Pop vocal is a collective term that includes a huge variety of genres and styles, mainly song styles from blues and rock and roll to the current Chaotic and TranceCore. Often pop music was called "light" (even in the case of hard-n-heavy), but in our case it is not so. Stevie Wonder's vocals and his music cannot be called easy.
There are significant differences between pop vocals and classical (academic):
- Firstly, pop vocal includes not only the technical techniques of classical and folk vocals, but also specific techniques that are unique to him;
- Secondly, the goals and objectives of a pop vocalist are the search for "his" unique sound, the disclosure of a unique personal vocal, the definition of an original, perhaps even unique, manner of singing for the most effective message. main idea songs to the listener;
- Third, this species vocals require a clear diction that can convey the meaning of the words of the song, as well as the ability to quickly change the rhythm of breathing and "sing out" complex phrases;
The main techniques of pop vocals:
- Split;
- Drive (growling, roaring, hoarse voice, death vocals, etc.);
- Overtone ("throat") singing;
- subtone;
- Glissando ("slide");
- Falsetto;
- Jodl ("Tyrolean singing");
- Strobas;
Each technique has its own characteristics, and to comprehend them, specific exercises are needed that only a professional can give.
Why should training in pop vocals be entrusted to the Krasny Khimik school?
In the legendary School of Rock Music "Red Khimik" vocal training is conducted by professional teachers in specialized rooms equipped with the necessary modern technology.
Many of our graduates, after studying vocal courses, enter secondary and higher musical educational institutions at vocal faculties. We help not only to raise your professional level, but also prepare students for independent concert and studio work.
The cost of training per month is 9,000 rubles: these are 4 lessons of practical vocals and 4 lessons of music theory and solfeggio. Classes are held both individually and in groups. You get one practical lesson as a gift when you pay for the first month.
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Our graduates
soloist of the group "Slot"
Daria Stavrovich (Nuki) was born in the family of a teacher and a doctor on February 1, 1986 (Velsk, Arkhangelsk region). Daria graduated from the school in Arzamas, after which she entered the Nizhny Novgorod Music College. Upon arrival in Moscow, Stavrovich graduated from the Krasny Khimik vocal school, where Arnold Manukyan taught her lessons.
Alina Perova was born on March 15, 1982 in Nizhny Novgorod. Alina connected her entire conscious life with music, considering the stage a kind of drug. Constantly working on herself and her skills, Alina moved to Moscow, where she continued her studies. One of the institutions where Alina took vocal lessons was the Krasny Khimik school. Her teacher was Arnold Manukyan.
Pop vocal lessons with our teachers will open up a lot of new things for you: you will not only develop your voice and learn the pop repertoire, but also learn to separate good vocals from bad, high-quality from low-quality. And you can become a role model yourself. We will teach you how to control your voice and give it different colors and shades, increase your vocal range and, of course, develop your individual voice timbre, which will become more and more interesting for listeners with each vocal lesson.
The nearest concert events are already in December and January in concert halls and clubs in Moscow!
Sign up for classes! You still have time to prepare for the performance!
Breathing in pop vocal lessons
Proper breathing is the foundation on which you can build a building in any architectural style or build a voice for singing in various musical directions: pop vocals, jazz vocals, classical vocals, etc. If you hear a strong voluminous voice from a singer, then this is not so much natural data as good staging breathing. It is these voices that we remember, are able to influence us, and we want to imitate them.
Proper use of the breathing apparatus makes it possible not only to sing long phrases in one breath, but, most importantly, opens up new possibilities for your voice. The use of the abdominal muscles and diaphragm during pop singing relieves stress and pressure (clamping) from the muscles of the throat. Due to this, the throat will never get tired, you will not be able to break your voice and give it the opportunity to develop both up and down equally easily. In vocal lessons, you will learn special exercises to develop the muscles responsible for support when singing. Read more about this on the page Setting the breath.
Voice setting and its development in pop vocal lessons
What is the difference between voice setting for pop vocal and voice setting for other types of singing in our vocal lessons, you can read here. The exercises that develop the voice for pop singing and the exercises that prepare the voice for jazz singing or academic vocals are the same. But in different types of singing, different sound delivery, different methods of sound extraction are used. Without special training in vocal lessons, you will not be able to develop the range of your voice and master various vocal techniques. This means that you will be able to sing only the simplest (often primitive) pop songs, provided that the key of the song is convenient for you, the range of the melody is small and the manner of performance is semi-recitative. High-quality pop vocals mean a strong developed vocalist's voice with great technical freedom of performance.
