Voice Training: "Riffs, Runs, & Control - Part 1"

[MegaSchoolGirl1]

you are so like my teacher.. mr.jackson you should really meet him.. he need help.. hes always singing like he doesnt care, well he sounds somewhat good.. but ima show him your videos...

[blueyglue]

show off when he singing if you wanna sing why not just make a video of you singing

[meenakarmeesh]

very good lessons, so true about that breathing. cause I loose riff and runs when I don't take enough but a few times I took to much air and did to much riffin and running. Very good tips in this videos:0) love your lessons

[adamY2K]

Look at Beyonce dangerously in love live performances, and christina aguilera for the best riffs and runs.

[crazyinlove180]

You're so great! Your videos are helping me expand my vocal knowledge. My big dream is to be an amazing singer, and you're getting me closer (: So thank you .!

[chrischendes]

I tried to stop the music at the stop

[ImLuvinMe001]

So in the beginning youre basically saying make the song your own just dont go overboard. Got that part down....

[knightlight87]

lol this guy is fucking awesome

[MegaSchoolGirl1]

I LOVE YOU, MARRY MEE! AND TEACH ME MORE!!! oh wait i mean great job and all * cough *

[Anndiey]

Thanks so much Eric :)

It's so nice to get lessons from someone positive and learned like you. :)

[Egebalkiz]

I can't free my voice.I don't know why but i can't.Please help me :(

[jaw3p]

thanks man

[mathewvue93]

BOYZ II MEN!

[HunneeHoliday]

wow u r mariah was rendition was so cute

[jettagliturbo]

My boy Chris Brown is the best!

[kiyomising]

Great!! I hope to see you Eric!!

I'm Japanese singer live in Tokyo.

[haileyscomet1017]

i want to be your best friend.

[DesertSunshine4]

Haha you said people tightening their abdominal muscle unconsciously haha =) It's all good

[AliBanana1493]

excellent

[ADORADORA77]

Awesome!!!!!

[phxkross]

Big fan of you Eric!! Great teacher

[Khalyban1]

Man, i realy wanna thank you!! I would pay for this man!

[johhnnww]

thanks

[VicRoseMusic]

wow man, I didnt even notice I flexed my abs when singing.

[HootyInWonderLand]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Finally a teacher that actually makes sense when they talk

[luis241661]

Look at your man, now look at me, now look at your man...

[XOmeshaOX]

your beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ilovestrawberriesyum]

"and your voice will just sound plain crappy" (xD) great video :D

[girlswithgunsxox]

something about this man makes me wish we were bestfriends in real life...

[BethanyAnneMusic1]

@girlswithgunsxox i know i wish he REALLY was my teacher AND boyfriend lol

[tionluvs2dance2music]

Ugh, Christina Aguilera is guilty of abusing rifts and runs!! Terrible!!

[HappiiSmiles316]

@tionluvs2dance2music BEYONCE!

[licerlo]

@tionluvs2dance2music and beyonce too! mariah carey juu!! toomuch!

[AdiaBubblez]

OMG sounded identical to mariah Carey @3:44

[reptaryay]

u remind me of John Legend..Im good looking but you my friend are not to bad yourself....no homo

[seansocheap]

@reptaryay LOL well said, he does kinda look like John Legend

[reptaryay]

dont want rock hard abs while singing HA! hell yessss i do, especially because i dont have abs at the beach...

[anus602]

i like this guy

[pointofviewset]

where can i hear some of your music?

[Apollonia9090]

I love what you said about tightening the abs being scientifically unsound. I want everyone to stop doing it now. Not just in singing. All the time.

[Glamerous111]

when i dont think about controlling my voice when i sing it makes singing alot easier and lighter like he said but i think about it most of the time so

[Jared95C]

@Glamerous111 well duh! hah cause if you think about it to much you get tense.

[TheSamjanjac]

this is helping me so much

[NALDO9111]

its the same thing i thought when christina did the anthem

[luv4myboyzz]

This video was voted down by 40 evil squirells O.O

[PrettyBaybee123]

The jewelry metaphor is very helpful!

