Clapping to the beat might seem pretty "back to basics," we learn how to do it in kindergarten, but whether you're a pro or a beginner, it can be a huge help when trying to focus a vocal performance. Had a minor tempo issue today with one of my favorite clients. He was "out of the pocket" (lagging or speeding up just slightly ahead of the track) singing Elton's uptempo "Fortune Favors The Brave" from Aida. The strong downbeats appeared to be missing in his vocal. So I asked him not to sing, just to clap to the track. Thankfully, he didn't take it personally and we clapped straight fours while the track played. We continued clapping fours as I called out the accents (louder claps). We accented the "1." Then we accented the "1 & 3" (Country). Then we accented the "2 & 4" (Pop/R&B). "Fortune Favors The Brave" can contain all three of these feels - it really depends on how you sing it. When we added the vocal back to the song (sans clapping), the vocal performance ended up much stronger, more present and much more "in the pocket."
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