Happy Hanukkah from the staff at New York Vocal Coaching! Hanukkah celebrates a Miracle of endurance. One day's worth of oil miraculously lasted for eight days! We sometimes accomplish similar feats of endurance - exhausted bodies and minds power us through difficult weeks to reach important deadlines. Or, a tired voice manages to last through an extra performance or even several performances. What do you think makes these Miracles possible? Good technique? A rush of adrenaline? Confidence and positive energy? Or something else? No matter the cause, take time this Hanukkah to celebrate the personal Miracles you've accomplished. Maybe even light a candle of gratitude for the BRIGHTEST Miracles in your life!
How often do you COMPLIMENT other singers? It’s easy to get wrapped up in competition and trying to make a name for yourself as an artist. But, true Artists appreciate all the beauty around them - even if it’s being made by someone else. As Artists, we should be able to genuinely appreciate the work of others without having to compare it to our own. Even when we’re comparing ourselves to other voices as a learning tool, we still need to be able to step back and simply ENJOY other singers! Valuing and encouraging fellow vocalists will keep you focused on singing as an art instead of a contest. With this approach, every singer truly wins!
Practice makes permanent! That even goes for your NERVES too! When we rehearse, we practice what we plan to do in performance. If we rehearse being NERVOUS about our high notes, we’ll be nervous about our high notes in the audition room. Yet, if we rehearse at our bravest, we stand a far better chance of being BRAVE in the audition room. Practice singing with your entire being, acting with no hesitations, and unleashing your imagination into your performance. Be mindful to not rehearse negativity, self-doubt, fear, and self-criticism. In time, you will take your best and most-castable self into every audition. After all, you PRACTICED!
Riffs aren’t harder than SCALES! Most Riffs in any style of music are variations on just a few simple scales. You can build your Riffing vocabulary by working these scales into your regular warm-ups and vocal practice. One of the most common scales you'll hear in Riffs is the major pentatonic scale (1-2-3-5-6). Try singing a pentatonic pattern instead of the usual 1-2-3-4-5 ascending scale. Then mix it up in as many ways as you can imagine! Leap between notes; start in the middle of the scale; sing on different vowels or words. Just remember to start slowly, and don't speed up until you feel comfortable at the slower pace. There's never a need to get frustrated! After all - Riffs aren’t harder than SCALES!
COMEDY isn’t funny when an actor thinks they are funny or tries to get laughs. Instead, it’s funny when the actor is serious, deadpan, or very committed to what they're saying. DRAMA isn’t dramatic when an actor shows how sad, angry, or emotional they are. Instead, it’s Dramatic when an actor focuses on overcoming a challenge they face. Try to play the OPPOSITES when performing your songs. Avoid getting caught up in the general MOOD of the music. Instead, discern what that mood is and see if you can find something to juxtapose. Hope in the sadness. Memory in the loss. Annoyance in the laughter. Awkwardness in the confidence. Do this - and your songs will become the OPPOSITE of boring.
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!
Most of the time we think that vocal injuries only happen to those with poor vocal technique. But, sometimes accidents do happen. Just like a baseball player catching the bag the wrong way on a slide, even a brief misuse of the folds can sometimes result in injury. No need to panic though! The vocal cords are remarkably resilient and most damage can be fully healed or repaired. However, be sure when you practice you’re not pushing yourself in a way that feels overly aggressive. Especially when experimenting with new sounds, noises, or voices - always ease into the work and pay attention to what your throat is telling you. The best rule of thumb is - if it hurts, stop! Accidents can happen to even the best of singers. But, you'll be setting yourself up for the slimmest possible chances by practicing in a very mindful way.
Experiencing too much Vocal Fry? Solve it with breath flow! You may notice that when you arrive at the end of your sentences, the last word or syllable ends in Vocal Fry. Often, we unintentionally "give up" as the energy of the sentence wanes. Confident speakers, though, carry the momentum of the exhale PAST the end of the sentence! Say: "I have a cockatiel in Wyoming." Many people will notice some Vocal Fry toward the end of "Wyoming." Now try: "I have a cockatiel in Wyoming and one in Iowa." Notice that the Vocal Fry doesn't occur until “Iowa”. Practice blowing out a little extra air during the last word so that you don't hear a "crackle". While Vocal Fry can be an effective tool in singing and voiceover work, it doesn't need to be an everyday part of your speaking voice. Keep on flowing!
Diversity makes the world a better and more beautiful place! Just like we ask our leaders and politicians to engage everyone's experiences, we as artists must also seek opportunities to engage with other artists from different backgrounds. It begins by being open to seeing and listening to material you might not otherwise choose. But it doesn't stop there: TALK to other artists that are different from you. What inspires them to make music? How do they go about writing, learning, or performing a song? How does their unique style help them to share their soul? There is no better way to expand our artistry than by engaging with people very different from ourselves. And, we might indeed make a few new unexpected friends along the way!
Before you walk into any high pressure situation, remind yourself: “I have the RIGHT to be here.” A very common mistake that singers make is to APOLOGIZE for their work. Maybe they don’t say the actual words “I’m sorry”. But, their body language and mindset display an apologetic essence. “Sorry” if I’m not good enough. “Sorry” if I’m wasting your time. “Sorry” if I’m not what you’re looking for. Throw that thinking away! Your voice, your talents, and your hard work earn you the RIGHT to shine! So, once you’ve earned it - OWN it! When you enter the audition room, the recording studio, or the stage, say to yourself: “This is MY time to GIVE my gifts to others.” Then, watch how making this one little adjustment transforms the way your singing is perceived!
