How To Sing Like Dio (5 Brilliant Tips)

Dio was an American heavy metal rock singer. He is regarded as the best heavy metal rock singer of all time. In fact, Dio was a legend. 

Dio’s huge voice didn’t match how small he was physically.

He had a very huge voice full of energy and emotions. Dio could hardly go unrecognized in a musical festival due to his outstanding performances. 

Dio had amazing singing techniques that you can learn from. Here is a list of his singing techniques that you can use to develop yourself to become a better singer. 

What Are The Steps Needed To Sing Like Dio?

1. Develop glottal compression 

Dio wasn’t a professionally trained singer but amazingly he was able to develop some cool singing techniques.

Glottal compression is one of his most profound singing techniques. This technique is very important especially if you want to be a rockstar like Dio. 

Glottal compression is basically a well-supported singing, achieved by limiting the amount of expelled air used in the production of the tone.

This singing technique is created when air pressure is increasing along with the amount of vocal-fold closure. This leads to a balance in airflow and glottal compression is created. 

Glottal compression is a controlled balance between airflow and air pressure when you sing.

This balanced airflow is what gives Dio a balanced tone. 

Dio had an incredible ability to hold on to notes for a long time. He attributed this gift to be the result of playing the trumpet. 

Glottal compression interestingly offers a couple of benefits to your voice. With this technique, you can hold on to notes for a longer time.

Other benefits include power, intensity, and dynamics in your voice. 

2. Develop Diaphragmatic Support 

Dio also had good diaphragmatic support. This enabled him to have better breath control when singing.

It’s very essential to learn how to sing from your diaphragm as a singer. The importance of the diaphragm to a singer cannot be over-emphasized.  

The diaphragm plays a vital role in breathing, as its contractions are directly responsible for the inhaling and exhaling of air from your lungs.

This means that the diaphragm itself controls airflow and supports the tone of the singing voice. 

3. Work on your Belting 

When it came to belting, Dio was a pro at it. This comes as no surprise as belting is quite common amongst rock singers. 

Belting is a necessity if you intend on singing rock. This technique involves singing notes in your head voice range with the power of your chest voice. 

When belting, you have to understand that there is a right and wrong way to go about it.

To belt right you have to ensure you’re singing high notes with the right balance of chest voice and head voice.

Belting can destroy your voice when you do it the wrong way.

Wrong belting happens when you use too much chest voice on your head voice notes. In other words, at this point, you are yelling your chest voice into your head voice which is totally bad.

Some of the side effects of the wrong implementation of belting are hoarseness, vocal nodules, or even a vocal hemorrhage. 

Notwithstanding, belting is also very beneficial to the voice. It contributes to how powerful, loud and intense your voice sound. 

Also, belting is not just a rock thing though, you can belt in jazz, folk, and pop as well. 

Here are some other tips on how to belt correctly 

• Warm up your voice; warm-up exercises for singers are similar to the ones done by athletes before sports. When warm-ups are done properly and regularly, they make you a good singer. 
• You have to be relaxed when singing. Tension does more harm than good to your voice. The key to good singing starts from a relaxed body. So, try not to be in a hurry. Learn to relax your vocal cords. 
• Correct posture; Practice singing while standing upright which is the correct posture. It is the key to correct belting.

4. Develop A Vocal Growl 

Growling is far more than just aggressive mindless screaming. It is a low guttural sound made in the throat. It can either be achieved by inhaling or exhaling. 

This singing technique was very particular to Dio. He did a lot of growling when he sang and, he had a rough intense voice. 

Growling can give a new dimension to your voice in any genre where you might want to add a rough edge to your otherwise clean singing.

However, so far it has only been applied most in metal rock. 

5. Add distortion to your voice 

Distortion is the simple explanation for the raspiness in Dio’s voice. Distortion adds depth and emotion to the music in a way that can’t be matched by clean vocals. 

However, note that distortions should be minimal when singing. This is because it can have adverse effects on the voice over a while. 

Whether you’re learning how to sing rock style for fun or as a serious career, you should take care of your voice.  

It’s best to know how to sing correctly and always take care of your throat and vocal cords. Be sure to stay hydrated during your practice sessions and take frequent breaks, especially if you’re a beginner.

What Voice Type Does Dio Have?

Dio’s voice is best classified as a low-ranged tenor voice type.

This is a typical male singing voice. The tenor vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. 

The tenor voice type is typically the highest male chest voice type. The tenor’s vocal range extends up to C5.

However, the low extreme for tenors is widely defined to be B2.

What Makes Dio’s Voice So Unique?

Dio is considered one of the best heavy metal rock singers. He had a huge voice and he sang so effortlessly with it. 

He spiced up his singing with a really cool growl. A lot of persons still wondered how he was able to hold notes for a long period. 

Dio had a powerful, versatile vocal range that was capable of singing both hard rock and lighter ballads. His amazing singing techniques contributes to what made his voice so unique. 

Here is an article I wrote on how to sing like Hozier

Can Dio Actually Sing?

Yes, Dio could actually sing.

Though he was not a professionally trained singer at the initial stage, he was still able to develop and build on singing techniques that made him stand out. 

How Did Dio Start Singing?

Dio started his singing career quite early. At 15 years, he became a part of a group called “ Vegas King”.

He became the lead singer of the band “ Rainbow” in 1975. From that time Dio quickly emerged as one of heavy rock’s pre-eminent vocalists. 

And, even in death, Dio is still regarded as one of the best heavy metal rock singers of all time.

Also check out this article I wrote on how to sing like Katy Perry

What Is Dio’s Vocal Range?

Dio’s vocal range lies between C2-G5. Dio was a low-range tenor singer. The low tenor or high baritone vocal range is usually around a C3-G4. 

Dio wasn’t professionally trained so, this vocal range was perfectly fine for him.

What Is The Highest Note Dio Can Sing?

The highest note Dio ever sang on is C2. While his lowest note is G5.

He was and is still widely recognized for his powerful low tenor voice, and it is often assumed that he had a very large range to go with it. 

While it is true that he does, he almost always only sings at a register between D4 and D5. Low notes are very rare for him, and anything above E5 gets screamy. 

What Are Some Classic Dio Songs To Practice?

1. Holy driver 

2. An angel is missing

3. Rainbow in the dark

Conclusion 

Dio was indeed one of a kind singer, from his terrific music style and skills to his energy when performing.

Dio is the legend of heavy metal rock with a lower tenor voice type. He was popularly known for his energy while performing.

And his emotional way of conveying the message in his songs makes it a delight to have him grace our screens. 

Dio had amazing singing skills such as amazing diaphragmatic support, superb belting, a touch of growl in his voice, and a good distortion to his voice.