Song Study on Vocals and Chord Connection

The song I'd like to study today is "To Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan. This particular version is a mash up between my interpretation, Adele's interpretation, and Garth Brooks interpretation. I decided to do it this way because Dylan wasn't really known for a wide vocal range. This version for me works the best.

The first thing we need to do is examine the chords used in the song. There are a few chords that at first glance might seem difficult, but they really aren't. Also, remember the focus here is more on singing with the root chord itself, so the overall goal is to look at the bass line.

Immediate Note: This song IS played with a capo on the 1st fret. However, you can also play this song without it. Everything I explain here has to do with the capo relativity in mind. This is how I teach so that I can cover the full possibilities without the capo in mind.

In other words, the first chord is a Cadd9 when played open. However, it's "actually" a C#add9. Follow me? Doing that the entire time is beyond confusing.

First Things First....The intro that I am playing is just a Cadd9, so we won't worry about that. We'll take a

look at the verse progression:

Cadd9 - Em7 | Em7b5 - F | Fm - C | D7 - G - Cadd9As you can see, each line is divided up into two chords, except the last line.At the beginning of the course I mentioned that we usually want to TRY our middle voice when playing the C Major, because the C Major allows us a natural low, middle, and high C (as found on piano.)

Here is the reference to the first full verse:

The blue lines indicate that we want to sing in our middle voice. Because we are beginning with the root/chord base of C, we want to try our best to use the C middle voice.The black lines indicate that we want to sing in our low voice. The question is, do we want to sing in a low C or a low E?You will want to use the low, middle, and high ranges of C, as the C note itself is the key of this song. Technically, with the capo in mind, we're in C#. Again, we don't need to worry about that. You can play this song without a capo.

About the Underlined Parts:

The underlined parts allow you to choose between either low or middle. This will depend on your range and ability. I kept the color as how I would do it, but I always want to provide you with options.

Second Things....SecondWe now need to figure out "where" we want to play these chords. This will establish our low, middle, and high voicings.

E root chords:

Em7, Em7b5, F, Fm, G

These chords all use the low E string as their root, so we want to plot the root note foreach of these chords. We don;t need to concern ourselves with anything more than the origin note.

Note E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E

Fret 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A root chords:

Cadd9, C

Note A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A

Fret 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

D root chords:

D7

Note D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D

Fret 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Third Things...ThirdNow, we just need to connect the chords!

Cadd9 is an A string root chord.Em7 is an E string root chord.Em7b5 is an E string root chord. F is an E string root chord. Fm is an E string root chord. C is an A string root chord. D7 is a D string root chord. G is an E string root chord.

Cadd9 to Em7: We start on the A string and then move to the E string for our first two chords. We are starting in C using our middle voicing. It only makes sense that we move to our lower voicing when we get to the Em7 since the E note rings lower than the C note (without considering octaves at this point.)

Em7b5 to F: We are still on the E string root. However, this line calls for us to use ourmiddle voice. Why? Based on the C as our original key, we want to keep consistency in the overall song. We will be singing our Em7b5 as a MIDDLE C - not in E. Again, because E is higher in tone than F, we can only assume to sing the F as a lower voicing.

Fm to C: The same situation applies here as it did from Em7b5, where we want to sing this line in middle C for consistency. The next chord is a C Major though. Hmm...what do we do? The C note is higher than the F note isn't it? Why would we sing this part lower? Consistency.

Just like playing lead guitar, all we are really doing is focusing on keeping either a low, middle, or high vocal tone based on the original key or root used in a given progression. <---that part is VERY important.

As you know, a song can change keys (via modulation) so the reason I choose to teachyou how to sing in low, middle, and high is because of how octaves work.

Do this right now:

Play the C note on the Low E string at the 8th fret. Now play the F note on the A string at the 8th fret.

Because of the tuning on a standard guitar, in this case the C actually sounds LOWERthan the F doesn't it? Aaghh...now maybe you see why I refer to singing solely in low, middle, and high based ONLY on the root chord.

In order to provide a unique change, WHILE keeping consistency from middle to low, we want to sing the F - C progression from middle to low.

D7 to G to Cadd9: Here we play from a D root to an E root to an A root. Whew. Is thisgoing to be tricky? Nah. Not really. Again, consistency is our goal. We don't want too much of a change for the verse theme. We already know that we want to be focusing on singing "in C" no matter what. So far, the entire theme has been middle to low. By now you can assume that while we DO have a D7 as our chord in the last line, we simply sing the note D in a middle C. The open D string itself is lower in pitch than the open G string, but since we are playing a G chord, the root falls on the E string. So, in this case the D note is actually HIGHER in pitch than the 3rd fret root note for the G Major. Imagine that - we go lower in pitch from D(7) to G. Eureka!

We finalize the verse theme with the Cadd9. This is completely optional (as shown in the underlined word) in terms of where you want to go with the voicings. I kept it rather low. So, if you find yourself able to sing in low and/or middle C, then you can simply pick which one you prefer. Based on consistency, we're looking for a lower voicing. Besides, the next verse begins with Cadd9. If you are really good at singing inmiddle C, you MIGHT want to use the middle C voicing to keep you from going out ofvocal range.

