Category Archives: Singing Instruction

Singing

Singing students…..should you go to university?

Posted on by
2

Did you take vocal lessons when you were younger? Are you happy with your voice now? Can you sing the songs in the style you want?

All too often children and teens taking singing lessons during their youth have high aspirations of being a “singer” in today’s music business. Their parents spend thousands of dollars getting them the training they think they should have. The students may even go on to university to polish their skills only to find out after graduating that their voice isn’t suitable to sing commercially accepted music. They find out their voice can’t perform the style for the bands they want to join, and they soon learn that their auditions for theatrical performances are being given to singers with a more commercially-accepted edge to their voice.

Let’s face it, musical theatre is changing. Newly written musicals are more often than not, wanting vocals with a strong chest voice in their mix.

Unfortunately, universities are not changing along with the times. Professors in vocal training at universities are teaching their students the same technique that they were taught….which can create a beautiful classical voice…exactly the type of voice they were taught to have. Unfortunately, these students soon find out that they are unable to enter the workforce in today’s music business, so they are left with the only other option and that is to teach others exactly what they were taught…..and so it goes….another generation of classically trained singers, who again go on to teach rather than perform in the music business.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree?

 

Do you have trouble singing by yourself “on key”?

Posted on by
Reply

Do you love to sing with the radio or CD, or at church with the congregation? Do you find singing is easy as long as there is someone to follow? However, do you lack the confidence and ability to sing on your own, such as solo in the choir or on your own at a karaoke bar?

If this is you, you are not alone. In fact, you are part of a large majority of people. Singing can be easy as long as you don’t have to do it alone. There are steps that can be taken to strengthen your ability to sing on pitch by yourself, while at the same time coordinating your overall singing voice with flexibility and balance. This in turn builds your confidence to go on and tackle a song all on your own.

This needs to be done with a vocal coach. It’s difficult to correct your own pitch without someone helping.

Ear training and repetition are the foundation for pitch matching. You need to start close to the pitch of your speaking voice. This is called your “home base”. This will be your reference point at which you can return to as you learn to match higher and lower pitches. Once you can sing back your home base pitch easily and consistently, then it’s time to move to short scales. Depending on your ability, you may start with 3 note or 5 note scales, ascending and descending. Every singer is different. Again, this should be done with a vocal coach.

Lessons should be recorded so you can revisit your “home base” daily for practise. This is necessary so the brain can remember and the vocal cords will learn and memorize the coordination needed to match pitch.

A male voice will probably match easily at F or G below middle C. That’s a good place to start. Your coach should know that as you sing higher it becomes more challenging because your voice has to shift gears to handle the passagio around E flat. Therefore, all training in the beginning should stay below this bridge. For female singers this first passagio is around G or A flat above middle C.

Along with repetition of short scales starting in the home base area, your coach should be doing some ear training exercises where you need to listen and say whether a note is higher or lower than the one played.

With perservence you can learn to sing on your own with good pitch. I have helped many dedicated adults who always wanted to sing, but never felt good enough to sing on their own. These exercises build their confidence as each day they are able to find home base quicker and easier than the week before. They are able to memorize the melodic exercises of steps and jumps which soon turn into songs.

Singing 101 – Is this You?

Posted on by
Reply

Knowledge is power. If you want to learn how to sing better … keep reading.

I believe the best way to learn about anything is to experience it for yourself, and to learn about other’s experiences. When I read stories online about singers who have taken lessons from various teachers, I nod my head and think, “yeah, that’s what it was like for me too”.  I’ve taken singing lessons from many different teachers over the years.  It wasn’t until I discovered Speech Level Singing over ten years ago, that things really started to make sense for me.  With Speech Level Singing I was singing through three bridges (passagio) in my first lesson.

I now teach Speech Level Singing to all my students, and they all go through at least one bridge (passagio) on their first lesson. What is a passagio or a bridge? This is a spot in your singing voice between the low sounds (chest voice) and the high sounds (head voice). Many men have never even experienced their head voice…..while many women have not experienced their true chest voice. For some men, their chest voice is their connection to power…or so they think. The opposite can be true for women (and lots of children both boys and girls) who have sang for years in choirs and were taught to blend their voice with all the other singers.  Choral music is usually written high in pitch which meant the singers would always be in their head voice.

