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Steve Perry (Journey) How the hell does he sing like that?

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Bob: This singer muscles up some, but interestingly his voice does not sound so much like it, as Matt mentions. However, to watch him, you can certainly see the extrinsic muscle actions, including the neck tension accumulation for the longer, higher notes.

IMO, the tension you see is the body's response to the overprovision of the air, most evident at onset. He breathes high (shoulders go up on each inhale) and the shoulders descend with strength as he starts the note. No phrases are long, so he can sing on the 'top half' of the breath.

Worthy of note: one thing that is not happening: visible tongue tension. To look at his tongue and mouth positioning, you don't see rigidity. I think this is a big part of why his voice still sounds pretty good, even with the technique he is using. Tension at the root of the tongue thickens it, and that narrows the pharynx to make the voice throaty. But, even with all the other tension going on, he does not do that.

Interesting vid post!

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thanks steve...so you'd say this was an acceptable methodology of singing this song but it requires strong cord closing strength to succeed?

can you elaborate more?

in comparison to perry's methodology/technique?

this stuff confuses the hell out of me...so is perry's phonation just anotrher means to an end? can we say one is preferable to another?

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thanks steve...so you'd say this was an acceptable methodology of singing this song but it requires strong cord closing strength to succeed?

can you elaborate more?

in comparison to perry's methodology/technique?

this stuff confuses the hell out of me...so is perry's phonation just another means to an end? can we say one is preferable to another?

Bob: Comparing the two recordings, the Perry one is more lightly sung, with good balance of breath energy and laryngeal muscle action. You don't hear effort, and neither do you see it. Personally, I think Perry's technique used in the posted vid is of the sort that is sustainable and effective through a song, a set, a concert, a tour and a career.

Almost all young voices have the 'cord closing strength' required to sing the other way, (and the high exhalation force that goes with it) but very few can manage to limit the tension effects as this singer has done. Jaw rigidity and 'tongue-lock' very often happen as well. I speak from personal experience, here.

As to which is preferable, are we discussing this from the audience's point-of-view, as it relates to effectiveness of performance of the this one song? Or, are we putting this in the context of the range of expressiveness that the singer may wish to bring, as it influences the artistry brought to the stage in consistent performances?

Both of those answers are part of the aesthetic context of any consideration of 'preferable'. Its not a question that can be answered without discussing the value system in which one is evaluating the choices.

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Bob: Comparing the two recordings, the Perry one is more lightly sung, with good balance of breath energy and laryngeal muscle action. You don't hear effort, and neither do you see it. Personally, I think Perry's technique used in the posted vid is of the sort that is sustainable and effective through a song, a set, a concert, a tour and a career.

Almost all young voices have the 'cord closing strength' required to sing the other way, (and the high exhalation force that goes with it) but very few can manage to limit the tension effects as this singer has done. Jaw rigidity and 'tongue-lock' very often happen as well. I speak from personal experience, here.

As to which is preferable, are we discussing this from the audience's point-of-view, as it relates to effectiveness of performance of the this one song? Or, are we putting this in the context of the range of expressiveness that the singer may wish to bring, as it influences the artistry brought to the stage in consistent performances?

Both of those answers are part of the aesthetic context of any consideration of 'preferable'. Its not a question that can be answered without discussing the value system in which one is evaluating the choices.

steve, first thanks so much for your reply. this is without a doubt the most confusing issue with regards to vocal technique and study for me personally. this is the exact topic i would love to understand more about.

i'm capable, (and maybe that's my problem) of singing that song either way...albeit with more effort to sing the first way. i just assumed the first way was the way everyone wants to get away from singing....that the goal should be to move away from effort singing and more towards perry's side of things.....man, you learn something every day i guess.

i don't see those two styles coexisting in the same song....they are mutually exclusive methodologies...would you agree?

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I just now saw that, jonpall. Well done. Seriously, you have such a flexible voice, I imagine you could sound close to Steve Perry, if it suited you.

