Mastering the nuances of each Vowel can revolutionize your vocal technique! Each Vowel has a distinct shape when sung. The long EE sound, as in “geese,” is known as a Closed Front Vowel. It feels as though it buzzes forward in the face, and the tongue is arched high in the back. This diminishes the space in the back of the mouth. Conversely, the “AH” vowel sound, as in “hot,” is categorized as an Open Back vowel. You can feel why - the tongue drops and creates more mouth space. Plus, the resonance seems to retreat more into the back of the mouth. Practice FEELING the difference between these two very different vowels. Pay close attention to how the internal shape of your mouth changes the sounds you create as you work through all your vowels!
Mastering the nuances of each Vowel can revolutionize your vocal technique! Each Vowel has a distinct shape when sung. The long EE sound, as in “geese,” is known as a Closed Front Vowel. It feels as though it buzzes forward in the face, and the tongue is arched high in the back. This diminishes the space in the back of the mouth. Conversely, the “AH” vowel sound, as in “hot,” is categorized as an Open Back vowel. You can feel why - the tongue drops and creates more mouth space. Plus, the resonance seems to retreat more into the back of the mouth. Practice FEELING the difference between these two very different vowels. Pay close attention to how the internal shape of your mouth changes the sounds you create as you work through all your vowels!
Where is the line between ACTING and LIVING? There’s a well-known story about Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier. In preparation for a difficult scene, Hoffman hadn't slept for a few days. Olivier asked him why he was putting himself through such an ordeal. Hoffman said that he wanted to be convincing in the role. Olivier replied, "Try ACTING dear boy”. Many actors feel the need to live every experience that their character is going through. But, Acting is really more about being able to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances. Do your homework of course. Investigate the life of your character. Research who they are, where they’ve lived, and what they want. Ultimately, though, using your imagination and preparing your character will do the job. And, it will save you from unnecessary pain and sleepless nights!
Do you feel like your vocal practice is stuck in a RUT? Then, it’s time to get specific! Make sure that you are aware of WHY you're doing every exercise. You can always ask your Voice Teacher this question. Or, if you are studying by yourself, you can try to discern the purpose by how each exercise feels physically. The same thing goes for practicing songs. Try not to just run your pieces over and over. Instead, you might try breaking down your song practice into different categories. For example: Song Learning, Technical Application, Stylistic Details, and then Performance Elements. Don’t get stuck practicing for hours mindlessly when you can practice for a much shorter amount of time - with more results to show for it!
It's okay NOT to pursue a professional performing arts career! Many aspiring artists struggle with an “all or nothing” conflict between their desires to perform professionally and to live a more structured life. The music and entertainment industry is certainly not designed for stability, security, or steady routines. So, if the chaotic structure of those career paths doesn't make you happy, that's OKAY! There have never been more ways to fulfill your creative dreams without committing to a full-time career than there are today. Many artists find that they are MORE creatively satisfied when they pursue their artistry outside work hours while holding stable jobs in other fields. So, if you're seeking ways to pursue your artistic dreams, remember that there IS room for you! Not everyone HAS to be a full-time professional performer to be a successful artist!
Do you keep an Audition JOURNAL? If not, try it out! Take notes on everything! Start with the FACTS of the Audition. Where were you? Who did you Audition for? What time? What did you sing? What were you wearing? Next, list the PHYSICAL aspects. How much did you sleep the night before? What did you eat for breakfast? How much water did you drink? Did you stretch or workout? Did you warm up? Finally, describe the EMOTIONAL aspects. What was your mood like that day? How did you feel during your Audition? After your Audition? Did anything put you “in your head”? Did you learn or GROW in any way? After several Auditions, you'll start noticing patterns - both good and bad. In a few short months, you’ll go to Auditions with more self-awareness and confidence than you've ever had! Harness your JOURNAL power for unprecedented success!
Feeling BAD? Take a break from your hard work practicing vocal exercises and mastering difficult techniques to remember one of the greatest and simplest things about singing: it FEELS good! We are inspired to sing for many reasons, but one of the primary reasons is that we love how it makes us feel - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Next time you sing your latest song, enjoy how it changes your body, your mood, and even your outlook on life! If you’ve got a big performance coming up, focus on the power that you have to uplift others with your gift of song. Practice this and it won’t be long before you are… feeling GOOD!
Open up your mouth wide and SING! Sounds like decent advice. But, it’s not. Wide-mouthed singing looks big and dramatic and gives us the feeling that we're using our full efforts. However, it actually encourages poor vocal technique and creates unsustainable vocal situations. Hugely opening your mouth runs the risk of pushing too much air, volume, and strength to achieve pitch. Not only are these habits unreliable, but they can lead to vocal fatigue and damage. Imagine being on a tightrope. You wouldn't want to run or skip across the rope unless you felt comfortable balancing while you walked. In the same way, master your songs with your mouth in a natural and neutral position first. Later, when your technique is solid, you can explore the nuances - and the visual dramatics - of opening your mouth as wide as you wish!
