How to Sing Like Serj Tankian. System of a Down (Versatile, Musical Acting) Break Out of Your Shell

[@Steve__________]

"It's almost like a tongue twister." I-E-A-I-A-I-O

[@FCValle]

yeah but "ieaiaio" comes right after "peterpekerpickedanotherpicklbearpussypepper WHYYY" so yeah

[@half_emptygirl]

@@FCValle HAHAHAHHA

[@Tessimistic420]

Great story behind the track i-e-a-i-a-i-o that's what they were singing when they were thinking about the lyrics for the track and it sounded so good they left it in.

[@Tessimistic420]

I-E-A-I-A-I-O is a Great vocal warmup too💯❤️💯

[@Xianot_found404]

​@@Tessimistic420 ieaioaio is a kkk chant

[@brandondufrene4706]

A Jack Black video would be interesting. He is an underrated vocalist with a lot of versatile vocal techniques.

[@anderswik9487]

Very good point 💥

[@saidoterodiseno]

YESSS! He's amazing!

[@sciexp]

He is comical, probably this has something to do with it...

[@herman-phillipkleingeld2578]

Definitely down with that! 🖤

[@first1097]

Yes pls

[@stranayadevushka]

The best compliment I've ever gotten after performing is that "I'm like a female Serj". I'll never forget that! 😁😁😁

[@chrisliepe]

Awesome!!

[@stranayadevushka]

@@chrisliepe yea dude. He's my #1 vocal inspiration. I've also been compared to Grace Slick ,Cher, and Delores O'riordan, too! 😁😁😁 but Serjie- poo is my main squeeze . Lol

[@emilbrandwyne5747]

@Harley Violet Staley 570 Yes I am very special too

[@itsbritneybitch7253]

holy shit

[@noname-bu1ux]

is it because you have a sweet beard, or because you sing well?

[@Gworan]

I don't even sing, just wanted to see someone else try this.

[@chrisliepe]

Cool!

[@sambosak]

Same!!! It was so facinating to see him break down, analyze, and demonstrate all the different vocal profiles Serj Tankian uses. I appreciate all the details he brings out to everyone!

[@Luke-qe8so]

serj is literally my number 1 insperiation for singing, ive based everything off of him

[@gamingguitarist6927]

This man's confidence I would never 💀

[@chrisliepe]

😁

[@Artofwar3004]

He said that he never took vocal lessons ("i m not a trained musician")...now imagine his IMMENSE talent, combined with 10-15 years of vocal coaching...that would have been insane

[@szabolcsmezei4088]

I think the struggle against one's own technical limitations and the freedom of a non formal training are very important ingredients towards an interesting career. With Serj I think it's more about the freedom, another favourite singer of mine, Bono (before 2000) was more about the urge to go against his limitations (including the band's untrained musicianship).

[@ziudra91]

@@szabolcsmezei4088 I agree. The shouty singing style he adopted for the Toxicity record which is not healthy for your voice simply would not have happened had he been vocally trained.

[@noname-bu1ux]

Its a lie. His parents had him in lessons in childhood, its probably just that they didn't teach him anything.

[@pedrobasso2503]

@@ziudra91 it’s really impossible to sing like he did in Toxicity without hurting your voice? There are ways of sing like that with the proper technique?

[@ziudra91]

@@pedrobasso2503 No because he is shouting and shouting is bad for your voice.

[@RobbieFitzgerald]

I want to hear a full cover of Chop Suey now. Edit: this one seems like the most fun to do. And I think Serj had some operatic training.

[@flanimate]

Actually i think he said he learned all this by himself, and that makes him even more amazing!

[@harleymumford94]

Just so you know Daron is screaming 'why do they always send the poor' Keep up the good work Chris, love the videos, super informative and helpful

[@chrisliepe]

AH YESSS! I knew someone would know... thanks!!! :)

[@THernane]

@@chrisliepe That and the other high register scream (the one that is panned with the clearer voice of Serj in BYOB) are from Daron too.

[@UMF6]

It's mixed between "Why do you/they send the poor".

[@ltziggy6470]

@@chrisliepethey alternate between that and “why don’t presidents fight their wars” also I love your screaming!

