Description:
Remember, a pulse sounds like this, and a bend sounds like this. They might sound similar at first, but a pulse is dipping below the main pitch, while a bend is pulling up above the main pitch.
Both of these effects are good to learn in isolation, because they’re often used on their own to stylize in a very subtle way. They’re also used in combination with other riff patterns, as we’ll practice in the next lesson.
Let’s start with the pulse! Perhaps you can do it almost instinctively. But if not, you can think of it as the first pitch, sliding down one step, and then back up. If you’d like, pause the video and give that a few tries. The important thing is: it’s not this. That lower pitch is barely touched. All your emphasis is on the higher pitch, or the first and last pitch you sing.
Let’s practice this with an exercise where we pulse a few times slowly, then once quickly.
Exercise: Pulse x3 slow, x1 fast
Now for a bend! Most of the time, we’re bending up one half step or semitone. Slow it down, and it sounds like this. If you’d like, pause the video to try it slowly.
Just like the pulse, the emphasis is on the first note you sing, or the main pitch. If you overemphasize the second pitch - the higher one in this case - the effect doesn’t sound the same.
Our exercise will give you a chance to sing the pattern slowly, then quickly.
Exercise: Bend 1x slow, 1x fast
The easiest spots to add a pulse or bend will be on sustained notes, since we have a second or two! We’ll look for those spots in the second verse. Remember that these are just options - I’m not suggesting you add a pulse or bend on each sustained pitch. Rather, you can try them out for practice, and then if you like the sound, you can choose to keep one or two in your own performance. Any stylistic effect that’s overdone quickly loses its charm.
For each sustain we find, we’ll practice both a pulse and a bend!
Song work: Practice pulse & bend on each sustain, highlighted
Eb7 Ab Eb Fm C7 Fm Bb7 Eb
"Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,"
Ab Eb Db Ab Eb Ab
"O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?"
Eb7 Ab Eb Fm C7 Fm Bb7 Eb
"Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,"
Ab Eb Db Ab Eb Ab
"O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?"
Now try it on your own! It’s up to you whether you pulse each time, bend each time, or mix it up.
Audio:
Lessons:
Instructor: Camille van Niekerk
Camille van Niekerk is a singer, writer and vocal instructor in Southern California. Camille began studying voice and performing in musicals at age seven. In 2010, Camille began working towards her BA in Music Education at Azusa Pacific University. She then earned her teaching credential from San Diego State University and taught classroom choral and instrumental music. Shortly after moving to LA county, Camille began her private vocal studio, providing vocal coaching, ear training, and recording for students of all ages. She is constantly refining her skills and methods for greater versatility and effectiveness. When she is not teaching, Camille enjoys singing with the L.A. Choral Lab and Ensoma Creative. She lives in San Diego with her husband and loves going to the beach, practicing yoga, reading, and cooking.