Archive for the ‘Singing Subjects’ Category

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EFFORTLESS SPEAKING TAKES SOME EFFORT

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

The title of this article may seem a little contradictory, but it’s not.  In order to sound comfortable, relaxed and effortless as you speak, you may need to do some work.

What kind of effort leads to effortless sounding Speech? Learning to listen to, and observe yourself, in daily communications. Then, taking appropriate action. Let’s consider the following areas and see how aware, or unaware you are of your own communications:

1.   Vocal Tone Quality. Are you consciously aware of the sound of your own voice? You need to be.  You should regularly consider whether you are speaking at too high or too low a pitch or too loudly or softy for any given situation.

We will look at those one at a time, but first I need to define a term I will be using.  Optimal speaking pitch is the pitch area at which your voice can easily produce speech.  It is primarily determined by the size of your relaxed vocal folds.  It is easily found by spontaneously saying, “Um Hm,” as you might in response to a simple question such as, “Are you having a good day?”  Instead of saying, “Yes,” say the more informal, “Um Hm.”  Do this several times and find the pitches where you say the, “Um Hm.” It will often be over a 4-note range.  Once you know that general pitch area you will know where you should probably be doing most of your talking. This is a general rule, but when being very expressive you will expand that range higher. Having experimented with your optimal speaking pitch, consider the following:

  • Is your voice pitched too high? Have you raised the pitch level of your voice due to excitement-induced adrenaline? Is that making you hard to understand? Take a deep breath and let the pitch come back down, closer to your optimal speaking pitch.  This will still allow the excitement to come through without alarming the listener.
  • Is your voice pitched too low? If you gravel around well below your optimal speaking pitch it will make you difficult to understand.  It will also make your voice tire quickly, leading to a more gravelly, mumbled sound. If you hear this happening, stop. Check your posture, take a deep breath and allow the voice to be pitched at your optimal speaking pitch area.
  • Are you speaking too loudly? Some people are just loud. It may be due to the natural acoustics of their voice, a lack of vocal self-awareness or even hearing loss. When caused my partial deafness (how loud are your headphones/ear buds?) they often turn up the volume because they can’t hear themselves easily and assume others can’t either.
  • Are you speaking too softly? If people constantly ask you to repeat things you may be talking too softly and need to adjust your volume.  Of course, it may also be due to under-pronouncing your words (mumbling), looking away from the listener or lack of vocal resonance. For the resonance issue I recommend the Complete Tone CD, but for many it may just be a matter of being aware and listening to their volume and clarity more carefully.

2.   Posture. The way you carry your body has considerable influence on the message you are giving. If you look tired, bored or uninterested that is how you will be perceived whether you are, or not. In other words, posture colors and modifies what you are saying.  Be posture-aware, and make sure your posture and message are in agreement.

3.   Face. Just like posture, your facial expression needs to agree with your words.  If you’re genuinely excited but have trouble showing it, practice being excited in the mirror.  It may just be that your facial muscles don’t know what to do.  On the other hand, if you tend to over-express yourself to the point of alarming the listener, don’t hesitate to practice being less physically expressive while still sharing your message.

The bottom line is this: If you will put a little effort into listening to and watching what you’re doing in your spoken communications, it can make a huge difference.  Making just a few needed adjustments will make you a more successful communicator. If you’re really daring, set up a camera in the corner of a room where you’re talking to people and then study what you do in real life. If you’re fortunate enough to have a skilled public speaker in your arena of friends, ask them to honestly evaluate your “daily speech” performance. This assumes, of course, you are ready and willing to do something with the input.

Staying hydrated is good for the voice.

Cathy staying hydrated.

Finally, remember that speaking, just like singing, takes moisture from your body. Therefore, the more you talk the more water you need to drink.  A passionate singer can lose as much as a gallon of water in a two-hour concert.  If you talk on the phone throughout the day, host frequent meetings, teach classes or heavily use your voice in any way you need to stay hydrated.  The minimum you need is half your body weight in ounces of water a day (160 lbs=80 ounces of water.) If you’re in a noisy environment, or dried out from air conditioning or heat consider using the topical moisturizer Entertainer’s Secret.  We have used and sold it for years and know it really works. It now comes with a new and more effective spray nozzle. Click here to check it out.

Comments or questions? Let me know at moc.hcaoclacovnull@sirhc. My goal is to provide answers to your questions.