[@alexsgameplaysmore4839]

14:15 he is saying "why do they always send the poor"

[@user-oy7gz5bf2h]

Yep

[@ashscott6068]

No, it's "Why do they all hate Centerparcs?" And the answer is the shitty food

[@giuliano8031]

Ash Scott But why is the lyrics in the internet saying the above one?

[@suicideisproofoflife51119]

Why do they always send the poor! 🤘🏻

[@Soldier1287]

I thought it was “why do they always hit the floor”

[@jacobsowles]

That demo of screaming "disorder" was such a great example of how much placement can change your sound. Looked like most of the change was coming from your tongue position too, which is interesting. I'd love to see one of these videos on Wayne Static. He's got such a percussive sound on the lower end, and keeps a lot of voicing in his screams. Pretty unique sound.

[@CarlosValencia12]

It seems like you're having a lot of fun making your videos. It's contagious. 😄

[@chrisliepe]

I do have tons of fun!! Thanks for watching them and commenting on them :) It means I get to make more and more!!

[@no.9464]

My name is Carlos too 😲

[@ronnydzaster5279]

How to sing like Jonathan Davis or Chad Grey would be really cool.

[@chrisliepe]

Thanks!

[@breakingbetween8963]

jonathan davis please

[@ashscott6068]

Oh yeah. Johnathan Davies! His distortion it really unique and so is his tone. Like him or not, you always know it's him singing.

[@RichardFriendartist]

this will be fun. I am friends with John the drummer. Serj almost has a Jello Biafra bounce to his voice...Daron is great too. I love his voice honestly and his band Scars is great/ Your rock Chris!

[@JULIUSPROJECT]

This content is pure gold ..You are basically covering all my favourite singers....Thanks Chris!!!

[@IsraelIvanCastro]

X2

[@kishalayroy4978]

The more i watch and try to understand Chris's videos the more i understand about my own voice. I absolutely love your content, keep up the amazing work!

[@chrisliepe]

Thanks so much!!

[@youtuberson4077]

5:00 sounds like he's teaching a stadium full of fans, i love when you can hear the fx chain during a speaking part

[@needart3904]

I love the fact that you apologize for a misplacement of the neck engagement coz it proves the technique actually works so good !!

[@illuminati666]

Yes!!! Daron Malakian is my hero! Not very many people talk about or respect him! 🤩💯😍

[@JaEbala]

Really nailed those Serj tones. Great and practical lesson, thanks a lot for your good work!

[@noahchristopher3390]

You finally did it, I’ve been waiting for SOAD for a long time. I’m not disappointed, great job man! Keep up the great work! Also, side note, Daron is screaming “Why do they always send the poor” in the beginning of BYOB

[@chrisliepe]

Thanks, and I'm glad it was all you were hoping for :)

[@thomster8639]

Man, I don't comment on YT videos very often but I just gotta spit it out. This video was absolutely fantastic my dude, SOAD is one of my most loved bands and people often try to analyze Serj's singing just in theory, and I really appreciate how you explained and demonstrated everything, whilst having a lot of fun - made the video that much better to watch. Keep it up dude!

[@KrishmanyuThakur]

Fun fact: Serj and Freddie Mercury's vocal range is almost the same. I think it's about 4 octaves 🤔

[@mateocontreras6641]

Actually, 2001 Serj would sing bohemian raphsody perfectly

[@barlowjmb]

@@mateocontreras6641 if I could go back I would fight for this.

[@veRGe02]

I would love to hear a video from your perspective analyzing the controversial changes in Serj's vocal technique between his 90s/early 2000s performances compared to after 2005 (or especially 2011)

[@Artofwar3004]

Same

[@ConfydeMusic]

I sing in a System of a Down tribute band, this was so helpful even though I've been doing it for over 5 years!

[@chrisliepe]

Nice!

[@dannyhart8180]

Your videos helped me with the biggest improvement I've ever made with my voice. That was 6 years ago. I just found you again, at a time when I really needed to. I'm excited 😊

[@skoomadealer5173]

Thank you so much Chris. I requested this artist (as I imagine some other people did), but didn't think you would do it. Serj and Daron are two of my favorite vocalists and I've been waiting for something like this for a long time.

[@nicosilva8724]

Daron deserves his own video also

[@ChiefSupreme6803]

18:00 Breaking down Serj in a serious and professional way is hilarious. I'm dying laughing but it's so good haha

[@tnfloose9023]

I would like to see a Vocal breakdown of Dreaming by System of a down.

