-)

To your singing,
-Ken Tamplin