Singing With (or Without) an Accent
Whether you’re from the other side of the country or the other side of the world, chances are you have an accent. Some of us lean into our accents while others do our best to neutralize them. As singers, we’re faced with the choice of whether or not to sing with our accent origin every time we take the mic. How do we decide if and when to sing with (or without) our accents? And, how do we even sing without an accent in the first place?
Why do many English-speaking singers have the same accent?
If you listen to many of the greatest pop-rock bands of the 60s they often have one thing in common: an accent. Despite being an ocean apart The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel sound like they might have grown up down the street from one another - at least when they’re singing. In interviews, it’s easy to hear The Beatles’ Liverpudlian accents and Simon & Garfunkel’s New York inflection. So why do these two artists from different sides of the Atlantic sing with the same accent?
There are three reasons for this that are still relevant to modern singers: musical influences, the desire to fit into a market, and the difference between spoken and sung English. The Beatles were heavily influenced by American rock musicians like Chuck Berry, The Everly Brothers, and The Byrds. The Rolling Stones were similarly influenced by Black American blues artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Bo Diddley.
Is it easy to pick up an accent for singing?
It’s common to pick up the inflections of artists we admire from guitar licks to phrasing to accents. Sometimes we don’t even realize how much we’re emulating our favorite singer until someone else points it out. As we develop as musicians, our style becomes increasingly unique but some aspects of those early influences remain in our music.
Sometimes we intentionally emulate the sound of an artist we like in an effort to tap into the same market. The Beatles might not have thought much about how their singing voices had taken on an American accent but it may have also been a conscious choice. Emulating the choices of a band we admire to tap into their existing fanbase remains good advice even today. Most of the time this means drawing inspiration from their branding or venues they’ve frequented but it can also include copying some of their stylistic choices. Those American accents may have made The Beatles more appealing to the fanbase around the American acts that inspired them.
Spoken vs. Sung Language
While not the case with The Beatles, there’s a third reason many English-speaking singers - particularly those with classical training - have the same accent: sung English is different than spoken English. Singing is to speaking as dancing is to walking; they use the same muscles but in a decidedly different way. A ballerina walking across a stage is a very different movement than the way that same dancer would walk into a Starbucks.
Many languages have special pronunciations for singing. You can hear this in the music of Édith Piaf. In “Non, je ne regrette rien,” one of Piaf’s most famous recordings, you can distinctly hear her rolling her Rs (and there are a lot of Rs in that song). In spoken French, the R sound comes from the back of the throat similar to the “ch” sound in Scots Gaelic and Hebrew. It can be difficult to produce this guttural sound while singing, especially if you’re trying to sing a lot of lyrics quickly as Piaf does. Rolled Rs, which are produced at the front of the mouth, allow singers to quickly transition between consonants and can be heard in older French recordings and French-language opera and art songs.
What sounds are typically softened in US singing?
English also has special singing pronunciations that are often subtler than Piaf’s rolled Rs. These changes might be perceived as an accent by those not in the know. The hard Rs used in many American English dialects can be very difficult to sing, especially in tune and especially on high notes. To deal with this, American singers will soften their Rs; some classical and choral singers will soften their Rs so much that it can sound like they have an English accent. As listeners, we’re so used to hearing these special sung Rs that we don’t perceive it as a change or an accent. In fact, we’re so accustomed to them that lyrics sung with the same hard R many of us use while speaking sound distinctly country.
R isn’t the only letter that gets special treatment when sung. Vowels and diphthongs (a single syllable that contains two vowel sounds) are also altered for ease of singing, particularly when singing long or high notes. “Ee” becomes “ih” in higher registers. “I” becomes “ah” (sometimes to comical effect). When done right, listeners won’t notice the changes.
Why you shouldn’t worry about singing with an accent…
We can’t say for certain whether this is true throughout the English-speaking world, but Americans love accents. We’ve even heard of enterprising amorists putting on accents of questionable quality to seduce American college girls. Speaking English with an accent is beautiful; it might tell a story about where you’ve come from or be evidence of the incredible accomplishment of learning a second or even third language. In some cases, it can make your music stand out. The 1988 hit “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by the Scottish duo the Proclaimers became a global sensation due in part to the singers’ distinct Scottish accents. (The biggest factor in its success was, of course, that it’s a great song.)