But Wait?!The chords change, so will we always be singing in C (or C# with a capo in mind)? Yep. Unless you want to get crazy with your singing.

Cadd9 =Em7 = Em7b5 = F = Fm = C = D7 = G =

C, D, E, GB, D, E, GA#(Bb), D, E, G A, C, FC, F, G#(Ab) C, E, GA, C, D, F#(Gb)B, D, G

Now, all of these notes are similar to the entire progression:

Cadd9 =Em7 = Em7b5 = F = Fm = C = D7 = G =

C, D, E, GB, D, E, GA#(Bb), D, E, G A, C, FC, F, G#(Ab) C, E, GA, C, D, F#(Gb)B, D, G

What are we left with? From all 8 of these chords, the only notes that aren't "shared" so to speak are the notes A#/Bb, G#/Ab, and F#/Gb. While these notes most definitely help make up the chords as they are produced, we don't need to concern ourselves with them in terms of singing.

The A#, G#, and F# are NOT found in the C Major scale, but in this course we will actually be singing the HARDEST of all vocal scales - the chromatic scale. The chromatic scale is arguably the easiest in terms of guitar, but with vocals we have all 12 notes to try and sing. However, since I've narrowed down our voices to only three: low, middle, and high - I've given us a cheat.

Where's The Rest of The Song?Ok. I have neglected thus far to provide you with a high voicing. Really this song doesn't move too high, but nonetheless here is what we could do for the bridge:

I've now added red lines. These are where we want to sing in our high C. BUT - there's a trick to this just in case you can't quite hit the high C. Because we have completely changed chord progressions (though we haven't changed key) we can use the F Major if we want to sing in our high voicing. This time, instead of C we CAN sing in a high F.The goal is to use our low, middle, or high voicing based solely on the chord in question.Assuming you can sing in a high C, you'll want to bring your voicing down to a quick middle C, and then a low C.

VERY important: everything you read above is completely optional, and is based solely on whether or not you can actually sing in all three voicings of C. If you can't then simply play the F Major and practice the high, middle, and low voicings there. Odds are you'll sound better in F than C.

When you continue through the song, and based on the diagram I gave you with the chords, lyrics, and color chart, you will most likely see yet ANOTHER vocal pattern that comes across throughout the bridge.

Red --> Blue --> BlackBlue --> Black --> BlueRed --> Blue --> Black

Uh oh...the last line is different huh? Why? Think about a turnaround on guitar. The turnaround applies here as well with vocals. We know that after the bridge we'll be singing and playing a different progression, right? We need to wrap this passage up, so the last thing we want to do is end the bridge with dynamics. We want to close this out, so instead of singing high voicing, we want to use only a VERY SMALL amount of middle voice. Most everything else should stay low. I would even argue that I don't sing the "...doubt in my mind" in a middle C voicing. I listened to it a dozen or more times and I still can't decide.

One more note: In the bridge there is a Dm7. It's intentional. The Dm7 contains the notes D, A, C, and F. From further above you'll recall that these notes are all part of the original chord series, so there's nothing we need to worry about vocally. We're attempting a chromatic series of vocals using only low, middle, and high - which means that all 12 notes "can" be used.

That's the beauty of singing. Sometimes you choose to change it up a bit.My goal in this whole program is to give you a template - an option - to help you become a better singer.

Are You Ready To Practice Yourself?To sum everything up that I've talked about so far....1. You will be singing the ENTIRE song in the key of C (or C# based on the capo). 2. The whole focus is using the low, middle, and high C ranges only. 3. If you can't hit a high C, try instead to hit a high(ish) range with the chord in question. (ex. F in the bridge) 4. EXPERIMENT! I usually alternate my voicings a bit. Just make sure you only worry about the natural voicings. 5. Try this song with and without the capo.

VideoThis course doesn't focus as much on how to strum and play the guitar, so try to keep that part at a bare minimum. I am providing you with two different PTB files, but I'm giving you a screenshot as well to keep you engaged in the lesson.

http://vimeo.com/70183406 Chord/Lyrics Sheet (color coded)

*I am giving you the Chords/Lyrics sheet in .rtf format so that you can open it and adjust the range as you see fit.

Tab #1: This is JUST the bass part, which focuses on the root itself. These are all whole notes and half notes, so it should be easy.

This tab is based on the bass with NO capo, but with the guitar using a capo on Fret 1.This will allow you to play the bass with me in the song.

Tab #2: This is the same bass part, but this time I have it with the capo on Fret 1.

References:

You will need the PTB Editor to view the PTB files, but I'm also giving you a PDF version of the PTB files.

The files below only focus on the verse theme.

PTB File 1 - Bass (no capo) and Guitar (with capo)PTB File 2 - Bass (with capo) and Guitar (with capo)PDF File 1 - Bass (no capo) and Guitar (with capo)PDF File 2 - Bass (with capo) and Guitar (with capo)

Song Study on Vocals and Chord Connection

The song I'd like to study today is "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars. If you aren't a fan of his don't worry.

