Meet Rachel: Rachel has been studying with me for a couple of years now, and she’s had some fantastic leaps and bounds in her voice and artistry in the time I’ve known her. She’s got seriously hardcore commitment to making her voice the best it can be – she studies with me weekly even now – and the hard work is really paying off.
Rachel McClean Singer Songwriter
Rachel is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter. Her first instrument was cello, and this plays an enormous part in her music.
In fact, one of the big driving forces behind her creative passion IS her love for cello as an instrument. This came out when Rachel joined other local artists like Connor Spray for the summer Artist Masterclass, where we went over their long term goals and helped craft strategies and plans (both artistic and business-based) to help them achieve them.
Cello: an under-utilised instrument
Relatively few musicians make use of cello in creative or imaginative ways, whereas Rachel – as a trained cellist – sees and hears the potential of lesser heard cello sounds within her music. That’s not to say all her music is cello-based – as you can see from the image above, she is also a guitarist, but what makes her stand apart from any other singer-songwriter you might hear, she is a REAL musician, and not just someone who fancied singing and picked up guitar to accompany her… she is a trained artist through and through.
Rachel’s Influences and Vocal Style
Her influences range from groups like Tegan and Sara, to singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, and she draws inspiration from groups like Linkin Park, Maximo Park, Bon Iver, and many others for her creative covers (ever heard ‘Walking on Sunshine’ in a minor key?). Many have commented on the sheer quality of her voice, sometimes likening her to having a Joni Mitchell-esque quality.
Rachel’s vocal style involves creative use of her extended range, utilising heavier sounds for songs that warrant it, while simultaneously contrasting that with use of crystal clear higher range to give the audience’s ear a real sonic tour, rather than being stuck in one place in her voice.
Check out her Soundcloud account, which is a great source of her newest ideas, from sketchpad recordings through to more complete pieces. Definitely worth listening to!