How to Sing Higher as a Baritone (TWO Key Tips!) Pull From Ian Thornley, Chris Cornell & Others

[@matheusferraz486]

Hey YOU, yeah YOU, I cant tell you enough how amazing and stright to the point is chris liepes course!! I got the mixed voice course yesterday and I already feel my mixed voice on another level after practicing for almost a year with his youtube videos. His youtube videos are a great start, my favorite youtube vocal coach by a mile, but you can go with them until a certain point. The big gold is in his paid courses, really really really, just TRUST ME, if singing is one of your favorite things in this life and you want to improve it with your mix voice, just get his course!!!! Thank you Chris!!!

[@jordanheyvaert6204]

I'm going to sign up for it! Thank you for the input!

[@cafe.cedarbeard]

Funding struggle is the catch. I can barely afford food, let alone paid lessons in anything. Lockdown crushed my crappy job, now not enough work to even afford shelter. I'd pay Chris in a heartbeat if I had the money. He's the best fit I've found as he's got the skills to do all the odd sounds I can do, but has more knowledge in how it's done.

[@wise5746]

So what is Harry Styles’s Voice type? Is he Bass or Baritone or Tenor?

[@velvetpaws999]

@@cafe.cedarbeard I feel for you, mate, but... are you too old to find a new job? Sick? Addicted to some drugs and can't shake it off? I mean, we all can fall on some hard times... if you think you gots da guts, to be a singer... which is one of the hardest lines of work I can think of, then you should start by getting yourself up and running again, consider it practice for later! I wish you the faith in yourself and the strength to get back on your feet! ❤‍🩹💝 And by the way, as things are going right now, most businesses struggle to find employees. There aren’t enough people anywhere who want to really work, even though many businesses raise their salaries. So if you are out of a job and you seriously want to make some money to earn your living don’t tell me you’ve got no chance to work anywhere. Ask me and I’ll point you in a handful of directions!

[@thatswhatisaidCA]

@@cafe.cedarbeard I feel you, but hard times bring out creativity, so pick up a guitar (instrument) and write something! The Blues perhaps (tell your woes in story) or get the frustration out with something more rock or metal). It will be an outlet for you, and inspire others. Good luck!

[@TheChristOfRockNRoll]

A well trained baritone trains religiously on a daily basis conditioning his voice and vocal technique to blend registers and use mixed voice to hit high tenor notes. It is a process of muscle coordination and strengthening those muscles and build up stamina. I am afraid to say without doing the daily exercises correctly for quite a long time you won't get anywhere near Cornell's (who is a highly trained baritone) ballpark or other baritones capable of reaching very high tenor notes with power. This is the secret......you have to work hard for it and for some time too. You stop, you drop!

[@chrisliepe]

Pure TRUTH

[@TheProtestantPope]

@@chrisliepe "The TRUTH is rarely pure and never simple!"

[@AlexVonCrank]

@@TheProtestantPope you are a dolt.

[@TheProtestantPope]

@@AlexVonCrank I am the same person as the Christ of ROCK n ROLL.......clearly a genius with 58 likes and counting..... 🤣🤣🤣

[@marslpv2333]

@@TheProtestantPope Troll

[@Cartz-man]

I agree with everything you said Chris: Additionally, the recipe to build baritone range for me has been: 1) stretch and strengthen your falsetto as high as you can every day 2) stretch your falsetto down to well under the passagio with descending scales over your chest voice to help your transition to mixed voice become smooth and eliminate ascending blockages 3) do the Messa di Voce exercise as often as you can. It teaches you placement and to thread the power of your chest voice through your falsetto 4) understand that your voice should get weaker over the course of a session as the muscles fatigue. It should never get sore 5) sing lots of high songs exclusively in falsetto to strengthen the often neglected head voice muscles 6) avoid singing songs that reinforce bad technique. You should never reach a high note that you can't strain up from. Your voice should get thinner and weaker as it ascends and not hit blockages. Songs that give you a strained high-note ceiling should be avoided.

[@Dalmoon98]

will be going through these, thanks so much :) I enjoyed the video but had a bit of trouble knowig what exactly to do / change

[@ptjww9455]

Thanks Jarrod!

[@findingmyvoice5529]

Thank you Jerrod for this excellent input

[@zacharymaneja1207]

You my good sir are generous

[@EidosX_]

I just screenshotted that. I've been training mixed voice for 2 years I think and I'm not getting any better. I'm especially guilty of the last point, it's so frustrating not to be able to sing anything that I just go mix voice above G4 and pull chest voice like crazy for everything in D4-G4 which tenses me up, prevents me from doing mixed voice and leading me in a downward spiral. Guess I have to stop singing most songs I sing and only sing low stuff or very high stuff to train my mixed voice / passagio

[@musicval7462]

Most people are told they have a lower voice than they actually have when they start singing. I personnaly was told to be a bass-baritone because I couldn't sing high. Now that I start to use a better technique, people tell me I'm a low tenor/ baritenor. Plenty of my low baritones friends can sing as high as me and have a way better low range than mine! Baritones have way more presence in their midrange and it sounds amazing! It's not about range!

