Everyone likes to say Kurt Cobain's singing voice wouldbe gone by now if he was still alive, but I like to think because he was naturally introverted, that his quiet nature would give his voice a "rest". I always thought Kurt was too lazy to sing, so mixing the passion of wanting to sing but hating to sing is the sound I hear. I also love heaeing the evolution of his singing styles throughout all of his albums starting with bleach.
The yodels/Little voice cracks mean that Kurt was singing all the notes underneath his filtering. That is correct fry! Some singers just push it all from the chest to hit those notes from F#4 to C5 and that´s when problems appear! You might do it in a good day, you might even do it for a year but eventually nodules will appear and your voice will die quick, not sustainable. However when you push your chest voice so hard you cannot connect it to your head voice like Kurt did because it uses different folds. This is the proof that Kurt actually sings every note and doesn´t push. Also his MTV Unplugged performance shows him VERY RELAXED on an office chair while singing About a Girl, Come as you Are, Lake of fire etc. Wich again means good technique. Singers that push chest really high need a lot of body effort (Eric Burdon from the Animals is a good example, that´s pure chest he used and he changed his technique later on) Kurt problems were related to substance abuse. It doesn´t matter how well you sing, heroin will kill every bit of you. RIP
"Great breakdown of Kurt Cobain’s vocal techniques! 🎤🤘 Love the detailed explanations on different distortions and how to apply them. Really helpful for understanding his unique style. Thanks, Jim! 🙌👏
Awesome stuff! I saw your older video on how to sing like shaun morgan from seether and thought that was great too, but would love a how to sing like Shaun Morgan kind of masterclass too where it's even more in depth like this one!
Awesome breakdown man. I feel like I'm barely tapping into it but I am starting to kind of sort of get it. My brain and vocal cords have been discombobulated for far too long 🙃
this was great, thanks Jim. I'd like to see you do a part 2 addressing some of his much crazier stuff, like curmudgeon, oh the guilt chorus (SHE LIKES TO GOOOO), the playfulness of curmudgeon and I hate myself and want to die demo, moist vagina demo too..... maybe talk to me too....basically the stuff after nevermind that didnt make it to inutero, I think he was at his most "free" vocally here and inutero era, really finding and honing in on his unique style edit: polly on the from the muddy banks too.....he goes into clean but really powerful vocals which he doesnt really normally do...very interested in that also live lithium is much better vocally, i dont know whats going on with neverminds lithium, its like they neutered him. smart sessions is much better, any live performance especially paramount is also good
Isn't it fun trying to figure out kurt's vocals😂 it's almost like every other song uses a different technique, but all within the same concept. The compression part is key along with the yodel, and literally over doing the mimic if you will... 😊good stuff dude, still here
Would Kurt’s voice be battered by now if he we were still alive? When I listen, it’s similar to watching Justin Geatje fight and he’s taking hard shots to the head. I’m like, that’s going to come back to haunt him.
Kurt´s voice could be battered by now if he was alive but it would not be due to his technique, rather because of substance abuse and him not taking care of his health. Kurt´s technique, contrary to what a lot of people say, WAS HEALTHY. It was the FOUNDATION for basically every Nu-Metal screamer (including Chester that was heavily influenced by Kurt, you can even find a Chester´s nirvana cover when he was 16). Kurt actuallly SUNG underneath all his filtering. You can notice that on MTV Unplugged where he cracks/yodel at the end of every word when singing high notes. That implies correct fry technique, the dude was singing all of those notes, not pushing his chest. This is why he seems so relaxed on MTV unplugged, his technique was ace. He could sing clean B4s if he wanted, he had the tessitura.
You Rock Jim! Thanks a million for this video! I'm an old fart learning to sing and this video is magic for someone like me.... Could you do masterclass for Scott Weiland in the future perhaps??
