Hey all,

So, I'm an 18 year old, and I have a baritone/bass voice. I'm about to try lead singing for my power trio, but am having trouble with melismas. Is there an actual technique to this, or do you just sort of work and work and work at it until it sounds okay?

I would like the changes to be crisp, but they seem to slide up and down to the next notes, and sounds really amatuerish. Any tips from my new favorite author?

-Allen

You should song map them. If you have a way to slow down each lick you want to perform, you can figure out EXACTLY where each nite should land and develop that certain pattern over and over again at a slower tempo then speed it up. Brandon on here might have some other suggestions too.
JV

I like Coheed and Cambria. And ugh. Claudio uses a lot of melisma. It's so odd to hear that in modern rock. I do exactly what Jaime suggests. But also, I suggest practicing running scales quickly. To a metronome. It'll help you build agility.

Thank you for suggesting me, Jaime. Master Vendera's advice is quite accurate. One thing I reccommend in conjunction with his advice is this. Try using melismatic notes purely on a downscale. Do it slowly, and build your way up. There are times when I use as much melisma as Beyonce or Mariah. (even though I'm not a huge fan) Anyways, notice how even if they're descending, the notes seem to jump back up and down on the way downscale. This actually makes melisma easier. That's why you need to practice downscale slowly first! Melisma causes your larynx to minutely change positions with each note. Also, if you know anything about scales, most melisma resides within the common blues scale. If you don't know anything about scales, ask your guitarrist to help you by hitting each fret slowly, and allowing you to develop memory. I hope I've helped.

That sounds great. Thanks for the fast responses too! They have really helped.

Allen

Are you guys talking about Melisma Cross?

Melisma is the effect that's created by quick, minute changes in larynx position. Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey use a lot of melisma. It's when they take one word and add like 20 different notes while singing the same word. It's most commonly used in Blues and Soul music. Rock singers are now starting to use it more often, but only in about 3 notes at a time. I'm one of the rare rock singers who uses as much melisma as a soul singer.