[Legfe10]

Its cool..I get it! lol..your a funny guy!

[TiiZzLeFTW]

hehe!

[makindaprettiestsong]

lol...people do over sing star spangled...lol so true! great tips by the way! im trying to improve my singing

[pianohuntkey88]

well said. Use the riffs and runs only has embellishments, "Like simple, elegant jewelry"

[KirAWareme]

lol I thought they were called Melismah's that's what confused me at first about this video xD I feel stupid now

[superknight175216]

@KirAWareme Melisma is basically the same except it's when the music is written that way. A riff or run is when you ad-lib it. They are both singing different notes on the same syllable.

[Apollonia9090]

@KirAWareme "Melisma" is a technical term. "Riffs" and "runs" are more colloquial.

[pilchard96]

@Apollonia9090 A melisma is a specific word for a vocal variation on a note, riff is a wider musical term :)

[lilmatt619]

IM ON A BOAT !

[carebear433]

Im In Love .......

[eman9612]

ahhh what is the name of that gospel song at the end? sounds like a good worship song. but i have a question. i have a deep voice so when i try to do high notes, my throat squeezes up. and due to me alwayssss having this mucus deep in my throat, the notes sound horrible. do you have any advice for that? youtube you can help too =D

[VintageGuRu92]

Mariah Carey=prime example of a singer who goes "a little too crazy" with the riffs and runs.

[kalakalachuchu]

@VintageGuRu92 hell to the no, christina aguilera's star spangled banner is the example

[seansocheap]

@VintageGuRu92 Well I could understand why you would say that but at least Mariah MASTERED melisma/runs/trills/riffs while a lot of singers after her usually don't know when to stop or use melisma. Mariah knew when to use it and it always went along with the song like it somehow was needed to fit in there.

[TheVideoDoll]

Click the CC button click transcribe audio click ok then watch the subtitles. xD Anyway YOU ARE AWESOME!

[TheVideoDoll]

Daaaaaaaaayum!

[neliloka]

YOU'RE AMAZING!!!

[TyAlaxandar]

Friend: Dont practice this our teacher always says to keep your stomach tightened

Me: Does she have 407,956 Hits & 537 Comments

Friend: No

Me: Okay then shhhhhhut it

[09camaro]

37 people couldnt hit the riff and runs and didn't have control.

[niamh366]

That helped so much:):) I can actually sing without going horse:)

[analuvsjaej4evar]

I just want you to know....that I love you....best teacher EVER!

[musicisunityandlove]

I was laughing so hard at 3:41 he sounded like Mariah Carey! HAHA

[seansocheap]

@musicisunityandlove LOL I know right?!

[bugakiwi1]

Thankyou so much ....Aroha



[joecold219]

your a great teacher....



[Sarttimi]

i love your comparisons. i think Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey are amazing singers, but they are PRIME EXAMPLES of singers who throw in wayyyyyyyy toooo many riffs and runs. loved this vid! xo

[Wootangpro]

@Sarttimi Um no, Christina does not do too much

[ItsFaltzer]

@Wootangpro She used to do runs way too much back then at the beginning of her career, though. Listen to her version of 'Contigo En La Distancia' and then listen to Luis Miguel's version of the song and you'll see a vocal run added to the end of almost every phrase when she sings. She doesn't do too much now, but before it was a habit of hers and what she was known for. I still <3 Christina, though.

[MissJMusique]

has anyone seen improvement from these exercises ? :) Thought it would be interesting to hear stories!!

[kotodama27]

Will these exercises really help me to get decent runs? I'm also having trouble in my mid range no power and can be painful at times!! Any tips here? Apparently iv got 3 octaves and 2notes I'm a contralto,, I read it's common for us guys for have such a small mid range like 3 notes or something I need help!! Hahah please somebody tell me is it ever gonna be possible to sound like an awesome gospel singer or not?!

Muchos love Amigo!!

[RealityHurts923]

OK, I just did everything you said and I still suck.FML :(

[14philippr]

thankyou so much!

