Posted on by Mark JW Graham

Adam Pascal – Pity The Child

Another great youtube video. This guy’s name is Adam Pascal, and you may recognise him from the movie ‘School of Rock’. He was the bassist of the band that fired Jack Black’s character. He is an excellent all-round vocalist and singer.

The top notes if I recall correctly are around C#5/D5, and the run up into them is tough, but very melodic.

Key Learning Point

I’ll be honest, as impressive as this sounds, it gets a bit shouty. It’s not the widest I’ve ever heard someone sing and by jove he’s doing something incredibly difficult… but does it sound good? If we stuck it down a minor third, I reckon he’d FEEL a lot better whilst singing, and it’d SOUND a lot better.

It doesn’t lack quality, but there is an easy way to MASSIVELY bump up the already existent quality in his voice. If he can make it sound that good in THAT key, how much better would it sound when he’s not working for EVERY note?

I know we harp on about that, but quality matters. It’s what makes the difference between great singers and “merely good” singers. It’s ALSO what makes the difference between singers who last 5 years and the ones who last 50 years.

Remember, put quality first and the rest will follow.

4 Replies to “Adam Pascal – Pity The Child”

    1. No I hadn’t! Thanks for sharing it. He is an epic vocalist. Love it.

      Do send me and/or post any other videos you would like to share.

      1. This version is from the Chess Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 2009. You can get it on DVD, it is fantastic all around. In addition to Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, Josh Groban and Kerry Ellis are starring in it. For another fantastic Adam performance check this out:

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XiTD8rASXs

        Cheers!

        PS. You can tell I am crazy about Adam Pascal :)

        1. Wonderful. It’s interesting seeing another live version, particularly a more visually impressive rendition. I can hear a slightly high larynx at points… it may well be a stylistic choice, but I’m not sure what it adds if it does. Just my 2p :) Definitely an excellent performance though, that final held note… woah, awesome.

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