I think Kurt would have a lot of problems with his voice if he were alive today. He tossed his tape in the trash, the one where he had a voice lesson on. His sound is cool but definitely not healthy
Kurt´s voice could be battered by now if he was alive but it would not be due to his technique, rather because of substance abuse and him not taking care of his health. Kurt´s technique, contrary to what a lot of people say, WAS HEALTHY. It was the FOUNDATION for basically every Nu-Metal screamer (including Chester that was heavily influenced by Kurt, you can even find a Chester´s nirvana cover when he was 16). Kurt actuallly SUNG underneath all his filtering. You can notice that on MTV Unplugged where he cracks/yodel at the end of every word when singing high notes. That implies correct fry technique, the dude was singing all of those notes, not pushing his chest. This is why he seems so relaxed on MTV unplugged, his technique was ace. He could sing clean B4s if he wanted, he had the tessitura.
Kurt Cobain would tell you to use your own voice to create your own sound. Everybody is great if they reach their potential. Yes you can be influenced but everyone’s voice is different. You’ll never reach your true potential by trying to sound exactly like someone else it’s a losing battle unless you’re not trying to be unique.
That's right - I would encourage anyone to explore their hero's vocal sounds and techniques to develop their own. Your song "Ryen Fresco! - Imaginary (Official Audio)" sounds very inspired by Nirvana - is it not?
@@RockYourBestVocals love that you checked it out. That’s actually my first rock song ever 😂 and very inspired by Kurt. me and my band Wicked Hill are working on our first EP now. My vocals sound more catered to me now and my strengths however. Nothing released from it yet but it actually sounds more like a mix of MJ, Prince and Kurt, Chris Cornell. But still rock. Tough to hear in your head unless you actually hear a record.
I was a student of Chris for about a year, and unfortunately because I'm on a fixed income i couldn't attend anymore due to funds$, but i plan to join again someday, Chris's teaching is smashing!! I highly recommend!! A few months before i left i was really working on mixed and head voice because this area of my voice was weak to non existent 😂 i $hit you not a few months after i was done with his class i finally started finding head voice and mixed. Now I'm to the point I'm singing everything i used to sing in chest but in all Fogerty placements not just chest dominant like before. It's not perfect yet but I'm very confident and moving my placement around is the biggest game changer thanks to Chris 😊 also from your channel and a few other guys with all your help I've really been working hard on figuring this all out. And I'm obsessed with kurt's vocals so i absolutely love a Kurt Cobain vocal breakdown. ❤🤘😊
Chris is great at what he does for sure and I’m glad you improved with him. 😊👍🏼 Personally I think it’s possible to get great improvements much quicker with an experienced vocal coach who can pinpoint issues and accelerate improvement through deep understanding of how to correct vocal stumbling blocks.
@RockYourBestVocals I agree, I had just over a year with Chris while I was traveling and I was stuck in chest voice, didn't know my falsetto was something I needed to work on being that head voice and mixed is a game changer. The last month I was with him I started finding my head voice and since ( about a year now) I've been watching channels like you and Kegan CVT, Kurt wolf, Chris liepe, to really learn what works for me. And I'm getting there, slowly, my biggest obstacle is learning to add support/ chest with my head voice so it's fuller, makes singing higher much easier when you aren't restricting the throat and freeing your range, along with good compression and chord closure. I'll get there eventually, practice makes perfect. 🙂🤘
Everyone likes to say Kurt Cobain's singing voice wouldbe gone by now if he was still alive, but I like to think because he was naturally introverted, that his quiet nature would give his voice a "rest". I always thought Kurt was too lazy to sing, so mixing the passion of wanting to sing but hating to sing is the sound I hear. I also love heaeing the evolution of his singing styles throughout all of his albums starting with bleach.
honestly maybe, i mean notice how most live shows, he only sang, it always was krist and dave mainly speaking
@@FossyPickles yes. Kurt really is the sound of real grunge.