[nintendorascal]

Thank you black man!

[jobyrox101]

@nintendorascal wtf?

[sarasheplar]

Riffs are to singing as jewlery is to women....

[MrTresero]

i have a question. My hispanic side of the family are all , literally all , musical. I can play piano, and i practice about 2-3 hours a day. Should i practice with my voice during this time also? Or should i only practice for shorter periods of time to not hurt my voice in any way?

[TheOldSpirit]

@MrTresero Shorter, maybe do half an hour of vocal excercises, perhaps even 20 minutes. Practicing 3 hours a day will just ruin your voice in under a week and you'll have to wait for it to come back again.

[sachboi]

Damn that mofo pulled a Mariah at 3:49 like its nothin'...

[BlackBearAli]

During this video my cat came up and laid on my belly... >.< Bad kitty! Dont distract my practice!!!

[SkipyWasHere]

@BlackBearAli awwww how cute :)

[Joshulynn]

i already hear the difference in my voice after 2 days

[gospelician]

You are phenomenal! Thanks for sharing with us - God bless you brother! You are correct in your approach and teaching...I trained once with a speech pathologist, and many of the exercises you are teaching is what she taught. You are definitely on point and legitimate. It also is proven in your ability to SANG!!!!

[Jeedxx]

why do I sound like an angry horse?

[DESYREE1sexysinger]

yeah speaking of riffs and runs, who can assist with that type of training or is it all just free form? i never really see alot of practice vids on those

[g3ri54]

wow, you're amazing!

[SOil52]

You kinda look like Denzel Washington.

[xoxgayle23rd]

@SOil52 i agree!! :)

[CalvinR7]

Will Smith!?

oh.. nope. haha

Awesome video.

[jmateen1]

you should finish the whole national anthem in your riffed up version lol

[EricArceneaux]

Wassup folks! For NEW continued weekly vocal advice, make sure that you check out "The SINGERS' Show" on my channel every week! Ask questions, get answers, grow vocally... See y'all there!

[TheAbysso]

these techniques have really improved my voice impersonations. oh and my singing too. lol instant results. thanks much!

[beyonceboy100]

Oh pleas first Beyonce has the best riffs and runs and than whitney..beyonnce ha the vibrato to and the belting and the grunts

[TruMuzikLover]

@beyonceboy100 Nooo... Beyonce hasn't even surpassed Brandy in runs.. So how on EARTH can she pass WHITNEY.?? Lol Nevermind, that's just my opinion..

[BeyonceENTTV]

@TruMuzikLover Beyonce DRAGS brandy in runs.

[mycenth22]

@beyonceboy100 u are delusional

[DCampbellLRizzo]

@MrJordinSparks He's already signed (:

[Rocky46461]

oooohhhhhh yeah Jesus song......r u a Christian singer????

[LOKAL93]

yeah man love the jesus song at the end

[boredperson778]

your great

[ImperfectAng3lz]

ahhhhhhhhh yayyyy he said mariah i frikkin love her & he just killed that run sounded so beautiful lol well done & thanx for the tips

[SteelAVic18]

WHITNEY has the best Riffsand RUNS ever...

[FakeGothChick]

hey love u so much this is ur #1 fan i love practicing with ur videossss it awsomee and i love singing it with u!!!!!!!!!! [[=

[iiAmitx3]

omg i loved the run you did of mariah's song Honey! you did it almost exactly like her!

[derogatony]

Your comments about having too much is spot on! Thank you!

[1musicizLove]

Thank you for explaining the correct way to sing proper I have had private lessons for classical music for about five years now I appreciate it !!! I also thank you for the tips i will use them..your amazing !

[ionaRAWR]

I love you :')

[barndlsd]

@MrJordinSparks He's already a signed artist :-)

[sexytrackstar2008]

yeah squeezing the muscles do nothin for me i use to try to felx and it did nth but help my abs i strained so hard everytime i do that it doesnt work ppl sorry

[przlilbarbie]

u helped me so much thx u

[luvsnice]

i was a bit distracted by ur looks.

but it was super helpful

[r0ck99videos]

You are AWESOME!