Often, at the first stage of training in pop vocal, our students, aimed at professional development, practice voice production with our academic vocal teachers. After all, speaking on the theater stage, academic singers have to sing without a microphone, accompanied by a large symphony orchestra. In this mode of singing, your voice will withstand the load only if you trained it correctly in class. Modern pop performers most often cannot be heard at all without a microphone. Because from the very beginning they are accustomed to singing into a microphone without support, without the correct setting of the voice. That is why we recommend that our students sing most of the time without a microphone during pop vocal lessons in order to properly adjust the respiratory and vocal apparatus so that your voice is not afraid of any load and any singing conditions. Read more about this in the article Working with a microphone in pop vocal lessons.
Our experts have developed a special effective method of teaching vocals, which will allow you to achieve very good results for less money! Read more about this on the page “Vocal lessons are cheaper!”
Vocal techniques of singing in pop vocals
The simplest technique in pop singing (as in academic singing) and the most difficult at the same time is cantilena (Italian cantilena, from Latin cantilena - singing), which means the most melodious sound, a smooth smooth transition from one sound to another. This is a basic technique, something that you begin to work out already in the first lessons of pop vocals. Only after you have mastered this technique of singing, you can proceed to learning other techniques of singing. Cantilena is translated as singing. Singing is precisely the possession of a smooth and melodious sound of the voice.
In modern pop music, there are many directions that involve the possession of other various singing techniques:
Rap is a rhythmic recitative against the background of instrumental accompaniment. The part of the soloist - rapper assumes a virtuoso command of the voice within the spoken range. Often the performer's unprofessional approach to recitation leads to the fact that the voice sits down and the throat begins to hurt. We urge you to take this seriously and learn a different manner of recitation, with the help of which the burden is completely removed from the throat. In the pop vocal lesson, our teacher will help you master the techniques of rapping.
R'n'B (R&B) the music uses soft, melodic vocals inspired by African American singing. In comparison with ordinary pop music, it requires a more virtuosic command of the voice, great mobility of the voice.
Soul is one of the genres of jazz music. In modern pop music of a calm, measured character, one can often hear the influence of this jazz style. Soul relies on the blues scale and blues harmonies, hence the vocal performance techniques - slipping intonations, low scale steps, glissando, etc.
Rock, metal– styles such as: death, black, thrash and doom metal, grindcore, deathcore, screamo, emocore, imply the possession of growling and screaming (read on the page Types of singing). With our singing teachers in the pop vocal lesson, you can easily master these vocal techniques.
Do not forget that any vocal techniques should be mastered only after you have mastered the correct setting of a clear voice!
Do I need to develop an ear for pop vocals?
If you have an undeveloped musical ear, you need to develop it regardless of what kind of vocals you are going to do: pop vocals, jazz vocals, folk vocals, academic vocals. It is clear to all of us that if we do not hit the notes, we cannot repeat the melody exactly, then singing will not work.
If you are doing vocals for yourself, want to sing karaoke, then you do not have to take a whole solfeggio course (learning musical literacy). A simple vocal solfeggio will suffice, with the help of which you will develop a stable coordination between hearing and voice.
In the event that you want to professionally engage in pop vocals, you definitely need to master musical literacy and develop an ear for music. Read more about this on the pages Musical literacy and Development of musical ear.
How pop vocal lessons are built
The main stage of teaching pop vocals is the mastery of vocal breathing (see the article Breathing) and the development of the voice (see the article Voice Development). If you want to learn how to sing, then you should not skip this very important stage of learning pop vocals. At the pop vocal lesson, a professional vocal teacher is engaged in staging your breath and voice. So, the first and main part of the pop vocal lesson is devoted to special vocal exercises that build your breath and voice. For more information on breath control and voice training, see Breath Control and Voice Control.