Singing and weight lifting - what’s the connection? Weight lifting is great for the body. It can build strength, coordination, and improve overall health. Yet, it can be tough on the voice without proper breathing technique. Holding your breath as you lift is known as the VALSALVA Maneuver. This turns the body into a lever, helping you to lift heavy weight. However, it also increases subglottic pressure (breath pressure below the vocal cords) to excess. It can also lead to neck tension, very squeezed vocal cords, and even exertion headaches in some cases. To avoid the Valsalva Maneuver, consciously EXHALE during physical exertion. Try a SS, SH, or FF sound to keep the breath flowing as you push through your workout. Swell your muscles and not your vocal cords!
Out with the OLD and in with the NEW! It’s time to look through your Repertoire book! Do the songs still suit you? Many songs will be keepers, but others you must not be afraid to part ways with. As human beings, we are constantly changing and evolving - mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. A big part of our growth is being able to let go of our past so that we can open up to our future. Ask yourself whether your current Repertoire is in alignment with the current YOU. Is it suitable for your current vocal technique and range? Does it have an emotional life that you connect to? Does it satisfy your artistic soul? Don’t be scared of change - be excited about the artist you are evolving into! And let your Repertoire reflect that!
Relaxing the LARYNX plays a key role in reducing vocal tension. Practice this simple neck stretch to eliminate Larynx tension and calm the mind. Start by tilting the head gently towards the left shoulder. Send a deep breath into the right side of the neck and exhale slowly. Indulge in the RELAXING sensation as the muscles lengthen. Circle the chin down to the chest as the right ear comes to the right shoulder. Breathe. Next, float the head back to center. Tilt the chin gently upwards to the ceiling. Breathe. End by bringing the chin down to the chest while feeling length in the back of the neck. Close your eyes and exhale slowly throughout the process to maximize the relaxing effect! Start and end each day with this stretch to increase vocal freedom and mental quietude!
Are you a PUSHER or a PEEPER? Pushing is singing with too much pressure and tightness. Peeping is holding back by not using enough breath and vocal fold compression. Either way, Vocal Fry can help you fix your problem! Try letting your voice make a lazy, low, creaking sound in a very relaxed way. It should be so low that you don’t hear a note, but rather a series of pops and bubbles. Next, gradually glide up to the first note of a sung phrase (where you usually push or peep) and then sing confidently. Monitor what you feel and hear. If all goes well, your voice will have enough compression and breath flow to keep your sound solid, but will also be free from excessive force and tension. No more PUSHING, no more PEEPING!
Have you ever seen singers move their JAW when they sing Riffs? Interestingly, this can be both a bad thing OR a good thing. It just depends on the circumstances. For most singing, jaw movement that corresponds with pitch movement is a very bad habit. This can happen during vibrato, during Riffs, or just when moving from note to note. Very GOOD vocal technique happens when the vocals folds are solely responsible for pitch adjustments. So, the first step to Riffs and vocal agility is to move the notes WITHOUT moving the jaw. On the other hand, more advanced Riffers sometimes use their jaws for a stylistic rearticulation of Riff notes. This is a sort of vocal “sound effect” that adds an extra accent detail to complex Riffs. Rule of thumb: don’t use your jaw to Riff. (But, there may come a day when it’s okay!)
LISTEN. Do you hear it? Music is all around you all the time! The car horns honking. The front door squeaking. The neighbor’s dog barking. The crunch of your lunch in your mouth. The cacophonic cadence of every conversation careening up and down. You don’t have to be practicing your singing to be practicing your LISTENING. Opening up your ears can be a truly spiritual and artistic experience. All the sounds that we hear are just vibrations of air. Yet, these vibrations have the power to make us think, feel, act, react, and love. Don’t limit your aural life to just your singing and music alone. Give thanks for the fact that each and every moment we can lift ourselves to Higher Vibrations. All we have to do is to open up our ears and our hearts. The exact answers you’ve been praying for could be in the air right now! LISTEN.
The Larynx is the home of the AMAZING Vocal Folds! The Vocal Folds create sound when they are set into vibration by our breath. The top layer of the Vocal Folds provides them with structure. The deeper layers are set into vibration hundreds and even thousands of times per second as they vibrate. Depending on vocal fold tension, air flow, and resonance, the vocal folds collide with varying amounts of force. As singers, our goal is to help the Vocal Folds collide with minimal force for every vocal task - even things like belting. Your Vocal Folds will vibrate many hundreds of millions and even BILLIONS of times in your life. So, keep them healthy by avoiding squeezy strain, pushy breathing, and spready mouths. If you do, your Vocal Folds will continue to be amazing always!