A lot of female and male singers have the opposit and very common problem of not being able to reach high notes. This usually happens because the singer is too loud, too low, and too soon. Quite often the singer feels like they have reached a ceiling (usually at their passagio) and they just can’t sing any higher. The voice gets louder and louder as they try and sing higher notes. 

Do one of these scenerios match you? Everyone is unique so there is no one “fix” that meets everybody’s needs. This is the main problem with self-teaching CD’s like Brett Manning’s Singing Success and Seth Riggs Singing for the Stars.  They are both fabulous Speech Level Singing programs, but if you don’t know your singing problem, then these exercises might be too generic to really help you.

Learning to sing better takes time and dedication. It’s really no different than becoming a good athelete…atheletes must work out regularly with proper form and the right exercises. It’s the same for singing. Your vocal cords are your muscles and they need just the right exercise to learn the coordination needed to help you sing better.

So, first…..know your singing issue. Get a professional opinion that will give you direction and a goal. Start with this and you’ll be on your way to a better singing voice!

Singing tips…….sing higher, sing better

Posted on by
Reply

So many singers sing poorly by trying to copy the “sound” of their favourite singers. Unfortunately, without knowing how to copy correctly, it can cause many many problems for singers. Knowledge is power, so read on for a few tips on singing better.

To the average listener/singer, a great big voice may sound simply loud and powerful. The average listener/singer is unaware as to why this voice is so great other than for these reasons. Unfortunately, copying this singing without knowing what is really going on can cause an average singer to never reach their full potential. If your voice gets tired easily when trying to sing higher, or you have trouble reaching high notes with intensity, then you fall into this category.

The powerful sounds that we love so much come from a careful balance of air pressure built up behind the vocal cords, careful pronounciation of the words being sung (the vowels cause resonance in the mouth, head and sinuses), and the amount of vocal cord closure occurring.  In short it’s a combination of air flow, vowel production, and cord closure.

Speech Level Singing teaches the singer about these three things that they have control over. The singer learns where their bridges are, and learns how to negotiate through them to allow the voice to go higher and higher.

There is no other technique that simplifies the knowledge of singing better than the way Speech Level Singing does. I’m proud to a certified teacher with the Seth Riggs Organization. My voice is stronger and better than it has ever been…thanks to SLS.

What happened to Christine Aguilera on Sunday?

Posted on by
Reply

It was no surprise to me to see Christine Aguilera have a poor live performance at the Super Bowl. It was only a matter of time when this would happen. We all know she messed up the lyrics, but that’s not what I’m referring to.

Christine’s voice is a prime example of a voice deteriorating with age from vocal abuse. And, how old is she…she’s 30. She was unable to perform the anthem with a build up to the highest note, and instead had to “flip” into head voice. She’s in the key of F with the starting note being F below middle C. This is not a high key for this song! She is belting through her first bridge as usual, and when the big finale comes to get to high C she can’t do it, she has to flip. This is just a high C and a “flat” high C at that. Good singers in a good mix can belt to a high C with ease.

This is such a common problem among singers. Singers will try and copy the vocal power of their favourite artists the wrong way, and wonder why they can’t hit a note above an A without getting into trouble. And furthermore, all this poor singing is continually deteriorating their voice.

Let’s hope Christine Aguilera figures out how to mix better and not over-perform when singing live, or we won’t be seeing her perform live at all. She won’t be able to risk the possibility of her vocal cords not being able to hold firm through all that yelling.  In her youth she could scream her way through a high C, but not anymore, or at least not as easily. 

It will be interesting to see how she performs at the Grammys. Comments are welcome. Susie

OK, now squeeeezzzzee…

Posted on by
2

Well, no, not really. Don’t squeezzzeee. That’s taboo for a singing teacher to say. You never squeeze….or do you?

In a previous blog I talked about finding your head voice. Have you found it yet? If not, try again with a light sigh…in your high voice…If you still are not sure if that’s your high voice then try talking like a little small …. ? something …. with a slight nasty or nasally rise to your voice. Keep it light. You should feel it in your nose and under your eyes. Keep it higher than your speaking voice. Even you guys with the big deep heavy voices should be able to find this light, higher, slightly airy voice.