The lesson itself is one of the most perfect examples of low, middle, and high voicingsthat I have found in very long time. The thing with Bruno Mars is he's a REALLY good vocalist. To me, he has the same qualities that Michael Jackson had.

I was given this song as a request, so when I checked it out I really wanted to do it, but I'm nowhere near his range. Like - at ALL. So, what I did was use low, middle, and high voicings to find where I could possibly make it work.

At times this was very difficult, and I'm still not absolutely pleased with the performance. However, I can't spend countless hours working up a song or I'd never get anything accomplished.

Here is exactly what I did in this song, and I'd like you to try to do the same.

The Relative MinorAs promised, when we dealt with the C Major chord I said we would focus also on the relative minor of C, which is Am. This actually allows you to sing ANY song that startsin Am (without considering modulation) by either singing in C or Am. You can actually combine the two. This is what Bruno Mars did in his version.

Again, you may not really like the song, but I took this song and made it "my own" as best as I could. Being from the South, I ended up feeling as though I had "countrified"it a bit.

Two VersionsI am going to show you I chose to sing this song first. Then, I've included the original version with his video. Seriously, I think you'll really respect his talent when you go through the little quiz I have prepared for you.

Version 1 - The VersesBefore we go into too much detail, let's take a look at all of the verses. Once again I have created the color coding to help you, but this is a bit challenging at times. The overall concept in terms of vocality is based on the average in how I chose to sing the song. Remember, we're trying to focus on singing in either C or A(m). Logically, you can sing in C and still hit the relative minor of A.

Verse 1: The first line is low > middle > lowThe second line is middle > low > middleThe third line is low > middle > lowThe fourth line is low > middleWhen you compare these lines, you'll see that line 1 and line 3 are rather close to each other.In many ways, line 3 and 4 are close, but I didn't really drop my last word in line 4.However, take note that line 2 doesn't really share much with any of the other three lines.

Verse 2: This verse gets a little confusing, but I was looking for dynamics. In line 1 you'll see that I alternated between just low and middle for the right vocal intonation.In line 2 I did mostly the same, but to keep it interesting I chose to actually use low voice into middle voice, even though a G - G7 "sounds" as though it should go middle to low. By simply alternating this the passage felt as though it moved more smoothly.Line 3 of this verse MUST be amped up a little, but since I knew I wasn't near his range I chose to go middle, high, and then low. This can be dangerous at times movingfrom high to low, but my high wasn't really all that high. It was just a bit higher than middle, so I faked it some.Line 4 of this verse is easy. It's just low to middle.

Version 2 - The VersesHere is how I think Bruno sings when he sings these first two verses. They are MUCHdifferent. The thing with Bruno Mars is that he really never sings in a low at all. When you watch the video further down the page you'll most likely agree with me. So,what I did was bold anything that was an extreme middle or high. This time the underlined parts indicate that he produced vibrato. When singing in vibrato it is VERY difficult to tell at times where the vocality is going. It just goes up and down (ordown and up) so much that the run sounds more like a riff.

Verse 1: You'll see that at the beginning of EVERYline he stays more in a middle voice. He brings up his middle to a higher voice in the middle of the first two lines. In line 1 and 2 he drops back to middle real quick and then into a VERY dynamic high.Because line 3 is close to a verse wrap up,he brought his last "...wn" in "down" to a middle voice.The same applies in line 4.

Verse 2: With my version I took liberty in creatingsome dynamics for this verse just like Bruno does. The only real difference is heis always in middle and high voicing.He takes the same approach in line 2 in Verse 2 from middle to high, as he did in line 2 of the first verse.As you can expect, line 3 REALLY gets out there when he says "never" the second time. Wow. The only real drop in this line is the word "mess" and then when he "oohs" - which are both more in middle voicing.Finally, he moves from high to middle at the end of Verse 2.

Version 1 - The Bridges and ChorusesMy bridge and chorus look like this:

Bridges: BOTH of my bridges are the exact same. Heck, I barely made it through this song! All I did was sing in low C/A(m) and then instead of trying to go high like Bruno does during the "ooh" part I just brought it up to middle, then back down to low. I SOOOO couldn't hit that vocally if I even attempted the way he does it.Finally, I stayed mostly in middle voicing to end the bridge. I used a bit ofvibrato (not much) on the word "realize."

Choruses: The same mostly applies with the choruses. I didn't change much between the first two choruses. The only thing I did was change the last linein the second chorus, which can be seen in the reference file.Lines 1 and 2 of the chorus were just high, low, and middle. This is sometimes difficult, but when you look at the progression it's not so bad since we end on the C Major chord (where we're trying to sing).In line 3 of the chorus I chose to go high, middle, high, middle, and then low. The word "dance" is a tough one tosing. I'll be getting into words later though. I ended the last line with all low until I hit the word "man" because we want to wrap up the chorus. We want NO dynamics here.

