Category Archives: Singing Instruction

Singing

You need to start in the right place…

Posted on by
Reply

One of hardest things to do as a vocal coach is tell a student that they are going about getting power in their voice the wrong way. Students will come to me with this great big chest voice that they think rocks the house. They want help getting to the higher notes. Yikes!!! How to tell them they have been going about it entirely the wrong way.

Power does not come from volume and chest voice alone. True strength and power starts on the edges on the vocal cords in a mix/blend of chest voice and head voice. If you can’t sing quietly with intensity on the edges of your vocal cords, then you are not “in the mix”.

Getting in the mix starts small. You must learn how to connect your chest voice to your head voice without a break or disconnection. This will happen when you stop trying so hard. This will happen when you back off the volume and let things go smoothly as they should. From there you gain strength and power and sing any note you want.

You must start in the right place. It may mean you need to “back-up” to a place where your voice can grow with intensity so great, that you will not recognize yourself!

So, why not get in the mix. Check out www.speechlevelsinging.com for a certified teacher near you!

Oh no! It’s cold and flu season…what’s a singer to do?

Posted on by
Reply

Hi everyone,

As a singer, we should always be aware of what is happening with our body and voice. Singing with a cold or cough, is definitely not ideal, but it also doesn’t mean you have to put your head in the sand. Good technique and paying attention to your body will go a long way.

Obviously, there are things everyone should do to minimize their risk of catching a virus.

  1. Get lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids (water, that is!)
  2. Wash your hands regularly, and do not touch your face (nose, eyes, mouth)
  3. Get plenty of exercise and eat nutritious foods.
  4. Stay away from excessive alcohol and no smoking.
  5. Get the flu shot.

I’ve been singing through cold symptoms for years. It’s not ideal, but when you are being paid to sing…..well, you sing!

I’ve learned a lot over the years. I frequently had trouble with hoarseness with colds in my early years when I was playing music in the bar circuit with a band. Stages were generally small and I was usually put in the back beside the drummer. Everything was loud…the entire room was loud…and I had a cymbal crashing in my ear. Needlesstosay, these were the absolute worst singing conditions possible, especially when I had a cold. Sometimes at the end of the night, I had no voice left, and yet I needed to be ready to sing again on the next night.

I soon learned to pace myself to get through the bookings. Here is what I did…

  1. Made sure my voice was clear and loud enough in the monitor mix so I did not have to over sing to be heard above the other noise.
  2. Saved my “belting” songs for the end of the night….or, depending on how “sick” I was, I didn’t sing them at all.
  3. Took extreme special care at my first and second bridge (passagio) to make sure I stayed connected.
  4. Sipped water between each song.
  5. Sucked menthyl lozenges. I generally preferred Fisherman’s Friend.
  6. During breaks I would go to the band room so I didn’t have to talk to anyone in the loud environment.
  7. For symptom control I would take an antihistamine and use a nasal decongestant spray to keep my nasal passage clear. I would discontinue the spray immediately after the cold because these sprays can become habitual causing rebound congestion. Sometimes I would take an decongestant pill, but I find these can be too drying at times.

I hope these tips are helpful to you. With care you can sing when y0u have a cold. Singers with good technique who sing every day are most likely to have minimal problems when they catch a cold. On the other hand, if you struggle with your bridges, tone and high notes all the time, then I recommend you get some vocal lessons from a great teacher in your area.

Singing should feel as easy as talking. If it is “work” for you to sing, then you have probably developed some poor singing habits. Have a professional watch you sing a song, and go from there. All the best…..Susie Q

What SLS has taught me…..

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve only been studying Speech-Level Singing officially for a short time. I have made more improvements in my students voices in this short time, than I ever did before SLS.  Here is why.

SLS treats every voice as an individual. Let’s face it, no voice is the same. There isn’t a single recipe that works for everyone. Every voice is an individual personality with tendencies, habits and qualities.  Before SLS I treated most voices the same with similar exercises and goals. Not any longer.

With Speech-Level Singing, the teacher learns to listen for the singer’s habits and tendencies. These indicate the exercises the singer needs to do in order to have a healthy, stable and balanced voice from the low notes to the high notes. No longer will a singer feel like they have two voices, or that they can’t hit the high notes. No longer will a singer feel like they have to “change” or “manipulate” their voice in order to achieve the desired response.

