Have you explored every nook and cranny of your voice? While it’s never wise to push your voice, it’s actually a great idea to occasionally explore your voice’s EXTREMES. Have you found the highest possible note in your Head Voice? What about your lowest possible note near your Vocal Fry? You also might consider volume. Experiment with your loudest and softest volumes. How about Larynx height? Have you felt the sensation of your highest and squeakiest Larynx? How about your lowest and hollowest Larynx? Knowing the extremes of your voice is one of best ways to improve your technique and artistry. Almost all of our singing is done in the middle of all these extremes. However, understanding extremes will help you to make the more nuanced adjustments that your technique needs!
“What nice Velar-Pharyngeal Control you have!” Wait. WHAT?! That’s the technical term for Nasal Resonance. It can give you greater flexibility, volume, and clarity while also making singing more effortless. Try pinching your nose and singing in three different ways. 1. With a LOT of buzz in your nose. 2. With NO buzz. 3. With a moderate amount of buzz. With each of these variations, try taking the pinch away and producing the same sound you achieved with the pinch. Remember, a sound that passes through the nose won’t necessarily be perceived as "nasal"! Instead, having control over the amount of Nasal Resonance you use will help boost various harmonics in your voice. Now THAT’s nice Velar-Pharyngeal Control!
Have you considered the ACTING values of your song? It’s easy to go through the motions while singing. However, in order to make a true connection with your audience, you must understand the dramatic nuances of your song. Musical aspects come first of course - the melody, rhythm, and stylistic choices. But, consider the CIRCUMSTANCES next. WHO are you singing to? What do you WANT in the song? WHERE does the song take place? What are the specific BEATS (or changes of thought) that the character has throughout the song? What do those unfamiliar words MEAN? If you hang onto both the musical and acting aspects of your songs, then you’ll be thrilled when your audience hangs onto your every word!
Who does squats at the gym purely for ENJOYMENT? Not too many people... Similarly, it can be easy to fall victim to the temptation of only doing the "fun" vocal exercises when we sing. It’s important to balance your practice with a combination of exercises that you love and those that are challenging and necessary. After warming up, start with an exercise that you know needs improvement while your energy and focus are at their peak. Later, reward yourself by doing one you excel at or a song that's especially fun! Make sure you include at least a few tedious and less glamorous exercises during your vocal workout. Time spent in these nuanced coordinations are often what makes your vocal fold control nice and TONED UP!
Sure - you care about your singing! So, it’s easy to just DIVE headfirst into passionate vocal practice. But, before you start your practice session, check in with yourself.
“How am I feeling?”
“Am I in physical, emotional, and spiritual balance?”
“Where is my breath today?”
Take a brief moment to calm down completely before you begin. Take 5-10 low, calm, deep breaths to center yourself. Set an intention for your practice. Decide what you’d like to improve on in your technique exercises rather than going through them rotely. Consider the difficult passages of your songs. In what ways can you prepare your voice to navigate them successfully? Set yourself up for a successful practice to ensure - you CARE about your singing!
Dress for success in your auditions! But, when selecting your perfect audition outfit, be aware that certain clothes can actually interfere with your singing. Avoid tight-fitting pieces that can restrict the expansion of your abdomen or ribcage and hinder your breathing. Also, don’t forget about your shoes. Changes in heel height can alter your body’s ideal alignment and your technique. To avoid being surprised on audition day, try rehearsing in the shoes and outfit you plan to wear. Finally, make sure that your outfit makes you feel confident in who you are. Wear something that makes you stand out, but also stays true to the person you are and the message you want to send to the world through your art! Look good... sing GREAT!
Are you an ADVENTUROUS singer? Or, do you stick to what you’re already good at? It's certainly important to know what styles suit your voice. However, it's also important to step outside the box. After all, how can we realize the amazing possibilities of our voices without taking some risks? Start stretching your musical ears and tastes by finding a few songs that aren't in your typical style. Even if they are not “your thing”, try to truly COMMIT to them. You may not end up ever performing, recording, or auditioning with these songs, but your skills as an artist will be stretched and developed. Open your ears and soul to the ADVENTURE of working on styles that are outside of your everyday vocal life!
Should male singers sing female songs and vice versa? Absolutely! In fact, this is a great idea on many different levels. First of all, it instantly doubles your potential Repertoire! Second, many times singers of the opposite sex make technical and stylistic choices that are unfamiliar until you sing one of their songs. Lastly, singing these songs may place your voice in new ranges and tessituras that help expand your vocal technique. Of course, some adjustments will be needed. You may need to transpose songs into the right key for your range. You might have to alter the words a bit in some cases. But, with these minor changes, you’ll be ready for the many benefits of your newfound Repertoire!
Do you want to reduce vocal TENSION? Two of the best ways to do so are to use good vocal technique and to do a proper Warm-Up before singing. Establishing good technique is obvious. Warming up, however, is too often overlooked! Many singers are eager to begin their practice with the more intricate and difficult skills that they are currently working to develop. Some singers even jump right into a full-out performance! For most, this causes unnecessary tension as the voice goes from resting to suddenly strenuous vocal acrobatics! Warms-Ups shouldn’t take very long and we don’t want to "over-Warm Up". However, a gentle progression through various resonances and registers for 5-10 minutes is a great way to ensure that tension doesn't occur from trying to get right to the heavy lifting!