Version 2 - The Bridges and ChorusesMan, Bruno is amazing. Check this out:

Bridge 1:

Bridge 2:

So we can see here that there isn't TOOmuch of a difference between the two bridges, except the last line. In Bridge 1Bruno kills it on the "ooh" part - wow. However, really he just alternates frommiddle to high and then middle.In Bridge 2 the same applies, except when he gets to "realize" he steps it up a notch and adds some serious dynamics. This is mostly for emphasis so that the listener doesn't give up on the song.Also remember that bold indicates a SERIOUS voicing and underlined words mean a bit of vibrato.

Choruses:

Luckily he doesn't go with much of a drastic change in the first two choruses. It's a bit hard to see, but pay close attention to the bolded parts.When we get into using the letters in a word to change from low, middle, and high this will be much easier to understand.One could argue that he stays in high voicing for most all of the chorus, but the only place that I REALLY heard the"all high" C/A(m) was during the "Takeyou to every party..." line. However, you'll get the option to see what YOU hear as well as part of the quiz.

My Parts Are Basically DoneAs I mentioned, I tried my best to do this song, but since I rarely did anything much more than work with a simple approach, much of my version repeats. We can be donewith mine. However, Bruno takes it a step further.

Outro Bridge:

Outro Chorus:

The "outro bridge" as I am calling it is INSANE. The C - G - Am - Emthat Bruno sings through is actually a ribbon-like effect of constant highs - but when you listen to the song, you'll hear that he uses his HIGHEST "high" and then goes to his lowest high. It's hard. Period.Virtually everything in my opinion is in high voice, except the very last line of "know." I wonder why?It has to do with the transition into the Outro Chorus.

My opinion on this song is that the entire outro chorus is all in middle, with bold indicating a more forced, or dynamic middle.It makes sense as the song is in need of closure. There may be a few spots that you find him

hitting a higher note, but to me not so much.He sounds middle to my ears.

The Assignment - Part 1First I'd like you to watch my version and sing/play along with it. Odds are, while it's nowhere near perfect, it will be MUCH easier for you to practice with.

http://vimeo.com/96826030 My Reference File

The Assignment - Part 2This is when stuff gets serious. Here is the original performance from Bruno Mars. While you could play along with this, here is what I'd like you to do:

1. Listen to the song first. 2. Open "Official Reference 1" below that I've given you and view how I heard him singing. 3. Open "Official Reference 2" below and add your OWN interpretation, and then email it to me as an attachment.

*The files are in .rtf so you should be able to open them with WordPad. Don't use Notepad. It isn't formatted well.

Watch “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars

Official Reference 1 (My Edit)Official Reference 2 (Your Quiz/Edit)

Progressions in Low, Middle, and HighToday's lesson deals primarily with changing chords WHILE you find the low, middle, and high.

Remember:1. While I am hesitant to say "key" - this is what is really going on. Every chord thatbegins the exercises is the key of the song. You will be singing in a low, middle, and high voicing using the first chord that is played.

2. You can choose to start with ANY of the three low, middle, or high voicings. A word of caution though: I highly recommend looking at the second chord in the progression to determine where you want to start in terms of your first voicing.

3. We don't need lyrics yet. Instead, either "oooh" to yourself or "mmmm" to yourself for now using these three mouth positions:

Low Voicing Middle Voicing High Voicing

and/or and/or and/or

Progression 1: C - F - C - GThis is a really simple progression. Based on the first chord, which is a C Major, we are singing in the key of C. In order to determine where you want to start vocally, check out the second chord. It's an F Major. Because you are playing an open C (which has a root on the A string) and you are playing a standard F Major (with the root on the E string) you can immediately assume that F is going to be lower in tone than C.

There are TWO tabs I will be giving you. Just work with the first one for now. It's the basic version.

Practice singing these voicings in the key of C (chord names don't matter):

Exercise 1 - (M) C - (L) F - (M) C - (H) G <aka M, L, M, H>Exercise 2 - (H) C - (M) F - (L) C - (M) G <aka H, M, L, M>Exercise 3 - (L) C - (H) F - (H) C - (L) G <aka L, H, H,L>

Exercise 1 Explanation: Sing in the key of C, starting with the middle voicing. If you are unsure of where the middle voicing truly lies, use the x35553 barre chord as a hint.

Exercise 2 Explanation: Sing in the key of C, starting with the high voicing. If you are unsure of where the high voicing truly lies, use the barre chord with the 8th fret E root as a hint.

Exercise 3 Explanation: Here I'm trying to trick your vocals a bit. Sing in the key of C,starting with the low voicing. If you are unsure of where the low voicing truly lies, usethe open C Major chord as a hint.

The trick is this....you will be singing in a high voicing TWICE, from F Major to CMajor. You will be tempted to make these two high voicings sound different. Don'tdo it. Try to keep the same high voicing through both chords. You will then need to

drop from high to low when you play the C Major to the G Major. It's not easy!