[@chrisliepe]

YES YES YES. It's NOT about range!!

[@melodica5407]

Because they use the high note as measurement when the right way of voice type classification is to measure the low register.

[@musicval7462]

@@melodica5407 What voice type goes to which pitch in lowness ?

[@isrei_archived]

Same

[@cyanwise3024]

@@melodica5407 I agree

[@ludwiglanestudios]

As a natural Baritone, I'll mention how I began to approach "higher notes". After practicing vocal exercises 4× a week for a whole year, I went from being able to hit an F4 comfortably to hitting an A4 comfortably with my mixed chest/head voice. That major 3rd took a long time to finally achieve. And I of can hit that A4 after 15 minutes of warming up. I attribute this to practicing my perfect fifths slides, octave slides, lip trill arpeggios/scales, and tongue trill arpeggios/scales. Piano is my main instrument, so I accompany myself, which I understand not many people have the luxury of being able to do that, but I do urge people to learn their scales and arpeggios on the piano. I'll have a video for that soon. I want to be able to hit a C5 with my mixed chest/head voice, and I think that can happen in about a year. My falsetto can hit a high E, which was natural for me. And for my bass notes, I'm practicing vocal frys and trumpet sounding descending fifths(I forgot what those exercises are called). So as of now, my range is from F-sharp 2 to A-4 with my chest to mixed voice, not counting falsetto. Singing is just something I do for fun- I'm a producer and pianist. But I married a vocalist and I want to start singing with her more and more while I accompany the both of us.

[@andrejz8954]

that sounds really awesome man! I wish I was in your shoes! At least as far as a spouse goes. Really want a music girl! But yeah, much can be done with practice, and it's really cool and helpfull that you shared your tips and tricks, I guess I'll give em a whirl! :)

[@andrejz8954]

@@laptopstudy3279 I suffer from reflux/ GERD as well. It's amazing how it messes up your voice.

[@ivancadena3031]

@@andrejz8954 Yes, it's a pain in the ... well, you know where.

[@mckeithanmott3959]

my range is similar to yours but i can’t necessarily hit an A4 comfortably..

[@fdakis]

Cornell has always been my favorite singer of all time. I think the underappreciated aspect of his talent is this: while he wasn't able to sing the higher notes from songs such as Say Hello to Heaven or Slaves and Bulldozers in his later years, he added an even more improved tone and vibrato. THAT is how you evolve as a vocalist into your 40's and 50's. RIP to the greatest.

[@LordStompyHarpLoonyTunes]

Cornell's mature voice & tone was getting towards that of a big band 50s singer. I'm a baritone, same thing is happening to me in my 40s. In my 20s I was trying to sing like Cobain & John Fogerty, now I'm crooning along to Sinatra & Tom Jones

[@fdakis]

@@LordStompyHarpLoonyTunes I don't think everyone shares the same experience as they get older. Sure, our voices are bound to change as get older. As a matter of fact you and I are probably close in age (46), but I've been fortunate to keep my range while adding a more raspy sound. Consider Steven Tyler and Scott Weiland, two guys who sounded almost nothing like their younger selves. To add, I'd have to disagree with the opinion that his voice was sounding more "Big Band"

[@LordStompyHarpLoonyTunes]

@@fdakis His live cover of "nothing compares to you" had a much more polished country jazz style than any other "grunge" artist I've heard. It actually encouraged me to head more in that direction as a singer myself. The singing coach actually said this and I checked out a few 50s and 60s slightly corny country and jazz baritone singers and realised she had a point. It was his vowels and timbre

[@BC08]

@@LordStompyHarpLoonyTunes Cornell was getting more into the blue eyed soul territory than big band I’d say

[@GabrielBarbosa-jq9st]

This is so damn great. Most male singers nowadays are tenors -or at least sing as if they were-, so I, for example, have often caught myself "not being able to sing" many songs I like. This not only tells me that I can, but it tells me that I can do it in a way that is different from the mainstream. Yes, the baritone voice sounds different. But does it sound worse? Nah. We just have to explore a bit more and get comfortable. Thanks!

[@chrisliepe]

YES YES YES

[@melodica5407]

In pop music? Yes But in rock music, as far as i can remember there are more baritone singers. Because the tone fits better. I also prefer baritones higher range for heavier music because their mixed voice is thick like chest voice.

[@andreasfrost-blade4689]

It’s really something being a bass too.

[@briansullivan3424]

The baritone voice also has more warmth and resonance, especially in your chest voice and low end of your mixed register... it's almost impossible for (most) tenors to get that timbre into their performance without the aid of post-production. So, while us baritones have to practice more to get that muscle coordination down between registers and really concentrate on smoothing out the transition from one register to the next so that aren't as pronounced, we can learn to do it with practice and instruction... but, we also have natural body to our voice that basically cannot be taught; you either have it, or you don't, and many tenors do not... it's just physiology. As a kid, I always wanted to sound like an 80s power tenor but, as I've gotten older, my favorite voices from the 80s often turned out to be high baritones who had mastered those techniques, and weren't always tenors like I assumed. Cheers from Maryland, US!

