Vocals Spotlight: Mike Patton
"The way I see singing, you have to be very adaptable, very musical...and not necessarily an instrument that needs to be front and centre."
Musician, vocalist, composer, producer and co-founder of 'Ipecac Recordings', Mike Patton achieved fame upon joining famous alternative metal band Faith No More in 1988 and has since been praised for his wide vocal range and achieving to participate in many styles and genres of music through many different bands and projects (Drzal, 2017).
He is known to be genre-defying and has an outstanding six-octave vocal range that put him at the top of the biggest vocal ranges list, not only of rock but pop music as well. Controversy had risen as well when the Rolling Stones Magazine had listed the greatest rock singers of all time. The top position was awarded to Axl Rose, beating singers such as Aretha Franklin, Adele, and Whitney Houston, but after some careful re-analysis, it was noted that Axl had only a five-octave vocal range, which invited many more vocalists to beat his position, with Mike Patton reigning supreme in the list (Coplan, 2014).
Over many of his records, you can hear him croon, rap, scream, scat, beatbox, and more techniques that he provides to show how versatile his voice can be. Even with occasionally added effects which of recent years can be noted as he performs with a bullhorn on stage, and other times a section of the stage is dedicated to himself where he surrounds himself with multiple microphones, synthesisers and voice processing devices. TC-Helicon electronics supports his creativity with such effects by stating, "It takes a great set of pipes, discipline and an open mind, also to the ways in which the voice can be extended and played with via electronics. No stranger to using stomp-boxes, circuit-bent toys and the like for his live performances ("Mike Patton | TC-Helicon", n.d.)."
References:
Coplan, C. (2014). Mike Patton Actually Has the Biggest Vocal Range in Pop Music. Spin. Retrieved from http://www.spin.com/2014/05/mike-patton-biggest-vocal-range-octaves-chart-music/
Drzal, J. (2017). The Many Musical Projects of Mike Patton From Faith No More. Spinditty. Retrieved from https://spinditty.com/genres/The-Many-Musical-Projects-of-Mike-Patton-from-Faith-No-More
Mike Patton | TC-Helicon. TC-Helicon. Retrieved from http://www.tc-helicon.com/en/artists/mike-patton/
