Category Archives: Singing Instruction

Singing

Ladies, I’ve been there!

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While growing up in my small town, I always sang in the church choir. And, there was the school choir as well. I was considered an alto because I couldn’t reach notes as high as some of the other girls.

When I was 12, I think, my favourite artist was Olivia Newton-John. If any of you remember her when she had hits on the radio in the 70’s then you can likely guess how old I am!  Other favourites at the time were Helen Reddy and Anne Murray. I also loved The Captain and Tenille and Linda Ronstadt. Oh, and how can I forget The Carpenters! Oh yes, they were my absolute favourite!

So, during the day I was a choir singer and at night I was a pop singer! It didn’t take me long to start noticing that I was singing two different ways with two different voices! I went on doing this for years!

I joined a band when I was 16 and we toured around the towns in my local province. At times I would have trouble hitting the high notes the way I wanted to, and sometimes it would be so difficult that I would go hoarse, or actually lose my voice, by the end of the night.

This never happened when I was using my “other” voice. You know, the voice I saved for Sunday and the school choir.

In my 20’s and 30’s I took loads of singing lessons from a variety of teachers. I went on to achieve my Western Conservatory grades. You know, the songs where you sing in every language but your own. I was still rocking out on the weekends with my band. It was a bizzare thing to be singing with two different voices in the same day. I still hadn’t found my true voice.

It wasn’t until I was almost 40 when I ordered an online singing product written by Seth Riggs. OMG, is all I can say! I did these exercises every day and my voice blossomed. No longer did I have two voices but one voice that extended from the bottom of my range to the top of my range. And guess what? My bottom note extended down to E below middle C, and my top note extended to C above high C! I had never before even made a noise on these notes!

The rest is history. I have continued to study and train my voice, as well as helped 100’s of students here in my studio.

I’m in the process of putting singing exercises online at www.soundcloud.com. Keep an eye there for useful exercises that will help your voice gain strength, endurance and power. Please let me know if you have any questions! Susan

Singers, you are so lucky!

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Singers! Do you realize how lucky you are living in the 21st century? Gone are the days when you have to rely and listen to only one opinion or view of a teacher/professor, and what they recommend for your voice! You have access to tons and tons of information online about the voice and the various ways to learn how to sing. Get informed. Learn what you want for your voice, and how to get it!

Here are some things to consider:

  • If your teacher cannot make the kinds of sound you want, I suggest you go elsewhere.
  • If your teacher does not know EXACTLY where you passagi/bridges are, then I suggest go elsewhere.
  • If your teacher is teaching you to sing classical or Broadway, and says you can use this coordination in any style, then see if you can. If you can’t, and they can’t help you get the sound you want, then go elsewhere.
  • If your teacher is telling you the sounds you are making are wrong because they will damage or hurt your voice, and only wants you to sing in a classical coordination then go elsewhere
  • Watch out for teachers who only teach chest voice….yes, there are coaches who simply teach you how to sing loud and shouty as you ascend in scale. Can they sing clear and connected on a high note without shouting?
  •  Watch out for teachers who only teach head voice or chest voice separately as two different sections of the voice. If your teacher doesn’t understand about how to teach and connect the middle area, then I would definitely go elsewhere!

Online Singing Products

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What bothers me most about online “how to sing” products is the fact that every singer has a different problem standing in the way of the voice improving. Ideally, a singer needs to know what that problem is so they can focus on the right coordinations. Usually, a singer has more than one issue to work on, but again the correct exercises and doing them correctly is the key to quick improvement.

Let’s face it….why would you go to the gym and do squats if your thighs were already big and strong. Balance is the key, and the path to getting balance in the voice isn’t always straight-forward.

I’ve started to post some exercises for different voice types and issues at www.soundcloud.com. If you have any questions about the exercises or your voice, why not drop me a line.

Just Do It!

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I can’t get over it when students come back week after week saying they didn’t have time to practise much during the previous 7 days. I think to myself, my gosh, you are carrying around your instrument inside your throat everyday, how can you not find time to practise it? I remind them they do not need their recorded lesson in order to practise. I show them how to exercise their voice without any background scale.

Sometimes what I hear is, “oh yes, I sing everyday”. Then when I get them to clarify what they mean, they say “I sing to the radio, or in the shower, or at karaoke, or with their band”. Again, I remind them that that doesn’t count. Practising/vocalizing means doing the exercises that have specifically been assigned for your voice to get better. I remind them that singing songs as usual can, in fact, do the exact OPPOSITE of vocalizing properly…..it reinforces your usual coordination that we are trying to improve!
I stress this because so many singers, (and not just kids and teenagers) seem to forget, day in and out, that if a better voice is truly what you want, then you need to follow the disciplines assigned to get there.

Learning to play the piano or guitar well doesn’t just happen without daily practise and attention to detail, and learning how to sing better is no different….except in one very important area….you can’t carry your piano around in your throat!

Be A Vocal Athlete

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If you wanted to get your body fit, chances are you would join a gym and/or hire a personal trainer. Getting your voice in shape to sing well is really no different. Chances are you would take singing lessons from a professional singing teacher or coach.

You can certainly get fit without going to a gym if you know what you are doing. So, can you learn how to be a vocal athlete without the guidance of a singing coach?

Professional singing coaches should be able to tell you what is standing in the way of becoming a better singer at the first lesson. They should be able to tell you how your voice works, and what issue(s) is possibly stopping you from improving. Then they should be able to show you some exercises that will instantly improve your voice in some way or another.

Has your voice been diagnosed? A great voice is usually a balanced voice. Working on that balance would typically need a professional’s ear and knowledge to get the best results. Once you know what to work on, and know that you are doing your exercises properly, then indeed, you may become a vocal athlete without the guidance of a good coach!

