How to Sing Like Sam Smith, Adele, or John Legend

How to Sing Like Sam Smith, Adele, or John Legend with tags how to sing, sing high notes, learn to sing, free vocal lesson, sam smith, john legend, adele, how to sing like sam smith, how to sing like john legend, how to sing like adele, matt ramsey, ramsey voice studio, voice lesson, vocal excercises, mixed voice, how to sing better, free voice lesson, vocal technique, falsetto, head voice, chest voice, belting, singing tutorial, how to hit high notes, vocal coach, singing teacher

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For every unique singer, there is a unique voice in music. I guarantee that you’ve got a beautiful and unique voice just waiting to come out.

And while it can be very tempting to try to imitate your favorite singers (ahem, Adele and Sam Smith wannabes raise your hands), one of the biggest benefits of taking singing lessons is working on your voice as it is.

Without the baggage of imitation, you’ll experience what your true voice sounds like. But, how do you find your unique vocal style?

First, start by looking at the type of music you want to sing. Every genre of music has its own vocal style.

For example, look at rock music.

In general, rock vocals are aggressive. The tone is dirty. And emotion takes center stage.

Compare this to opera where a clean tone and emphasis on the lyric is the norm and you can see just how much your singing style is dictated by the genre you’re singing.

Make a mental list of some of the trademarks of the music genre you like. Take a look at the volume, tone and lyrics of the most prominent singers in that style. Allow their voice to influence your sound.

So let’s say you’ve got a good idea of the kind of music that you’d like to sing. How do we find your unique voice?

The first step in finding your true voice is becoming aware of your voice type. Voice Type is categorized by range (the lowest note to the highest note you can sing) and by gender. Bass is the lowest male voice type. While Tenor is the highest.

Females also have specific vocal categories. Alto is at the low end of female voice types. While Soprano is the highest female voice.

To determine your voice type, ask yourself what your voice does naturally when you sing and speak? Does your voice stay low and resist high notes? Or do you soar on your high notes but lack low notes? These aspects of your voice can be really helpful in determining your voice type and what kind of music to sing.

Voice type is the reason why it would be a poor choice for a tenor to sing Tom Waits. Or for a bass to sing Sam Smith. The range of each of those voices is totally different from the range of the singer.

If you’re not sure what your voice type is, you can make an educated guess. In general, about 99% of males are tenors while 99% of females are sopranos. However, many beginning singers don’t access the full potential of their voice.

If you struggle with hitting high notes or singing with power, don’t worry. Singing lessons can help you fix any of these issues with your voice. But for now, let’s just pretend you’re starting from scratch.

Many parts of singing are genetic. Your vocal folds, the size of your lungs, and the shape of your throat are already spoken for. That’s why you can never successfully imitate another singer. Your body and vocal structure will always be different from someone else’s.

So let’s get to know your voice. Start taking short recordings of yourself singing and speaking. Compare your voice with the sound of other singers and speakers you like. Does your voice sit higher than some of the people you listen to? Or does it sit lower?

Find an artist whose songs fit your genre and whose range is in a comfortable place for you to sing. Now that you’ve found a song that’s in your range, let’s do an exercise to find your unique voice.

One Daily Exercise to Find Your Unique Vocal Style

Here’s an exercise I give all my students. You may want to record yourself doing this exercise so you can make sure you’re doing it correctly.

1. Start by saying the word “Mum” out loud at a comfortable volume

2. There should be no strain or breathiness in your voice

3. Next select a song from a singer whose range is comfortable for you

4. Take a part of the chorus that’s in a comfortable range and rather than singing the words, sing the melody on the word “Mum”. For every word and change in melody, sing the word Mum instead

5. Now, take the same relaxed “uh” feeling that you found on the “Mum” and begin to sing the words. In other words, while you’re singing the words, be thinking “uh”. The idea is that you’re transferring the relaxed and natural “uh” sound to the melody you’re singing

This new melody should feel more relaxed and natural to you. Try recording it and listen carefully to the result. It should sound like you and no one else. If it doesn’t clearly sound like you, repeat this process until you begin to hear your own voice, rather than that of the original singer. This is a process.

It can be frustrating to feel like you’ll never sound like your favorite artist, but be grateful that you have your own voice. There is something unique and beautiful about every voice. You just may not have found it yet. Keep at it and the power of your true voice will emerge.