Arts & Entertainment, Music

The Beat

Christina Aguilera

Lesson time 07:06 min

Learn how to develop your inner-rhythm and experiment with beat to reinvent a performance. Watch Christina play with beat and tempo to breathe new life into Say Something and Aint No Other Man.

Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars

Topics include: Case study: Say Something • Case study: Ain't No Other Man

Preview

A singer's relationship with rhythm is like a dance. There are so many different styles of rhythms and tempos. And you know, everything has a rhythm and a tempo. It's about finding it and making sure you sort of have this relationship with it internally. Rhythm is sort of a natural sensibility. You can work with practicing with somebody or finding somebody that has good rhythm and tempo and knows how to keep that. Working with the drummer is amazing to try and them lock it in and you trying to make sure you have that same timing with them. Again, this boils down to a feeling and a gut reaction to it. And everybody sort of has a different approach sometimes to how to sing with a beat. That's where songwriting is so interesting, because you can sort of interpret that beat. The same beat can become a valid as an uptempo. But when you're on record and you're trying to make a statement that lives in stone, setting the initial tone for what you're trying to put out there, you want to make it what it is. So it's important to get that rhythm process right in the recording studio. And sometimes you might not even know you're a little bit relaxing on the beat. Sometimes you might be ahead of the beat, because you're just excited about it and whatnot. And you need somebody to kind of coach you and be like, oh, you know what, you're a little bit rushing so maybe ease back on the tempo a little bit. And it is a certain placement. You know, it's a dance. [MUSIC PLAYING] An example of sort of revamping a song, reinventing it, if you will, and trying to figure out a different type of doing it on the fly with them, we're going to just see about what happens when you put a beat behind "Say Something" "Say Something" is something that's completely naked and the fact that you feel naked when you sing it, because there's nothing to hide behind. There's no drums. There's no this. There's no that. So what would happen if we gave "Say Something" a rhythm, so in making it like some kind of a mid-tempo. What would that sound like? OK. And then if you want to process it, maybe process for a second, how you feel it, how you internalize it, and then how I would maybe do it. [MUSIC - CHRISTINA AGUILERA, "SAY SOMETHING"] (SINGING) Say, say something I'm, I'm giving up on you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm sorry that I, I couldn't get to you. Oh, oh, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Anywhere I, anywhere I would've followed you. I mean, it can be anything. You know, this is like just free styling and vibing with the band. [MUSIC- CHRISTINA AGULIERA, "SAY SOMETHING"] Say something, say something, I'm giving up on you, giving up on, I'm giving up on, giving up on you, you, you, you. Say you, you, you, you. You, you, you. Oh, yeah. And this were I'm starting add ad-lib. But it's finding that rhythm and just jamming with it. You k...

About the Instructor

Christina Aguilera teaches you how to expand your range, find your voice, and master the techniques that have earned her five Grammy Awards. In her first-ever online singing class, you’ll learn warm-up exercises, breath control, vibrato, her signature growls, and hear Christina break down her biggest hits. You’ve never had vocal lessons like this before.

Featured MasterClass Instructor

Christina Aguilera

Christina teaches you her unique vocal techniques in over 3.5 hours of voice lessons and exercises.

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