This is your head voice, and yes for some it’s not actually going to be your head voice, it’s going to be your falsetto voice. It’s a start, but a true head voice is achieved with the vocal cords staying together…and with inexperienced singers this can be difficult because they may have never experienced this sensation before. They have only ever achieved falcetto which means the vocal cords are blowing apart too far when singing high notes. This is not an ideal way to sing high but it is a great effect and many professional singers use it. Falcetto uses a lot more air than your head voice, and your range is limited. A true head voice will just keep going higher and higher and higher as the vocal cords zip up.

So how do you get that falcetto voice to be your head voice. Well, it takes practise and persistence. Try this…..visualize that you are squeezing or sandwiching your high voice. This should help with the breath pressure that is required to keep the vocal cords from blowing apart. Try this at a low to moderate volume. Having any luck yet? Are you  noticing any difference? Now here is the problem…when I said “squeeze” I didn’t mean squeeze anything else. You cannot use any throat muscles to help achieve your head voice. You must stay totally relaxed throughout the neck and shoulder area. Remember to start light and do it every day. Go around making high light humming sounds and try to increase the pressure a little at a time. If you are uncomfortable in any way at your throat then you are doing it wrong. It’s a process. The vocal cords are not use to making these sounds. It takes time…….and of course, now the trick is to connect your head voice up with your chest voice to create the “beautiful mix!”

Please leave a comment or question. I’d love to hear from you! Susan

Oh no, not laryngitis again!

Posted on by
Reply

Usually once a year it hits me. Laryngitis. A combination, I suppose, of the cold dry air, a viral infection, and stress from the Christmas season which is my busiest time of year for singing jobs. I’ve been singing daily for almost two weeks and the last three days have been troublesome. Today was certainly the worst.

I know what I need to do … rest the vocal cords. But it’s difficult. People are counting on me.

 It’s not always easy to have a career in “singing”. While it’s certainly fullfilling to do what you love to do every day of your life, it’s not always easy. When you depend on a part of your body to be in tip-top shape all the time, certain hurdles are bound to get in the way.

 I’ll re-evaluate things in the morning after some lip bubbles and easy exercises. More than likely, I’ll be cancelling my gig. I can’t risk any permanent damage…it’s just not worth it.

Less is more….

Posted on by
2

Hi Everyone,

Less is more….so what am I talking about?  Well, a few things really.  Did you know that you need LESS air to sing high notes…not more. Most people use way too much air when they sing high notes. This engages the outer muscles around the vocal cords which causes fatigue and strain. Singing high notes should feel easy. When a singer is grimacing with the look of strain (not to be confused with emotion), you can bet he/she is using muscles outside of the voice box, and their larynx is probably rising as well. Ideally when singing, the larynx should remain relatively stable, and the singer should be able to reach any note without throat muscle interference.

In the words of Seth Riggs, founder of the SLS technique, you need to allow the vocal cords to do the work. That is, as you singer higher, the vocal cords should simply “zip up” and use less air.

The SLS technique will teach you how to do this.  But first, you may need to back up. You may need to do less. You will need to know your habits. You need to know what is working and what isn’t. A good SLS teacher will tell you this in the first lesson. Then you will be able to sing well in any style of your choice! Check out www.speechlevelsinging.com for a certified teacher near you!

Do you know your chest voice from your head voice?

Posted on by
2

Hi everyone,

I watched the American Music Awards last night. Very entertaining but I tend to over-analyze the singers’ voices instead of just enjoying the show.

I can’t help but wonder if some of these singers know the difference between their head voice and their chest voice. I have a hard time listening to singers who don’t mix their head voice (high voice) well with their chest voice. There is no doubt that the chest voice is what is predominant in all these singers, but some know how to mix much better than others.  On the other hand, fans have fallen in love with Christine Aguilera’s shouty chest belt, so why would she bother to try and sing “better”?

Now, let’s define what “better” means to me. And to do this we need to make sure that everyone understands the difference between their head voice and their chest voice.

Your chest voice is the voice closest to your speaking voice. If you sing near the pitch that you talk and put your hand on your chest, you will notice that it vibrates. The resonance is mostly coming out your mouth. The “resonance” is the sound that we hear after our breath goes through the vocal cords, and reflects off bone, teeth, sinuses and soft tissue. As you start to sing higher, the resonance should shift from you mouth to higher up in your head. It actually splits and feels like it is going through the top of your head, as well as out your eyes, nose and mouth (the front of your face). This is a sensation that not all singers are familiar with.