[@Soadownz45]

I second this.

[@itsbritneybitch7253]

YES

[@bularecordz]

Another lesson on a marvelous example. Your videos are the best Chris, thank you! Today I hit the chorus on "The day I tried to live", a year ago I wouldn't dreamt of doing. I'm so thankful for your course, man. Cheers from Poland

[@chrisliepe]

Awesome!

[@kirstenjewell5297]

Serj is such a unique and talented vocalist, I love SOAD! got a new sub from me!

[@chrisliepe]

Great! Welcome to the channel! :)

[@agustinjauregui2127]

can you do tatiana from jinjer? screaming aside, she has a really unique singing style

[@suicideisproofoflife51119]

I can do growls like her it's really easy if you can growl like Nergal or Phil or like Corey can even do highs like Oli from the previous Deathcore Era of theirs Count Your Blessings - Pray for plagues ... Growling takes like 9-10 months if you practice like 1-2 hours a day... Highs will take maybe 6-7 months..

[@radiotipo.studio]

Goddess of music

[@agustinjauregui2127]

@@suicideisproofoflife51119 ok?

[@dorukyucebasoglu9539]

@@suicideisproofoflife51119 How do you know if you got the right technique though? Let's say I found a way to produce that sound (which I haven't) and practiced that for a year, then destroyed my voice. What does the correct way to do it feel like?

[@suicideisproofoflife51119]

@@dorukyucebasoglu9539 I use my diaphragm dude I don't hurt my voice anymore & Chris's videos have helped me a lot I can scream easily & I don't feel any stress or hoarseness in my throat practicing with the right technique won't fuck up your voice & you can use your brain while listening to the songs as well just try to tap in what the singer is actually doing on which part they stress or loosen their voice accordingly listen to the song precisely & you will come to know how to execute them & just refer to these videos religiously... And you can use his free vocal course to unpack your voice basic build up is a must. You can't get screaming instantly you need to understand the variations & you need to build up your voice once you are done with your base voice then you can start getting into the scream part by part you need to loosen up your throat & that's how you do it...

[@georgeferns1234]

This guy have a unique style of singing and screaming

[@Artofwar3004]

This is the best KZbin channel, EVER.

[@J.P.-Panahi-il1sg]

Oh I love this! Hoping for more Srrj in the future, this guy is a goldmine

[@josea.salinas6784]

the best of your videos is when you make comparisons of the sounds one after another for showing us the differences

[@shane864]

Man you're a great fucking communicator. I'm sold, gonna start your course when I get home after the holidays. I've realized recently that everything I want to produce REQUIRES a vocalist that's in my head and it's just impossible to find, so it has to be me. Have to put in the work. I've been looking for the right person casually for a while. Yer it.

[@chrisliepe]

Awesome Shane! Thanks for watching and engaging with my videos. Looking forward to working with you more!

[@IsraelIvanCastro]

How come this guy hasn't blown up yet? I keep coming back periodically to check his content. Always on point. Eventually it will occur.

[@chrisliepe]

100k subs in less than year not bad tho :) But you're right... hoping for much more!!

[@Torrment]

Such a good character voice, still think you should do Darroh Sudderth from Fair to Midland - crazy control, lots of forward placement but oddly soft consonants, manual vibrato where he pinches his throat skin, crazy low distorted vocals - just a bunch of tricks in the bag.

[@OldMateRiver]

There are so many things about his voice that I'd love to learn about.

[@YannSelka]

Chris, as always thank you so much! I'm doing a cover and wanted to incorporate some of Serj's theatrical singing styles into it, looked if you had a lesson on that - and boom, you just uploaded it two weeks ago. Definitely my lucky day. So appreciated!

[@jennsname]

As a girl i love signing serj/soad i love his tutorial. Piano chords brought me here. Whatever. Learning :)

[@RhiannonTyler]

Something about this relates to your cover of I Hate Everything About You, which is excellent. Also a breakdown of Concrete Blonde would be interesting, The Vampire Song and Days and Days, there’s great bass playing and some unique vocals

[@chrisliepe]

Great ideas!

[@nikijur4193]

Was supposed to see SOAD in June but it got canceled cause of 'rona unfortunately... Thanks for a healthy dose of SOAD and Serj's voice Chris! :D Amazing content as always!