And hey, Bob, you can have some of my points. I bought them in bulk at Walmart and I don't mind sharing the discount.

Times I have suggested a point for someone is when they said something that just clicked so well with me, I thought it deserved attention. My 20 points doesn't make me an expert. It just means that some people have liked something I said and they thought it helped. Which doesn't mean that your posts don't help as much. It's usually a matter of doing it when you think about it. Unless your posts are so inspiring that people immediately run off to do it and totally space on giving you a rep point for it. Now, as for Steven having such a high count, well, that is reality. He really is that good. But then, I'm just stating the obvious.

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In the video before the live Journey of "Lovin, Touchin, Squeezing" it seemed to me the guy was constricting to much on the higher notes. Until the end, when he went higher. Then he was relaxed and the sound was free and easy. So, yeah, I think he was muscling some, and "squeezin" those notes a little too much. The lighter phonation in the higher end was something he could have used on those in between notes without them sounding weak. But no doubt he was doing that because he thought "well, Steve must be singing in chest, even that high, because the note sounded powerful. Therefore, I must do it, also."

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this is without a doubt the most confusing issue with regards to vocal technique and study for me personally. this is the exact topic i would love to understand more about.

i'm capable, (and maybe that's my problem) of singing that song either way...albeit with more effort to sing the first way. i just assumed the first way was the way everyone wants to get away from singing

I dont get what you mean. He's not really muscling? As steve explained, he doesnt really have all that much breath control and excitedly takes too big gulps, and he could naturally get better at that, but apart from that, his actual vocal chords arent using that much effort? Is it possible you think he is working harder than he actually is?

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I dont get what you mean. He's not really muscling? As steve explained, he doesnt really have all that much breath control and excitedly takes too big gulps, and he could naturally get better at that, but apart from that, his actual vocal chords arent using that much effort? Is it possible you think he is working harder than he actually is?

i'm not sure matt...

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well, from what I can see, and from what Steve elaborated on, it seems he could get better at managing his breath, he could get better at not whacking his shoulders up each time he takes a lungful etc etc, but his actual vocal chords are working relatively stress-free and he was going up into head voice quite well - he was just adding unnecessary extra work for himself with all the shoulder lifting and stuff

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well, from what I can see, and from what Steve elaborated on, it seems he could get better at managing his breath, he could get better at not whacking his shoulders up each time he takes a lungful etc etc, but his actual vocal chords are working relatively stress-free and he was going up into head voice quite well - he was just adding unnecessary extra work for himself with all the shoulder lifting and stuff

the guy is a good singer. he and i are karaoke buddies, but i guess i'm trying to learn perry's way, which seems a hell of a lot easier, easier in terms of expended effort for the resonant sound of perry which is so non-me. i can sing it his way but it's so much harder that way. i'd love to be able to pull his songs off his (perry's) way.

is it just me, or don't you folks see the blatant differences in phonation?

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Shit. I've never really listened to Journey until very recently and I thought that Perry stayed below E5, but check out his RANGE here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT8i3Ur021k !

boy oh boy!! gotta get you younger guys up to speed...lol! the master at vowel mods.

here's lou's... note: the guy who posted it has them all listed nice!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBDMu5927kY

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I went to see a friend's band over the weekend, and they did three Foreigner songs in a row. They closed that block of songs with "Urgent", which featured the singer taking on vocals, AND switching between keys and saxophone.

The crowd went nuts. It was rather impressive.

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I went to see a friend's band over the weekend, and they did three Foreigner songs in a row. They closed that block of songs with "Urgent", which featured the singer taking on vocals, AND switching between keys and saxophone.

The crowd went nuts. It was rather impressive.

i'll bet cha that guy was working that night...lol!!!

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  • 1 year later...

Videohere, your friend sings well and I don't think he's "muscling". I think his biggest issue (and it's an easy fix) is that he's not really covering appropriately on the high notes.