Instead, a lot of singers will not “allow” the voice to shift gears into this split resonance, and instead they try and keep that “beefy” sound that they can create in their chest voice. This is the average singers interpretation of “power”. What they don’t realize is that it is definitely not the best way to get power out of the voice, and frankly, I think it’s very unpleasant to listen to.

To find your head voice, one just has to do a light sigh on a pitch above their “passagio”. The passagio is the “break” or “bridge” between the chest voice and the head voice. For men this is around E flat to G (above middle C), and for women the bridge is around A flat to C (above middle C).

MIXED VOICE: Of course, no one wants to sing just in their head voice….well, unless you are an operatic soprano or one of the Bee Gees. However, it is important to be able to sing in your head voice….to become familiar with it. Without your head voice, you cannot sing “in the mix” and mix is where it all happens. The mix is a wonderful blend of both the chest voice and head voice. Some singers find this naturally, and others struggle endlessly. Without a good mix, singers will fatigue quickly and struggle with pitch and consistency. Without a strong mix a singer is always missing a part of their voice.

Thanks for reading. I welcome your comments. I will try and blog more about “the mix” next time. Susan

Justin Bieber? Taylor Swift? Who really has the voice?

Posted on by
11

Hi everyone,

I was speaking with the mother of a student yesterday, and the subject of Justin Bieber’s voice came up. She was going on about how he couldn’t sing well, and how annoying it was to listen to.

I didn’t interrupt her but let her finish and go on with her day. However, here is what I was thinking at the time.

Let’s face it, everyone’s interpretation of who is a good singer is going to be different. For example, most singing coaches in the classical world might not consider anyone singing on contemporary radio to be a good singer. Technique can be a crucial indicator to singing coaches, but not even a consideration to the general public.

I want to share with you what I classify as a good singer.

A good singer is someone who can sing in their mix, or in their head voice, or in their chest voice as they choose. And a good singer is someone who can make me, the listener, believe them when they’re singing.

If someone isn’t able to sing in their mix (which is the middle voice of chest and head voice combined), then straight away I don’t believe them. In general, my ears cannot enjoy a voice that is strictly in chest voice, or only head voice. I prefer the sound of using the entire registration.

Justin Bieber does that just fine. No, I don’t want to buy his CD’s, but my daughter certainly does!  I can relate to what this mother might be feeling as she listens to the same songs over and over and over. However, from a technical point of view, Justin Bieber is a very talented singer and will only get better and stronger as he goes through puberty.

On the other hand, I can think of many voices on the radio who can’t sing well in their mix. Let’s take Taylor Swift for instance. She has definitely made her mark in the world of song writing, but she is bad news for all those young girl singers out there trying to copy her. It’s these young girls who buy her CD’s! They love her stories about heartbreak and boys.  But, the bad news for these singers is that her songs are easy to imitate. By that I mean, these young girls don’t have to sing in their mix. They can sing any of her songs in their chest voice alone. This is extremely detrimental for young singing voices.

I imagine you will start to notice Taylor Swift’s range increase in the next album or two as she learns how to mix her voice better with the help of Brett Manning. He is, as I understand it, one of her vocal coaches. As her middle voice strengths she will be able to sing higher notes, but most likely this will present in her songs as a chest belt. This is typical of many singers in contemporary radio music. That happens to be the type of voice that music producers love to record, because they sell lots of CD’s!

I can think of some great singers who can belt well in their mix. Celine Dion is, of course, the master. And, let’s not forget Kelly Clarkson, and Adam Lambert. Oh my, how we love to listen to the mixed belt!

Style of music is a definite indicator as to the type of voice you may be listening to. Let’s take the beautifully-controlled and balanced voice of Barbra Streisand. Wow, is all I can say. This is “mixing heaven” to me, lol.

And, what about the voice and style of Leanne Rimes. Why do we love her so much? Well, she has a unique voice that is not only well balanced in the mix, but she can also do this fabulous flip (yodel) between her chest and head voice. This yodel is sooooooo smooth that it has really become her signature, and it really sets her apart from most other singers.

Well, that’s it for today. I want to thank the mom I spoke with yesterday for inspiring me to blog on this topic today. I welcome your comments. Bye for now. Susan