The yodels/Little voice cracks mean that Kurt was singing all the notes underneath his filtering. That is correct fry! Some singers just push it all from the chest to hit those notes from F#4 to C5 and that´s when problems appear! You might do it in a good day, you might even do it for a year but eventually nodules will appear and your voice will die quick, not sustainable. However when you push your chest voice so hard you cannot connect it to your head voice like Kurt did because it uses different folds. This is the proof that Kurt actually sings every note and doesn´t push.
Also his MTV Unplugged performance shows him VERY RELAXED on an office chair while singing About a Girl, Come as you Are, Lake of fire etc. Wich again means good technique. Singers that push chest really high need a lot of body effort (Eric Burdon from the Animals is a good example, that´s pure chest he used and he changed his technique later on)
Kurt problems were related to substance abuse. It doesn´t matter how well you sing, heroin will kill every bit of you. RIP
"Great breakdown of Kurt Cobain’s vocal techniques! 🎤🤘 Love the detailed explanations on different distortions and how to apply them. Really helpful for understanding his unique style. Thanks, Jim! 🙌👏
Glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome stuff! I saw your older video on how to sing like shaun morgan from seether and thought that was great too, but would love a how to sing like Shaun Morgan kind of masterclass too where it's even more in depth like this one!
Best breakdown on youtube. Amazing work, Jim!
Thank you Mike! 😒👍🏼
Awesome breakdown man. I feel like I'm barely tapping into it but I am starting to kind of sort of get it. My brain and vocal cords have been discombobulated for far too long 🙃
Glad it was helpful! You will get it, just keep working at it and never give up!
An excellent breakdown ! Appreciate all the nuanced segments of technique, very informative.
Could you do a video on Tim Pagnotta of Sugarcult ?
Great suggestion! I'll put him on my list!
@@RockYourBestVocals Cool ! Look forward to seeing your explanation of his style !
this was great, thanks Jim. I'd like to see you do a part 2 addressing some of his much crazier stuff, like curmudgeon, oh the guilt chorus (SHE LIKES TO GOOOO), the playfulness of curmudgeon and I hate myself and want to die demo, moist vagina demo too..... maybe talk to me too....basically the stuff after nevermind that didnt make it to inutero, I think he was at his most "free" vocally here and inutero era, really finding and honing in on his unique style
edit: polly on the from the muddy banks too.....he goes into clean but really powerful vocals which he doesnt really normally do...very interested in that
also live lithium is much better vocally, i dont know whats going on with neverminds lithium, its like they neutered him. smart sessions is much better, any live performance especially paramount is also good
thanks for putting this together
Isn't it fun trying to figure out kurt's vocals😂 it's almost like every other song uses a different technique, but all within the same concept. The compression part is key along with the yodel, and literally over doing the mimic if you will... 😊good stuff dude, still here
Would Kurt’s voice be battered by now if he we were still alive? When I listen, it’s similar to watching Justin Geatje fight and he’s taking hard shots to the head. I’m like, that’s going to come back to haunt him.
That’s a great question! I’ve wondered that myself, and that’s maybe why it’s ‘better to burn out than fade away’ 🤔 🤷🏼♂️
Kurt´s voice could be battered by now if he was alive but it would not be due to his technique, rather because of substance abuse and him not taking care of his health.
Kurt´s technique, contrary to what a lot of people say, WAS HEALTHY. It was the FOUNDATION for basically every Nu-Metal screamer (including Chester that was heavily influenced by Kurt, you can even find a Chester´s nirvana cover when he was 16). Kurt actuallly SUNG underneath all his filtering. You can notice that on MTV Unplugged where he cracks/yodel at the end of every word when singing high notes. That implies correct fry technique, the dude was singing all of those notes, not pushing his chest. This is why he seems so relaxed on MTV unplugged, his technique was ace. He could sing clean B4s if he wanted, he had the tessitura.
I just do an impression, fries my voice tho for days
You Rock Jim! Thanks a million for this video! I'm an old fart learning to sing and this video is magic for someone like me.... Could you do masterclass for Scott Weiland in the future perhaps??