Blending the vocal registers is a difficult task and a coveted skill that requires patience, precision, and the right kinds of vocal exercises. Try this blending exercise: on an OO vowel sing 5-1. Let the first note (5) be in gentle Head Voice and then bring the second note (1) into a strong Chest Voice. Practice this a few times. Then, sing a descending 5 note pattern (54321) moving between the two registers as smoothly as possible. Once you’re feeling the registers blending nicely, change the pattern to a 123454321 pattern. Vocal Register blending can be frustrating at first and can take a while to master. But, with patience, precision, and practicing the right exercises your registers will one day be as smooth as silk!
GRRRRRUNT! Does your singing ever feel like lifting a HEAVY OBJECT? This feeling often occurs when singers sing too loudly in Chest Voice or Chest Dominant Mix, or when too much Glottal Resistance is used. One way to shed some vocal “weight” is to develop a "light" and "flowy" Head Voice and then drag it DOWN. Start with a note that is HIGHER than the Chest Voice notes you are struggling with. Slide down from the lighter gear to the stronger. If there's a large crack or flip as you slide, then your Chest and Mix are likely too heavy. See if you can make the transition as seamless as possible. If you do, your voice will soon feel more SVELTE than ever!
There are as many opinions as there are people - especially in the Recording Industry. So, it can be a challenge to stay true to your vision in the midst of hearing what everyone else thinks you should do. It’s incredibly important to listen to a TEAM of trusted souls that push you forward and challenge your artistic best. These voices should tell you what you NEED to hear and not just what you WANT to hear. Sometimes what feels good to hear isn’t the information that will make you a stronger artist. Keep your ears open to the feedback of people who know more, have done more, and who personally value YOU as an artist. Pretty soon you’ll be so wise and experienced that other artists will want you on THEIR team!
Try a phrase used for Speech Coaching: "I ate an apple in an igloo." Separate the words as you speak and put your fingers against your larynx. Feel how the air and vibrations stop and start between each word? This is a common occurrence with sounds that begin with vowels. They often cause GLOTTALS - which are abrupt vocal cord closings. While Glottals can be effective in singing when they’re controlled, in SPEAKING you may want to limit how often they occur. Try linking each word to it's preceding word just like you would when singing a legato phrase. "Iyadeanapplinanigloo." Unless you want to emphasize a particular word, you can always elide words together. This allows continuity of breath - making your speaking voice sound and feel calmer and healthier.
One of the biggest discoveries a singer can make is Resonance ENHANCEMENT! When the vocal tract (mouth shape, tongue placement, lip position, larynx height) is configured optimally - everything sounds great and becomes EASIER. However, it then becomes very tempting to try and maintain the exact same physical “position” that created the breakthrough. Unfortunately, this actually makes it HARDER to maintain the enhanced Resonance you’ve discovered. In other words, singing all the notes in your range while maintaining one static position will not resonate every note equally. For perfectly enhanced Resonance, it’s important to make constant minor adjustments to the tongue, lips, jaw, soft palate, larynx as you navigate your range. So, celebrate Ringy Resonance! But, beware of RIGID Resonance!
“Sing from your DIAPHRAGM!” That's something every singer must do! Right? Hmmm. WRONG actually. In fact, it’s impossible to sing from your Diaphragm! The Diaphragm is a muscle that mainly inhales. It's active during inhales and passive during most exhales. Singing happens when we exhale. So, instead of singing from the Diaphragm, we instead need to ISOLATE our Diaphragm when we inhale. How do we do this? It's as simple as making sure our inhalations are deep, calm, effortless, and free of upper-body tension. It may come as a surprise to you that "singing from the Diaphragm" is a myth. Yet, even though you cannot sing from your Diaphragm - nobody can stop you from singing from your Soul!
Have a CRITICAL ear, but not a JUDGMENTAL one! So often while practicing our singing we judge ourselves. Maybe the best example is that awkward moment when our voice “breaks” or “cracks”. It’s common to fear this moment so much that we try to avoid it at all costs. Yet, don’t let moments like these hinder you! These are actually the exact moments that can teach us how our voices really work. It’s essential to make the sounds that we DISLIKE in order to achieve the vocal coordinations that we NEED! So, be careful to not sing “PRETTY” or to only make sounds that your ears approve of. Every sound, good or bad, is another step on the journey toward your vocal best!
Laryngitis. A true vocal killer. Just about everyone has experienced it at some point. But, do you know what it is? Laryngitis is the inflammation of the larynx and, thus, the vocal folds. It can cause hoarseness, sore throat, coughing, and pain when you swallow. It can also feel like it takes much more energy than usual to speak, let alone sing. Colds, flus, infections, and allergies can cause this swelling. However, Laryngitis can also be caused by vocal abuse or very poor vocal technique. Talking or singing too loudly or harshly for long time periods can sometimes be the source. So, if you notice a DRASTIC change in your voice after an overly aggressive vocal session - give it a rest. If you suspect you have Laryngitis, check with your doctor to see whether it’s caused by illness. The good news is that Laryngitis will definitely heal! Just be patient and conscientious if it comes your way!