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Posted in Speaking Tips, Vocal Health, Voice Fatigue and Strain | No Comments »

ONE VOICE with MANY SINGERS

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

I recently taught the second in a series of 6 classes for worship leaders and their teams at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro TN.  This very large and active church has eight weekend services requiring many committed singers and instrumentalists. Our goals in this series of classes is to help each singer bring out their personal strengths while at the same time having the ability to bond into that one-voice sound that is so important to any group.

This class was called One Voice, and this was our process:

  1. We talked through the concept of giving up individuality, in favor of becoming many-singers-with-one-sound.
  2. With this One Voice concept in mind we then did a series of general warm-ups.  In this time we started standing backed up against a wall to remind of upright, aligned posture.
  3. We took the first big step toward giving up individuality: We moved into a circle (limit circles to no more than 8-10) and all held hands as we continued to warm up. We came from different backgrounds and ranged in age from 25 to 66 but quickly began to have a single sound just by being “in touch” and listening. We had given up our unique sounds and yielded to a common sound. It’s exciting to experience, or even just hear this process.
  4. The next step was to maintain that unified blend with a more difficult hearing environment so we stayed in the circle, but turned facing away from each other. We again joined hands and continued to warm up, this time having to listen much harder.
  5. I played a CD with four different worship leaders and teams singing in four different styles including traditional, contemporary, Gospel and pop.  Still in a circle, holding hands and facing each other we listened to a track, then matched and blended with that leader’s style and voice quality.  This was also done facing away from each other, still in the circle to require focused listening and matching.
  6. After we had done that with each leader/style I quickly moved randomly from track to track requiring the singers to listen, adjust and yield to that singer and each other. They quickly started to own their new skills of listening and flexibility.

The next step is for the individual singers to practice these flexibility and blending skills on their own, then bring those skills to the next class, rehearsal or service.  And, while this class was in a church setting, the same principles work for choirs, choruses, bands, duos, trios, quartets etc.

Remember: Practice Makes Permanent, and Muscles Have Memory.  Practice and memorize the right skills and you’ll own them.

Need more great ideas and some “tools” to help you and your singers be their best? Share this free blog with your teams and be sure to visit our newest Online tool on FaceBook. Just search on VOCAL COACH WITH CHRIS AND CAROLE BEATTY then click the “Like” icon at the top of the page. That page also has open discussions that we’d love to have you join.

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Posted in Blend, Choir Directors, From the Coach, Singing Subjects, Tips Tailored for You, Uncategorized, Worship Team | No Comments »

HAVEN’T SUNG FOR A WHILE, BUT NOW YOU ARE?

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

A SINGER RECENTLY WROTE: After being a worship leader for many years I had a season of very little singing.  Now I’m back to leading worship and teaching again. Moice tires easily and has gotten a bit “fuzzy,” compared with what it used to be.  I might add that I’m not getting any younger and wondered about how age affects the voice.  Also, I took some Aspirin and Tylenol. While my voice then felt and sounded better, I still wanted your opinion and more guidelines.

VOCAL COACH THOUGHTS: What a great question and you’re not alone being in this situation. Due to the fact that what we call “the voice” is a combination of physical, mechanical and acoustical functions, all working together, aging will have an impact.  But, with a little knowledge and some new habits you should do just fine.  Consider these points:

1. Aging does impact the voice. As we age we become less flexible, can lose stamina and our bodies have a harder time maintaining moisture and lubrication.  Everything from our eyes to our skin gets dryer. Solution: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, and avoid caffeine. At least half your body weight in ounces of water, per day. (180 lbs=90 oz water.) Also, consider using Entertainer’s Secret Throat Relief Spray (ADD LINK) as a way to topically moisturize the sinuses, nasal passages, and upper throat.

2. What we call “the voice” is really a number of physical, mechanical and acoustical systems working together.  The muscles involved can get weak.  If unused for a long period they can suffer a gradual decline of effectiveness due to underuse or neglect.  But, don’t panic. A rebuilding process can change all that, so read on.

3. Regaining or rebuilding the voice simply means understanding and applying the right concepts and exercises. This means identifying the foundations, getting those foundations in order through systematic exercises and finally owning them.  How long might this take?  One minute to begin; several months to own. You achieve success by constant vocal awareness throughout the day combined with short periods of focused exercises.

