Kelly Clarkson. What's her technique?

[kalapoka]

Every one knows who Kelly is...or else they must've been sleeping for the last 10 years. She is the first American Idol winner, and a grammy winning singer/songwriter & musician. But the best thing about her are the set of pipes god has given her - IMO, She IS the Best Female Singer of Current Times. Just amaaazing!!! She has awesome range, great power, beautiful and perfect amount of soft rasp, artistic mellow tones...and more.

Any one knows how Kelly approaches singing? I read she took up classical training in high school, but is she using much of that when she sings her own stuff? Is she a speech level singer? Classical? Or is she just born with it?

Just posting some vdos of this powerhouse:

Already Gone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqvKfGCsL5A

Because of You

Sober

Since You've Been Gone

Posted all her LIVE clips here just to show she's amazing in live as well as studio.

[VideoHere]

i always begin by saying "i'm no expert", but i would bet dollars to donuts she has had classical voice training and a lot of it. bel canto i'll bet cha.

[Steven Fraser]

i always begin by saying "i'm no expert", but i would bet dollars to donuts she has had classical voice training and a lot of it. bel canto i'll bet cha.

VIDEOHERE: Aside from the reasonable connection of vowel to consonant in rhythmic sylabification, to my ear, there are no bel canto aspects obvious in her singing.

What I see/hear:

- Her vowel formation is pop, not classical.

- She breathes high, including shoulder breathing,

- The tone quality varies by dynamic and range... soft, low and mid voices are lightly registered, sometimes breathy, and high/loud is more substantial and a different color.

- She does not transition to head voice in her mid range, but uses mix in that region. Her soft/high is a different quality as well.

- Her phrases are not shaped dynamically, they are terraced.

- She has good breath management, but the songs only occasionally need it.

None of these items, on their own, argue against your bet. But, the music she sings, and the way she sings it, do not require the use of any bel canto techniques, save the connection of consonants and vowels in the rhythmic structure. IMO, this is more about her authentic styling of the songs' aesthetics.

[VideoHere]

thanks steve, certainly you know better than i.. i thought i read where she was classically trained to get the power and range she has. i thought i saw a classical mouth formation on one of the vids.

[kalapoka]

In her bio (wiki) it is written that she joined the school choir and then had quite a lot of classical training. She was offered full ride scholarships in some prestigious colleges but she chose to do music instead, noting that its never too late to go back to college.

So Steven, from what you are saying, does this mean that she has some style/technique quite of her own? Do you mean she is relying more on her Instincts?

Apart from that, do you think she is a good singer (in the pop/rock/rnb genre)?

Fahim

[Steven Fraser]

In her bio (wiki) it is written that she joined the school choir and then had quite a lot of classical training. She was offered full ride scholarships in some prestigious colleges but she chose to do music instead, noting that its never too late to go back to college.

So Steven, from what you are saying, does this mean that she has some style/technique quite of her own? Do you mean she is relying more on her Instincts?

Apart from that, do you think she is a good singer (in the pop/rock/rnb genre)?

Fahim

Fahim: I am not surprised to hear that she had classical training when she was younger. What I am saying is that her current way of singing does not obviously use bel canto principles. Stylistically, her songs are not of the type that would work well if sung in a bel canto way. For example, the tone quality she uses in the upper middle and top voices are not what you would hear from a bel canto singer doing those notes in an Italian Art song or bel canto aria.

IMO, she has taken whatever training she had, and adapted the principles to the music she chooses to sing, with the stylistic elements that she chooses to use. There is no way to know if this is instinctive on her part, or just a very good example of an artist finding a niche in pop culture that suits her personality and perspective.

Personally, I like her singing overall. She seems to connect to audiences well.

[gno]

To me she has great control over her voice and a solid connection with her breath - great support. She is so ballsy with some of her belting and overdrive. Her phrasing is really solid and she delivers a great energy. Maybe she doesn't always breath in a bel canto sort of way but she sure can deliver. If she had a lot of voice lessons she probably can't help but use some of the techniques she learned. In that respect her own technique would have been influenced by bell canto.

[kalapoka]

What I am saying is that her current way of singing does not obviously use bel canto principles. Stylistically, her songs are not of the type that would work well if sung in a bel canto way. For example, the tone quality she uses in the upper middle and top voices are not what you would hear from a bel canto singer doing those notes in an Italian Art song or bel canto aria.

Steven, ofcourse. Thanks for explaining. To my ears as well, there are no obviously classical sounds she is creating. But whatever she is doing, i hope she keeps doing it cuz to my ears, its just awesome!

[Steven Fraser]

Steven, ofcourse. Thanks for explaining. To my ears as well, there are no obviously classical sounds she is creating. But whatever she is doing, i hope she keeps doing it cuz to my ears, its just awesome!

Kalapoka: I like it too And she has very effective stage presence.

[VideoHere]

in my reasearch i have found a lot of the powerhouse, wide-range singers have been taught classical principles (i guess) is the best word to use. i didn't mean to imply she vocalizes using it.