Controlled effort

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

One of the most important things you can do as a singer is to learn how to balance your voice. In other words, know how to negotiate the first passagio, so you have no issues with the transfer of resonance as you move back and forth through that bridge. Men, your first bridge is around D to F above middle C, and ladies your bridge is anywhere between A (above middle C) to high C. One key element to negotiating this passagio is the idea of “bridging early”. Don’t avoid this sensation, but don’t flip into falcetto either.

One of the easiest ways to know if you are bridging is simply to match the volume as you sing higher. Your body needs to figure out how to control the air (send less air) as you ascend in pitch. You need to allow that heady feeling and turn on your body anchor. Without enough body effort you will likely notice the sound starts to become “weaker” or “not intense enough”. You will likely want to sing louder, but that’s not how to improve your voice. Instead, turn on your body! Pretend you are lifting a heavy suitcase in each arm. Notice your rib cage engage as you exert some pressure there. Be careful not to tense up in the neck area. This may cause undo strain.

Good singing does take effort. The effort is a controlled feeling of energy all over the body. Effort in the wrong places, such as at the vocal cords or inside the throat, will only constrict the sound. We want a free, open and controlled sound!

Some coaches don’t talk about effort simply because it can get in the way. But without the correct effort how do you expect to improve your voice? Never under estimate the value of “effort”.

Singing is an entire body experience

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Have you ever noticed the body language of your favourite singer? Odds are their body is engaged in a way that relays emotion to the song. Watch their face. Notice how the eyebrows may rise or the nostrils may flare. Watch the mouth and tongue, and pay special attention to the chin.

These details are not simply “acts” to add to the performance. These details are necessary to great singing.

Have you ever noticed that when you sing alone, and really get into it, your voice and body feel free? Have you noticed when you get in front of your teacher or an audience, your voice and body have trouble finding that freedom?

Don’t underestimate the role your body energy plays in your singing. Sometimes we take this for granted and never consider it. We can actually engage energy outside the larynx and in turn, create freedom in the voice.

More on Belting

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

So, I used my cricoid muscle extensively on Saturday night. Yes, I was more shoutier than usual. Since my workshop a couple of weeks ago, I have been revisiting some of my repertoire in a beltier way. This is similar to the way I sang about ten years ago, but also much different. Yes, this time was much different. It was interesting to see how the audience reacted. I had one gentleman come and ask me if I had ever sang opera. He said that my voice reminded him of many textures…many subtleties. The audience definitely seemed engaged in a different way…..or maybe it was just me….knowing that I was singing more on the edge….the edge of right and wrong….the edge of freedom.

What has changed? Quite a few things. Knowledge is power. For one thing I made sure the mic stand was a little higher, and the microphone was angled slightly downward so that I could tilt my head back for the belt. (I don’t hold the mic because I am playing keyboard). I would usually do this angle with my head anyway, but now I know why I’m doing it and why the placement of the microphone is so important. I notice that it indeed is necessary to free the voice from constriction. My soft palate was raised as high as it could go. My tongue was well placed and my mouth was big. My body was engaged like at no other time in the song…..yes, that feeling of certainty and strength is a familiar posture that keeps me aligned with the phrases and momentum of the music.

I experienced no hoarseness, no raspiness, no uncertainty. I experienced the maximum energy my body and voice had to give that evening. I experienced an audience who reciprocated with applause and awe. I experienced a sensation of total release and freedom. I experienced the ability to be able to do it again tomorrow.

Controversy, I welcome you back…….

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I’ve recently returned from an Estill Voice Workshop, and what a truly eye-opening experience it was. So interesting to see and hear singers learning how to belt and make sounds that others would consider “extreme” and damaging. Yes, that’s what we were doing…..experimenting with our voice in a safe and controlled manner.

What is most interesting is that Estill looks at all “recipes” of the voice. In other words, every sound you can make is acceptable as long as it doesn’t make you cough, tickle or scratchy (I’m sure you know the feeling!) This is what I love about Estill….a solid foundation of research on vocal coordinations that solve many mysteries of the voice. For instance, unlike SLS, Estill teaches the student how to move their larynx up or down. Yes, you can move it up and down on purpose! It’s perfectly safe! It’s perfectly normal! And, it’s also a must-do when you are learning to belt properly. Sure enough, rock, pop and gospel singers have been doing this for years. Come to think of it……..so have I! But note….I’m not going to say it’s easy, and in fact, it’s quite the contrary to belt safely.

This made perfect sense to me. My experience with Speech Level Singing taught me to keep my larynx in a neutral position. Yes, it could move around a little, but belting was discouraged. I had problems with hoarseness and strain from time to time in my career, and that’s what led me to SLS in the first place. Speech Level Singing helped me sort this out very well. When I became in great vocal shape with SLS exercises (in other words…a strong mix), I noticed I was able to sing higher than ever before in the middle area of voice without strain. Thank you SLS!

But……yes, here is the but…..now, I feel like I sound like everyone else. I feel anonymous. I don’t have the signature sound that I once had. Sure, I can sing well and safe in my mix, but the audience of today’s contemporary music is looking for an edge….more of a beltier sound. They love to hear a singer being on the edge…..just think Adele and Celine Dion and Steven Tyler!

That’s why I’m thrilled I went to this Estill Workshop…..Belting, here I come again. I welcome you back into my life! However, this time I have the ingredients to do it safely. Yes, this time I will belt out that song and the next, and the next, and the next….. And, by the way, did I mention……..the safest way to belt…..is in a mix! Did I say thank you Speech Level Singing yet????

And so my journey continues…..