[HelloStalker127]

I agree about not tightening your stomach!! It doesn't help your singing voice!!

[guitarhero4578]

you should sing the star spangled banner at the next super bowl

[ktmbua]

don't you have that intro song on youtube, it sounds crazy good

[MrBossNigga]

Nice parody on the Coons that destroy classics

[cjfapson]

thanks allot for this information

[raymondking092094]

Wait i jus wanna thnk u, because u b gettn on here showing positive energy with a positive attitude helping others including me without pay...LOL man its free a big help but can you help me with determining my fach such as lyric,helden,spinto and dramatic??

[MrSuperstar08]

U sounded just like mariah @3:41!!

[HIHNickel]

@MrSuperstar08 he did didn't he :D

[jorossbarredo]

my friends sometimes tease me because i have this sort of a big voice(not that big), so,i need your advice on how to use my big voice...please...

[dewill74]

I WAS TOLD TO PUSH MY STOMACH OUT. IS THAT NOT TRUE? WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?

[MrDjoleen]

i cant relax my stomach..hahaha

[spikeyhamster]

Holy shit you have a nice voice

[sirpecky]

what really??? let the stomach go? but my teacher always tells me that i gotta squeeze... i tell her it's uncomfortable but she says its something i gotta get used to... hmmm

[musikchic]

laying it on too thick ------->> Christina Aguilara LOL

[terrbbgurl323]

ur really handsome love ur tips what about "cracking" when u sing?

[jufre80]

you´re an awesome teacher man...im not gay but i think i love you!! (=

[AMERICANBLING2007]

HI ERIC I LOVE ALL YOU VIDEOS AND THEY REALLY HELPED ME. BUT I HAVE A BIG WITH IT'S SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN IT'S CALLED GROWLING AND YOU CAN HEAR IT FROM SINGERS LIKE BEYONCE OR CHRISTINA AGUILERA. CAN YOU HELP ME TO LEARN IT ??

[peace43115]

when I am in front of people my voice doesnt work...

[DCampbellLRizzo]

@peace43115 Same

[dragonstick18]

i cant sing with other people or along to things cos i cnt resist faling into their tone or pitch, which means i use my head voice wen i need to use chest voice.



[lillaydjackson123]

Im hypnotised by ur eyebrows! lool!

[Nelsonviveiros]

i like you vocal chek this and let me know .male vocal Andras

[budbug2]

!!MAN!! you got a nice voice

[chrisscruzzz]

@strangegirl143. I can answer this question for you. PICK UP YOR YELLOW PAGES AND LOOK UP SINGING LESSONS! Im not trying to be rude but TRUST me the singing voice is a very powerful and VERY delicate muscle! It must be work on at a slow and safe pace. NEVER use websites or CDs to LEARN to sing! Why? It's to easy to pick up bad singing habits that can really hurt your voice. You'll need someone who can keep an eye out and make sure you sing heathly so you dont end up with vocal nodules. good luck

[09173529]

This movie is great!

[strangegirl143]

Hey, I am 16 years old, I have a thick voice compare to other girls.

I really need a training, how can I get strated.

All your videos are really helpful, but is there like a website that will teach me to train my voice everyday without having to do everything.

How do i make my voice go high, low and with vibration?

PLEASE DO REPLY !

[ilani1000]

@strangegirl143 i agree w/ chrisscruzzz but if you want a little hint, i usually lif my tongue a little in the back and raise my head.

o one taught me how to do that though i think i heard beyonce` do it wen i was like 7, ad i tried it and there was a vibrato i my voice lmao. it comes out naturally with practice for most people, but a teacher will really teach you how :]

[joelalinsunurin]

I understand when you said that during singing you don't tighten your stomach for breath to feel more comfortable. My question is, how do you support your breath without tightening your abdominal area?