4. Pace yourself and your voice usage.  Don’t try to go from 0-60 too quickly.  Get in the habit of daily, systematic and sensible warm-up.  When you can, let your voice rest before and after singing. Especially while your getting back up-to-speed. And remember: Talking is using the voice, often with less awareness of what you’re doing than during singing.

5. Caution: If your voice is tired and raspy after singing give it a day off from unnecessary use.  But, don’t whisper as that is more harmful than just speaking softly in a normal voice.

6. Aspirin and Tylenol. This reader did mention that these medications helped when his voice got rough. That’s because he had overworked the voice to the point of some minor inflammation, or swelling.  The anti-inflammatory medication would help that, but there could also be a side-effect of more drying.  When in doubt, breathing steam might be a better way to return the leading edges of the vocal folks to normal and get rid of that rough, raspy sound. The Vic’s Personal Steam Inhaler is a great, inexpensive tool for that.  I always have one nearby for those times when I’ve taxed my voice a bit too much.

ABOUT THOSE FOUNDATIONS

1. Posture is where it all starts. Sloppy posture undermines everything else. Be upright and relaxed. Visit the “Posture” category in the Vocal Coach Blog for more.

2. Good Breathing, or Breath Management will become natural as you understand and exercise these strong muscles.  Check out “Ten Steps To Better Breathing” on our Free Singing Resources page. Also, read other Blogs in the “Breathing” Category.  If you want a powerful resource get the CD or download for Complete Breathing.

3. Tone, is the sound quality of your voice.  The goal is to use minimal breath and good acoustics to easily project your voice to the point you are as efficient as a baby or child.  They have no problem getting their messages out there with no voice fatigue.

Click here for a short Vocal Coach Video on Tone called “What Does Your Voice Sound Like?”

4. Warming up your voice is critical to getting the most out of your instrument without sacrificing it. Starting the day with humming in your middle range is a good way to get things awake and moving.  From there (with good posture, breathing, and light buzzing tone) move higher and lower in your range. Moving to the lip-thrill, and finally songs, should get you ready to sing and speak safely throughout the day. Complete Warm-Up is a powerful tool to educate and exercise you and your voice.

Finally, here is the THE VOCAL COACH “BEFORE I SING” CHECK LISTWe use in our Vocal Coach Classes and private coaching. Print this out and carry it with you.

1. I’m an upright Child of the King, and should stand and sit like it all day long.

2. As I inhale I breathe down, expanding front, sides and back.  As I exhale the ribs and chest remain stable.

3. I am a sound system with my own resonators and amplifiers that I can feel.

4. I warm up my voice like the vocal athlete I am, starting in mid-range, then moving higher and lower.

Humming and Lip-Trills are the best start.

5. I make my words easy to understand by using my lips, tongue and teeth.  This takes stress off my larynx.

6. By being vocally-aware throughout the day I will be establishing good  Muscle Memory.

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Posted in Ask the Coach, From the Coach, Performance, Posture, The Senior Voice, Uncategorized, Warm-Ups, Worship Team | 3 Comments »

VOICE PROTECTION for TEACHERS and SPEAKERS

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

Every Fall I get emails from teachers complaining of voice fatigue, and sometimes even voice loss.  In these next few minutes I’ll share some ideas and exercises that are good for teachers, salesmen, pastors and anyone who uses their voice consistently throughout the day.

To begin with, remember that what we call “the voice,” is really a physical, mechanical and acoustical instrument.  It is designed to work in a specific way and involves a number of different organs and systems of the body. Posture, breathing, articulation, projection and more are involved every time you speak.  Here are some thoughts and exercises to help you prepare and maintain your speaking instrument:

  1. The voice is a complex, physical instrument.
  2. Physical systems need to be warmed up and cooled down.
  3. Understanding how your voice projects, takes the pressure off.

A Physical Instrument

Since your voice has always just “been there,” it’s easy to mistreat.  The fact is, the voice is a series of physical systems that need to be maintained and cared for.  Posture, breathing and articulatory muscles are all involved.

Warm It Up and Cool It Down

Because we are dealing with muscles, tendons, cartilage, membrane and more, you should warm up your instrument before you hit the classroom or office.  Just how does a teacher or speaker warm up the voice? Here is a checklist that will help:

1. Hands Up! Prepare the instrument, which is you, by lifting your hands straight up over your head to align the body.  It will feel good, while at the same time, prevent tension in the neck and larynx that can tire the voice. Muscle memory will help you maintain this posture throughout the day.

