Defining Marty Sampson's Voice

kodancer · 08-18-2007, 11:24 AM

im wondering how he makes his voice sound so different. is there something he does different? like his voice is airy but sounds still good. even if it could be "bad" somehow..i still wanna know plz.

Ax · 08-18-2007, 05:32 PM

He's just a tenor with an Australian accent. I can't hear any unique technique other than singing on key.

kodancer · 08-18-2007, 08:37 PM

hmm have you heard

forever
free
look to you

all of em are by hillsong

it seems as if hes tensing up this neck(some sort of technique?) as he sings the high notes, and sometimes the low and middle notes.

Adam B · 08-18-2007, 09:43 PM

Are you sure he's a tenor? In the verses of certain songs, he gets pretty low (I think I've heard him hit a low A), and he seems to use his head voice a lot on the high notes (like the bridge on "Take All Of Me".

niangelo · 10-06-2007, 11:48 PM

He has a dreamy falsetto. It's not even like falsetto. It's like liquid awesome coming out of his mouth.

presbystrat · 10-07-2007, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kodancer

it seems as if hes tensing up this neck(some sort of technique?)

Yeah, bad technique. He's closing off his throat a lot and that is not good for the vocal chords. The breathiness isn't necessarily bad for the voice although sometimes he is adding some grittiness to it which could do some damage if done too much.

I don't think he is a good singer to emulate if you want to learn good technique. It hurts my throat to listen to him for too long.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam B

Are you sure he's a tenor? In the verses of certain songs, he gets pretty low (I think I've heard him hit a low A), and he seems to use his head voice a lot on the high notes (like the bridge on "Take All Of Me".

A low A is completely in the range of a tenor; it is for me anyway. By "head voice" do you mean falsetto? I can access my falsetto range starting at a middle C.

Adam B · 10-08-2007, 09:16 AM

I'm not sure if it's falsetto or head voice (I'm not sure what the exact difference is between them). I can sing most of the stuff he does, but I have a hard time hitting the top notes without straining, but at least I know that what I hear has probably been fixed. Sometimes if you watch the videos, he does look like he's in pain sometimes, so at least I'm not the only one who has that problem eh?

presbystrat · 10-08-2007, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam B

I'm not sure if it's falsetto or head voice (I'm not sure what the exact difference is between them).

Head voice has to do with where you focus the sound. Falsetto has to do with how much of the vocal chords you use. Falsetto only uses the top part of the vocal chords. Don't feel bad. Nobody else around here seems to know the difference either. It's kind of a pet peave of mine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam B

Sometimes if you watch the videos, he does look like he's in pain sometimes, so at least I'm not the only one who has that problem eh?

If a the muscles in a person's neck look tight, then they are probably straining.

Adam B · 10-14-2007, 11:40 AM

Even if he looks like he's straining, I have a whole lot harder time singing his songs than he seems to. I just wish that I had the range that he has. Any advice on what I can do to develop that kind of range?

Ax · 10-14-2007, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam B

Even if he looks like he's straining, I have a whole lot harder time singing his songs than he seems to. I just wish that I had the range that he has. Any advice on what I can do to develop that kind of range?

Some people just can't have that kind of range. It's all in your personal biology and all the practice in the world wont make a bass a tenor. You can practice and do techniques to EXPAND your range and extend it, but you can only do it so much before your voice reaches it's limits.

Adam, I don't know how young you are but if you're 18+ and can't sing the lower tenor range, then you'll never be a tenor. I know that sounds harsh but I'm being honest. If you're getting to that age then your voice has already begun to set, and while it can shift it's not a huge shift.

Adam B · 10-14-2007, 08:27 PM

Actually, if you wanted to know how old I am, I'm 24. I didn't say that I couldn't sing his songs, I just meant that I struggle with some of them. As far as my range, I've gone as high as an Ab without going falsetto - I just can't get up there and stay up there, so I'm fairly sure that I'm some kind of baritone.

Ax · 10-14-2007, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam B

Actually, if you wanted to know how old I am, I'm 24. I didn't say that I couldn't sing his songs, I just meant that I struggle with some of them. As far as my range, I've gone as high as an Ab without going falsetto - I just can't get up there and stay up there, so I'm fairly sure that I'm some kind of baritone.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude... ... hmm... I don't know, your voice should be settling at this age so it's got to be something wrong with your technique... Do you have a vocal instructor? It's hard to diagnose what you're doing wrong over the internet, I'd say though that it's probably a lack of air support... make sure you breath at every opportunity you can.

presbystrat · 10-15-2007, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam B

As far as my range, I've gone as high as an Ab without going falsetto - I just can't get up there and stay up there, so I'm fairly sure that I'm some kind of baritone.

You're not necessarily a baritone. I highly suggest vocal lessons if you have never had any. You would be amazed at what good technique can do for you. A lot of vocal technique is impossible to teach without face-to-face lessons. I think you should also pick a singer with better technique to emulate.

Adam B · 10-15-2007, 08:58 PM

I think I've said it before...I've taken voice lessons for almost a year now. They're helping a bit, but I still have issues with straining for high notes. About finding other singers to emulate...the thing is, I really like doing the kind of energetic praise songs that you hear from guys like Marty Sampson, Joel Houston, and the like. I'm sure that his technique is still light years ahead of mine. Could you suggest someone else who would have a better technique? What about someone like Chris Tomlin? Now I'm even more confused - you don't think I'm necessarily a baritone? I'm sorry if I'm becoming a bother.

kodancer · 10-15-2007, 09:35 PM

imo, you could just change pitches. it might not work well with some hillsong songs since it has such a big of a range, such as from the inside out or take it all, etc.

what i said is just extra info, kinda out of the subject but it could help.