It’s obvious why you’d want to sing in multiple genres. You’ve come here thinking whether it’s possible. How can you sing a rock song but now you’ve taken a liking to let’s say some country music, I have good news.
You can sing in multiple genres because it’s a matter of using the same voice but in a different manner and it might take a while but as much as learning from scratch. Understanding your new genre technicalities is going to help you a lot as well.
This can be broken down in many ways and I am going to show you exactly how.
Rhythm
Rhythm is the place where most songs differ. Everyone has the same set of notes but the timing of it matters a whole lot more. Don’t get me wrong I am not trying to dismiss the use of harmony and chords related to a particular genre but what I’m saying is rhythm trumps harmony in matters of defining a genre.
You should take this as an opportunity to improve your rhythm chops. Singers are notorious for having a bad sense of time so don’t be like that. Just kidding around but getting better at rhythm is going to be more than helpful.
If you’ve never gone ahead and are thinking about getting better by getting into a different genre then you’re on the right track. You’ve probably stumbled on this article after having an epiphany that you do like songs outside of a different genre. You’re on the right track.
Skill
The skills required to sing in a different genre other than ‘rhythm’ as mentioned above are going to be minimal. You’re all set to go, just start practicing and you should see good results almost immediately if not soon enough.
Though, the party trick isn’t that. The benefit is the surprise you’ll have over your audience is your ability to shift from one genre to another in your own flavor and give them a good time. Whether on a digital or live platform.
Now, that’s a skill. So, working towards getting familiar with a new genre you’ve actually found a way to expand your horizons and not only get better at singing but also at reaching a wider audience than before.
Cover
Though, arguably the best possible way to improve your singing in another genre is going to be by making covers. No better way to expose yourself to another genre than you start to copy the few songs you’ve started to like of a different genre.
This will allow you to feel and hear the subtleties of your chosen genre.
DAW It
If you’re looking to up your skills even further you can think about making a cover in a DAW. Though I will tell you this, it will require a certain amount of technical know-how to get around the DAW to pull it off successfully.
You’d also need a really decent ear to make a cover sound good. If you’re wondering how you’re going to do other parts you can always take help from a drummer friend to figure it out and make it your own.
This will really improve your DAW skills as you Google and YouTube how to do something particular.
Special Exceptions
If you want to learn to yodel or scream or growl for a metal genre then I would safely say that it’s an exception and that you should not think your practice is going to hold up.
The reason is simple, the technique is so vastly different that even though it’s still singing it’s not going to come out effortlessly on the first try. This is something you’d have to practice to get good at. It’s possible, just exercise caution in the execution of your technique.
Relative Skills
So, get to the part where you enjoy your already existing skills to be used in a different setting. This is going to be super fun. Why? Because the majority of the hard work is already done! You’ve mastered your basics and now you’re just picking up a new accent rather than a whole new language.
This mindset is really important because you don’t want to have a mental barrier that is going to hold you back from progressing or wrong knowledge that will lead you somewhere unpleasant or worse, wasted time.
I hope you’ve understood what I am trying to say and that you take it with a grain of salt. It’s just true and I can help you with what you want while shedding some light on how it actually works.
Change Your Playlist
If you’re still looking for a song to cover or haven’t fully delved into a new genre. Change your playlist. You should be exposing yourself to new music actively if possible but you can start with one song at a time.
You can use Spotify or YouTube playlists which are going to help you find new songs. This is probably the most effortless and effective practice musicians can have. We can discover gold while just listening to new songs.
So go ahead and listen to everything you want to. My personal recommendation would be some new instrumental bands like Polyphia and some western classical hits from Bach. Even though they may not have singing in them, it’s still good music.
Need to Improve Your Singing?
If you’re wondering or in a need of improving your singing better than what it is right now.
Here is an article on why online courses are the way to go and why I believe in them so much. But of course, it’s wrong to just let you be without telling which courses are actually worth buying, for that I have a dedicated page and you can check it out here.
There is also a course on singing metal and rock genres! If you’re looking to improve your voice in that direction!
Composing
New songs have a way of giving your brain new ideas to work with. It happens and I have realized that I wrote my melodies like two bands I listened to. Recently I have been listening to Tilian, Dance Gavin Dance, and The Home Team. Guess what? I always wanted to write guitar parts like these guys and I already have started.
Personally, it was rocky at first. Made my guitar parts over my singing so dominant that they started to take away the focus from the vocals but then I started to dial it in. Started recording my voice in my DAW and then boom.
I now have a few songs with guitar parts (though not as good) as the bands I have started listening to. The new rock bands are really killing it these days and you can hear a different and distinct kind of sound and part writing on their behalf that was not there in the 90s or prior.
Also, just a personal touch but I have been liking instrumental music from bands like Polyphia and artists like Rabea Massad.