After mastering the fundamental principles of pop singing in our vocal lessons, you begin to learn the repertoire that you would like to sing and which will help you in mastering the technique of pop singing: rock, pop and other pop songs, romances, songs from movies and cartoons. It is this repertoire that you will master in pop vocal lessons. Mastering the pop vocal repertoire takes place with the use of minus phonograms, as well as with live accompaniment.
Working with a microphone in pop vocal lessons
We advise you to start working with a microphone only after a good assimilation of the basic principles of singing: voice and breathing. If you can sing without a microphone with a strong, bright and free voice without getting tired, then with a microphone it will not be difficult for you to sing at all, because it makes it easier to sing. In our pop vocal lessons, you will gain the necessary singing skills with a microphone, as well as the experience of recording your vocals in a professional recording studio. Read more about working with a microphone on the page Working in the studio for recording vocals.
Performances at concerts
The pop repertoire is very popular with the public. Therefore, our students perform at our concerts dedicated to the performance of pop music. Concert performance is an important stage in the training of pop vocals. You will get an indispensable experience of public speaking and test yourself and the result of vocal training.
Pop vocal - pop singing combines many song directions, unites the entire palette of vocal art. Pop vocal, first of all, means singing from the stage, but the concept of pop vocal, as a rule, is associated with light and understandable music. In pop vocals, you can hear both folk motives and elements of jazz, it is also an author's song and elements of rock music. Pop vocals differ from academic vocals in a more open and more natural sound. However, singing skills, correct position and sound support are just as necessary in pop vocals as in academic ones.
jazz vocals
Jazz vocals - first of all, implies an ideal sense of rhythm and harmony, as well as the mobility of the voice and the ability to improvise. In jazz singing, it is necessary to feel the form of the work, to be able to present your understanding of the melodic theme, modifying it, but without leaving the necessary harmony. Just as important is the sensitive partnership of musicians, the ability to improvise on the go.
rock vocals
Rock vocals are usually the singing of a vocalist in a rock band. Rock vocals differ from jazz singing in a more emotional presentation. Rock vocals suggest more semantic load than vocal. However, a rock vocalist needs to have serious vocal training. A rock vocalist must also have courage and complete freedom in an emotional and musical sense.
academic vocals
Academic vocal is an old classical vocal school. Academic singers sing in the opera, in the academic choir, chapel, with a symphony orchestra, as well as in the genre of chamber vocal music. Academic vocals differ from pop, jazz and rock vocals in their strictly classical position. Academic vocals do not involve singing into a microphone. In academic vocals, there are certain frameworks developed by the experience and history of vocal music. These limits, as a rule, do not allow the academic singer to use his voice in other vocal directions. With experience, an academic singer develops a certain vocal position, thanks to which the voice becomes very strong and acquires a large volume. However, in rare cases, academics can perform in other vocal genres if they can facilitate the presentation of the sound.
loss of voice
Loss of voice is a specific painful condition of the vocal cords, in which it is not possible to sing or even speak. This condition can occur for a number of reasons: an infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract, swelling of the vocal folds, knots on the ligaments. Problems with the voice of singers can arise from improper sound extraction, improper breathing. Excessive stress while singing can also lead to loss of voice. There are special restorative techniques and exercises, as well as a phoniatrist can help restore the voice. The singer needs to go through a vocal school in order to protect his vocal apparatus from such troubles.
Voice development
Voice development - development of the singing range, giving more volume to the sound and acquiring new overtones of timbre coloring. Thanks to the author's technique of Natalia Knyazhinskaya, singers have the opportunity not only to develop their voice, but also to learn how to sing in different genres. The voice will become more mobile, the singer will overcome the transitional notes and smooth out the registers. The basis for the development of the voice is, first of all, the correct vocal position and correct breathing. The correct vocal position is true for both academic vocals and jazz singing, pop and rock vocals.
Voice setting
Voice production is the application of vocal technique in practice. First of all, the setting of the voice refers to the setting of the breath. Breathing technique skills are essential for a vocalist. Diaphragm is the abdominal septum that supports rib cage. Correct operation of the diaphragm determines the correct vocal breathing and sound delivery. This is followed by work with the vocal position, resonators. It is important for a vocalist to understand what he needs to do in order for the sound to be full, clear and light. It should be fun to sing.