Singing with your natural accent can lend a sense of sincerity to your performance. Rock and hip-hop performances in particular can benefit from the casual, unfiltered feeling created by singing like you speak. In contrast to Édith Piaf, many if not most modern French pop, hip-hop, and rap artists use the spoken guttural R rather than the rolled Rs of 20th-century jazz and art music. Punk rock vocalist Johnny Rotten’s pronounced North London accent added a rawness to the Sex Pistols music. Similarly, the Southern California accents of 1990s American pop-punk and ska bands like Blink-182 practically became a genre staple.
….And when you should
On the subject of genre, accents are an essential element of certain styles of music. American country music is a great example. The hard Rs and distinctive twang are defining features of the style, so much so that singers who don’t have this accent (and, frankly, most do not) will mimic it. Keith Urban, one of country music’s biggest stars, is Australian and speaks with an Australian accent but sings with the classic country drawl. The accent we associate with country music doesn’t originate from a particular state or town; it’s a genre convention just like the fiddle and steel guitar.
Accents aren’t necessarily a convention of group singing but singing with others often requires you to adjust your accent. There are many different ways to pronounce English vowels; it’s part of why English speakers have so many distinctive regional accents. When singing, the way we form our vowels can affect how our pitch is perceived. The different shapes we make with our mouths cause different overtones to resonate. Overtones are a natural part of every note we sing and generally don’t affect how listeners perceive the pitch of the note we’re singing. However, mismatched overtones can make us sound out of tune when harmonizing with others, even if we’re singing the same fundamental pitch. Matching your vowel shapes to the singers around will help your group blend and give listeners the impression that a choir of dozens of people is singing with a single voice.
Some singers have personal reasons for neutralizing their accents. Zelda has worked with several English-as-a-second-language singers who wanted listeners to focus on their performance instead of their accent of origin. It was extremely frustrating to sing their hearts only to have audience members fixate on where they were born instead of the quality of their performance. A few students expressed embarrassment at how they sounded while singing in English while others wanted their rendition of their favorite song to sound more like the original, accent-less artist.
How to sing without an accent
If you’ve decided to learn to sing without an accent, the first place to start is identifying which specific sounds you find the most challenging. For example, Zelda’s Chinese student found R and L sounds difficult to reproduce while her Russian student struggled with the voiced and unvoiced “th,” a sound that exists in only a handful of languages besides English. Listening to recordings of yourself singing (a quick phone recording will do) can help you pick out exactly what sounds you find difficult.
Once you know what sounds you need to work on, it’s time to start practicing. Practicing neutralizing your accent while singing isn’t that different from practicing other vocal techniques. Just as there are exercises that strengthen specific singing techniques, mouth and tongue exercises can help train the muscles used to make English phonemes. These can be especially helpful for sounds like “th” that you may not exist in your first or even second language. If you want to learn more about tongue and mouth exercises, check out our article on The Tongue Gym.
Next, drill the sounds or words that you’re finding challenging. You can practice just saying the specific sound (for example: practice making the “th” sound) or you can practice whole words from your favorite song that you’ve struggled with in the past. Drill these small parts of words or lyrics the same way you would drill a transition or rhythm. Similar to practicing a challenging musical passage, accuracy is more important than speed; if you find yourself tripping over the word, slow down and, if possible, break it into smaller pieces.
Is Imitation good for accents?
The most important thing when learning to sing with a neutral accent is to imitate English-speaking singers. From our earliest moments, we learn through mimicking the people around us. Zelda’s student’s Chinese accent was far less apparent when singing her favorite Broadway hits than when singing her original compositions. She instinctively imitated the Broadway singers’ neutral accents. With practice, she was able to apply what she had unconsciously learned from these vocalists to her own songs.
Like learning to sing, learning to neutralize your accent is a lot easier with help. Working with an accent reduction coach is arguably the best way to achieve your accent goals. Similar to a regular voice teacher, an accent-reduction coach can help you identify challenge areas and target them with customized practice routines. Finding a coach like Zelda who does both singing lessons and accent reduction can be especially helpful in achieving both your singing and accent goals.
What songs are best avoided for accents?
Learning a new skill takes time, and learning to sing with a neutral accent is no exception. Patience and persistence are key. While you work on the sounds you find difficult, consider tailoring your repertoire to the sounds that you’ve already mastered. For example, Zelda’s Russian student took “With or Without You” by U2 out of her repertoire until she felt more confident with the “th” sound.
Book a lesson today to start singing your best with any accent!
Whether you decide to sing with or without your accent of origin, we’re here to help you sound your best. Working with a voice teacher who also specializes in accent reduction can help you set and achieve your singing and accent-reduction goals. If you’re ready to start your accent reduction journey, get in touch and schedule a lesson with Zelda today.
Book a lesson with Zelda today to improve your singing with - or without - your accent!
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