How to Sing with Style - bends, trills, riffs and runs

HI Guys! I’m Madeleine Harvey! Thank you so much for checking out this video. Today, we’re going to explore the elements of vocal style such as bends, trills, riffs, and runs. We’re gonna break it down so you can see how it’s put together so that you can get all fancy pants with your vocal stylings at home and in your singing. If you like today’s video, please be sure to give it a thumbs up or click that subscribe button below. I’d love to see you here more often.

Vocal Style is a subtle rhythmic variation of a melodic note or phrase. It brings new life and interest into the phrase by interrupting the normal melodic pattern. It’s kind of like a subtle musical “Surprise!” You can take a normal line “I love you” and make it “I love you” It keeps people interested by keeping them guessing.

Think of the elements of vocal style being a lot like tap dancing. Tap dancing is extremely rhythmic. Some of tap choreography is based in something called a time step. Time steps are basic units of rhythm that have a specific signature to them. For example, the first time step. You can use these time steps as building blocks for choreography. The same is true for vocal style. Maneuvering style does require a little cord knowledge. But we’ll go over that today as well.

Our most basic unit of vocal style is called a note bend. It sounds like this.. 1-2-1
This is a great way to add interest while being conservative. The best way to practice this if you’re just starting with style is by keeping the vowel narrow on a OO sound. This will allow the airflow to be precise and manageable. It does this by working with the inner most edges of the vocals cords and sharing the experience between the diaphragm and the vocal cords. There’s excellent air pressure, balanced with cord tension. Go slow here, we’re looking for that whip like rhythm from the diaphragm. A couple of note bends together is like Halsey’s “without me” (Thinking you could live without me)

To extend the note bend and make it a little more interesting, we simply add what’s called a fall off note. 2 - 3 -2 - 1 (Happy Birthday)
This is the most popular unit of style because it resolves the issue. So it’s a great element to add at the end of a thought or just after you’ve made a point in a melodic line. Don’t rush this, you don’t want to slur the line. What you can do slow, you can eventually speed up.

Now, we move onto the trills. A trill is a triplet that you just fall off of. 3 - 2 - 1
Don’t get too caught up in it, just fall. Remember, units of style are rhythmic. So, remember we’re using that OO vowel to give the sound a manageable, narrow, focused feeling. Keep the energy up as you fall, you don’t want to slur, or drag the energy through the phrase.

To add intrigue, simply add a fall off note to it. 3 - 2 - 1 - 3

Now, we’ve introduced the note bend, the fall off and the trill. Let’s put them all together. This turns the phrase into a complex run. When you add the style steps together, it makes the whole thing exciting because it doesn’t have an element of predictability to it. Remember, you keep people engaged by keeping them guessing.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this lesson as much as I’ve enjoyed making it for you. If you have, please be sure to give it a thumbs up and click that subscribe button below. I’d love to see you here more often.