For best results, it is advisable to attend classes twice a week. Does not work? You can do it once a week, then the terms are stretched. Before an important event, the number of visits to vocal lessons can be increased.
I have no hearing and voice, pop vocals are not for me?
How long does it take for me to learn to sing well?
The answer depends on many factors: what kind of natural data you have, whether you have musical experience, education, how often and what kind of music you listen to, how quickly you “grasp” information, whether you sing at home, in karaoke, etc. It's better to come for a trial lesson. The teacher will analyze the source data and more accurately answer this question.
What will you learn in pop vocal courses?
Hit the notes, the rhythm;
Correct singing breathing;
Remove the clamps and fears;
Learn to sing to the "backing track";
use a microphone;
Stage embodiment of the song image;
Master various vocal techniques (subtone, strobas, vibrato, falsetto, mixed, belting ...);
Find your style of performance;
Explore different styles and genres.
Where are the pop vocal lessons held?
Pop vocal is a direction associated with the performance of works into a microphone with sound amplifying equipment, so the lessons are held in classrooms equipped with all the necessary modern equipment (mixers, speakers, microphones).
How are the pop vocal lessons going?
The studio is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm, so you can attend classes whenever it suits you. We create a schedule based on your wishes. You can either fix certain days and times, or create a “floating” schedule.
Every three months we have reporting concerts. If you wish, you can perform on stage and demonstrate your skills in front of an audience.
Who conducts pop vocal classes?
All teachers of our vocal studio have higher vocal education from the best universities in the country, stage experience and teaching experience working with children and adults with different levels of ability.
Teachers use in their lessons the world's Russian and foreign methods, as well as their own developments.
Teachers constantly improve their skills by attending various seminars and master classes, as well as taking part in competitions of various sizes.
How to start doing pop vocals?
To start learning pop vocals, sign up for a 60-minute trial lesson. You will get to know the teacher, ask various questions, and you will be able to understand how the teacher and his methodology suits you.
The musical art of pop occupies a special place in contemporary culture. Pop music today is not just an art form, but also a sociocultural phenomenon. It attracts admirers with its expressiveness, direct connection with movement and rhythm, brilliance of the stage embodiment, quite simple in comparison with academic singing, the content and emotional structure of the works.
Pop vocals are usually defined by their sound as something between academic (or classical) vocals and folk vocals. The main difference between pop vocals and academic and folk vocals lies in the goals and objectives of the vocalist. The fact is that academic and folk singers always work within the framework of a certain canon or regulated sound, and it is not customary for them to deviate from the norm. The task of the pop singer lies elsewhere - in the search for his original sound, his own characteristic, easily recognizable manner of behavior, as well as his stage image. For the same reason, in pop songs, phrases that are difficult to sing and require a quick change of breath are much more common, while in academic and folk songs, often the lyrics are in more adapts to the music. Thus, the main specificity of pop vocals is the search and formation of their own unique, unique voice of the vocalist.
This process is in many ways similar to how pop instrumentalists are looking for "their sound". Of course, in order to achieve this goal and find your own original style of singing, you need to master a fairly wide range of techniques. So, for example, in pop vocals, in contrast to folk and classical, intelligible diction is important, since words are one of the significant components of any good song.
Also, a feature of pop singing is that in pop songs you can often find difficult-to-sing phrases that require a quick change of breath from the performer.
Pop vocals combine the technique of academic vocals and folk singing, as well as a number of specific techniques that are specific to pop music. Sometimes many who are just beginning to comprehend the basics of singing technique, involuntarily, and sometimes consciously, try to imitate their favorite pop performers, blindly copying their manner of singing. As practice shows, not everyone will benefit from this in the future. Here everything is individual: for some, the birth of a beautiful singing voice will be a happy surprise, and for others - the result of long and painstaking work.
Everyone uses the colloquial style of singing. Folk style of singing is usually called "white sound", "open singing", as opposed to the rounded covered sound of the voice in an academic manner. Covering a sound that a person usually does not own by nature makes it possible for the singer to get a two-octave (or more) range of mixed sound that is leveled (in terms of timbre and sound strength) with a smooth transition from the chest part of the range to the head. Who knows how to cover, he will be able to open. But the one who sings only with an open sound will never be able to cover it.