With Speech-Level Singing, the singer can sing any style they wish. It’s fabulous instruction for musical theatre and classical voices. As for singing rock, we all know there is no way to sing rock without creating some abuse to the vocal cords. However, knowledge is power. SLS can help the singer stay balanced and healthy when not performing, and SLS will teach the singer tips that help create the sound they want with minimal damage.

I wish I started my journey with Speech-Level Singing 30 years ago! Hopefully I’ve inspired you to improve your voice with the SLS method!

Please leave me your comments. I welcome your thoughts!

It takes time and good habits to develop a good singing voice…

Posted on by
2

Getting results from your singing lessons takes time. Don’t get discouraged. It took me years to get the quality of voice I have now, and I still take vocal lessons.

Your voice can maintain for as long as you are alive if you do it correctly. There are professional singers who really understand this. These singers have always had a coach because they know their voices are continually growing and developing. This is no different than developing the physical coordination it takes to be very proficient at learning to play an instrument. Your voice is an instrument. I am constantly learning more and more things about my voice. I am almost 50 and I’m doing things with my voice now that I could never do when I was 20 or 30 or 40!  Most people think your voice deteriorates as you get older….but that doesn’t have to happen!

Your voice is going to change over time, especially if you are performing. You need to keep this in check. Doesn’t matter what style you are singing. It takes time to develop good habits so don’t stop. Everyone can have a great voice. Don’t get in your own way to your ultimate goal….don’t get lazy….you can do it! Yes, it takes time….and enjoy the journey!

Careful balance between technique and freedom……

Posted on by
Reply

Our goal as a singer should always be to create an experience for the listener. This experience could be many things…ie, emotions like joy or sadness, physical energy, or the recall of a memory.

The listener is just an everyday person wanting an experience that affects them positively. The listener is looking for a singer who can relay the feelings and thoughts that they maybe cannot relay themselves.

That is the singer’s job.

However, when a singer is “too” technical or careful, some of the essence is missing. Singing needs to be playful …. not too careful. The listener must believe the singer. A good singer has the freedom to “play” around good technique and express the magic of his/her song and voice. 

Without good technique, the singer can disturb the listener. The listener can be put off easily with squeezy vowels and splatty tones. The singer may have good intentions, but without good technique the listener is not likely going to have a positive experience.

Good technique and playful freedom go hand-in-hand with good singing. A singer who is technically sound and playful at the same time can express everything the listener wants to hear.

 

 

.

Singers, has this happened to you?

Posted on by
1

I haven’t been blogging much lately. I’ve been so busy with the kids, performing at festivals and keeping up with my gigs. The weeks are just flying by. However today, I had a booking that inspired me to share my singing experience with you straight away.

First, let me mention that I’m a seasoned singer. I’ve been singing professionally for years.  And, for the record, sometimes I neglect myself.  Yes, sometimes, I don’t practise what I preach.  By this, I mean, I neglect my voice…I don’t bother to warm-up adequately before a singing performance.  Sometimes I notice, sometimes it doesn’t matter. Today, it definitely mattered. Today, I noticed big-time. Today, I should have warmed-up better.

I always do liproll exercises while I’m driving to bookings. Today was proof that I needed to do more than that, but didn’t.

I could tell right away in the first song that the notes near my bridge (A, B flat) were giving me trouble. If the song was mostly set under my first bridge then I would really “get stuck” when I had to reach the A or B. This is most of my songs! I found I was preoccupied with “warming” into those notes, instead of focusing on the audience and the song.

It took about 45 minutes of careful singing to finally get the notes around my bridge to set in comfortably. By then I was crooning and ready for the night. The problem is, the gig was almost over! Only 15 minutes left!  By the end of the gig, I was very warmed-up and ready to sing.

This has happened to me before. You would think I would know better. After all, I’m a singing coach. I preach about warming up the voice adequately all the time…………maybe next time I’ll learn, ha! Don’t let it happen to you!

Which is better….to be a great singer or to be an interesting singer?

Posted on by
Reply

Well, I’m sure not everyone is going to agree with me on this one. Let’s start by defining what I mean by “great.”  By great, I mean “perfect.” I mean close to perfection, as in singing “properly.”

In my humble opinion, a pretty voice is sometimes boring.  

A pretty voice sometimes lacks the surprise and edge that comes with doing to our vocal cords, what we are not suppose to do! Does that make sense?

