Hard Songs to Sing: Burn, from Hamilton - The Inside Voice (2024)

Typically, I use this blog as an outlet to write about hard-to-sing pop songs that I get a lot of requests for. But occasionally, I’ll venture into the musical theatre realm, which poses its own unique set of challenges. The score of Hamilton, and the song “Burn” in particular, is widely sung and full of unexpected difficulties that are often more demanding than they sound. If the song’s sentences are leaving you defenseless, read through this Hard Songs to Sing tutorial and conquer Eliza’s brokenhearted ballad!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CFOuGqBSEE

Why Is This Song Hard

1. It Takes a Lot of Control

Some songs are hard because they require a constant heavy or high belt. Not so with “Burn.” Control is what makes this one so tough. The quiet parts of this song tend to trip singers up as much as the loud ones because of how much precision they take. If you’re most comfortable as a belter, sometimes dialing it back can cause a lot of vocal tension.

2. The Series of D5’s

It may not be the highest note we’ve ever discussed, but if you have a nice light head-mix that you’ve happily glided through the song with, you might be in for some problems when you reach the climax and need to belt “forfeit,” “sleep,” “only,” and “when.”

3. The Sustains and Runs are on a Hard-To-Sing Word

Runs are already a pain. Couple that with singing a fairly frustrating word, burn, where the “r” wants to cut your vowel off, and you have yourself a difficult passage.

Instant Gratification

Modify the “R”

Let’s start with what I think should be most obvious to trained vocalists. Soften and delay your “r” sound whenever the consonant is in the way. This doesn’t mean you have to ditch it every time you sing, as you’ll hear from some voice teachers. In fact, if you listen to Phillipa Soo, the one who originated Eliza in Hamilton, you’ll notice that she doesn’t modify her “r” that much when she’s belting out the word world. But the sustain on the word burn is long enough that you don’t want to make that sustain (or the runs) sit hard on the “errrr” sound–unless you’re thinking of making the song into a classic country cover. Try sitting on an “euh” sound and saving the “rn” to the very end.

Modify the Vowels on the D’5’s

If you’ve read my Hard Songs blogs before, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that I’m including some vowel modifications in here for the high notes.

  • Instead of “foreit,” try “fahr-fit,” using a softened “r” sound that almost verges on “fah-fit.”
  • Make sure your soft palate, that fleshy part toward the back of the roof of your mouth, is lifted on your “ee” sound when you sing the word sleep. You can do that by putting a slight “euh” into your “ee” sound. You can also purse your lips and see what happens to the vowel. Once you do that though, try to create the same sound without pursing your lips, because that is not the end goal.
  • Probably the hardest vowel in here is the “oh” in only, as the diphthong doesn’t make for a very good belt. Try modifying it to an “uh” sound. The line should sing, “wi-thunly the memory.”

Not-So-Instant Gratification

Interestingly, it’s not the belty parts of this song that take most of my students the longest to master. It’s the quiet parts: the beginning of the song; the verse that begins with “I’m erasing myself from the narrative”; and the final word, burn, on the A4. Developing a head-mix is the most important element of this. To find this voice, hover around the pitches the song centers around (lots of A4’s and F#4’s) and try speaking very quietly but without whispering, like you’re in a library. Don’t make the sound to breathy.

Try an Exercise on “Ng”

The “ng” sound is very difficult to belt and will most likely put you in a head-mix without your needing to tweak it that much. It’s also a great one because it forces you to work on restricting air in your exhalation. Sing a descending scale on “ng,” being careful not to push it into a belt but also holding back a lot of air on your exhalation.

Now, try replacing the difficult passages with the “ng” sound, including that last sustain on burn at the end of the song. Once the “ng” is at a good volume level and a place in your voice you’re happy with, put the words back in, but leave them in that same small, light space the “ng” sat in. If you feel your jaw starting to tense up, use some of these tips to relieve jaw tension.