[@GabrielBarbosa-jq9st]

@@melodica5407 it really depends on what you mean by "rock music" and "heavier music". Metalcore and lots of prog metal singers don't quite have the baritone voice, or at least don't use its assets. ERRA, Northlane, Polaris, Periphery and TesseracT are some examples. Maybe in the past, but in modern heavier music I'd say baritones aren't that present either. There are quite a few counter-examples to what I said though, like Five Finger Death Punch.

[@YisraelFernando]

Ok chris cornell is the GOAT i don't care bout anything, he's the singing GOAT

[@Cartz-man]

The only singer I can hear everyday and love

[@YisraelFernando]

@@Cartz-man W

[@MichaelGrubbEvolvedMinistry]

I love Chris Cornell, but, he's not the "GOAT." He often struggled with live shows because his voice would tire by the end of a set and he was not consistent with how he would sing songs from the album to live performances. Michael Patton is more like the true "GOAT" of vocals. Layne Staley was probably the best of the Grunge era of rock.

[@DaveThomson]

Yep, only Layne Staley was better.

[@YisraelFernando]

@@DaveThomson nah. he's a top 10, chris is top 1

[@ahacks7692]

This guy's voice is insane, is literally the perfect voice for rock. Also this dude really knows what he is talking about, great video

[@FrancesLocke]

There is something magical and inspiring about watching people talk about the stuff they are passionate about. And this guy is absolutely one of those people. His enthusiasm has made my day.

[@cnutella9947]

If you wanna cover Ian Thornley more that would be sick. So glad he's been getting more attention lately. Feel like he wasn't getting his due for a long time.

[@justinknight8421]

Preach!

[@uknowme1811]

And a amazing guitar player.

[@Globbaglobglob]

One of the best

[@callingallkings163]

I fell prey to "comparison" and learned to "hate" my voice (ONLY) because I compared my wants vocally to my actual vox... THIS video alone set me into acceptance of my Baritone vocals and my desire to sing at higher pitches. I've been in the studio all morning recording me actually laughing and having fun with my vocals now. Thanks brother.

[@chrisliepe]

You're so very welcome Calling All Kings!

[@gg666123456]

Can confirm. I'm a low bass and sometimes people think there are 1-2 people singing with me because my voice changes so much from a A1 open to A2 relaxed to A4 belted to A5 falsetto. When I first started out I almost gave up on becoming a singer because no songs were "made for my voice range" but thanks to your videos and many more I learned how to use my voice to climb over those obstacles

[@Croot_Music]

Ok, that Soundgarden cover was on fucking point

[@chrisliepe]

Thanks!

[@Z4U3398]

Baritone here. Still able to hit *She's Gone* in it's original C minor without cracking. My advice? Use *all* techniques at your disposal; nasality, vocal twang, compression, everything to stabilize your mix register. Start slow, start soft & then apply diaphragmatic support. All the best, folks!

[@seutarcisiog]

As a low baritone, let me say: my day has finally arrived. Thank you Chris

[@Daniel_Batal]

KZbin recommendation doing wonderful things today. Glad I was served this video. I had the pleasure of knowing and jamming with Brad over the years. This was a great explanation by example of how to expand your vocal range.

[@timclaridge3249]

I've been singing for maybe 13 years, your lessons are blowing my mind. I accepted I had Mark Lanegan range for a long time and gave up on ever sounding like Chris Cornell, but with these videos and practice I feel like I'm finally getting there and unlocking a hidden power. Thanks so much! More excited about singing than I have been in a long time.

[@justinknight8421]

Awesome to hear Ian Thornley in on these discussions, he's my favorite vocalist right now!

[@RickyConnelley]

There’s an interview of Chris saying he had to practice for months transitioning from his acoustic material to his older stuff. Watched him at the ryman on the Higher Truth tour. His voice was amazing. He was better live than on record. He’s the reason I became an artist singer/songwriter.

[@Adrian101882]

You have a link to that interview?

[@PizzaVeet]

Chris inspires me so much its insane. He makes me want to constantly be singing and writing. Thank you so much for these videos.

[@bongothewonderchimp]

As a baritone who as always envied the top register notes of tenors this video is a God's send! Chris you are an inspiration and an incredibly good teacher. My question is we often see rock singers who employ the head voice (falsetto) a lot, lose that upper range with age, or their tone becomes damaged sounding. For example Robert Plant, or Brian Johnson. Is this inevitable, or could it be they were not employing good technique?

[@Laking86er]

Man, Thornley is getting up there in age (49) and is arguably better than ever - ask that dude Haha. Big wreck live is incredible!

[@melodica5407]

Actually i as a tenor prefer baritone voice. Their mixed voice sounds thicker.

[@Cartz-man]

seems that the voice goes as you stop using it all the time

[@somekindofdude1130]

Male head voice is a mixed voice not falsetto. Falsetto is what chest fry is to the chest voice, a sub-category for extreme registers. Most "tenors" use head voice in rock this is why they sound so thick and/or chest (ex Dio)

[@patrickparmer1648]

A fellow Patrick haha

[@vaughanband]

I’m a tenor and I wish I was a baritone so my head register would be naturally thicker…i had to work really hard to thicken up my head voice because as a tenor it was naturally so bright and boyish. Another great example of a baritone is David Coverdale…my favourite singer.