Progression 2: AmNow, as promised I'd like to give you the relative option, which is A. This means that the Am is the relative minor of C Major. In other words, there is NO NEED to sing any different. It'll feel weird at first. However, you can do it. You may want to add a bit of moodiness in your voice to make an obvious change. You can do this by applying any of these mouth positions:

Notice here that the ONLY chord that has changed is the Am from C Major.

Practice singing these voicings in the key of C (not Am!):

Exercise 1 - (M) Am - (L) F - (M) Am - (H) G <aka M, L, M, H>Exercise 2 - (H) Am - (M) F - (L) Am - (M) G <aka H, M, L, M>Exercise 3 - (L) Am - (H) F - (H) Am - (L) G <aka L, H, H,L>

Bonus ExerciseHere I've changed the formula completely from I - IV - I - V to i - iv - i - v:

Practice singing these voicings in the key of C (not Am!):

Exercise 1 - (M) Am - (L) Dm - (M) Am - (H) Em <aka M, L, M, H>Exercise 2 - (H) Am - (M) Dm - (L) Am - (M) Em <aka H, M, L, M>Exercise 3 - (L) Am - (H) Dm - (H) Am - (L) Em <aka L, H, H,L>

Get this: You can STILL sing in C! Huh? What? All of these chords are relative minors of the initial chord.

C Major's relative "minor" is A, so C = AmF Major's relative "minor" is D, so F = DmG Major's relative "minor" is E, so G = Em

Bwaaahhaaaa! This means if you learn to sing in C Major, in theory you can sing in Am as well. If you learn to sing in F, you can sing in Dm. If you learn to sing in G, you can sing in Em. This ALSO means that you can get by without the need to learn a SINGLE "minor" chord - at all.

Hopefully now you can see why I am approaching this course as I am. All you have to do is figure out where you sing best using low, middle, and high voicings with the initial chord. Each chord will have at least three places in which you can practice low, middle, and high voicings, even if you have to just use an open string. Pretty nifty huh?

Just wait until the next installment. It gets even cooler.

Final ThoughtsThis is a ton of information to absorb, but just remember to only focus on C. Nothing more, nothing less. Here are the three C Majors again:

Track YourselfEnter these choices:Good - no problem at allOkay - you did pretty good, but not greatTerrible - you need a bit of work on this one

How did you do with C - F - C - G in....Ex. 1: <M, L, M, H>

Ex. 2: <H, M, L, M>

Ex. 3: <L, H, H, L>

How did you do with Am - F - Am - G in....

Ex. 1: <M, L, M, H>

Ex. 2: <H, M, L, M>

Ex. 3: <L, H, H, L>

BONUS

How did you do with Am - Dm - Am - Em in....

Ex. 1: <M, L, M, H>

Ex. 2: <H, M, L, M>

Ex. 3: <L, H, H, L>

High Voice

Chord-by-Chord Diagrams of Low, Middle, and HighHopefully this tutorial will help drill in the concept of low, middle, and high in a way that will allow you to translate most every single chord you encounter into a vocal passage for practice.

1. In the case of each chord, the overall note is the focus. So, when I provide you with an A Major, one finger movement is all that is needed to create an Am. The template that I provide assumes just the original note base. You can then assign the same overall fingerings to any embellished chord, as long as the root note itself is the same.

2. While the general rule is 1, 3, and 5 in terms of low, middle, and high applies to each of these chords, we will also need to examine WHERE these three intervals occur. That makes all the difference.

The Basic ConceptWe already know that this course makes no real distinction between Major, minor, suspended, etc. we ALSO know that when a chord is altered in any way, the tone itselfchanges. My goal in this tutorial is to show you how to hit the notes used within the first chord. Remember, there could be a chord progression with 20 chords, but as long as the progression doesn't modulate (change keys) then the only overall goal is to focus on the first chord that starts the progression.

One of the easiest ways to find your voice within each chord is to (1) pick out the chord as an arpeggio and then (2) take the chord and find the notes you want to use based on fingerstyle.

Much like the Do Re Mi song from The Sound of Music, IF you have trouble singing agiven chord, there's no way to get around a brief examination into the said chord in order to practice your low, middle, and high voicings.

A, B, C, D, E, F, G

Below I am providing you with a conceptual glance at a variety of Major and minor chords using the root notes of the alphabetical key system. The first part of the tab is a picked out arpeggio pattern. Arpeggios typically move either from low to high or high to low. I am just providing you with low to high. You can move from high to low as well if you like.

The second part of the tab is how I use fingerstyle in most every single song. The only real differences between what you see below and how I sometimes play is the amountof times I move through the pattern, meaning, I may play this same pattern MUCH faster, trying to cram in as many of these notes as possible. Also, sometimes I will strike a few notes here and there that aren't part of the template, but most all of the time they are just secondary notes that add emphasis to the given chord. I truly have no real "set-in-stone" way of playing fingerstyle, but these are templates that I use on every single chord.

Fingerings: Just like when we sing, we usually have a feeling of low, middle, and high when we play chords. What I generally do is use my thumb for the lower notes, and then my 1st finger for the middle notes. I follow up with my 2nd finger for the higher notes. I rarely use more than three digits. There's really no need unless you are playing some crazy Chet Atkins or other intricate patterns that are a "must" to convey

the message.

Detailed Explanation of A Major and AmI won't need to go into detail with every chord as most of these chords share similar qualities. Instead I will use A Major and Am as an example for the rest of the chords/notes.

A Major and Am

The A Major notes are: A, C#, and E.A = 1, C# = 3, and E = 5

When you look at the chord diagram, you'll see that the 1, 3, and 5 aren't actually in order. The C# note is found on the B string at the 2nd fret. While you can absolutely practice your low voicing by assigning the lowest (root) note based on the chord in question to the "low" voicing, you CANNOT assume that the middle voicing will be the 3rd interval. If you've been having trouble singing based on low, middle, and high

then this is why. You also cannot assume that the 5th interval will always be the "high" voicing. You'll recall that I mentioned at the beginning of this course it's always "safe" to sing a low based on the root. But, if you have trouble singing in a low voicing based on the root (as I mentioned when I sing and play a C) you might want to switch to the middle voicing.

Additional Example: When you play an arpeggio of A Major using the tab I provided, you'll notice that the range of notes moves from low to high as: A > E > A > C# > EWhile these are the notes required to play an A Major, these notes are in the order of 1, 5, 1, 3, 5.

The problem with always assigning the 1 as a low, the 3 as a middle, and the 5 as a high is this:

It would "require" you to sing low > high > low > middle > high.

The fingerstyle tab:

In the fingerstyle passage you'll see that I play the first part together with two A's and a C#. Next I play the E note, because I want it to be obvious that I'm providing the full tone of A Major, which needs an A, C#, and E. These notes don't all have to be played together, because fingerstyle is intentionally designed to engage the listener.Next I emphasize a high E (open) and a C# note. Rinse, wash, and repeat.

So, what did I really do in the fingerstyle tab?

When you combine the tones produced in this fingerstyle tab, you'll most likely hear:Eighth note 1: middleEighth note 2: lowEighth note 3: high Eighth note 4: middle

This doesn't mean you MUST sing this way when playing fingerstyle. After all, we don't know what the next chord will be. What if the progression is A - Am? There isn'tmuch of a difference at all in terms of the notes used from A - Am. The only change is that an A Major uses a C#, where an Am uses a C. If you tried to sing an A - Am progression using the middle > low > high > middle you'll do just find using the A Major. But, try to duplicate that with an Am after the A Major. The "middle" moves directly from the end of the A Major right into the beginning of the Am. You won't notice much of a vocal change at all.

With ANY Major to minor transition based on the same root note (A - Am, F - Fm, G -Gm) you MUST convey a different vocality. The cool thing about only focusing on low, middle, and high in a PROGRESSION is that you will most likely - by DEFAULT - drop your vocals from Major to minor, no matter where you started from with the origin chord. The kicker is figuring out where you need to start. That's the hard part about singing.

This also applies vice versa, where if you are singing and playing an A Major and thenmove to an A#(Bb) you'll almost always want to raise your vocals! It's natural. As musicians we can all "hear" where we want to go. We just, again, don't know where our origin lies. Where we start. Where we want to be.

Hopefully you can understand why I don't want to attach a vocal template to a given chord. The arrangement changes based on the intervals depending on where you playa given chord. Instead, by MIXING notes together by either fingerstyle or strumming,you simply have a total of three voicings to choose from. Then, when you connect a chord to another chord you can assume which voicing you want to use based on the progression itself.

Not much needs to be explained here because the concept is the same. Instead of C# you have a C. All of the rest of the notes are identical. THIS results in a 1, b3, 5, where"b" indicates a flattened third. From C# you go down, or flatten, the initial note to a C, because C is lower than C#.

B Major and Bm

The B Major notes are: B, D#(Eb), and F#.B = 1, D# = 3, and F# = 5

As previously mentioned, if you want to pick out the 1, 3, and 5 specifically you may do so. This will help you determine your low, middle, and high. However, you can't use an arpeggio in the way I show you on the tab to do this. If you tried that, you'd actually be playing/singing B > F# > B > D#(Eb) > F#.This would require you to sing: low > high > low > middle > high(Did you notice that this is the same pattern as the A Major? Hmm...)Again, don't pay too much attention to the low E string note in the chord diagram. It'sjust optional. Stick with the root note.

For fun I thought I'd include the E style B Major barre chord. Let's see if the same applies. (By the way, I only play this chord every now and then. I just like the other B.)

The B Major notes are: B, D#(Eb), and F#.B = 1, D# = 3, and F# = 5If you were to pick this out from low to high using an arpeggio, you'd end up with:B > F# > B > D# > F# > BFrom the previous picking pattern it was:B > F# > B > D# > F#

The overall pattern is the exact same based on the PICKED notes. The only differenceis because the B Major barre chord here is an E Style (with the root on the E string) so logically we'll have an additional note. B Major from before only uses 5 strings. This B Major (E style) uses 6.

So, yet again - we can't base our low, middle, and high solely on intervals when we strum the chord without another chord because we have no way of gauging what the next chord will be. In turn, we won't know "where" to go with our voice.

Here's the minor version of B. Bm uses the notes: B, D, F#. B = 1, D = b3, and F# = 5.The only change, as you can guess, is where the note in B Major was a D#(Eb) and now we have an E.

By now you can see where I'm going with this, so unless I make mention of something else, we can assume the following:

* We can't assume to sing 1 as low, 3 as middle, or 5 as high in a chord progression.* Because not every chord using 1, 3, 5 (such as a minor, which is a b3), we can't assume that these intervals denote the voicings used when we sing.* We CAN assume that it's just fine to practice our overall high, middle, and low within a chord itself. If you start connecting chords, this concept changes.

C Major and Cm

The above tab is actually a Cm in open position. I've never played this version in my life.

D Major and Dm

E Major and Em

In the tab above, the second part shows a (1), which I included as an alternative. It's not "required" but I recommend using it INSTEAD of the open B note. It will signify that you are playing an E Major instead of an Em. If you didn't play this note there would be absolutely no real way of telling if you were playing a Major or a minor. It's just some food for thought.

F Major and Fm

The same situation applies here. I recommend making the F Major obvious by using the 2nd fret note on the G string. This would be played instead of the 1st fret note on the B string.

G Major and Gm

Are you getting tired of me saying the same thing? Sorry. You guessed it. Play the 4th fret note on the G string to make this G Major barre chord sound more like a G Majorinstead of a Gm. Just don't play the 3rd fret note on the B string. ;)

What Does This All Mean?The final thing I'd like to do is take ALL of these chords and put them together as a progression in two full tabs. It doesn't really matter what key/chord we start with, butlet's start with C Major. I'll move into Am in the second tab.

With the exception of B and Bm, all chords we've learned in terms of vocality will be used below.

Your AssignmentBecause these are all chord progressions, your job is to look at each progression as it is provided. We can pretend that this is part of a song. While you COULD choose to move these chord types around, the goal here is to use the simplest progressions, so stick with what I'm providing.

1. What is the overall movement in each tab based on low, middle, and high vocals that connect to each given chord? You will have four answers in a combination of L, M, and H.

(hint - remember to examine the full progression)2. Based on the low, middle, and high vocals, which mouth positions should you use for each chord change? You will also have a total of four answers in a combination of LV1 or 2, MV1 or 2, and HV1 or 2.

This one is intentionally tricky, but remember - no lyrics.

Just use "mmmm"...."ahhhhh" and/or....."ooooooh"

Before you begin - don't worry if you don't get this right. At the bottom of the page there is a "Get Answers" that will provide you with the theory behind my suggested answers. I say "suggested" because your range might not be the same as mine. However, the overall guideline would still apply. Additional Note: Remember, we're looking for low, middle, and high for vocals, not guitar. ;)

Formula 1: I - IV - I - V (C - F - C – G)

What is the vocal movement here from each chord? (L/M/H)

Based on the L/M/H above, what would be the suggested order using LV1(2)/MV1(2)/HV1(2)?

LV1 MV1 HV1

LV2 MV2 HV2

Formula 2: I - iv - I - v (C - Fm - C – Gm)

What is the vocal movement here from each chord? (L/M/H)

Based on the L/M/H above, what would be the suggested order using LV1(2)/MV1(2)/HV1(2)?

LV1 MV1 HV1

LV2 MV2 HV2

Formula 3: I - V - III - I (C - A - E - C)

What is the vocal movement here from each chord? (L/M/H)

Based on the L/M/H above, what would be the suggested order using LV1(2)/MV1(2)/HV1(2)?

LV1 MV1 HV1

LV2 MV2 HV2

Formula 4: i - v - IV - iv (Cm - Gm - F - Fm)

What is the vocal movement here from each chord? (L/M/H)

Based on the L/M/H above, what would be the suggested order using LV1(2)/MV1(2)/HV1(2)?

LV1 MV1 HV1

LV2 MV2 HV2

Formula 5 (relative minor): i - v - IV - iv (Am - Em - D - Dm)

What is the vocal movement here from each chord? (L/M/H)

Based on the L/M/H above, what would be the suggested order using LV1(2)/MV1(2)/HV1(2)?

LV1 MV1 HV1

LV2 MV2 HV2

Ready To See My Answers?

My AnswersHere's the deal. There's no real way that you can be "wrong" because there are truly no rules in terms of singing as long as you can make it work. You may be a natural that can sing octaves, use vibrato, create vocal riffs, and any combination between. However, if you struggle as a singer, maybe the way I have interpreted this will help.

Formula 1: I - IV - I - V (C - F - C - G)

What is the vocal movement here from each chord? (L/M/H)

M, L, M, H

Why? When I look ahead in this progression, the first chord I notice is an F Major. Based on the tab, I already know this is my lowest possible chord. So, for purpose of

practice, I want to use my Low C for the F Major. I also see a G Major chord. I know that the G Major will most likely be the highest C I can sing. Knowing that, I can assume that the C Major will need to be a middle C.

Based on the L/M/H above, what would be the suggested order using LV1(2)/MV1(2)/HV1(2)?

LV1 MV1 HV1

LV2 MV2 HV2

MV2, LV1, MV1, HV1

Why? I already know that I want to sing from M, L, M, H. Because I know that I'll have to middle voicings to work with, I want to provide just a LITTLE bit of change based on mouth position. I chose MV2 first because I'm just setting the tone of the progression. Because I know F Major is coming next, I chose LV1 because it doesn't require a big mouth position change.

The next chord is the C Major again, so instead of using MV2, I want to use MV1. It provides a bit of air in the progression. Finally, the G Major is coming. So, Because I used MV1, which is a bit more "airy" - I want to use HV1. All I have to do is open my mouth a bit more.

Everything is the same for Formula 2 as well!

Formula 3: I - V - III - I (C - A - E - C)

What is the vocal movement here from each chord? (L/M/H)

M, H, L, M

Why? You probably got this right immediately. By looking at the E Major, you know it's the lowest. The A Major is a bright, "happy" chord, so we can assume it needs to be high. Our C's can still be middle.

Based on the L/M/H above, what would be the suggested order using LV1(2)/MV1(2)/HV1(2)?

LV1 MV1 HV1

LV2 MV2 HV2

MV1, HV2, LV1, MV2

Why? We're singing from M, H, L, M. This isn't a huge change from further above. However, we are beginning and ending on the same chord. We didn't do this earlier. We ended on a G. Because we assume this is a song progression - maybe fora verse - we can also assume that we don't need to do TOO much in terms of vocal change. This only applies to chords (for the most part) that begin and end on the same root. Instead of creating a vast change in vocality, we want to keep consistency.

So, I chose MV1 for the C Major first. It's easier to do because I have a high voicing coming up for the A Major.

By using HV2 for the A Major, there isn't much need for position change in terms of mouth usage. Next, I chose LV1 because it requires little to nothing more than closing my mouth. Finally, I chose MV2, as you can see, because it ends with more of a "resting" position. Talk about an easy transition back into MV1 for the next part of the verse!

Formula 4: i - v - IV - iv (Cm - Gm - F - Fm)

What is the vocal movement here from each chord? (L/M/H)

H, M, L, L

Why? This one was probably tricky, huh? Because these are all closely related chords it's difficult. I figured this out, yet again, by looking at the chords. The Cm will be the highest chord you play. Gm, when thinking of the root note, is definitely higher than either F root. So, we can assume that the Gm will be a middle. Finally, we know that F is low, but what happens when you move from F to Fm? Easy!

They are both low. ;)

Your only job is to make the two F's "sound" different vocally. (The guitar does this for you, but you must also understand how to make your vocal F coincide with the guitar F. Remember - you are still singing in C.)

Based on the L/M/H above, what would be the suggested order using LV1(2)/MV1(2)/HV1(2)?

LV1 MV1 HV1

LV2 MV2 HV2

HV1, MV2, LV1, LV2

Why? Because we know we're playing H, M, L, L we have a bit of work to do. Since we start in high, I chose HV1because I want to emphasize that this is a Cm. We want more "air/moodiness" in our vocals to create the minor sound.

Next is a middle voicing. Since we're using HV1 and want to move into a middle voicing, I chose to use MV2.Why not MV1? We already know the song is moving lower based on the chords. We want to do our best to do the same with our voices - for now. After MV2, we have two low voicings. I bet you can understand why I chose LV1and THEN LV2, right? The LV2 provides us with a bit of air/moodiness, which we want with the Fm chord.

Formula 5 (relative minor): i - v - IV - iv (Am - Em - D - Dm)

What is the vocal movement here from each chord? (L/M/H)

M, L, H, H

Why? First, I didn't want to give you the same overall progression from the beginning, so I instead completely changed the chords being used. Since I'm starting with Am, I DO want to provide a bit of vocal air, but I can still sing in C. We know that by looking at the tab, the Em chord is the lowest.

We also know that we have (yet again) a same-note Major to minor chord change (D - Dm). We want to use those two chords as higher voicings.

Based on the L/M/H above, what would be the suggested order using LV1(2)/MV1(2)/HV1(2)?

LV1 MV1 HV1

LV2 MV2 HV2

MV1, LV2, HV2, HV1

Why? We are dealing with M, L, H, H - so I chose to start with MV1 because we're playing a minor - and I want some air. Unlike the others, even though the next chord runs low, I chose LV2 because our NEXT chord is a D Major. It'll be awfully difficult to try using LV1. When you try it you'll see.

For the D Major, I chose HV2 because between the two mouth positions only one of these two really provide much air. We need air for the Dm - which I made an HV1.

What Do You Think?If you did the exercise on the previous page then I already know your answers. However, did you find yourself agreeing with me, or did you choose to change it up?

Again, the beauty of singing is (1) as long as you are within a low, middle, or high range based on the initial chord AND (2) as long as you don't consider moving chordsin various positions you really can't go wrong using this method.