2. Check the Power Source. With hands still up, take in four sipping breaths and feel the entire waist area expand. Now, expel the breath on four hissing sounds.  Sip, sip, sip, sip, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss etc. You will quickly realize where you should be feeling the breathing.  Muscle memory will help you use these same muscles throughout the day, rather than leaving the chest up and down.

3. Hummmmmm. Relax the arms and start humming anything you want – a song, or just sounds.  Go high and low, reaching into all parts of your range.

4. Cool it Down. At the end of your teaching or work day, do some more Humming on a simple melody.  The goal is to allow this physical instrument to gradually return to normal resting size and temperature. The obvious parallel is sports.  Those who cool the muscles are more protected from injury.

Use the “You” Sound System

You are the sound system. While you were humming you could dramatically feel vibrations in the face, head, neck and chest. These are the acoustical chambers of your body amplifying and projecting the sound. The great part is that it doesn’t take a lot of air.  Instead, it naturally amplifies the sound if you don’t over-push it.

As you respect your voice, warming it up and allowing it to naturally project, speaking becomes much less stressful on the voice.  To learn more about ways to preserve and maintain your voice check out the FREE RESOURCES page of our site. If you have questions you would like to have answered just email moc.hcaoclacovnull@sirhc . Need some training tools?  The Complete Breathing, Warm-Up and Diction and Daily Workout CD’s are perfect for teachers and speakers.  The are fun and easy to use.  Check them out by clicking here.

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Posted in Choir Directors, From the Coach, Performance, Posture, Tips Tailored for You, Tone, Uncategorized, Warm-Ups | No Comments »

HOW TO REGAIN LOW NOTES AFTER SINGING HIGH ONES

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

Question from a Blog Reader: Both my daughter and I have a problem: After we sing for a time in our highest range (we’re both sopranos), we can no longer reach our lower notes.  Is there something we’re doing wrong? Thanks.

Vocal Coach Answer: This is a very, very common problem and I’ve got some solutions I think you’ll like.

Common Scenario: You “kind of” warm up . . . though not all the time . . . and even then often while doing other things.  As you begin a rehearsal, or performance your voice gets stronger.  Because most songs don’t start on their highest notes, everything continues to feel good . . . for a while.  Then it’s time to move into some higher notes for a while AND THEN SUDDENLY sing some lower notes.  The same notes that were strong and easy when you started.  How hard could that be?

Plenty hard if you don’t regularly exercise through your full range, from top to bottom.  And the more casual you are about maintaining your voice the more likely you will encounter this situation.  Does the above scenario describe your experience?  If so, a great solution can be easily explained.

Solution:

First Some Background

Understand that there are 19 muscles busily adjusting so that just the right length and thickness of the vocal folds (vocal cords) are able to vibrate. As the sub-glottal breath comes up from the lungs, the vibrating leading edges of the folds produce a specific pitch, or frequency. Faster vibrations result in a higher pitch; slower vibrations, a lower pitch. The many adjustments that make this all happen can be quite effortless and automatic if, and only if you have trained and prepared your voice. It’s all about muscle memory and what your voice has memorized, be it good, or bad.

Here’s Your Course of Action

  1. Review your own concept and process of warming up your voice. If you’ve been too casual about it you can change that.
  2. Determine to never do much singing without first warming up. Even if you’re singing in the shower or the car, a few minutes of humming and lip-trills can go a long way. Often, the biggest offenders are trained singers who manage to “get away with” no warm-ups. But, it will catch up, and there is danger of slowly wearing away your vocal health without even knowing it . . . until it’s too late.  An obvious parallel is the trained athlete. The good ones always, warm and stretch the muscles to minimize the risk of injury and maximize the performance potential. It’s no different for singers. Either you are treating your voice well, or you’re not.  The proof is in how well, and how consistently your voice performs.
  3. Schedule times to warm-up and workout your voice. Be creative, but find a time and place that allows you to focus and analyze the feedback you’re getting from your voice. Just singing doesn’t make you a better singer.
  4. Plan your warm-ups. In addition to the many helpful tips on this site and at vocalcoach.com try this pattern: Start in a comfortable “speaking” range, humming five-tone scales on a light Hooo.  Start going up by half or whole steps. Then, come back down to where you started. Next, go lower, then back to the starting range, back up, down to the starting area, down lower,  etc. The goal is to always exercise both extremes of your range every time you warm up.  Just preparing the higher range can leave you vulnerable when those lower notes are needed, and it’s unhealthy for the vocal mechanism. Another athletic parallel: Good physical trainers always have you work both the biceps and triceps, not just one or the other. They also have you strengthen the abdominal and back muscles. It’s the only way to have a structurally sound and functional body.
  5. Respect your voice and it will always be there.
  6. Never sing harder or higher than your voice is ready for.
  7. Use technology. Carry warm-up CD’s in your car or on your phone or iPod.
  8. Anticipate the particular challenges of the songs you’ll be singing and prepare for those challenges.  That means not only systematic warm-ups, but also getting enough rest, eating well and getting some exercise.  Remember: You are a vocal athlete.

