I miss 'This' Kelly Clarkson! Options

[katharinekatkat]

Awww, shucks. Thanks, everyone. You're all super sweet.

This is SO true. Anyone who cites "perfect technique" as his or her reason for liking a singer is going to be disappointed. Even musical legends have their technical flaws, and some singers don't have nearly as good technique as fans think. (People would be surprised.)

You alluded to this, but what draws us to singers—what makes them great—goes beyond technique. Artistry, interpretation, emotion, and any number of intangibles matter just as much, if not more. Technique is very useful, but it's only one part of the puzzle. Singing is more than any one individual aspect; that's why I love it!

Can you at least touch on whether or not you think Carrie's using the right technique and how come she never seems to lose her voice or have any vocal problems whatsoever? And why her voice sometimes sounds "stuffy"? I'm very interested.

[lilaznkellfan]

Can you at least touch on whether or not you think Carrie's using the right technique and how come she never seems to lose her voice or have any vocal problems whatsoever? And why her voice sometimes sounds "stuffy"? I'm very interested.

All right. Carrie's got her own set of technical issues, but they're different from Kelly's. Cord closure is not a problem for Carrie, so that's why you don't hear her suffering from raspiness. However, Carrie's tongue tends to fall back in her throat during her high notes, and the "stuffy" quality is a byproduct of another form of tongue tension. Her jaw is also a bit tense at times. (The last issue is pretty common.)

Having good technique certainly protects your voice, but for reasons we don't understand, some singers with horrendous technique never develop vocal fold nodules, while others with identical singing habits do. The relationship between technique and practical vocal trouble is not one-to-one. It is possible that Carrie's vocal issues don't wear out the voice as much as Kelly's, but it's also possible that Kelly has a weaker immune system, gets tired more easily, or any number of genetic or physical differences that aren't directly related to technique. (Maybe Carrie has cords of steel. ) Also, environmental factors, such as nutrition and sleep, matter a ton when your body is your instrument. Allergies, climate... the list goes on.

In general, Carrie seems to understand support well, but she may be having some trouble hooking into her support as of late. In several recent performances*, she's gone noticeably flat on her high notes, even up to 8-10 Hz below the pitch. (The normal human ear can detect the difference between 440 Hz and 441 Hz. [link]) I'm not sure what the cause is, but I hope she gets it sorted out soon.

I definitely applaud both Kelly and Carrie for being troopers and always singing live. Kudos and respect. Singers are human; they're not going to be perfect every time. All you can really do is to constantly evolve and seek to improve.

--

* "Remind Me" and "How Great Thou Art" from this set. Also, every time the sound gets muffled, her tongue is falling back.

P.S. Here's how the high notes in "I Told You So" sound with the tongue out of the way. Notice that the tone is clear and forward. I think Hollie's gotten lessons; her voice sounds great! Nice meaty approach, mainly released, and excellent cord closure. Definite improvement over her older videos (not that those were bad!). By the way, Kelly is generally very good with her tongue position, and that's one reason why her tone is so lovely and hardly ever muddled, even when her sound is breathy or raspy.

[kclarkson1323]

Carrie's performance of ITYS on idol 2 years ago I thought was great. Still a tongue issue here?





Ok sorry this is my last non Kelly post but I really think this topic needs its own thread somewhere.

[lilaznkellfan]

Carrie's performance of ITYS on idol 2 years ago I thought was great. Still a tongue issue here?



Ok sorry this is my last non Kelly post but I really think this topic needs its own thread somewhere.

No worries. ;) The tongue issue in this performance is much better than in her recent performances. I was watching this ITYS performance from 2011:



If you listen to both performances side by side and compare the chorus "told you so" notes directly, Carrie is considerably more muffled in the new performance. You can hear the difference on "say" too.

Her tongue is still falling back a little in the Idol performance: just listen to the vowel @ 3:18 in Carrie's Idol video, and compare it to the vowel @ 1:10 in Hollie's video. If you single out those notes, Carrie's still has a very slight muffled quality, but that's mainly apparent because Hollie's vowel is really clear. Overall, Carrie's having less of a problem with her tongue in the Idol performance, for sure.

It seems that, for Carrie, the tongue issue was less prominent at first, but has become more exaggerated over time. That's why my voice teacher is careful to address even small inefficiencies. Not to nitpick, but because minor habits have a pesky way of compounding over time and spiraling into major issues. The body's interconnected, so when one aspect's off, even if it starts out with only that one, it tends to throw off other aspects of vocal production eventually. There's always that danger when you allow any inefficiencies.

[katharinekatkat]

So I was right.

I was arguing with some people awhile back about Carrie's vocals and how I think they've progressively gotten worse since her idol days. They were saying she's gotten miles better...but I disagree.

I feel like her voice just came out so much more effortlessly and "easy" as compared to now....now it seems like she has to take HUGE breaths to hit mid-range notes...and they sound "stuffy", like we've been saying.

As if the reason for the stuffiness is tongue placement! That's crazy. I would have never thought of that...I thought it was a resonance problem...or a placement of sound issue or something.

[AdamLfan]

Kelly killed TTWL the other night in Conn. I think our questions are answered whether or not she can sing like the old days. The answer is YES!!!

[aifanatic100]

Kelly killed TTWL the other night in Conn. I think our questions are answered whether or not she can sing like the old days. The answer is YES!!!

I am so tempted to check out a video somewhere, but I don't want to spoil everything before I get to see her live

[katharinekatkat]

^She didn't hit any of the high notes like she used to. The "it tears my heart in two" line was sung very differently, more like the recorded version. She still sounds amazing, though.

[kclarkson1323]

Here it is

[katharinekatkat]

This might be a little bit off-topic, but I was wondering if people could listen to my song and maybe comment about the vocals since this did turn into a vocal technique thread.

http://www.box.com/s/c86ae9hoibmg04qiepsi

Thanks guys.

[Clarkson_Is_Life]

I haven't read through this thread in a while (until tonight), and I gotta tell ya, everything in here is so interesting

lilaznkellfan, would it be possible to do a comparison and how Kelly stacks up against all the other "great" vocalist out there today?

Adele, Christina Aguilera, Carrie Underwood & Beyonce?

I know Adele and Christina don't sing properly just from listening to them. But it'd be great to know the details of what they're actually doing wrong. It'll be greatyl appreciated! (my inbox is open, if you don't wanna post it in here in fear of going offtopic )

Also, can we discuss this recent performace of DYWS from last night? I don't think I've ever heard her voice sound so crystalline and powerful.

[kclarkson1323]

Wow! Now that is Kelly at her absolute best, crystal clear and powerful. Not to mention the night after her concert too.