[@marstudios7879]

Unbelievable Sam, I have a baritone voice and you don’t know how much I’d like to have a tenor voice.

[@vaughanband]

@@marstudios7879 ha ha, I guess we always want what we don’t have. Honestly there’s only about a tone or tone and a half difference in the notes a baritone can hit compared to a tenor. Like I said I struggled with the tone of my upper register…naturally it’s very bright and childlike…I’ve had to work on getting more girth and weight to the sound. Why do you want to be a tenor??

[@lucasnovaes-programacao2869]

How did you thicken up your sound? I have the same issue

[@vaughanband]

@@lucasnovaes-programacao2869 recording myself a lot, listening and then trying to sing the same phrase with more open throat, more diaphragm squeezing and more compression…i think this builds up the muscles over a few months but I need to practice at least an hour a day to keep the strength.

[@gnomasome4698]

@@vaughanband i have the same thing, i think im a tenor since the way i learnt to sing was with the tenor parts in the beach boys and paul McCartney and my voice matches pauls amount of heft its not as bright and floaty as the Wilsons, i have trouble with my highs getting thin but the only way ive found to fix it is to do the paul McCartney thing where he just lowers his larynx n closes his throat up and does this fake baritone thing like in golden slumbers or oh darling or lady madonna, which sounds kinda camp and silly sometimes but so far its my only method lmao im gonna try and do what you said

[@GavinSJordan]

I’m so glad you’ve thrown both Ian thornley and chris cornel in the same video!!!! Ian Thornley is a freak along with Cornell. And like always thanks for awesome video

[@chrisliepe]

Two of my absolute favs!

[@NikNovaMusic]

Yes, Ian Thornley deserves way more attention…

[@superunknown2812]

Loved ian when he was in his band Thornley such a heavy band and his voice was perfect at that time

[@luisfernandomoralesoscoy3377]

Thank you for this video, you changed my perspective of how I saw baritones and that means a lot because I´m also a baritone. When I started singing my teachers separate me and made me think that I would never sing high notes. I thought that singers like Chris Cornell were blessed and I would never sing as them, but this video helped me a lot to change my mindset, so I am really grateful. Thank you for your content and taking your time for doing your best.

[@donnycollins1797]

Love your videos! I’m a baritone and I’ve always been extremely jealous of tenors.

[@viictor1309]

Same here

[@axel.lessio]

I'm a tenor (B2 - A5) and I'd give both kidneys to shift my whole range an octave lower. 😅

[@muslimmetalman]

of what? having less weight in the voice? that's lame. you can always sing higher. we generally cant sing lower.

[@wubbaplays4341]

From everything I've seen and heard, baritones have a much wider range due to the thickness of our vocal cords. It applies to falsetto as well. Thicker cords, more range with falsetto and mixed voice. I'm constantly singing along with tenor pop songs and with practice it's relatively easy to figure out how to change your tone to match a tenor's tone. You have to really work at learning how to smooth out the screech like quality to your tone.

[@darylkenny4562]

@@wubbaplays4341 yea but it’s a heavier, thicker sound. I notice it up high that I don’t have the agility that a tenor has in the same range and you can hear that it’s because it’s carrying more weight. It’s cool in it’s own right though and everything is a trade off. I’m a dramatic baritone and last year learned how to get into my subharmonic register and hit low notes (lowest A1). That’s something I would not want to give up in exchange for being a tenor.

[@matteobertani9447]

Amazing. Beautiful. And Ian Fletcher Thornley is a phenomenal singer.

[@brendanflaherty6696]

Oh man… Thornley and Cornell in the same video?! Yer speaking my language, man. My voice isn’t really suited to lead vocals, but a big part of my usefulness as a backing vocalist is the range I developed, largely thanks to these two singers. Singing along to their records in the car for a couple years was the ticket. The the thing about Thornley… as good of a vocalist as he is, he’s an even better guitarist. Check out some of the Suhr Factory Party vids, for both Big Wreck and Ian Thornley. Dude’s the total package.

[@simon-rjk8905]

I wish somebody explained it this clearly to me in college. Thanks so much!

[@chrisliepe]

Happy to help Simon! You're very welcome!

[@6BURG9]

I am obsessed with Thornley’s tone. It’s perfect.

[@birdg2112]

Should be a household name.

[@deadblowhammer935]

the fact you know who thornley is makes me happy. big wreck and ian are criminally underrated

[@josea.salinas6784]

every second from this video would be considered as pure gold

[@chrisliepe]

Thanks for watching every second too :)

[@josea.salinas6784]

@@chrisliepe hahah nice!

[@jedinuttall]

The "if this isn't making sense" line in superunknown is one of the best bits of cornells voice/musical ability ever ❤

[@markrutkowski7094]

I am a baritone and at first felt limited in wiring melodies, but I learned to use my voice in other ways and it helped me be more interesting melodically as well as performance wise. The one thing I really would like is to be able to go a little higher/ballsier on the outro sometimes

[@kavilatte]

This is great & the only place I've ever seen Thornley & Cornell compared for the right reasons!