In today’s entertainment industry, VIDEO auditions are often taking the place of LIVE auditions. Thankfully, video recording on your smartphone is considered to be an acceptable practice. This said, it’s still nice to make your audition videos look as professional as possible, even with a small budget. You might want to invest in a tripod for your camera or phone, so that the picture is steady and at the right height. Either purchase a basic lighting kit or find some good lamps that show you at your best. Record your audition videos in a space that is free from too many visual distractions. The space should also be free from any background noises. Keep your audition videos as simple and as professional as possible. This way the casting team will focus all of their attention on YOU!
From rappers to auctioneers - We have all stood in AWE of those who possess the ability to speak quickly and clearly with prolific prowess. If we challenge ourselves via exercises (cue: TONGUE TWISTERS!), speaking in real life will seem easy in comparison! Start slowly, carefully, and deliberately to achieve the full integrity of each individual sound. Then gradually speed up until you can go five times as fast for each of these Twisters!
“Red leather, yellow leather."
“My cutlery cuts keenly and cleanly."
“Shy Shelly says she shall sew sheets."
"You know New York, You need New York, You know you need unique New York."
... Word...
“Am I a good enough ACTOR?” Often, singers doubt their Acting skills or don't consider themselves to be gifted in this area. However, bringing your Acting to life as a singer isn’t about trying to perfect your Acting chops. Rather, it’s about simple COMMUNICATION. If your audience can clearly understand what you are saying, what story you are telling, and the journey that you are going through - then they will FEEL the emotion of the song. Overacting actually comes from doing too much "ACTING". So, keep your focus on being specific with the story you are communicating at each moment. You’ll be amazed how the Acting somehow takes care of itself!
What does it mean to bring your sound “FORWARD”? This term is thrown around a lot in vocal lingo. Unfortunately, it’s not very specific and can get confusing for many singers. “Forwardness” usually means to make the resonance of the voice (i.e. formants) “brighter”. However, there are several different ways to do this. You could raise the larynx. You could widen the lips. You could lift the tongue’s base. You could add “Twang”. All of these things make the sound more “Forward”. So, if someone tells you to bring your sound more “forward”, then maybe you can ask them to be more specific. Or, maybe you can be more specific yourself by only adding the “forward” elements that help your voice best come forth!
We often think of our vocal quality on a SPECTRUM. Bright vs. Dark. Forward vs. Back. Heavy vs. Light. There are many factors that contribute to these qualities but they don't always have to work together! Think about sound mixing boards in a recording studio. We don't raise or lower all the faders at the same time! Instead, we look for the best balance of the faders, adjusting them individually or in various combinations. We can think of singing the same way. If you're looking for a brighter tone, you can raise your larynx, brighten your vowels, or add some "twang." What if you brighten your vowels while lowering your larynx? What if your larynx stays neutral and you add some twang while you keep your vowels the same? Each of these elements (and more) can function independently giving you countless options. Become the sound engineer of your own voice!
Singing, acting, dancing, modeling, performing. In all of these crafts, how you see yourself and how you present yourself are vital. This is why PERFECTIONISM is the greatest ENEMY of performers. All of us have a desire deep down to look perfect, sound perfect, act perfect, and BE perfect. However, since this is unattainable, it frustrates and even DESTROYS our artistry and individuality. So, the next time you go onstage to perform - think about who YOU really are and how you are going to present yourself. Are you perfect? No. So, should you try to show perfection to your audience? No. What do you show them instead? Show them your self-expression, your work-in-progress craft, your beautiful weaknesses, and your SOUL... in that moment. Perfect.
Think for a moment about what happens when you blow into a bottle - a pitch is created! Larger bottles resonate lower pitches and smaller bottles resonate higher pitches. Our vocal tract (throat) is like these bottles in terms of resonance. As singers, we can change the size of our vocal tracts for better resonance throughout our range. We can alter vowels to resonate more efficiently in certain ranges where they may not naturally resonate so well. This is the basis for what is known as Vowel Modification. Vowel Modification sometimes gets a bad rap because it's often exaggerated, making vowels sound strange and affected. The key to Vowel Modification is to fine-tune your resonance over time so that a clearer sound is made with less effort, while still maintaining intelligibility with your lyrics. Enjoy this vocal message-in-a-bottle!
Today is the day to give THANKS! Have you ever stopped to think about what a beautiful gift the voice is? Through speaking and singing, the voice allows us to communicate with others, express our true selves, and create an INFINITE number of glorious sounds. The best part about this is that the voice is a gift freely given! You were born with it! This Thanksgiving, alongside the other blessings in your life, don't forget to be thankful for your voice! Use it today to tell your loved ones that you love them and are grateful for them. Or, maybe sing a song of Thanks for all the goodness in your life. All of us at NYVC are so blessed to be a part of your vocal journey. Make A THANKFUL Noise!
Experiment with the BRIGHT and DARK acoustic qualities of your voice! It’s an exercise in balancing the Formants (resonances) of your vocal tract. By lowering your LARYNX, you will notice some darker sounds and by raising it you will hear brighter sounds. The TONGUE is another aspect to play with. Raising it like in the EE Vowel will brighten your sound and lowering it like in the AH vowel will darken it. Finally, the LIPS play a role as well. Puckered lips darken your tone, whereas spread lips brighten it. All of these elements happen very rapidly when we sing. So, it's important to take some time to explore each of these sonic ingredients to master your acoustic possibilities!
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!