I love it when I hear a great singer bend the rules and stretch the boundaries.  But here is the trick. A great singer knows when he/she is going beyond “perfect”. In fact, they are risking their voice for that very reason…..to be interesting. A great singer who is interesting………..now there’s the ticket.

Being a great singer comes first.

Being a great singer who is interesting will outshine everyone.

So you want to be a singer?

Posted on by
Reply

It doesn’t matter what your age is right now. If you want to be a professional singer, then you need to get out there and sing! Every performance you do will give you insight and experience that cannot be learned anywhere else. Singing in your basement is not going to cut it. Now is the time to reach out and decide you are going to sing in public. But, how?

One option is forming a band. You need to be clear on your style and genre. If you want to be lead singer in a band then you need a dummer, bass player, and typically a guitar player and/or a keyboard player. Find out where you can play for free. Lots of events would love free music! Rehearse enough material to do one or two sets and go out and just do it……over and over and over. There is no better teacher.

If a band is not your cup of tea then consider backing tracks. There are lots of sites online that sell great tracks. One site I like is Karaoke Version. Put together 8 to 12 songs and go out and do it! You will need a small PA system. Any reputable music store can set you up with a quality microphone and a small speaker system that will provide a great professional sound. Again, I suggest finding a small bar setting (such as in a restaurant) that would love free entertainment! This is a great way to practise your act, and not be in your basement!

So what is holding you back? Now is the time to pick that line-up of songs and get to work. Sure you may need your “cheat sheets” when you first start your “gig”. But, trust me, after weeks of singing the same songs, you can throw away those lyrics and truly be a professional singer! Good luck!

Were you labelled tone-deaf?

Posted on by
Reply

Teachers have learned a lot from the previous generation. We have learned that one of most detrimental things that can be said to a child is that they sound bad and they can’t sing. These children grow up into adults who have never experienced proper pitch matching in a song, and therefore have never really experienced the true joy of singing. They have been labelled tone-deaf.

Many children who have trouble singing on key are children with deep or lower speaking voices. Music played in elementary school is generally written in a key that takes the song up to and over high C. This can be challenging for children whose speaking voices are lower because their speaking voice is further away from their head voice.

When encountering a child who has trouble with pitch, it is necessary to first put songs in the key that is close to their speaking voice. This is where singing starts….at speech level. Then raise the key of the song by semi-tones with careful attention to the pitches that start getting higher than A above middle C. This is where their speech level must adapt to get the correct pitch. Do simple 5 tone scale exercises with them, and make sure they match the pitch. Give them lots of praise when they find the coordination that is necessary to find those pitches. Let them know when they are doing it correctly, so they know what they have to do …. over and over and over. Once they memorize the feeling of singing in their head voice, they will have much less trouble matching pitch.

The same theory goes for adults who have trouble matching pitch.  An adult needs to find the right teacher who can help retrain the vocal cords to stretch out and thin as they go higher in pitch. It will probably take longer to retrain an adult than a child simply because an adult has been in the habit of singing off key for much longer. Their vocal cords have not been experiencing the coordination necessary to match pitch and sing higher pitches.

Finding your head voice…..

Posted on by
Reply

This is such an important topic….. the head voice.

I have two singing students currently age 9 and 10 who have great pitch and love to sing. The problem is they came to me not ever having used their head voice. They’ve never mimicked or experienced their head voice. They’ve avoided the entire range about their first bridge. Needlesstosay, the only songs they want to sing are from artists who sing below their first bridge such as Taylor Swift. This can be severely limiting and unfortunate to a young singer.

Children need to be taught to experience their light, babyish, high voice at an early age. This can be done by mimicking the sound of a bird or a train whistle. Children with a high speaking voice have an easier time because they are already close to their head voice. However, girls and boys who have a deeper speaking voice, usually because they have slightly shorter and thicker vocal cords, may have a more difficult time. It’s usually this type of singer that gets “stuck” in their chest voice.

Another thing to watch out for is the child who frequently has a hoarse or raspy voice. It’s highly likely their vocal cords are damaged from either poor speech habits, frequent loud talking or yelling such as at a hockey game, or possibly from swelling in the larynx due to health reasons. These children usually have trouble finding their head voice as well.

It is amazing to me how many children and adults have poor speech quality in their voice. The singing voice starts at speech level, so if a voice is muddy and unclear when talking, then it’s going to be muddy and unclear when singing.

Hopefully this article has raised some awareness for parents. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.