Today I was introduced to Natalie Weiss’ YouTube channel. She is a performer, voice teacher, and she teaches master classes. She is very well known for her YouTube web series “Breaking Down the Riffs.” In each episode she has a different guest join her and she teaches them a riff from a popular song. For those of you who don’t know, a riff is an improvisation of vocal notes that a singer makes often at the end of a song.
I watched the video featuring Ben Platt learning to do Beyonce’s riff from the end of her song “Bootylicious.” To start, Weiss played the original recording to show her audience what Platt would learn by the end of the eleven minute video. The riff she chose seemed to be very complicated at first with all its half and whole step changes and many different notes. Weiss however made it quite simple. She removed the words and broke the riff down into eight different parts. When she removed the words, she replaced them with key words that would help to learn the sequence of the riff. For example, when there was a full step in the music (a whole note change), she had Platt sing “whole step” to the notes of the whole step. She also would teach one part at a time and then review from the beginning to put it together each time and get repetition. After teaching each part, she added back in the real words and it came together very nicely.
As I was watching the video I thought about how impossible the riff seemed to learn, but once it was over I found myself knowing about half of the riff. Weiss broke it down and repeated each part so many times that it was even possible for a non- professional to learn along with her and her guest. In addition to this, she also did a short clip at the end with just her where she did the riff slowly one more time for viewers who were trying to learn.
I would encourage you all to check out her YouTube series “Breaking Down the Riffs.” It is a lot of fun and it will have you singing for hours!
Works Cited
Weiss, Natalie. “Breaking Down The Riffs w/ Natalie Weiss – ‘Bootylicious’ with Ben Platt (Ep.30).” YouTube, YouTube, 13 May 2015, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC9E6ZKRpXc&list=PLTMTIX_bS2BqrI9UERO8VnN-5KLYl683p&index=33&t=29s.
Kate's Corner 