[@zbgb4339]

Just wanted to thank you for all the great lessons Chris. Thanks to your knowledge I stopped trying to force my voice to fit a song and instead adapted those songs to my own voice. This past Saturday I practiced with my band and nailed Audioslave "Your Time Has Come" and Led Zeppelin "Rock and Roll" without any recent practice of those specific songs, only practicing your techniques for weeks. It's tough for me to practice when I live in a condominium complex, but I just kept practicing breathing, humming and throat positioning. I had barely learned to add grit and yet it came so naturally when I sang Rock and Roll. Best part - 0 strain or pain after 2 hours of practice. I was smiling the whole ride home.

[@usamahijazi9499]

you have to cover some of serjs vocals on their first album. that would be awesome!

[@ComradSputnik]

A screwed up Freddie Mercury... Nailed it

[@marcoarriagadadiaz9183]

Amazing!!! Waiting for Tom Chaplin and Luis Miguel

[@thebeetalls]

9:50 you got me with that "honk". ^_^

[@frankunodostres473]

damn, I didn't expect to ever see this video here. serj has one of those voices that just can't be replicated. interesting to see a very technical analysis that shows there is method to his madness :D

[@clueless_mitochondria]

They are just so artistic ad ou cant deny that

[@rataum22]

the video I`ve been waiting for a long time

[@madelen9279]

It’s funny when you do it I can recognize many of Serj’s facial expressions when he sings and understand why.

[@arukendo7573]

I was looking for a video just like this explaining serj's vocals for years! SUBSCRIBED!

[@chrisliepe]

Awesome!

[@rafusca]

That's nice! Now I need someone who can sing like Serj to sing in my song inspired by System

[@AgentBravo45]

I like how this video was uploaded the day I got back into SOAD ha what a coincidence

[@reverendfawkes6138]

I think a fascinating vocalist you could look at is Klayton Scott of Circle of Dust, Celldweller, and Scandroid. He has a very wide, chesty voice with an amazing amount of control. His production style is also extremely fun to look at and break down! He also has remix assets of most of his earlier songs and some of his newer ones, so isolated vocals won't be too hard to find.

[@PontodIl]

bro, you are amazing, so impressive

[@-byko-8423]

I want to suggest Jorn Lande. He's not very well known, but he is one of the greatest rock singers out there right now. Has a HUGE catalog of music as well. Keep rockin it CL! 👍

[@Artofwar3004]

Omg, i waited so much for this😍

[@albanebrun1837]

Holy shit I love you. I have to sing Chop Suey with my band and I'm really struggling with this song. Today I thought "If only Chris Liepe could do a How to sing like Serj Tankian it would save me" and here you are ! Thanks for everything man.

[@joenorway47]

2002 Serj is probably one of the best singers ever

[@nexial1st934]

I really want to thank you for all the work you have done. I love the way you explain everything our voice can be capable of, I’m sure you’re the best vocal coach I’ve ever listened to. I really want to understand how does Daron Malakian sings, he’s amazing, and you’re the one I first thought of, I wanted to ask if you could do a video studying his voice. Thank you ❤

[@maruko8324]

Man, you crazy with those vocals :O

[@trash8664]

For sure you dont know about this vocalist but he have a very particular voice in metal in my opinion and also he have rare screams, his name is Stephen Richards and is the vocalist of Taproot, whould be interesting to know how he sings/screams like he does especially in the early 2000 because he was diferent comparing with other metal vocalist because his melodic voice mixed with this rare screams that im talking about, he has a strange technique. Thanks for doing this stuff you are one of the best channels of music in KZbin keep up ^^

[@WilliamJayG2]

Thank you so much for this video, i've been looking for a Serj-style vocal tutorial for quite a while. If you would ever try to make a pt.2 on Serj, it would cool if you explain a few things, like his high pitched scream in Suggestions, or the RARE part in CUBErt. His type of shouting in War? and his somewhat haunting vocal delivery in the verses of Spiders. Anyways love your vids and learned a lot from them!! ^^

[@blue5had0w]

"WhY dO tHeY aLwAyS sEnD tHe PoOr!!!!!"

[@lordgangrelagarwaen6982]

THANX FOR THIS AND THE B.Y.O.B VIDEO MAN!!! FOR A POOR MORTAL LIKE ME WHO HAS A S.O.A.D. COVER BAND IS A HUUUUGE HELP FOR GETTING WHAT THIS VOCAL GOD DOES!!! YOU'VE GAINED ONE MORE SUBSCRIBER!!!