Hard Songs to Sing: Burn, from Hamilton - The Inside Voice (2)

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Hard Songs to Sing: Burn, from Hamilton - The Inside Voice (2024)

FAQs

Hard Songs to Sing: Burn, from Hamilton - The Inside Voice? ›

It Takes a Lot of Control

What is the hardest Hamilton song to sing? ›

Among the latter is the heartwrenching Act 2 song “Burn.” The number is performed by Eliza Hamilton after she learns of Alexander's affair and burns all of his letters to her. Emotions run high throughout the tune, as Eliza grapples with her anger and sadness.

What is the hardest song to sing vocally? ›

  • #1 I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness.
  • #2 Listen by Beyoncé
  • #3 Run by Leona Lewis.
  • #4 Cry Me a River by Michael Bublé
  • #5 Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.
  • #6 My All by Mariah Carey.
  • #7 You raise me up by Josh Groban.
  • #8 Supermassive Black Hole by Muse.

What's the highest note in Burn? ›

KEY INFORMATION
  • Song Title. Burn.
  • Show. Hamilton.
  • Character. Eliza Schuyler Hamilton.
  • Female.
  • Age Range. Young Adult, Adult.
  • Vocal Part(s)
  • High Note. D5.
  • Low Note. A4.

What makes a song difficult to sing? ›

Yet what makes a song difficult to sing doesn't necessarily have anything to do with having to hit a particularly tricky note. “It's not the song range,” Anne Peckham, the chair of the voice department at Berklee College of Music, told me. “It's the power and volume that is used to make an emotional impact.

Is Burn from Hamilton a hard song? ›

The Sustains and Runs are on a Hard-To-Sing Word

Couple that with singing a fairly frustrating word, burn, where the “r” wants to cut your vowel off, and you have yourself a difficult passage.

What grade is Burn from Hamilton? ›

🎶 Burn - Hamilton 🎶 Another one of Liadhain's Grade 8 Musical Theatre. exam pieces. Burn from the musical Hamilton.

Who has the best voice ever? ›

The greatest singing voices of all time
  • 1 of 35. Celine Dion. Kevin Winter/Getty Images. ...
  • 2 of 35. Barbra Streisand. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for BSB. ...
  • 3 of 35. Etta James. ...
  • 4 of 35. Nina Simone. ...
  • 5 of 35. Aretha Franklin. ...
  • 6 of 35. Whitney Houston. ...
  • 7 of 35. Smokey Robinson. ...
  • 8 of 35. Mariah Carey.
Jun 13, 2024

What is the fastest rap in Hamilton? ›

Marquis de Lafayette's lines holds the record for fastest Broadway rap. In the fastest parts, there are 6.3 words per second.

How do you sing aggressively? ›

How Do You Sing Aggressively?
  1. Breathing Exercises and Vocal Warm-ups. Warm up your vocal cords before you start screaming. ...
  2. Plan Your Set. ...
  3. Do Your Cardio and Core Strengthening Training. ...
  4. Drink Plenty of Water and Keep Some On Stage. ...
  5. Know Your Notes! ...
  6. Drink Alcohol After Your Set. ...
  7. Stay Healthy!
Oct 27, 2022

Is Girl on Fire hard to sing? ›

Alicia Keys's 'Girl on Fire' is emblazoned with messages about female empowerment and self-respect, and fittingly, the song itself is a test of willpower for any vocalist. Here's an explanation about why this song is so hard, along with some techniques you can use to tame this inferno of a pop anthem.

Is it harder to sing quietly? ›

sometimes singing softly actually takes more effort in certain ways than singing loudly, and as a result, it can produce a lot of constriction.

What is the least liked Hamilton song? ›

46 "Schuyler Defeated" (1:03)

Ranked the lowest of the best Hamilton songs by virtue of being short and more of a transition than anything else, "Schuyler Defeated" marks the moment when Alexander Hamilton discovers that his old friend Aaron Burr is tired of waiting.

What's the longest Hamilton song? ›

Non-Stop

What is the most played Hamilton song? ›

Song TitleStreamsDaily
* Alexander Hamilton303,094,295116,799
* Satisfied276,215,264111,813
* My Shot260,382,45886,506
* You'll Be Back253,551,512108,698
75 more rows
Jun 3, 2024

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