Best Tips to Sing Gospel
If you have ever heard Andrae Crouch or the great Mahalia Jackson sing gospel songs, you probably marveled at the power and beauty of their voices, as well as the energy and expression of their performance.
If gospel songs can be so powerful, why do they fall flat when the average church choir attempts them? To sing gospel music, you need a different mindset and different techniques than traditional, classical church music.
Way back in the 19th century, the gospel music originated in the American South, from the Negro spirituals. African slaves were mostly illiterate (and in some areas forbidden by law or by their owners to become literate), so they were taught the Christian faith through repetitive call-and-response songs.
A leader sings a line or phrase and the group repeats it back, that is what they call a ‘call-and-response’ song. A refrain or chorus usually exists in a song where it is sung by everyone. The structure is simple, the lyrics repetitive, and the emotion heartfelt.
Check out Charles’ Wesley or Isaac Watt’s classic hymns and compare. Though beautiful, the lyric isn’t repetitive and there are multiple verses. A person who can’t read, can’t sing them! Far too many choirs and congregations deliver them with little to no emotion. In some churches, there is a general belief that too much emotion is inappropriate or unseemly.
“Make a Joyful noise unto the Lord!”, that’s usually the mindset to sing gospel songs. Relax, let go, and have fun! That doesn’t mean you should ignore vocal technique, however. After opera, gospel is the next most difficult and demanding type of music to sing, at least many believe so.
Singing gospel well requires a powerful voice and very strong breath support. These songs has long, emotional and dramatic phrasing. These type of songs tells a story, and in order to convey it truly you need to let it inside and feel it, believe it. Your listeners will be able to tell if you’re not authentic.
If you want to sing gospel, the first step is to work on supporting and controlling your breath. Fontanelli exercise (named after the person who developed it) is a good way to achieve this. Stand with good posture and slowly breathe in through your mouth while mentally counting to four, then exhale slowly to another count of four, trying to expel all of the air you took in. Try to maintain that expansion while exhaling. Watch yourself in a full-length mirror to make sure you fully expand your midsection.
When you can easily do the exercise to a count of four, increase the count to five, then six, and so on. When you work up to seven or eight, add a hold phase. Breathe in for a count of four, hold for a count of four, and exhale to a count of four. Watch to make sure you achieve and maintain good expansion. Gradually increase the count.
The next thing to work on is dynamics. A good exercise for dynamics is called messa di voce (Italian for “placement of the voice”). Take in a good, well-supported breath and sing a comfortable pitch in the middle of your range. While sustaining the pitch, start very softly and gradually get louder, then gradually get softer again.
To work on expression, study the text of your song. One technique is to read it like a poem and aloud, then try to sing it with the same expression used in speaking it. Watch videos of great gospel singers, such as Mahalia Jackson (there are several on YouTube).
When you sing gospel, the words are paramount. These kind of songs teach people who cannot read to understand the text of the songs. Enunciate your words as clearly as you can. Again, watching videos will be helpful.
Above all, have fun! More than anything else, gospel music is JOYFUL. Sing it like you really mean it.
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Category: Advice
Keywords: singing, how to learn, singing lesson, vocal lesson, sing gospel