For example, when Perry sings the phrase "every every day" he's singing it more like "ev-uh-r-ih ev-uh-r-ih d-eh-ih" in order to make the voice sound consistent and because the darker vowels shape the vocal tract in a manner that makes it sound more connected, less forced, and is just plain easier to sing. Your friend is singing it more like "evereee everee dayeee" and those forward placed ee vowels jam up the vocal track and make it sound like he's working the vocal folds too hard, even though he's probably not.

If he fixes those issues, it will really smooth out what is already a kickass cover. No it won't sound just like Perry's version , but it will be freakin awesome in it's own right. Perry's vocal technique is top notch and it's very worthwhile to emulate. But regardless of how much we emulate, nobody's voice will ever sound exactly like Steve Perry's except Steve Perry's. That's good, though, because music would get pretty boring if everyone sounded exactly like Steve Perry. Although I suppose it would be far preferable to everyone sounding like Kevin Cronin.

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  • Administrator

I think Steve Perry has a unique vocal tract that gives him that unique sound... but beyond that... Steve Perry is a perfect example of what we would call a "light mass" singer in TVS. In fact I refer to him quite a lot in my teachings to make the point or to help students with their auditory imagery of "light mass".

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I think Steve Perry has a unique vocal tract that gives him that unique sound... but beyond that... Steve Perry is a perfect example of what we would call a "light mass" singer in TVS. In fact I refer to him quite a lot in my teachings to make the point or to help students with their auditory imagery of "light mass".

So, one can sing with the same technique as Perry, i.e., with light mass, balance of air and compression, resonance, even som laryngeal dampening. And we won't sound just like Perry because of our different structures defined by genetics. Even in the same singing range. That is, just because two people might be light tenors, doesn't mean they sound the same or can sing the same songs the same way. Because I can think of someone who sings light mass, especially in his upper end, balances air and adduction, resonates in good places, essentially, doing all the right "singer" things. Steven Tyler. His particular sound is also from a genetic anomaly. Unless you can train someone to have two glottal chinks. Then, someone could replicate his sound.

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Ronws, I think it's a blessing that no two people sound exactly the same way. Don't you agree? That way, you can perhaps remind some people of some singer, but still have your very own sound to actually be proud of and develop. Pretty cool in my book. Cheers! :)

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Ronws, I think it's a blessing that no two people sound exactly the same way. Don't you agree? That way, you can perhaps remind some people of some singer, but still have your very own sound to actually be proud of and develop. Pretty cool in my book. Cheers! :)

Amen, to that.

And yes, it is possible to sound like some other singer through no special technique because just as genetics can be different, they can also be similar.

Snax sounds a lot like Rob Halford. I used to rib him about actually being Halford and commandeering the likeness and image of Mike from Canada just to hide his true identity.

Of the people here, I would say, to my ears, Ronron comes closest to Steven Tyler because he seems to have that built-in rasp.

Bob did a song where he sounded just like Sam Cooke.

Randy Loran, one of Robert's students and a TVS instructor sounds eerily like Geoff Tate.

You, jonpall, have this amazing, mutable voice. I have heard you sound like Steve Perry, I have heard you sound like Axl Rose. You are a unique and talented.

But even if we didn't sound like these already famous singers, so what? We each have a unique voice that is valid and worthy of being heard.

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  • 4 years later...
  • Administrator
6 minutes ago, John Couillard said:

This is my interpretation of a Steve Perry Performance - I have been working on it for a few weeks with some improvements.

 

Hi John, great to have you in our community.

If you are looking for some feedback on your singing, please post your video here:

http://www.themodernvocalistworld.com/forum/14-review-my-singing/

To have your singing reviewed, its $10. It takes time to listen and do a really nice review for you... hope to help you out.

... and yes, singing Steve Perry songs can be very difficult and is quite the challenge for singers.

 

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