[@nicolasignaciodiazcastro2036]

awesome video Chris, I'm a tenor and I'm in love with Cornell, my mixed voice is not as beefy as a baritone, would be nice if you make a video for tenors, how to sound more beefy and "masculine" for lack of a better word Greetings from chile

[@Oliver-ek2nl]

I believe he already has a few videos on that subject, just check his channel

[@chrisliepe]

Thanks for watching Nicolas! Yes, I have a few videos on how to beef up your mix!

[@GB-rs8cz]

The best thing about Chris teaching you to sing is that he is an excellent vocalist as well as an audio engineer. Engineers have trained their brain to hear very specific sounds within a sound so he can hear things other than just pitch like, this person is in their head voice, they are using a certain level of vocal compression, their resonance is in their mask (listen to the Michael Jackson breakdown for nasal resonance), they are probably a baritone because of the thickness and texture of their head voice, they are pushing their tongue down to get a brighter sound, etc. All of this is extremely important information that helps us learn singing techniques by just listening. One of the biggest takeaways from watching his videos is that you don’t have to sing loud to sound loud. It’s all about keeping your vocal tract open and relaxed. It actually creates space for the sound to resonate and sound loud without forcing it. The fact is, singers sound loud because of processing in the mixing stage that adds compression, equalization, reverb, distortion, and other effects to make the vocal feel and sound loud. Add loud drums and guitar and the energy from the instruments also make the vocal sound like it has more energy. Ironically, the harder you try to sing, the harder singing becomes. It’s all about technique. Spend as much time as you can to learn how to control all of the little muscles in your vocal tract and you can produce any sound you want on demand. I once read something about singing that went, “Singing isn’t pushing air out, it’s allowing it to come out.” That is a good way to think of it. When you find that balance of air support without pushing or straining, things become much easier. Good luck!

[@coreyboone587]

My first year seriously learning to sing daily, i would try to sing Cornell acoustic songs on the way home from work. I would constantly blow my voice out and not know why lol Even got my vocal cords picture, and of course the doctor didn't know anything about singing and was convinced he would never be able to. Then i started doing exercises and studying the theory more and realized why. 6 years in i got the clean range, but still working on belting and distortions. Don't start singing with Chris Cornell songs! lol

[@chrisliepe]

Unless you do it from a FEEL FIRST vantage point!

[@damanOts]

I think the more appropriate summary would be “dont beat your head against the floor and expect the door to open”

[@xylotheoriginal9497]

YOU ARE A GIFTED TEACHER AND SUPERBLY NATURAL VOICEST

[@ROOKTABULA]

I've stood and listened to Thornley from 3 to 25 feet away on 3 occasions since 98. He is a monster of a vocalist AND a player.

[@chrisliepe]

what a privilege

[@AseBonani]

As a baritone, this video is a God sent. I actually do push myself more. But, I'm not gonna lie, I have always used that excuse of "Oh well, he's a tenor, so I can't go that high." Even though I find myself wishing I could. This is absolutely encouraging.

[@nickolajmusic]

Chris this is amazing - as a baritone singer I have so much hope now!! Thanks for breaking down these fantastic singers - happy to hear that you are an Ian Thornley fan too!

[@chrisliepe]

More Ian to come!

[@j9andphoenix]

As soon as I saw your thumbnail that included Chris Cornell I clicked your bait. He seemed to have pretty much sorted it early in his career. Love your channel. If I lived in a house I would pratice but I get too shy to sing in the smal building I live in. So what I learned from my singing teacher many years ago remains. Back then, I sang all the time. It is such a wonderful feeling and quite enriching.

[@adikickass84]

Wow this really cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had in my head. Thank you Chris.

[@chrisliepe]

Glad it was helpful!

[@andrearinomato7670]

Finally! Thornley gets a shoutout! One of the most, if not the most criminally underrated vocalist of all time!

[@lisandroguevara1756]

Hi Chris! You are the best vocal coach I have ever had. Thanks for your lessons.

[@chrisliepe]

My pleasure!

[@luxuriousfir]

Mine too!!!

[@thatswhatisaidCA]

Wow. As a 59 yr old woman with a low voice and low shift note plus super soprano range, I found this actually spoke to me and gave me a few "a-ha" moments! (love when that happens.) I've taken lessons from diff people off and on over the years, but I'm really re-ignited by your teaching style and personality. Thank you! I have a lot to go over!

[@DrRhyhm]

I am a baritone myself, I can sing F2 with richness and after 5 years I am able to !!hold!! A and A#4(mostly A4, depends on the song) and hit C5 for a quarter note. It is very much possible to get higher as a baritone. It's just that high singing requires a different thought process and if you cut yourself even before you start to developed "I cant do it because I have a low a voice." Guess what, you wont! A lot of people told me in my first 3 years I shouldn't try to to sing that high, that's not my voice. Well at that time they were right I sounded bad, but! I kept going in private a new half note every couple of months, now I am able to sing most tenor songs -1 or -2 down which is still pretty high and still have my lows.