[scandalas1]

your lessons are really really helpful, i can hear the differenve when i sing. thanks a lot ^_^

your doing great =)

[stewardlie]

I am a huge fan of Mariah and when you did the runs on your head voice it sounds so familiar! LOL

[wipeout237]

i like the part at 3:41

[bigus]

the funny thing here is that you know more about the voice and what beginners should do more than alot of classical voice teachers. i teach classical voice technique, and even though you arent talking about the nitty gritty of what or why, the basic stuff you are saying is correct, and good advice for beginning students. thanks for not perpetuating the problem of poor teaching that is rampant out there good luck and God bless man.

[nifrued]

miley cyrus sings with her nose and sounds really pitchy and nasally

[MrCjizal07]

can u help people stop singgin through the nose

[wronganswermcfly]

@MrCjizal07 check out Eric's other videos he definitely covers nasal singing. he specifically discusses it here in this video "Belting & Getting Rid of Nasality" /watch?v=ZjUf6fpbKTI

[Kari166]

They can also be heard on auditions of AI. XD They abuse the runs A LOT.

[p9782]

Eric knows EXACTLY what he is talking about. He is very knowledgable and can verbally explain the technique-so you can begin to FIND your voice (perfect voice). I am a singer, never heard it this way before-I just do it...but it's absolutely correct!

[1c3izzle]

i hate over the top riffs and runs

[resrevr]

I'm on a horse

[skygal14]

@resrevr  im on a elaphant

[h0h1h2h3h4]

hi, I'm an opera singer, but many if the things you say, help me indeed.And I,ve struggled with for so long, somehow became clear.Thank you and keep on working for the greater good!!

[DonSelwashington]

What do you think of Beyoncé's riffs and runs?

[atab0]

hi eric, im a very big fan of yours. thanks for making all these youtube instructional vids for us. I got one question ... can u develop nice, sexy falsetto? if so how? .. or are you just born with it? please answer =]

[Don0Writa]

this vid was very helpful thnx

[dulcebebe27]

eric i have like a raspy voice how can i get it soft ? u rawckkkkk ericc

[Dellosgirl]

Wow you're really one of a kind! I'm a big fan, not only because you're ssssmoking hAWT and have a beautiful voice ;) but you do things that singers and celebrities never do, they never post videos on youtube to help us who want to learn how to control our voices or get rid of our voice problems. Thank you soo much!! I love you and dude you really are HAWT! <3 <3

[honz1984]

WHOA! so informative bro! and in good detail too, might I add! Well Done!

[Eliasnewmusic]

he is so right about tightening the abs

[kiraqify]

i want to be a great sing but my mom and step-dad would rather me be an artist. i mean i draw really well and i love it, but i would love to sing someday..i'm stuck..

[mindlense]

yeah...beyonce goes a little crazy....lol

[NatalieNichole21]

wowwwww u arreee a bigg heelppp i never knew how to do runs and rifts lol thanks a million

[babypicnic111]

my career start

[MrBomernee]

dude have to give props and thanks, after only a few hours of breathing techniques and vocal warm ups, my singings already made some improvement, my voice isnt wavering all over the place :D really needed some guidance on singing for my music, as i play guitar and write songs, hopefully in a few weeks, ill have some proper skills yeaaaah thank you!!

[ievusiokas]

Thank you for all videos !!!!!!! they really helped me!

[roheize]

eric i think my voice is broken i cant sing as long as should and i cant sing the high notes

[paigemiller]

there are a lot of singer that put their hand on their stomach when they sing...why is that...dose it help with anything?

[thurman1996]

which is better? stand u or sitting down while doing these excersises?

[Fiera75]

Thank u so much ur videos have been a great deal of help, how long should I do the warm ups for and how long before a live performance?? U mentioned that it is ideal to do them everyday, is that so??

once again thanks and I am ur number one fan already, do you have videos posted here of you performing live??

Regards!!

[Demari327]

dude good no doubt, but sometimes his cockiness gets to me

[denisedaniels98]

o my gosh ur incredible!!!!

[MsSingingCanary]

my new vocaltrainer

[PapiiDaPatron]

To much Riffs and Runs = Mr. T? :)

[SmexiiStevie]

you have a great clear voice i'm so glad you aren't evillage or some shit