Want to learn a new breathing trick for singing? Then ask your DOG! “Panting” is a fun and easy way to perfect your inhale. Yep, panting - breathing in and out 3 or 4 times in quick succession - like your favorite pooch. First of all, this alleviates excess breath pressure by limiting the amount of air you’re able to take in. Try it before you sing a phrase and note how much LIGHTER your singing feels. Secondly, it primes and PREPARES the breathing muscles. Panting for singing is like a gentle sprint for a runner - a great warm up for the task ahead. Lastly, it helps the body to LET GO! Great singing requires your body to move air freely, and panting practices just that. So, do your breathing a favor and practice your puppy pant! You CAN teach an old voice new tricks!
“Sing with more resonance!” Ok, but which KIND of resonance? Often Voice Teachers are listening for Nasal Resonance in your voice. A nasally resonant voice has sharper edge, warmth, and agility - all wonderful things regardless of style. I know, I know - you don’t want to sound "nasal". However, Nasal Resonance is a completely different sound than "nasality". With your mouth closed, try gently humming a melody. Did it sound nasal to you? Probably not. Yet it was chock full of Nasal Resonance! If yours did sound "nasal", you were probably squeezing the muscles of your larynx too tightly. Try it again, this time a little softer and smoother, and MMM… Listen to that Nasal Resonance!
“Sing with more resonance!” Ok, but which KIND of resonance? Often Voice Teachers are listening for Nasal Resonance in your voice. A nasally resonant voice has sharper edge, warmth, and agility - all wonderful things regardless of style. I know, I know - you don’t want to sound "nasal". However, Nasal Resonance is a completely different sound than "nasality". With your mouth closed, try gently humming a melody. Did it sound nasal to you? Probably not. Yet it was chock full of Nasal Resonance! If yours did sound "nasal", you were probably squeezing the muscles of your larynx too tightly. Try it again, this time a little softer and smoother, and MMM… Listen to that Nasal Resonance!
Often the way that we THINK about things affects the way we DO them. Therefore, it can be wise to choose your singing terminology carefully. Particularly if the word you choose has a negative impact on your vocal technique. For example, the term “Posture” often ends up causing rigidity. “Posture” is defined as “a position of a person's body when standing or sitting”. Whereas “Body Alignment” has been defined as “optimal placement of the body parts”. This subtle difference may seem like semantics. However, remaining physically static, tense, or rigid can have negative effects on the larynx, breathing, and resonance systems. So, try choosing a more specific descriptor like “Optimal Alignment”, so that your body doesn’t get locked into one fixed position. In all of vocal technique, choose your words wisely and free your body, mind, and soul!
Inspiration can come from many different places. So often as singers, we look to other singers for such inspiration. And rightly so! However, there are many other avenues we can explore to further our vocal, musical, and artistic growth. To start, we can listen to INSTRUMENTAL music. By listening to the greatest musicians we learn phrasing, dynamics, and other stylistic and expressive tools. Another avenue to explore is VISUAL art. By viewing drawings, paintings, and sculptures from the greatest artists, we learn continuity, focus, and attention to detail. Or, why not read or see a DRAMATIC work? There’s a lot to learn about storytelling, truthful communication, and emotion. Whether it be instrumental, visual, acting, writing, dance or any other artform - improve your vocal artistry by learning about great art of ALL kinds!
Have you ever wondered why your voice sounds different to you when you hear it back on a recording? The answer: ACOUSTICS! When you hear someone else speak or sing, you’re hearing their voice completely via sound waves traveling through the air. When you sing or speak, you’re hearing approximately 20% of your voice through the air. The other 80% is sound that vibrates in your body, bones, and head. This is why our perception of our own voice is quite skewed. These perceptions can wrongly influence our opinion of tone, beauty, and dynamics and thus limit our progress. Take the time to record your lessons, practices, and performances regularly and then listen back so that you can hear 100% of what others hear. And as you do, remember to be kind to yourself about what you’re hearing!
Forget YOU! Or, more specifically - forget yourself! It’s one of the most valuable things that any performer can ever do. You’ve already mastered every note, every acting beat, and every word. Now try to go back to a blank-slated nothingness. Bring your imagination to a time when you didn't even know your song. Pretend that you’re a total newbie who has never even learned a song, sung a note, or conveyed a feeling. How spontaneous would you feel if you were singing for the first time? How would you discover and navigate your creativity? Dare yourself to forget. To let go and completely lose yourself in your music. Even if it's just for a brief moment... Forget YOU!