You now have one more reason to care for your voice. As you do, you and your listeners will hear the results and you will be a happy singer.

Let me know your thoughts or questions in the “comments” section below.

Chris Beatty

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Posted in From the Coach, Performance, Singing Exercises, Singing Subjects, Soloist, Vocal Range, Voice Fatigue and Strain, Warm-Ups, Worship Team | 3 Comments »

HOW DO I FIX MY UNSTABLE VOICE?

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Question from Blog reader:

Chris, I am having a voice problem and need your input.  I’ve been using your training CD’s for a few years now and they have helped me a lot.  But, here’s my problem: When I first start a song I feel short of breath.  My voice feels unstable.  After a few words it gets better, but I still have a problem with my voice breaking or quivering. It’s not solid, or stable. Is this a throat problem, breathing or ???  Your comments would be greatly appreciated.

Vocal Coach Answer:

When a voice is unstable, wavering, tentative or breaks and quivers there are several possible causes.  Here are some likely ones and some solutions

1.  Anxiety. When you are mentally or emotionally unsure about what is going to come out when you open your mouth it can interfere with breathing, posture, diction, tone, expression . . . everything.  The solution will be found in being more mechanically solid than you are anxious.  In other words, having such secure technique in the posture, breathing, tone and diction that nothing can interfere. Solid muscle memory, of right techniques will be your friend every time.

2.  Posture. If your posture is bent or broken it will interfere with breathing, tone and self-confidence and how the listener perceives your confidence. By lifting your arms straight up over your head you will discover your balanced posture.  As you slowly bring your arms back down be sure to maintain the upright alignment. The shoulders should be completely relaxed, not pulled up or back.  The feeling is one of being “athletically alert,” with a comfortably upright chest. Feel like you have a long back of neck and a shorter front of the neck. The head is back, over the shoulders, with the eyes looking straight ahead.  Don’t let the chin lift for high notes or fall for low notes.  Keep the head position neutral. Once you can sing your songs comfortably in this position you can look anywhere you want.  Just don’t move the head to help you hit a note; it won’t.

3.  Breathing. Securing good breath management will help you sing through the nervous times.  The muscles will just continue to get you the right amount of breath.  Not too much; not too little.  Good breathing starts with good posture. A good first exercise is to get on your back, on the floor and feel what parts of the body are naturally engaged when you breathe in, and out. Then start sipping the breath in through an imaginary straw, and out on a SSSSSSS sound. After you have memorized where the breathing is naturally felt, stand, check your posture and repeat the exercise with a still chest and ribs.

4.  Tone. Getting your posture and breathing more secure opens the possibility for your best vocal sound, or tone quality. The physical sensations of good tone are a relaxed throat, and lots of buzzing resonance (harmonics and overtones) vibrating through the face, mouth, sinuses and nasal passages.  These are all sensations that you can physically feel, memorize and reproduce. A gentle hum will begin the sensation. Adding a chewing motion to the humming will keep the face and jaw more relaxed.  And, don’t be afraid of all the vibrating you feel in the face.  That’s a good sign, and means you are allowing the voice to work and not forcing it. These are aspects of your vocal sound you can “feel,” and that means you can reproduce them using muscle memory.

5.  Diction. Another important area is diction, pronunciation or enunciation.  It just means that the listener gets the message, not just the music. The other bonus of clear diction is this: As your own ears hear clear words coming out they tell the brain to tell the larynx to just relax and keep giving the pitch. If, on the other hand, your ears hear mumbled words they often tell the brain, and the brain (for some unknown reason) gets the larynx involved. That just leads to useless tension in the throat since the larynx can’t help diction.  So, when in doubt, over-pronounce a bit so that even the least attentive listener hears your message.