[@RYSKuwu]

YES FINALLY!!! this is the video i've been waiting for!!! i haven't even started watching the video yet and i'm commenting coz of the excitement lol THANK YOU!!!

[@victorupreti6285]

Chris! I am in love with your videos man I have just started doing vocals and you make it so much easier!! Great video by the way as well! I think that Chris Barretto, monuments and periphery’s former singer would be awesome! His screams are really unique as well as his clean singing in songs like I the destroyer or atlas!

[@chrisliepe]

Great! Thanks!!

[@avvvqvvv99]

right from the start the examples and contrasting are awesome great work as usual

[@brandondasilva1535]

I love the way you analyse vocals!! There is so much to learn from you.

[@FatherLamb]

respect! Learned a bit here. But btw its "leave the keys upon the table" lol

[@theomyling]

THE WAIT IS OVER 🤘🔥🤘

[@gustavopasini1746]

I was waiting so long for this video, thank you so much!

[@Mcrapansel]

you need to do Mike Patton he has ALOT of sarcasm and humor in his music as well. I am pretty sure Mike Patton is Serj' number one influence^^

[@RonnieGavelin]

Yes yes! Really looking forward to a Mike Patton-video!

[@lyqst]

This would be awesome, but how do you cover everything Patton does in a short video? Dude does so many different things with his voice.

[@MetridiumMoose]

This was awesome. Love SOAD and you picked some great examples to focus on! Thanks Chris!

[@liukeiner]

This is awesome!! Although I expected to see the part of Spiders when he goes like "befoOore you knoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO" hahahahaha

[@amauricabral]

Thanks man! I've waited so long for this video! Btw your quiet exercises are really helping me out!

[@shadowofficial5721]

Omg! It was a great choice. Thank you for this.

[@luismira7646]

at 5:30 "wake up" you definitely sound like Dio :D Very cool video, we can learn many things by listen to Serj Tankian. Keep on it Chris!

[@richardrozario5048]

You have been my inspiration! Thanks Chris! 👌

[@MobinFruiti]

i love the WAKE UP jump scare

[@christopherhebert1504]

Another thought, perhaps a cool video or video series would be analyzing how vocalist changed over the years and why, like if it's a stylistic choice or to preserve their voice, etc

[@lucasfranceschini7952]

this is so good

[@WhaleBluePRS]

Dug Pinnick - King's X - would be another cool voice with so much character to look into

[@Scucca1]

The eyebrow work at LA LA LA LA LA ououououhhh is amazing 😂😂😂

[@satanasluciferi7278]

I know I'm 2 years late but he says "why do they always send the poor?"

[@UnTipoSinNombre]

So fun and interesting at the same time.

[@michalpircak2375]

wowowow very good impression dude

[@danewillson]

Serj and daron are my heros

[@lastor9283]

Please do a Jello Biafra series? Soad took a lot of thier influence from the dead Kennedys.

[@GusJay]

Your grit is gettin’ better and better

[@chrisliepe]

:)

[@samf7559]

Could you do a video on how to sing like Remington Leith or Conor Mason? It would be really helpful!

[@Arieccolo1234]

Another great video Chris! How to sing like The Mars Volta's singer Cedric Bixler would be great for me and I guess you would enjoy it too. Thanks

[@brandomjimenez6453]

I loved this one! Thank you, Chris.

[@UMF6]

FYI daron is saying " Why do you always send the poor!"

[@Zavgorodny]

Yes. I believe it's "Why do THEY always...", actually.

[@UMF6]

@@Zavgorodny It's actually they/you mixed throughout.

[@groovemoustache]

And also it's keys being left upon to table, not kids.

[@Walterwhite-fd4vy]

@@groovemoustache I used to always think this when I was younger and I thought the song was about an actual father lol

[@arken1212]

That's insane dude 🔥

[@darthtidus6277]

Oh man one of my favorites 😍 you're so good sir! One of my new favorite bands I found up out of Canada called XIX. Can you do one on their vocalist Spenny Vegas and their song Rockstar? ❤️ Thanks Chris! Keep it up please! 🙏🏼☮️

[@anderswik9487]

this is a really cool channel💥. Glad i found it ⚡