Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
“When something exceeds your ability to understand how it works, it becomes kind of magical.” I recently heard that statement in an online demonstration of the Apple iPad. It occurred to me that the same descriptive applies to the human voice.
Here’s what I mean: Aren’t there times when you hear a singer that just amazes you? One who can do things with their voice that you can only imagine doing, but never actually do? That’s the “magical” aspect of the voice. The part that defies analysis, or duplication by the average listener, and even the average singer.
But, what if you really, really, really want to at least come close to delivering that kind of magical performance. And, what if you are willing to invest the time, effort and resources to take the voice as far as you possibly can. What are the steps?
In truth, it’s no different than choosing to absolutely maximize your athletic performance, or your intellectual performance. It takes sacrifice at all levels. Sacrifice that most of us, frankly, aren’t willing or able to make. Sacrifice that would make having a normal family life and job almost impossible. Like being an Olympic athlete in training. It takes all that you are, often at the expense of normalcy.
Discouraged? Don’t be! No one is asking you to give up family and friends to compete for “World’s Best Singer. But, there is sacrifice and investment involved in becoming a better, more consistent singer. And, it starts with constant, non-stop awareness of your daily posture, and the way you manage your breathing in speaking and singing.
You see, many people compromise their posture throughout the day, and that leads to poor breathing. Then, they “get straight” for singing and wonder why it feels so stiff and unnatural. The key is being upright and aligned every waking hour. I don’t mean standing at attention. I just mean being upright, like any two-year-old. It’s natural, and how we were designed to function. And, it’s one of the first things to go if we don’t get daily reminders. For years I would go so far as to put reminders in my calendar to check my posture and breathing. Seem extreme? Not if you’re really serious about being your best.
When it comes to breathing it’s a matter of management, not power or push. Untrained, three-week-old babies do fine with sharing their vocal messages to the entire household with no formal training whatsoever.
Tags: breathing technique for singers, chris beatty, vocal coach, vocal training, voice lessons, voice training
Posted in Breathing, Posture, Singing Subjects | No Comments »
Friday, January 15th, 2010
Being flat, sharp, north or south of the note etc., is worth looking at. Being pitchy means you are not centering your pitch on the pitch center, which is one of the non-negotiables in singing.
Everyone has occasional inaccuracies, and even major recording artists often let the recording engineer “fix it in the mix.” That’s where they look at a graphic of the note and literally “drag” it up or down to fix it. In truth, there are a lot of problems that are fixed “in the mix.”
If you have constant pitch issues, it’s another matter, and you need to take some immediate steps to try and fix the problem. It could be a simple matter of inexperience. In rare instances, however, you may not have the natural gift, or ability to know if you are on, or even near the right note. That’s called tone deafness.
In that case, you have a long road to go, and even then you may, or may not be able to accurately sing the right notes. In the same way that some people will never be good athletes, painters or electrical engineers, some will never be accurate singers. But, as long as you’re not picking up a microphone, and claiming to be a good singer, sing on! God listens to the heart, and those hearing you sing in the shower love your spirit and heart.
Here are some steps you can take to evaluate what’s going on and get things moving in the right direction:
You need accurate feedback to know what’s happening. That can be either from another musician who can immediately tell where you are in relationship to the note, a recording of you singing, or, ideally, a combination of the two.
Once you are convinced of the need for fine-tuning your pitch accuracy, you need to look at some foundations of singing and go through the “Singer’s Pre-flight Check List.” All of these areas can have an impact on your pitch:
In summary, all those who sing in public need to have good pitch accuracy. It’s a gift and skill that can be enhanced and refined in most singers, and it’s worth the effort.
Let me know your thoughts and experiences in this area. Also, let me know if you have ever worked with any of the ear training software programs.
May the Lord bless you as you seek to be the best, most efficient communicator you can be, in singing and speaking.
Tags: Flat, Pitch, Pitchy, Sharp, Singer, Tone Deaf
Posted in Breathing, Diction, Posture, Singing Subjects, Tone, Worship Team | No Comments »
Friday, January 15th, 2010
A choir director recently called me and said, “Help! I’m Leading By Example & I’m Not a Good One!”
We all do it. Lead by example, that is. It’s just the way things work. Our children learn how to speak by imitating those who raise them. That can be good, or that can be bad. Our moral judgments, values, eating habits, attitudes and more are also passed on to those under our care.
When it comes to any kind of vocal group the same is true. The leadership who takes their voices, and how they use them seriously will be constantly sharing good foundations as they speak sing and lead. Those who don’t may be creating confusion as they ask for one thing and demonstrate another. Now, I’m not suggesting that choir directors need to be great singers. But certain, non-negotiable foundations can be maintained by almost anyone at any age.
I strongly believe that one of the most influential vocal leaders in today’s society is the high school choir director. During this time in a singer’s life he or she is in the “learning mode” and very vulnerable to what is being taught. In college only the music or voice majors pay much attention to voice technique and as we get older the percentages get even smaller. Yet we all continue to use our voices for a lifetime.
Why this power at the High School level? Perhaps it’s because choir is a contrast to English, French, algebra or biology. It’s a place where the audio senses can engage along with a different kind of social interaction. And, like sports, it has an element of team interdependency and that is an important skill to learn.
Second only to the High School setting is the church youth choir. Here, with the addition of the spiritual is a place where a supernatural unity can develop in sound and spirit, and it doesn’t get much better than that.
If you are in a place of influence over singers, whether as a choir director, worship leader, voice teacher or public school music teacher at any level, YOU ARE LEADING BY EXAMPLE WHETHER YOU WANT TO OR NOT. Those under your care are not just listening to your instruction. They are observing your posture, breathing, facial expression and more. They are listening to the tone and pitch accuracy in your voice.
Your desire should be to continue to evolve as a singer and leader, and that takes commitment and time. It is, I believe, necessary if you are to continue to be the best possible influents you can be. And, here’s a bonus: You will be experiencing personal satisfaction every step of the way.
Tags: choir, good foundations, habits, leadership
Posted in Breathing, Choir Directors, Performance, Posture, Tips Tailored for You, Worship Team | No Comments »