[@White_Wolf_Studios_Gaming]

To me this channel is the greatest free resource for singing out there

[@chrisliepe]

Thank you! I appreciate you watching and engaging!

[@tony.kmullinsstudio818]

I'm of the opinion that Ian Thornley is one of the most underrated singers in existence. His live performance of "That Song" at the Suhr Factory Party is on another level ("and when you're hay-yaY-YAY-TEEEEEEDDDDDD!!"..... Just incredible). When I think about improving my voice, his is the model voice I push toward. There a lot of power and tone in everything he does. "Knee Deep" is another that he just does unnatural vocal stuff on.

[@johnatyoutube]

I just stumbled onto your channel. I'm a classically trained baritone. I was blessed to have found a brilliant voice teacher in my late 30s. I had sung as a tenor for many years because i had the range, but it never felt comfortable. In classical music you can't thin the tone like in rock because you need all your harmonics to be heard off mic and it takes a toll if you push while maintaining timbre. My teacher was convinced that I was a baritone as soon as he heard me, but he wanted me to see it for myself. (I have a deeper broader speaking voice than you). He had me explore my natural break while I sang up the scale from uncovered into covered voice. He showed me that tenors naturally break (cover) best on a F-sharp and baritones only a half step lower. I cover best on a F-natural - it was undeniable. I finally embraced being a baritone and my natural full timbre which I had suppressed for years. But, maintained my high notes by thinnning them just a hair and moving them forward. Italian opera calls it the squillo (trumpet resonance). What you're demonstrating is actually just a more focused version of what opera singers do on high notes while keeping more timbre by using the cover. As you said, it's difficult - actually physically harmful - to maintain a full baritone timbre on high notes. Your only choice is to shift it into a more narrow forward place which is sensed in the head and nose - hence often called head voice. All voices do that, but as you said, the shift is more noticeable with lower voice types and more work for those types to learn to navigate the timbre changes. The big point is that the only physiological difference between the frequency range of classical baritones and tenors is a half step. That's going to be true for rock singers as well. The bigger difference that we perceive is the timbre of the voice. And the richer the voice, the more challenging it is to navigate the shifts. But, it's totally possible to sing high notes as a baritone. Btw, baritones actually can generally more easily access their falsetto above the covered head voice than tenors because it's easier for them to shift into it and they retain more timbre in it. That's why virtually all counter tenors (who train to sing primarily in falsetto) are natural baritones.

[@sonoftyme9789]

Dude. So glad you used Albatross as an example, Ian is such an underrated vocal ASSASSIN. Also, killer job on superunknown, really captivating!

[@chrisliepe]

Thanks! Ya I wanna do more on Ian for sure!

[@standandeliver8376]

For a moment there I thought you meant Albatross by Fleetwood Mac. I can nail the vocals on that one every time.

[@woodoyoy]

Man I love you. Because you talk to us like to friends, and not trying to sell me anything every minute of the video. You're great

[@moebiwan]

Great video! HUGE Ian Thornley/BW fan. KZbin's algorithm brought me here and you just earned a sub for such a fine explanation of what both Ian and Chris do to crush those tough high notes.

[@kyriakosgrammatikos727]

Thank you so much for this video Chris! The modern music world has been hung up for decades on fach classifications from 200 years ago that are no longer relevant. It's sad to see that many voice coaches all over the world have the audacity to tell people to fit into a box and insist it's what they are for the rest of their lives (and to make matters worse, people believe that stuff). Hear me out folks, having thicker vocal cords is a blessing. Grants depth all throughout the range and makes for a beautiful sound, if only you invest the time in it. Training thick vocal cords to thin out properly is a monster of a task because of the strength it requires in the CT muscle and others - but also because society told baritones falsetto is a no go so noone practices it. So keep practicing folks, have faith, and take it one day at a time. It takes years.

[@NeXusZT]

I've had the pleasure of seeing Big Wreck (Ian Thornley) live when he was promoting their album Albatross and his live vocals are absolutely chilling. The control in his voice is unbelievable. His light rasp throughout his range adds such amazing texture to his tone. I would love to see a break down of a big wreck song like you've done in the past. I think a lot of people would learn a lot from it. Cheers!

[@6BURG9]

Also a phenomenal guitarist. The guy is one of a kind.

[@chrishenderson420]

Seen them twice now, and my favorite concerts by far.

[@CarlosLiberated]

Yeah, the world’s best rock singer and world’s best rock guitarist is the same dude. It’s unfair. Also probably in the top 10 rock songwriters.

[@fakemikasa1170]

Thank you so much Chris Liepe. You helped me without you knowing a baritone like me. I am now singing Air Supply songs regularly.. almost everyday but I am just doing it as a hobby and not as a professional.. I wasn't able to do any of those 5 months ago.. I just followed what you taught us viewers.

[@kjdskgj]

This topic (low voice singing higher range) is exactly what I've been looking for, thank you! I have a really low voice, might even be bass but not quite sure, could be just very low baritone. But anyways I struggle with those higher ranges, so I'd love to see more videos about this!