“How OFTEN should I practice my singing?” This is a very common question with a simple answer: “As much as you can while still feeling INSPIRED.” For some singers, practicing the ideal 6 days per week, one hour per day, may be manageable. For others, this is too ambitious - at least at first. It’s wise to SCHEDULE your practice on a calendar. Based on your life’s commitments, choose a REALISTIC starting goal. Try starting with something very manageable like - 4 days per week, 15 minutes per day. If this is easy to maintain for a couple weeks, then try increasing the days to 5 or the duration to 20 minutes, and so forth. Creating a practice plan that you can SUCCEED at is vital for your vocal success. Don’t be so hard on yourself that you end up not practicing at all. Start with what you can manage and build from there!
Become a Recording Artist... right NOW! Technology has come a long way in today’s Music Industry. More than ever before - you are now able to write, record, and distribute your own music. Yes, YOU! It actually doesn't take thousands of dollars of recording equipment either! With your personal computer and a decent microphone you can record a fairly professional sounding demo. If you do a little research, you can find several affordable options to create your very own home recording studio and get started. This will not only open up opportunities for you in the short term, but will also prepare you for the future when you're recording in a professional studio. Why wait for the Music Industry to come knocking? Become a Recording Artist... right NOW!
If you’re looking to get cast, sometimes it’s best to go right to the SOURCE! Casting Directors often teach and coach performers on the side. So, if you know anyone in the casting industry through previous work, you can often hire them as a private coach for especially important auditions. If you don’t know any Casting Directors, many of them offer classes so that you can get to know them. In addition to your vocal and acting training, booking a session with a professional Casting Director can give you an entirely new perspective on your work. It will also give you insights into the entertainment industry that you may not have thought of before. Not only will this provide inspiration for your upcoming auditions, but it will put you on the radar of another industry professional!
Keeping a healthy and POSITIVE perspective before performing or auditioning is critical to success. While we should always strive to do our very best, it can be tempting to exaggerate the STAKES in our minds. One helpful strategy for combating performance anxiety is to recall some of your favorite memories - a late night laughing with friends, a favorite vacation, or maybe your very first concert. Be as specific as possible and take yourself to this Joyous place before taking the stage for your performance. Summoning imagery that fills your body and Spirit with positivity and peace can help alleviate pressure and nerves. Always remember that there’s MORE to your blessed Vocal Journey than any ONE single performance!
Sustaining beautiful and powerful notes in the MIX can be quite a challenge for many singers. This is mainly because this coordination requires a very delicate combination of Compression and Airflow. It’s helpful to ease your way into this skill through effective vocal exercises. Begin by using sounds that promote light Compression such as “GUUG” on a 5-3-1 interval. Once you’re comfortable with this exercise, try repeating the top note multiple times, such as 5-5-5-5-5-3-1 to develop sustains. Ensure that you’re using proper Breath Support techniques that promote a gentle flow of air and minimal physical tension. Practicing with the right exercises creates the circumstances for being able to hold and sustain glorious high notes in your Mix!
It’s common for singers to "stand and deliver" while on stage. However, there are many times where heavy movement is required for performance. The integration of voice and movement is vital for most professional vocalists. Yet, all too often singers are left to figure out how to combine movement and singing without a solid strategy. Try some simple movements while practicing - walking, crawling, jumping jacks, or yoga positions like tree pose, lunge, or upward dog. These can be great ways to simulate stage movement while still in the vocal studio. Some actions may feel easy for you, while others may pose more of a challenge for breathing, resonance, and technique in general. So, get moving... and get singing! At the same time!
Looking for some FRESH Repertoire? Then add a JAZZ song to your book! You may only be familiar with Jazz Standards sung by contemporary artists (i.e. Michael Bublé). However, looking back at legendary artists like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughn is a great way to find hidden gems. Especially if you listen to their lesser-known works. Jazz is an excellent style to add to your repertoire because it's so adaptable and versatile. In fact, it's one of the easiest styles to make “your own”. Jazz songs can even be reinterpreted within the contexts of classical, musical theatre, pop/rock, R&B, soul, and even EDM. So, look to the PAST! And, you’ll be pretty jazzed about your repertoire’s FUTURE!
Having trouble RELAXING while singing? Use your IMAGINATION! Mental imagery is often very effective in ridding the body of unwanted tension. Imagine a large body of water - calm and smooth - as you sing your most difficult passages. Try not to ripple the surface. Or imagine a tree - its canopy growing upwards as its roots lengthen deeper into the ground - while you glide, firmly grounded, through your high notes. Use these images or invent your own! Focusing your energy on an evocative image can often unlock body tension better than anything else. Your voice... free from tension... Imagine THAT!