Up and running!

Very good question. (And, yes, listening to Adam perform will do that to you. Like your first taste of a world-class chocolate ruins you forever for a Hershey's bar). The simple answer to "Is it breath control or articulation" is "yes."

Often, a singer runs out of breath before he/she completes the musical phrase or word, and has to cut it off. No more air to make the sound. But, articulating words, especially consonants, clearly while singing is difficult. To sing thru a phrase you must have a constant flow of air and musical tone. But, to articulate certain consonants like B, P, D, T, K and G you have to very momentarily stop the air flow. To articulate other consonants like S, TH, SH and F you have to continue the air flow but momentarily shut off the vocal cords. Also, the pure musical note has much more power and resonance than the articulated consonants, so they can get lost. It takes a lot of training and practice to consistently sing words clearly, and Adam is at the top of the pack in this regard. Oh, how he spoils us! Don't you love it?

Saw your question in the daily thread first, so answered it there. I am bringing it over here as well. Thanks for asking.

The woman has impressive credentials -- much more impressive than mine. But, I have to disagree with her, in a way. Well, in many ways, but for now, just about pitch. IMO, James does not have a pitch problem but a control problem. Meaning, I don't think it is a matter of him not hearing a bad pitch. If that were the case, he would be consistently off, and he would not correct himself quickly. No, he doesn't have exact control of his voice and his breath support. So, he doesn't always hit the pitch square on.

Think of shooting a gun at a target. Shooting a gun is incredibly easy. Just hold it up, pull the trigger, and blam. But, hitting the bulls eye of a distant target, and even better, hitting the MIDDLE of that bulls eye takes hours, years of practice. Total familiarity with the gun, and the impact of various environmental conditions. Perfect eye/hand coordination. And the proper breathing so as not to cause the slightest movement of the gun in your hand. (At least I think that's true. I am not into target shooting, or shooting at all.)

Singing is easy. Just open your mouth, activate your vocal cords and your breath, and blam. But singing consistently on pitch, squarely on pitch, up and down your range, at different loudness levels, at different speeds..... that takes drill and practice for years. Not just singing songs for fun, but doing vocal exercises, singing scales, singing intervals (jumping from one note to another). Just as you practice hitting the center of the target when you shoot, you have to practice hitting the center of each note as you sing.

Then, you also have to practice your breathing. Breathe a little too hard when you are shooting for a note, and it will go sharp. Don't have enough breath, and you will go flat. Don't have good muscle control and your pitch will vary as you hold a note for a long time.

What I hear when James sings is an inconsistency in the pitch. Usually slight, but still unpleasant. Some notes right on, some notes a tad sharp or flat. It occurs more often when he is moving around.... a sure sign of lack of strong breath support.

That's my opinion, and I am sticking to it!

Posted this in the daily thread in response to a request, but thought I would archive it here as well.

What is it about Adam Lambert’s voice that makes it so special? It’s many things, some tangible and some ethereal. The first thing many comment on is his range. Recordings of his voice have him singing as low as a Bb2 or a C3 (the C below middle C) and as high as A5 (close to two octaves above middle C), in full head voice, not falsetto. There are even a couple of brushes with a Bb5. Most singers are happy with a two octave range, and Lambert routinely exceeds that in performance.

But range is nothing without tone or timbre. Lambert has a pure, crystal, ringing tone to his voice throughout his range. His voice abounds with harmonics that enhance the richness of the tone. (Some even think we unconsciously respond to these harmonics resonating in our own bodies. His voice ‘feels’ good.) At will, he can darken or lighten the tone, warm it with vibrato or pierce it with a straight sound. He can seamlessly blend his tone up and down his entire range so that one cannot detect where he shifts from chest, to mixed, to head register. He can make his voice sound light and lilting, floating on the notes, or powerful and dramatic using both his head and chest register way into his upper range. People say that he belts or screams, but that is inaccurate. There is no strain, no push, no sound of effort when he wails a high note. The power comes from his use of the natural full resonance of his body and his excellent breath support in a most relaxed manner.

Another notable thing about Lambert is his ability to sing multiple styles or genres convincingly. Coming from a musical theater background, he can sing in the “legitimate” style of a Broadway star. Because of his years of serious vocal training, he can sing in a convincing operatic style as well. Few classically trained singers can shift their style to sound convincing doing pop, blues or hard rock, but Lambert assails each of these styles like a natural. Gone are the formal tones of opera, and present is the slightly gruff, raw grit of a rock singer. And he can do jazz riffs with the best of them.

Underlying this ability is the physiology he was born with --- the physiology of a great singer. Just like a beautifully crafted cello has a rich, full-bodied, honeyed resonance, so does his body. But, it is his years of training, practice and study that allow him to make the most of his instrument. To know how to shape it, how to support it, how to bend notes, elongate phrases, articulate words, add crescendos and diminuendos, and craft the song into one that touches us emotionally. Just like the cello sounds best when played by a technically accomplished musician who has great interpretation abilities.

That’s what is so remarkable about Adam Lambert’s voice. As to his ability as a performer and entertainer, we’ll save that for another day.

Since I've been up for over 5 hours and it's only 9 am, I've been listening to some of my favorites. I guess I never thought about the fact that my favorite songs and artists are those that I can sing along to. That's true for everyone, but for me it is because I can sing along and sound good (to my ears anyway). Couldn't scream along to Free Bird to save my life. Here's what I came up with for my favorite singers of all time (Adam excluded, and he does not fit the category because I could never sing along and sound good).

Kenny Loggins (when he was with Loggins and Messina) Love Song

youtu.be/bD5U6EClOPs

Anne Murray You Needed Me

youtu.be/ilny-CIVdnQ

James Taylor - Carolina In My Mind

youtu.be/sXmgkvIgc0w

Carole King - Natural Woman (yes, I almost always like the singer/songwriter versions of songs - sorry Aretha)

youtu.be/MOyvYnkdEcc

Warning - sort of twang alert, but the man sold 85 million albums and was the first country crossover artist. Eddy Arnold Make The World Go Away.

youtu.be/nWN8Bv9bMmc

And anyone who does not know who this man is, must be dead. Nat King Cole - Unforgettable.

youtu.be/UCQed1WBpUw

Had to ad this one because I (probably because the voters in the bars were drunk) won several talent night competitions singing it. I don't put her range with the others, but maybe I'm wrong. Linda Ronstadt - When Will I Be Loved.

youtu.be/dKUj3WMfKFE

So, my question to the masterclass experts is "what do they have in common?". Might be nothing. Just the fact that I just love them.