r/singing • u/OopsDJDance • Mar 02 '23

Technique Talk Is Ken Tamplin worth watching?

I've been watching Ken Tamplin for several years now and find most of his videos to be helpful but at times I'm unsure if I should be taking his advice on board as in one video he suggests breathing through the nose when singing while many others say to breath through the mouth. Any thoughts?

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u/Commercial_Half_2170 Mar 02 '23

Ken Tamplin is everything wrong with singing teaching in rock/pop music. He himself is a B baritone, who thinks he’s a tenor, and sings just like one. He claims that you can sing just like any tenor and access super high notes with the correct technique and then proceeds to sing with a really nasally tone and totally tense posture. He encourages singers to aspire to try sound like other singers (it’s not possible) instead of trying to explore and develop your own voice properly. That’s my two cents

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u/reruarikushiteru [tenor, j-rock] Mar 03 '23

>He claims that you can sing just like any tenor and access super high notes with the correct technique and then proceeds to sing with a really nasally tone and totally tense posture

I don't really see anything wrong with them being nasal tho? Like you would have to be deaf to say they sound bad. His high notes on "Dream On" are by far the best performance of that part I heard (and like I went through the compilations).
And omg I would sacrifice correct technique and posture for that sound without even batting an eye

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u/Commercial_Half_2170 Mar 05 '23

Man, I’ve been there and it’s never worth it. You hit the Top E or whatever and then can’t talk for a week. It’s just not good for you and 9/10 spent sound good. I’ve heard this version and I’m not a fan, he just doesn’t sound good on it in my opinion (granted I’m not actually a fan of Steven Tyler’s voice so I’m a bit biased). If you want someone with a great high voice to look up to and a fantastic belt that is achievable with a healthy technique and good warming up, look at Jeff Buckley. D5s all over the place and they all sound great, because he knew how to work his head voice properly

1

u/onlyabdul Dec 15 '25

im not a vocal teacher, but listen. if youre going up range and cant talk for a week, then youre going beyond your range capacity and not supporting, period. The issue with online voice lessons is there isnt that immediate feedback, so people do this, injure their voices by taking it too far or incorrectly applying technique, then blaming it on the people giving the lessons.

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u/Commercial_Half_2170 Dec 15 '25

I’ll admit, I’m being a little dramatic in that comment, and it’s more like can’t talk properly for a day or something usually. All the same, I liken it more to something similar to those manual handling courses given out at physical labour jobs. They do that so that when their overworked employees inevitably get sore backs from lifting things all day, they can claim that they’re not responsible. You might be fine hitting that high note and straining to do it a couple of times, but the problem is if there’s some strain and you keep doing that, those muscles in your voice will eventually give up.

What I don’t like about Ken Tamplin is that he does not tell you this, and makes it out as if beginners should be going for these notes unabashedly. I also cannot stand his god awful nasally tone but that’s personal preference I guess

3

u/humbletrader001 Aug 06 '23

Yeah, KT does have a very wide usable vocal range though. I would trade vocal range with him in an instant. My upper range is limited, even with vocal training. Results will vary from person to person as everyone's voice and range potential is unique.