[@chrisliepe]

Ya, going to be doing a few more angles on this very topic in the coming weeks... Stay tuned!

[@kjdskgj]

@@chrisliepe Awesome, thanks! 🙏

[@erikvinnie]

I’m so glad a vocal coach FINALLY acknowledged the awesomeness that is Ian Thornley ✊ You need to do more deep dives and videos on his singing!

[@bellasoda]

Thank you! As a baritone, this video helped me understand my voice a lot better!

[@chrisliepe]

Glad it helped!

[@jordanheyvaert6204]

You explained that so well! I never understood how some of these singers that sing high notes are really baritones that are just using mixed voice. Well said, Chris.

[@MickeyBean]

Dude, I’ve seen Big Wreck live 15+ times in my life and I’m blown away every time. Ian Thornley is a fucking GOD.

[@chrisliepe]

It’s TRUE! they are impeccable live

[@AUTOSAD777]

I third that. Perfect set they had when I saw them. Perfect. Unreal.

[@encryptor6710]

That is one of my life goals is to see them live at least once. They mainly tour Canada though.

[@chaseclarkemusic]

Going to see them soon, I'm pumped

[@Ashley-mq3jd]

My voice keeps getting deeper by the day and it discouraged me from persuing singing. This has encouraged me to retry. SUBBED! also do tonsils affect your voice. Cause I've had a bad case of those growing up and they occasionally come up if I smell smoke or drink super cold water.

[@badm0t0rf1nger]

Great video. Very rare to hear anyone do justice covering a Cornell or Thornley vocal. Kudos. :)

[@leumas8688]

This content is something that I have been seeking for years, thank you

[@dougie2150]

exactly. it's not about hitting the note, it's about sound. I'm baritone and i can for example hit chorus note in Man in the box, but it sounds not that thick as Layne's note. I hope I can fix that in future.

[@mightytreasure]

B4 is my Enemy, can sing that A at the top of my natural range and can do that C in falsetto up through G5 in Head wail. Dancing around that B4 is pure hell and that's where ALL the Radio singers are at, it's the money note. This video helped me some and I had fun trying to copy what you were doing toward the end of the video. Thank you for that.

[@kikemizurov3597]

Man you are so underrated as a teacher and pedagogue

[@chrisliepe]

Thanks for watching and engaging! Glad you're enjoying the content!

[@bluedude05]

When puberty decided to slap me in the face and I had a baritone sounding voice, I still found it very easy to sing on higher notes despite cracking here and there. Now that I'm older, I still hit very high notes for as a baratone and even practice talking in higher tones. Im glad videos like this exist, thanks fir showing and explaining so much.

[@JohnnyGTar]

Besides the cool tips and valuable info, I really like it when you do a singing intro!

[@Adrian101882]

Agree. He crushed this particular intro so hard too

[@yolo7662]

i got chills hearing the intro

[@PaulOuzounov]

I've wanted this video for ages. Thanks forever, Chris. I've never been able to sing. Lots of insecurities, physical, emotional and mental, and your channel has changed my life for the better. As a baritone who loves Freddie Mercury - I have always had so much trouble even pretending to attempt his style.

[@chrisliepe]

Glad it’s meeting you where you’re at paul!

[@aleksamrkela831]

I needed this! Might be useful for basses, too.

[@chrisliepe]

Very useful for basses! And Tenors and Altos etc... for that matter haha

[@alancummings5651]

The best I’ve seen for vocal teaching

[@encryptor6710]

Its nice to see Big Wreck getting some love!

[@triorubino-michakoeppen9105]

thanks! this encourages me a lot as a baritone myself, especially to develop and use my head voice more... also in daily speaking!

[@briansullivan3424]

Excellent examples of baritones. Some others that have incredible range, despite having a baritone voice type, would be Geoff Tate, Matt Barlow, Maynard James Keenan, Serj Tankian, David Coverdale, and even Freddie Mercury... all baritones. As a baritone myself who loves singing along with old Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and similar tunes, I have found that, by reinforcing falsetto and working on fry distortion and glottal compression to add a little bit of concealer around my break, I can sing most of the notes just fine... a song that sits almost entirely around high Fs and Gs is tremendously fatiguing, but songs that have a few notes in there, and even much higher than that, and I can do them all day.

[@chrisliepe]

Spot on and absolutely right!

[@VelsVivard]

Freddie is not one of them

[@cbappa2]

I'm watching a Big Wreck concert from 1998 while scrolling my phone and I see a picture of Thornley in the thumbnail. The last couple of years he's finally started to get some well deserved exposure

[@smash_adams]

I'm more of a low tenor so not quite a baritone but a lot of this advice is good for me too. I always thought I should be able to hit the higher tenor notes, seeing as that should be my range, but it's always been a strain to hit those Anthony Green, Sleeping With Sirens, Saosin, Dance Gavin Dance notes. Especially the ones up there. I just don't have that kind of sound and it can be discouraging. But I also don't have that warm baritone voice either. So I've always felt a bit unwanted as a vocalist.

[@crimsonmaverick8237]

This honestly just gets me excited. I know some things range wise aren’t in the cards, and that’s ok, but the idea that I may be able to achieve vocals I never believed I could if I just work at it gets me hyped to continue my voice journey as a baritone.

