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
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
Tags: chris beatty, singing lessons, singing low notes, vocal coach, vocal lessons, vocal training, vocal warmups, vocalcoach.com, worship leader
Posted in From the Coach, Performance, Singing Exercises, Singing Subjects, Soloist, Vocal Range, Voice Fatigue and Strain, Warm-Ups, Worship Team | 1 Comment »
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.
Tags: breathing technique for singers, chris beatty, chris beatty vocalcoach.com, larynx, performance training, Singer, singing lessons, vocalcoach.com, voice lessons, voice training
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 | 2 Comments »
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:
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.
Tags: chris beatty, singers, singing, singing lessons, tone quality, vocal coach, vocal tone, vocal training, vocalcoach.com
Posted in Choir Directors, Performance, Singing Subjects, Tips Tailored for You, Tone, Worship Team | No Comments »
Monday, May 3rd, 2010
I’ve been watching Chris teaching the principles of voice for many years. Sometimes it’s to an individual and sometimes to a group of anywhere from 6 to 1,200 students. (That was in Singapore.) I guess part of the fun is seeing that truth is always truth, no matter what country we’re in, or what language is being spoken.
The other place where I see the “Truth is Always Truth” principle is watching people mature in their walk with the Lord. We’ve started calling ourselves Christ-followers, because we don’t want to just study the ways of the Lord; we want to actually live a certain way.
Here’s a Truth I love: When Chris and I apply Acts 2:42 to our lives it has us hearing good, honest, balanced, believable and challenging teaching; interacting with others of like mind and spirit; celebrating the Eucharist (communion) and having an active prayer life. We’ve discovered that when we take the time to actually DO those things we grow. When we don’t, we get stagnant.
I’d love to know your experiences with “Truth is Always Truth,” in either your vocal or spiritual life. You can let me know in the “comment” section below.
Carole
Tags: carole beatty, chris beatty, vocalcoach.com
Posted in Carole Cares | 3 Comments »
Monday, January 25th, 2010
Hi Singers! Welcome to the All New Vocal Coach!
Because we are as passionate about the voice as you are we have made some great changes to the Vocal Coach Web Site and Blog.
NEW WEB SITE at vocalcoach.com with some great new features including:
Lower prices on all your favorite CD’s & DVD’s.
The Coach’s Pick is back. Each month we’ll highlight one of the many Vocal Coach training products and offer special pricing. The current Coach’s Pick gives you a 20% discount, so be sure to check it out.
Free Singing Resources. In addition to our blog articles we will be offering free quarterly online classes. Free instructive videos. Free downloadable mp3’s. Free white papers and more.
Enhance Your Worship is a new resource for those in ministry. It will feature articles and tips for worship leaders, worship teams and choir members. We will also address common issues with the speaking voice for pastors and teachers. So, be sure to share your needs and questions at chris@vocalcoach.com .
NEW BLOG at blog.vocalcoach.com featuring:
Tips and articles that answer YOUR vocal questions.
Carole Cares. Carole, who along with Chris has been working with singers around the world for over 30 years. In this section Carole will feature your vocal success stories and testimonies as well as other personal observations and thoughts. You can contact Carole at carolecares@vocalcoach.com
We look forward to sharing all that 2010 has to offer with you. Please visit us often at vocalcoach.com and blog.vocalcoach.com and let us know how we can help you be the best singer you can be.
Lastly, to be sure you don’t miss anything Vocal Coach has to offer PLEASE ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE. Even if you think you are on the list. Why? Because we have changed blog hosting and need to update our list.
Thank you for being part of the Vocal Coach Family.
Chris and Carole Beatty
Tags: blog.vocalcoach.com, chris beatty, singing lessons, vocal coach, vocal coach blog, vocalcoach.com, voice lessons
Posted in Ask the Coach, Choir Directors, Coach's Pick, Duets to Groups, From the Coach, Worship Team | No Comments »