So, there you have it. A systematic approach, to freeing up an unstable voice by paying attention to your POSTURE, BREATHING, TONE and DICTION.  Needless to say, there’s a lot more to be said on all these topics.  If you want to go deeper, with principles and exercises just go to the main site at vocalcoach.com and look for the Vocal Coach Singer package, or individual subjects by title.

If you have thoughts or comments leave them in the space below.  Thanks.

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Posted in Ask the Coach, Breathing, Choir Directors, Diction, Duets to Groups, From the Coach, Performance, Posture, Singing Subjects, Tone, Voice Fatigue and Strain, Worship Team | 3 Comments »

How Do You Find Your Best Tone Quality?

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Recently, I’ve been teaching a series of classes at our church for current and developing worship leaders.  We have a congregation of over 7,500 with seven weekend services, plus weekly teen and children’s events and more.  That adds up to a lot of very busy singers and instrumentalists.

One of the critical skills we focus on is being able to reproduce a good  blendable, relaxed and resonant tone quality.  Here’s how we get there:

  1. We go step-by-step through the process of checking posture and breathing using the same principles and exercises each time (see blog posts on breathing).
  2. We address diction, making sure the lips, tongue and teeth are engaged.  No mumbling allowed.
  3. We speak the text, conversationally, to mentally connect with the message.
  4. Speaking the text in rhythm starts connecting the words to the music.
  5. We address resonance and the physical sensations of good tone.  For more on that, see the “What Does YOUR Voice Sound Like To Others?” video on our Vocal Coach Free Resources page.

As the singers start getting on the same page, by thinking the same principles and using the same technique, the well-blended tone is there, and it’s amazing to hear.  What began as a group of individual voices has become one voice, with many participants and multiple parts.

Remember: The key is in being able to reproduce that blendable tone by memorizing the process and physical sensations. Our singers now have a tone quality that they can more easily recall and reproduce. So can yours.

To learn more about achieving these skills with your singers check out the Tone, Blend and Group Warm-Ups CD’s. They are available individually or in the Singer and Groups sets and physical products or downloads at the Vocal Coach store.

What helps you find your best tone quality?  Let me know in the “comments” section below.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Posted in Choir Directors, Performance, Singing Subjects, Tips Tailored for You, Tone, Worship Team | No Comments »

Finding The Magic In Your Voice with Better Posture and Breathing

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

For a free Guide To Breathing for Singers click here, or go to the “FREE Singing Resources” tab at the top of our site at vocalcoach.com, then see “White Papers.”

“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.

For a free Guide To Breathing for Singers click here, or go to the “FREE Singing Resources” tab at the top of our site at vocalcoach.com, then see “White Papers.”

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Posted in Breathing, Posture, Singing Subjects | 2 Comments »

I’m A Singer and They Say I’m “Pitchy.” What Can I Do?

Friday, January 15th, 2010

When someone says you’re pitchy, you need to listen.

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:

  • Posture. Check it by lifting your hands over your head and going up on your toes.  This is your most efficient, balanced posture.  It needs to be who you are when standing.  When you’re sitting, stand from the waist up.
  • Breathing. Inefficient breathing can make you inconsistent, and tentative. Good breath management will free up the voice and also helps with pitch.*
  • Diction. If your words are sloppy, with unclear vowels and consonants it can get your throat busy trying to fix things.  The throat can’t fix diction issues, and if it tries it can drive pitch up or down.*
  • Do singing accuracy exercises. Pitch matching exercises are a great way to challenge and fine-tune your pitch accuracy. Start with playing (or having someone else play) single pitches and simply matching them.  Then go to two notes, then three, and finally, a series of four or more. You may need someone else to judge your accuracy and point up or down to help you center your pitch.
  • There are software packages that work on ear training, but I’ve not used those with students and can’t recommend a specific one.

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.

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Posted in Breathing, Diction, Posture, Singing Subjects, Tone, Worship Team | 4 Comments »

Help! I'm Leading By Example And I'm Not a Very Good One

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.

What’s the point of all this?

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.

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Posted in Breathing, Choir Directors, Performance, Posture, Tips Tailored for You, Worship Team | No Comments »

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