[@RyanQuinn]

Hey Chris, my name's Ryan Quinn -- I'm a professional singer heavily influenced by the likes of Chris Cornell and Brad Delp. I really appreciate your videos, and this one in particular (being a baritone that often sings songs beyond the "typical" baritone range). Thanks for articulating this concept so well! And by the way -- nice job with "Superunknown" at the beginning of the video!

[@chrisliepe]

Thank you!!

[@chrisliepe]

Just checked out your channel... Awesome performance on The Voice man!! And your other stuff is top notch! Would you be interested in connecting for a conversation? You can email me at [e-mail] if you're interested... I've got an idea :)

[@RyanQuinn]

Thanks so much, man - that sounds great! I absolutely will do!

[@jergervasi3331]

Yeah, that was awesome. I'm a baritone in the same boat... I'm going to look further into Chris' lessons.

[@jergervasi3331]

Ryan, just watched The Voice video. Gave me goosebumps. Adam's reaction was a great illustration of the art Chris describes here when he asks "Is that 2 people, or 1?"

[@williamweiss6128]

Love those 2 mentioned....Thornley, Cornell!!!!!love Big Wreck!!!

[@FrankValchiria]

my man you have a great voice

[@j.dtruths5577]

You are a fabulous teacher and a Great singer ! I’m a baritone as well, huge Cornell fan! Thank you ! J… Toronto

[@viictor1309]

This is absolutely helpful, I'm not condemned to sound like Eddie Vedder for the rest of my life (well kind of but yeah)

[@dreusch805]

There are definitely worse things hahaha

[@viictor1309]

@@dreusch805 The guy has a super voice, but's kind of a pain when you want to sing something else.

[@MetridiumMoose]

Canadian Chris Cornell, Ian Thornley bringing it in strong. Gave me goosebumps 🥶🙏

[@MountSilverBand]

Ian thornley is the fucking man, love when he gets credit

[@hightenor12]

God damn it's so refreshing to see vocal technique analysis from a non-classical singer who really knows what they're talking about. As a crossover classical singing artist who's favorite Bond song of all time was Cornell's "You Know My Name" I can't stop smiling this whole video. RIP Chris!

[@chrisliepe]

Glad you're enjoying the videos!! Cornell's Bond theme is one of my favorite songs of all time :) !! Thanks for being here and learning along with me!!

[@ranmanguitar]

Ian Thornley is a masterful musician

[@gypsycat619]

Love the examples...really brings the lesson home! Showed this to my GF...She has the most awesome head voice!

[@callingallkings163]

TODAY, I"ve felt vocal Freedom.

[@chrisliepe]

YESSSSSSS

[@ChadHicks92]

Thank you for Ian Thornley, don't know how I've never heard of him. Awesome!

[@jeffwolinski2659]

This was excellent, was brought here by the Big Wreck FB group, Ian is criminally underappreciated! The great Roy Khan needs to be in this discussion as well, would be great to hear your take on him. Practically any song from the brilliant One Cold Winter's Night show from Kamelot.

[@chrisliepe]

Oh!! Great idea!

[@chrisliepe]

That’s cool you found me via the big wreck group! How neat! I’d love to have Ian on the channel and just talk with him

[@sharoncosby1945]

You should hit him up for that!!! Have u heard their new song Bombd Away?

[@jeffwolinski2659]

Just like with Ian Thornley, Roy Khan is someone that really deserves to be a household name. So much horrible limited talent out there being super famous and 999 out of 1000 human beings (or even less) would even recognize Thornley or Khan's names.

[@jeffwolinski2659]

And while it's a long one, the Elizabeth trilogy from One Cold Winter's Night is probably one of the best introductions to Roy Khan. Great song and storyline and wide range of moods there, and he totally lives it, no more intense or passionate singer alive.

[@ROCKYSBOY]

I always had a higher range and great falsetto growing up as a baritone and could sing much higher than my brother who was a tenor. I have unfortunately killed my voice with abuse but what this man says is so true about how to view your voice and range.

[@Izzy-fh8sr]

You’ve got a great channel man, I appreciate this a lot.

[@chrisliepe]

I'm glad and thank you Izzy!

[@keithwolfe9726]

GREAT ,GREAT,GREAT, GREAT video!!! So clear and well demonstrated. Thanks Chris!

[@richgreen9257]

This video is so spot on. Part of what makes it great is that Chris Liepe can actually pull off everything he teaches. I watched this video to the end, and have sung 1st Tenor my entire life....the techniques here are described and presented in absolute truth. When he says this is the same thing Tenors do to hit the notes......100% true...so this video has a wide appeal. Thanks for the fantastic explanations / examples!

[@chrisliepe]

You’re so welcome!! Thanks for the great comment Rich!

[@gmfroma-2-z906]

I feel like i'm back in college, great advice my friend! Thank you.

[@BradCross1982]

Love your channel man 🤘🏽

[@chrisliepe]

Thanks!!

[@SayceBuckleyFreak]

Most inspirational video I’ve watched in years !!!!!