Take a BREAK with your inhales! The primary part of singing happens during the EXHALATION. Yet, what singers often worry about the most is getting a good inhale. We must work hard mentally and physically to control our exhale as we also manage all the other elements of our sound. So, the last thing we want to be stressed about is the inhale on top of all this. What if we reverse this tendency? What if the inhale is the time when you get a BREAK? You finish your phrase and now you get to recharge with a nice deep breath - like a drink of cold water on a hot day. Your exhale muscles relax and the air simply rushes into your body. Don't stress your inhales. Enjoy them instead! Give yourself and your singing a BREAK!
Happy 4th of July to all of our USA singers! Did you know that the tune for the American National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” was originally written for a British gentlemen’s club called the Anacreontic Society? The melody has a range of an octave and one fifth. That’s a pretty big range for many singers to navigate! If you're having trouble hitting those high notes at the end, be sure you're starting the first phrase in a very low range for your voice. There's a long way to go before you reach the top! But, never forget that all great nations and all great singers start in low and humble places before they reach their greatest heights! This Independence Day, let freedom (and your voice) RING!
Should you look UP when you sing? Usually, this is considered a bad vocal habit when we’re starting out as singers. However, there are actually some real benefits later on! We should always avoid jutting or lifting the chin out to the point of unwanted tension in the jaw and neck. However, a slight elevation of the chin and face on higher notes can be helpful. First, it can optimize the resonance by raising the first formant. Next, it can recruit the StyloPharyngeal muscles that assist the pitch-raising muscles (CricoThyroids) in stretching the vocal folds. Lastly, it just looks aesthetically awesome when singers do it well! While it's certainly not the solution for higher notes, this trick can lead to increased vocal freedom in the upper ranges. Things are looking up!
Get in a good RELATIONSHIP… with the Composer! Often as artists, we’re very focused on bringing our own unique sound and interpretation to a piece of music. However, in the process of trying to offer our own artistry, we often forget how much has already been done for us. Why did the composer write this song? Why were these specific notes, intervals, and rhythms chosen? Why did the lyrics have to be these lyrics and not something else? Remember that composers are gifted and soulful artists just like you. When you consider what THEIR soul is saying in the song, then go back and add what YOUR soul wants to say. Your solos will have DOUBLE the artistic potency! You’ll even find that your craft feels a lot easier whenever you’re singing these divine duets. Two is better than one!
Have you considered the ACTING values of your song? It’s easy to go through the motions while singing. However, in order to make a true connection with your audience, you must understand the dramatic nuances of your song. Musical aspects come first of course - the melody, rhythm, and stylistic choices. But, consider the CIRCUMSTANCES next. WHO are you singing to? What do you WANT in the song? WHERE does the song take place? What are the specific BEATS (or changes of thought) that the character has throughout the song? What do those unfamiliar words MEAN? If you hang onto both the musical and acting aspects of your songs, then you’ll be thrilled when your audience hangs onto your every word!
Whether it’s over an orchestra, in an auditorium, or across a crowd of people - it’s common to want our voices to CARRY. Unfortunately, it’s also common to tighten or squeeze parts of the throat in an effort to do it. The famous saying “Many hands make light work” applies here. Instead of the brute force of projection alone, it's better to use SEVERAL ideas instead. First, make sure that your breath is not being shoved out, but rather allow your sound to be carried on a steady flow. Next, take advantage of the brighter resonances of your voice like TWANG. Higher overtones help sound waves to travel. Finally, allow your larynx, neck, tongue, and jaw to feel relaxed and loose so that your sound doesn’t get constricted. These many vocal hands will make your work light. Keep calm and CARRY on!
You’ve probably noticed that the ACOUSTICS of a room can change the way your voice sounds. Don’t we all sound lovely in the shower? Reverberations of sound against different materials and across varying spaces affect the way our voices resonate. If we practice in a small carpeted room every day and then go audition on a large wooden stage, we might end up confused and thrown off. We often sing differently when we perceive that our voice sounds differently. The best way to combat this problem is to practice in a wide variety of settings. Monitor the vocal adjustments you make in each environment. Then, when you do find yourself in a space with poor acoustics, you’ll trust your training and you won’t overcompensate! Don’t just sing in one place. Sing EVERYWHERE!
Do you know what it’s like to be a sound engineer? How about a freelance bassist? A theater producer? You don’t need to be an expert in every field, but it's very helpful to know what it’s like to work in other areas of the Music Industry. Learn more about the kind of hours your colleagues work, how they're paid, and how they go about finding jobs. It will help you grow both as an artist and businessperson. It will also help you understand circumstances that may seem frustrating or difficult. Often these are the result of factors from another facet of the business that you didn't know about. So, learn about your colleagues! You'll be happier, more professional, and others will value the fact that you know where they're coming from!