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efore I write an article like this, I wasn’t quite on key. Indeed, his
spend a few hours absorbing producers must have also thought the
Bmyself in the artists catalogue, same.
listening for the one thing that makes
them unique, special and attractive. Mic technique.
What makes us WANT to listen to this
singer? Leonard Cohen started out wanting to
cut a country record. But other New
Today while I was drinking my coffee, I York influences took his music in a
found myself being drawn into this low, different direction - thank goodness.
quiet, husky voice wondering what Back when the world was listening to
makes Leonard Cohen so captivating. RESPECT and Love Me Do, here comes
Let’s break down a few vocal concepts. this mysterious, low breathy baritone
that was incredibly unique but also
Speech Singing. risky. As his career developed, it only
got lower and even more
Cohen uses his talking voice to sing on. whispery. He achieved this by being
This is a legitimate vocal technique that super close to his mic and letting the
can be very quickly overlooked by many gain on the mic carry his sound.
coaches. Please note, I am not
speaking of the Speech Level vocal Leonard Cohen is a very important
technique but rather the way he uses figure in the world of contemporary
his voice. I wonder back in the 60’s song. His songs have been covered by
when he made the decision to use his millions of people all over the world.
voice THIS way who else was trying to Many other artists have cut tracks of
sing like this? Lou Reed and Dylan are his and made his songs their own.
obvious
examples of two other baritones who Vocally, he invested his energies into
used their low speech voice to great creating a dark allure while most
effect. others were penetrating the market
with power.
Cohen was a poet first.
And for any misgivings of not being
note perfect, his craft as a poet who put
In his world, the perfectly created lyric
his works to song is world class.
he pursued always came before a
perfectly created vocal line. His voice
instagram.com/vocalpro.com.au
at times is so out of tune that nearly all
of us who record would demand we do http://vocalprocourses.com/
htp//www.facebook.com/vocalpro.com/
it again. Not Cohen. He KNEW there
au
was a mental picture he was drawing in
the mind of the listener that was a
Paul Sykes, Vocal Coach
thousand times more critical to his
success than any single note that
10 www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk
