Find Your Vocal Genre! 10 Easy Tips

Introduction: 0:00
Genetic Components: 2:18
Grading the Different Vocal Genres: 3:46
Rock: 7:41
Pop/Electronic: 9:00
Country: 10:12
RnB and Soul: 11:21
Jazz: 12:38
Blues: 13:55
Classical: 15:15
Heavy Metal: 16:48
Folk: 18:30
Indie/Alternative: 19:58

Every singer has a unique vocal sound and style. Scientifically, everyone’s voice is different

And since, every genre of music has its own set of requirements to sing it well, that your voice has a genre or multiple genres that will fit like a glove

That’s why it’s so sad to me when I have singers that are just trying to sound like Adele, Ed Sheeran or any number of other great artists. If your voice doesn’t fit those artists, don’t try to force it. Try to find music that fits you.

When you do that, it means you’re probably manipulating your voice in some unhealthy ways and singing songs that aren’t right for you

Today we’re going to find your vocal genre so you know that your voice is a great fit

By the way, your voice may fit multiple genres

And I should point out that for every guideline I give you today, there are probably 10 singers that break the mold and sound great doing it

First, let’s talk about the elements that make up vocal style, then we’ll talk about how to find your own vocal genre

There are genetic components to your singing voice--your respiration system, your phonation system and resonation system--you can train them, but you can’t change them

That means that you’re born with a unique voice because your vocal folds and resonating centers are totally individual to you.

Next, let’s talk about vocal styles and how to find one to make your own
I’m going to be speaking very generally.

There are literally hundreds of genres of just metal, so we won’t be able to get into all of them today

With that said, most of the time, I have found that especially if you’re just starting out, understanding what’s required of most genres is really important in finding the one that fits you best

Rank each of these in these terms. Think of these like a personality test for your voice:
Energetic----Calm
Technical----Intuitive
Emotional----Intellectual
Affected----Authentic

Rock: Energetic, Intuitive, Emotional, Authentic
Pop/Electronic: Somewhat energetic, Technical, Emotional, Affected
Country: Calm, Intuitive, Half Emo/Half Intellectual, Authentic
RnB and Soul: Energetic, Intuitive, Emotional, Authentic
Jazz: Calm, Technical, Intellectual, Affected
Blues: Half energetic/Half Calm, Intuitive, Emotional, Authentic
Classical: Calm, Technical, Intellectual, Affected
Heavy Metal: Energetic, Technical, Emotional, Affected
Folk: Calm, Intuitive, Intellectual, Authentic
Indie/Alternative: Energetic, Intuitive, Emotional, Affected

Self awareness is #1: So understanding and being self aware of what your voice sounds like is the most important first step

[shadowenderscar]

When you have no time for hiring someone for singing lessons so you just binge a bunch of these videos and it ends up being better

[Sophiasticated]

One of the worst perpetuated myths imo is that if you're "good enough" you should be able to sound good singing anything. That's like saying if you're a great literary short story writer who can't write a great action screenplay, you're a "bad writer."

You don’t see many minivans on racetracks and you don’t see many Camaros off-roading, but neither are “bad cars.” They’re built for different things.
This is a great video, thank you!

[DaisyAruba]

I needed you as my teacher 10 years ago.

[empathy]

I truly resonated with your phrase: "be true to what the song wants" - when you're creating a song you can just feel what type of vocal the song calls for, you just know

[delicrux]

I love the metal growl demo.

Goes from normal to releasing the demons 🤣

[appreciatelifeandmusic]

Stephen Kearney here. As a professional singer, I must say that Matt Ramsey was an incredible find...gold dust. I'm able now to sing across three octaves now. His 1:1 lessons explored my individual needs and so I was able to tackle my voice weaknesses and build on my strengths. The thoroughness of this video says it all.

[janicemurphy]

Learn to use your own voice for various sounds the more you hear the more you comprehend. Awm

[manghudart]

This is like the Myers Berg 16 Personality Test. Haha. But it do fits. Thanks for this, Coach!

I'm calm + Intuitive + Emotional + Authentic = Country
When I was young, I can change from one genre to another. But as I grow older, being flexible is painful for me.

Kudos to those voice actors who always change their voices from a cute character to loud monsters.

[gailseatonhumbert]

The difference in genre would ordinarily be just stylistic. Singers who sound different from the norm in a type of music can change what is an acceptable sound in that genre just be singing it. Singers with large ranges can use different styles depending on the song as well. It seems to be more a matter of personal preference or what sells best of what you sing.

[Auraa___]

you can add your own style to the music you sing as well dont let genre restrict you from what you can sing, just like id do with dancing everyone learns the same choreography but every dancer add's their own style to it 👆🏻

[jeonghansjudgingface]

I work in an entertainment team and im one of the few on the team who cant sing, unless theres a show going on theres always music playing so when im alone whether im on my break or doing odd jobs backstage i always record myself singing to whatever music is playing and listen back to it later, its really helped me to work on my voice and im slowly getting better.

[fournsevenhzerofive]

I was trained by an opera singer but I sing VERY PROGRESSIVE rock. At times I actually cannot tell what genre it is. Mostly a mix of classical, electronic, rock, and a tiny little bit of pop are present in every song. My voice is like if Ann Wilson and Annie Lennox somehow had a baby, and that child had multiple personalities.

I’d say my voice goes from calm to energetic depending on the part of the song I’m singing, is mostly technical but I’m so used to technical singing that it’s basically intuitive for me at this point, mostly intellectual but with an emotional edge, and highly affected.

My vocals are also very thick, and my range goes from just about the lowest contralto note to just about the highest soprano note.

Anyways, my point is that people are going to have a stroke trying to analyze my voice and music when I make it big, so hopefully they’ll find this comment and know who it’s written by before going six feet underground.

[durum]

I tried so incredibly hard to be good at pop but in the end i found out that im better at country and blues

[vinshoken]

As an ex choir kid, I know how to sing Classical, I’ve been told by the brother of a Country singer that my genre seems most like Folk, and I can really relate to the Indie “turn the reverb up to 12” thing.

So am I....one of them classic indie folks

[Social_worker]

I truly appreciate this video. I've been trying to sound like my favorite artists. "No one sounds like me, " is a much better perspective to start from. 🤗

[Visiorex]

Well, it appears we have some gaps here... What theoretical genres go in the gaps?

C/E (Calm/Energetic)
I/T (Intuitive/Technical)
N/M (Intellectual/Emotional)
U/A (Authentic/Affected)

CINU - Country, Folk
CINA -
CIMU - Blues
CIMA -
CTNU -
CTNA - Jazz, Classical
CTMU -
CTMA -
EINU -
EINA -
EIMU - Rock, Blues
EIMA - Indie/Alternative
ETNU -
ETNA -
ETMU - R&B
ETMA - Pop/Electronic, Metal

[audreysopoco]

i realize i am more comfortable singing rock/alternative/soul/jazz. those genres allow me to experiment with my voice.

[DaisyAruba]

My last teacher couldn’t decide if I was alto or soprano she said she thought alto. I even started doing breathing exercises for my voice. Eventually I gave up after feeling it was stupid of me to keep trying, I didn’t have the insight at 16-20, that I now have in my 25 year old mind; that failure was helping me on my path to learning and finding the teacher who could teach me.

[ghouliethousandtrouser]

When he said Metal, it went straight into a trailer for a film called The Unholy. It looked pretty metal.
I'm starting to think the algorith may have developed a sense of humour.

[catsandbears]

I feel such deep conflict in my soul... my voice is definitely more of a classical style soprano, but my music taste veera wildly into folkpunk, the most emotional type of music with no real control but whenever I sing along it just ends up being slower and higher 😔