Hey That's a great suggestion thank you! I'll put that on my list, as I love his voice, and how much his style varied over the years!
I think Kurt would have a lot of problems with his voice if he were alive today. He tossed his tape in the trash, the one where he had a voice lesson on. His sound is cool but definitely not healthy
Kurt´s voice could be battered by now if he was alive but it would not be due to his technique, rather because of substance abuse and him not taking care of his health.
Kurt´s technique, contrary to what a lot of people say, WAS HEALTHY. It was the FOUNDATION for basically every Nu-Metal screamer (including Chester that was heavily influenced by Kurt, you can even find a Chester´s nirvana cover when he was 16). Kurt actuallly SUNG underneath all his filtering. You can notice that on MTV Unplugged where he cracks/yodel at the end of every word when singing high notes. That implies correct fry technique, the dude was singing all of those notes, not pushing his chest. This is why he seems so relaxed on MTV unplugged, his technique was ace. He could sing clean B4s if he wanted, he had the tessitura.
Kurt Cobain would tell you to use your own voice to create your own sound. Everybody is great if they reach their potential. Yes you can be influenced but everyone’s voice is different. You’ll never reach your true potential by trying to sound exactly like someone else it’s a losing battle unless you’re not trying to be unique.
That's right - I would encourage anyone to explore their hero's vocal sounds and techniques to develop their own. Your song "Ryen Fresco! - Imaginary (Official Audio)" sounds very inspired by Nirvana - is it not?
@@RockYourBestVocals love that you checked it out. That’s actually my first rock song ever 😂 and very inspired by Kurt. me and my band Wicked Hill are working on our first EP now. My vocals sound more catered to me now and my strengths however. Nothing released from it yet but it actually sounds more like a mix of MJ, Prince and Kurt, Chris Cornell. But still rock. Tough to hear in your head unless you actually hear a record.
Cool! Looking forward to checking out your other music! 😊👍🏼
Inspiring songs and killer vocals!
Thank you!
How to sing like Sting?
Great suggestion I’ll put that on my list! 😊👍🏼🙏🏽💕
@@RockYourBestVocals
Thank you so much 🙏
I wonder if his singing technique requires lot of attack/onset...
I was a student of Chris for about a year, and unfortunately because I'm on a fixed income i couldn't attend anymore due to funds$, but i plan to join again someday, Chris's teaching is smashing!! I highly recommend!! A few months before i left i was really working on mixed and head voice because this area of my voice was weak to non existent 😂 i $hit you not a few months after i was done with his class i finally started finding head voice and mixed. Now I'm to the point I'm singing everything i used to sing in chest but in all Fogerty placements not just chest dominant like before. It's not perfect yet but I'm very confident and moving my placement around is the biggest game changer thanks to Chris 😊 also from your channel and a few other guys with all your help I've really been working hard on figuring this all out. And I'm obsessed with kurt's vocals so i absolutely love a Kurt Cobain vocal breakdown. ❤🤘😊
Chris is great at what he does for sure and I’m glad you improved with him. 😊👍🏼 Personally I think it’s possible to get great improvements much quicker with an experienced vocal coach who can pinpoint issues and accelerate improvement through deep understanding of how to correct vocal stumbling blocks.
@RockYourBestVocals I agree, I had just over a year with Chris while I was traveling and I was stuck in chest voice, didn't know my falsetto was something I needed to work on being that head voice and mixed is a game changer. The last month I was with him I started finding my head voice and since ( about a year now) I've been watching channels like you and Kegan CVT, Kurt wolf, Chris liepe, to really learn what works for me. And I'm getting there, slowly, my biggest obstacle is learning to add support/ chest with my head voice so it's fuller, makes singing higher much easier when you aren't restricting the throat and freeing your range, along with good compression and chord closure. I'll get there eventually, practice makes perfect. 🙂🤘