How to Belt

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I stumbled on this video and it prompted me to write this post. Take a moment and watch this first. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5eKV3AgxJY

Expert Village should be ashamed of themselves for posting this. It certainly has tarnished my impression of anything they post as being “expert”.

First, let me state….I’m no expert! However, I do try to keep up with the latest information about belting.

Let’s first look at what’s wrong with this video instruction:

To simply state that belting is speech-like shouting (as in her demonstration) is not going to help any singer learn how to belt!

Here are my recommendations:
First, every singer who wants to understand and learn to “belt” needs to know where their register shifts are, and what they feel like.
Belting in it’s safest form should be coordinated through a balance of all registers….chest/middle/head. If the note being belted is in the chest voice range, it is safest to have at least a component of middle to head voice resonance in a balanced coordination that is manageable by the singer.

This video is implying that belting is simply shouting. If that were the case, belting would only be harmful to the voice. That is incorrect, belting can be done efficiently without harm. BUT, not by watching this video!!

Rock Singer’s vocal lesson

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First, I want to thank Justin for letting me tape his recent singing lesson. It is not easy to “let go” in a singing lesson and allow your voice to make sounds and try things that are not always pleasing, nor do they always feel “normal”. That is the key to developing a better voice….finding out what’s holding you back from progressing, and then taking the necessary steps to improve your voice.

You can see the video by clicking the link below. But, first, a little background on Justin’s voice. He has been singing a long time, (lol, at least since the age 14 when his “adult” voice started to set in!)  He is self taught….as most rock singers are. He noticed problems hitting high notes and vocal strain early on. Let’s just say it usually goes with the territory of “rock singing”.

Have a look at the videos (two parts) and let me know if  you have any questions. These exercises are specifcally good for rock singers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEDfi84TRKQ

 

The Journey

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Did you do your exercises today? How long did you sing? Are you paying attention to and listening for the signs and signals from your body and voice as you sing, or are you randomly going through the motions of your exercises and songs?

Each day can present a new achieveable goal and a new step in the right direction towards a voice that is yours to express freely and safely; strongly and passionately. Isn’t that what we all want? Don’t we, as singers, simply want to express ourselves and make sounds that are pleasing to ourselves and our listeners?

The journey is today, and the journey is tomorrow, and the next day. The journey is your lifetime so enjoy the trip.  Take the time everyday to express yourself and master your technique. Then your journey will be as enjoyable when you are 70 as it is now!

Listen to your coach and teacher. Listen to your body. Then go and sing!

Let’s be clear what SLS is and what it is not

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I’ve been a huge fan of Speech Level Singing for over ten years, and continue to be. I’ve studied with some of the best SLS teachers in the world, and I use SLS exercises continuously in my studio. I think the method is superb and was even certified for two years. I vocalize with the SLS technique daily.

What SLS is: A fabulous vocal training method to keep the vocal folds in tip top shape. This can allow you to sing any genre you wish.

What SLS is not: A vocal training system that teaches you how to sing any genre you want in a safe, effective way.

The problem with SLS is that it doesn’t help singers build their signature sound. It is a fabulous way to keep the voice in shape, but it doesn’t allow the singer to learn how to make sounds that are specific to their genre.  For example I like to sing country, pop and rock. There is no way I am going to sing a high C in a song the same way I sing high C when I vocalize. My preference is to use more chest voice “in my mix” and keep the resonance near the front of my face to achieve the sound that I want. I even prefer to allow my larynx to rise a little and tilt. This gets me the sound I like in a safe and effective way. Lots of twang and great breath control.

I think SLS could take the next step in helping the artist develop their signature sound in a healthy way. I believe Brett Manning’s organization is much better suited to a variety of vocal sounds than is the Seth Riggs Organization. Brett is getting loads of country singers in Nashville so you can bet he is helping them achieve the sound they want in a safe, effective way. Seth Riggs, on the other hand, is a pure and very specific vocal training system to teach singers how to sing from the bottom to the top of their range in a balanced way. This is a fabulous thing, but I think some students may be confused about what the voice can and cannot do in terms of making healthy sounds that suit their specific genre.

If you are a rock singer and have been vocalizing with the SLS method for some time, consider this? Are you happy with your high notes? Are you able to get the sound you really want without straining? If not, then the next step is looking at safe ways to make those specific sounds. I  believe some SLS studios can do this, if they understand what you want. Communication with your coach is definitely key here. If your current teacher isn’t equipped to help you with these sounds, then you may need to consider other coaches. There are ways to build your chest voice higher in your mix in a perfectly safe way. And, I’m not talking about belting. That is a very different way of singing.

SLS will always be a fabulous singing method. But singers need to be clear about what it is, and what it is not.

Singer/songwriters and key choice

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This post is for singers who also write songs.

Do you know your voice well enough to write sounds around your best sounds? Your money notes are not necessarily going to be the same as other songwriters. I can’t stress enough how important the key choice for your song is.

I had a student this week who came in with an original song in the key of E. His biggest note in the chorus was E (above middle C) with a little slur up to G# and back down. He was singing with great passion, but the E note was tight. We transposed it down to D and he sounded so much better. The problem was the guitar licks didn’t work with the song transposed. He then had to decide whether to compromise the sound of his voice or change his guitar licks.

Knowing your range, and the quality of sound you can produce on the big notes is very important. For men these big notes can be anywhere from D to G (above middle C) depending on your range and quality of your voice. For women these notes can be anywhere from A to D (above middle C).

It’s particularly important that you learn to pick songs and write songs that work well for your voice type. It shouldn’t be your goal to sing like someone else. It should be your goal to know your voice, and what it can do well. Then transpose your favourite songs into the range that best suits your voice.

What do you think? Do you sing songs in keys other than the original?