On the modern stage, mostly singers and singers of a half-covered vocal style sing. With half-covered singing, the position of the lips is close to conversational, but with a raised soft palate. With such singing, the volume of the oropharyngeal cavity increases and a one and a half octave range of voice is achieved, no longer in a pure chest, but in a mixed sound. At the same time, the amplitude of the vibrato of the singer's voice noticeably increases, the voice ceases to be direct; the timbre becomes richer, more colorful and emotional. But in the upper register with a rich sound, a rattling timbre appears, a "lamb" - a signal of the tension of the vocal cords. Covering transitional sounds and the head register in academic voice setting leads to the creation of protective mechanisms of the vocal apparatus. Ignoring a closed sound deprives the upper notes of their beautiful timbre roundness, and can also lead to premature damage to the voice.
Often unwittingly, and sometimes consciously, many imitate their favorite pop performers, blindly copying their manner of singing. Not everyone benefits from this. The birth of a beautiful singing voice for some is a happy surprise, while for others it is a long and painstaking work.
The word vocal comes from the Italian "voche" - voice. But the voice serves only as an instrument, while the art of singing itself is much more complicated than sound science alone. It paints images for us, reflects emotional states. Singing involves not only sound, but also a meaningful word. Vocal is considered as a technological process of artistic singing. Just as any specialist is armed with knowledge and certain techniques, so the singer must master vocal technique, that is, freely control his voice.
According to the definition of the international association, pop vocal (pop singing) as a direction arose with the advent of urban culture. In the Middle Ages, these were motets, cantatas, later - romances. They were distinguished by a simple repeated form (often couplet), the secular content of the texts (not spiritual subjects) and an accessible manner of performance. The main difference between pop music to this day is the simplicity of form and content, the availability of understanding to the masses.
Today, many different musical styles and trends coexist on the stage: pop music, rock music, folk music, rap, hip-hop, R "n" B (R & B), classical jazz, soul and many, many of their varieties and hybrids . Each style has its own manner of performance, its own vocal techniques, its own form and figurative content of the content, however, the same for all breathing and voice setting.
When teaching pop-vocal singing, thorough work is necessary. When working with a variety vocal repertoire, one cannot immediately work on dynamics, dramaturgy, sound, etc. Everything should happen in stages. This approach provides high-quality and speedy results. First you need to learn the melody and vocalize it to any convenient vowel. You can not immediately stick the melody to the words, because you may not achieve the desired result. Along with work on intonation, it is necessary to deal with breathing. It should be remembered that breathing should be taken as often as possible, not to forget about cantilena phrasing. The rule says - breathing changes on each pause. At the very beginning of the song, and also after the loss, you need to take an active breath with your nose. In the remaining cases, an active exhalation with a change of breath is necessary. In the lyrics of a song or in sheet music, it is very convenient to indicate breathing with checkmarks.
At the same time, you can start working with the text. You need to read it several times and determine the difficulties in diction. These passages must be isolated from the entire text and memorized as a tongue twister. The pace of pronunciation can be brought to a fast. This will provide a margin of safety.
After completing the technical work, you can do and creative work. You need to read the entire text as poetry. They will suggest the dramaturgy of the song. This will color the song with lively emotions. After that, you can put everything together. The main thing is that in the end, not a single component is damaged. This stage is usually a little longer than all the previous ones. The song needs to be recorded on a tape recorder and objectively evaluated.
Chapter 1 Conclusions
Chapter 1 is devoted to the issue of defining the concept of musical abilities and their essence.
Musical abilities are understood as a complex of individual psychological abilities of a child, such as a sense of rhythm, modal flair, ear for music.
It is noted that in the process of perceiving music, a person makes noticeable or imperceptible movements that correspond to the rhythm, accents. Musical-rhythmic perception is based not only on motor, but also on emotional components. The content of the music is emotional. Rhythm is considered one of the components means of expression music, helping in the perception of the content of music. Thus, musical-rhythmic perception or, as it is called, the sense of rhythm, along with the modal sense, is the basis of the emotional perception of music.
It is also noted that when teaching pop-vocal singing, thorough work is necessary. When working with a variety vocal repertoire, one cannot immediately work on dynamics, dramaturgy, sound, etc. Everything should happen in stages. This approach provides high-quality and speedy results.