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

So, why do I write a blog? I write a blog to help singers everywhere learn as much as possible about their own voice. As most of you know, I have studied SLS for the last few years, and prior to that had many years of training with Bel Canto technique. I have recently attended an Estill Voice Technique Workshop and have had a fabulous time exploring my voice and understanding the many coordinations I was able to do! I look forward to sharing with you loads of useful tips that can be added to your “toolbox”.

What do SLS and EVT have in common? A few things, but the lingo is certainly different. How do they differ? Well, the easiest way for me to describe the difference is that SLS is one of the many, many “recipes” that Estill can teach a student to do. Another difference is in the way the “recipe” is taught.

I will dive into more of these differences with some upcoming posts so stay tuned!

Singers, you have a choice!

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Times have changed, and they are going to continue to change for singers. This is a great thing! Singers now have a choice!

Gone are the days when there was one, and only one, way to train the voice. There was traditional voice training, and there was traditional voice training! You could go to university and develop a beautifully resonant head voice that soared through arias. Or, you could go to a private teacher, who either learned the same way, or taught what worked for them.

Traditional voice training was developed for traditional European music (where a singer had to be heard at the back of the concert hall with no microphone), but this type of projection was not what rock’n rollers and contemporary singers needed to help them sing better. Most traditional voice teachers considered these modern types of singing (which was predominantly a thick fold/chest voice coordination) wrong and damaging to the voice.

We now know this isn’t the case. Certainly there are limits to what the voice can do (in any coordination), but making unique and different sounds other than traditional classical, choir-like sounds is not always damaging to the vocal cords.

Seth Riggs was a pioneer in developing a vocal technique that strengthened the bridges in the voice and encouraged transitioning through the registers. No more vocal breaks. Hallelujah! This technique balanced the singer’s voice so they could sing whatever genre of music they wished.

Some teachers are now helping singers who want to make even more extreme sounds. Resonance and bridging is fundamental in these music genres to ensure the singer maintains a healthy larynx.

Singers, what do you think? Have you found freedom and balance in your voice, while at the same time you’re able to make sounds you are happy with?

My Prediction

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I predict we will continue to be amazed! As young musical people listen to an array of unique and interesting singing voices on the internet, they learn that anything is possible. The human mind and body is so remarkable, and the internet can be a great teacher! Young singers who explore their voice and the sounds they can make from an early age are raising the bar for others.

True natural talent is the young singer who has figured out the freedom of their own voice at a young age, and sings with that freedom daily.

Young singers are no longer simply influenced by teachers at their local church or school, or singers they hear on TV or the radio. Now they are influenced by what other young singers are doing all over the world.

Young singers who find the freedom and release, that encompasses the art of performing with emotion and spirit, are popping up everywhere.

I am not saying that any young singer can learn to do this! Oh no, by far! It is a rare young person who will figure this out. I am simply stating that we will continually be amazed by young naturally talented singers who do!

The nagging “flip”

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

So this topic comes back and nags me every know and then. Actually, almost everytime I see a musical play.

Doesn’t it bother anyone to listen to a female singer with “two” voices? These singers who have a beautifully developed head voice all the way down to their belly button.

Of course, that’s the problem. The transition into mouth and hard palate resonance and the presence of “twang” just doesn’t happen very well, and these singers are left trying to figure out how to sing the middle notes around their first passagio. They are either yelling at the top of their chest register, or singing in their head voice only.

I’ve said it before….thank goodness I didn’t have singing lessons as a kid….or I could be one of them!

Singers, have you slipped?

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I haven’t been vocalizing near as much as I should be. I was very motivated at Christmas through to March break; doing my exercises, soaring through my bridges every day. It felt good, I was crooning!

The last couple of months I’ve been busier. Spring is here and I like to get outside in the garden, and take the dogs for a walk. It’s my favourite time of year. The days just fly by.

Yikes! My voice is paying the price. I did a gig yesterday and I noticed the setback. I was specifically having trouble accessing my head voice resonance as I was bridging through my first passagio.

Luckily I knew the steps to take straight away to get back on track. I focused on taking deeper breaths and engaging the abdominal muscles; I backed off on my volume a bit to the point where my vocal cords were “lighter” and I could handle the air pressure enough to focus on my “cry” and onset of each phrase.

If I was in better vocal shape setting out yesterday, my usual warm-up before a booking would have set me up well with the coordination necessary to get the “cry” and “twang” necessary to bridge through my first passagio with ease.

Once I settled in to the “rhythm” where my vocal cords, breath and body were in sync with each other, I was then able to focus on the bigger picture…..the dynamics, the resonance and vocal effects……and of course, the audience!

So, today I’ll vocalize for two sets of 20 minutes, or maybe longer depending on how it feels. I will do this daily (very focused) until I feel I’m back at the top of my game. Then it will be OK to take a day off once in awhile!

Let’s talk Justin Bieber’s voice

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I can’t diss this young man. After all, he grew up in my province of Ontario!

My concern is the care and development of his voice, now that his voice is changing. I heard him on The Voice recently, and I wasn’t all that impressed. The middle voice didn’t sound “easy” and effortless, and he was reaching for his high notes.

I do believe he has the potential, but I’m not sure that he is getting the vocal support he needs at this stage in his career. He needs to be vocalizing everyday through his entire register. Otherwise, vocally he will be out of shape, and he will suffer by having to reach and strain for his high notes…in other words… his larynx will rise. If his larynx is rising then he will likely face troubles such as hoarseness and laryngitis. In the studio, miracles can be done…..so that doesn’t count. He will sound great in the studio. Live performance is the only indicator that will tell us whether Bieber is mixing well enough when he sings.

Time will tell……….