Singing While Seated: 5 Things You Need To Do

Got a great question in this morning about singing while you are seated. This is the reality when doing certain singer/songwriter rounds, parts of performances where for looks you want to change from standing to sitting for a song, or when you are physically incapacitated from back, leg or other pain and can't stand without it hurting you, and when your recording equipment configuration requires sitting. Yes, you can do this... but if you want to sing with good breath support and control, and also keep your throat open, you need to do the following:

1. Don't slump in your chair.
Sit on the front edge of the seat with one foot more forward to balance you securely as you sit tall. When you "go" for something, press your rump into the seat, and your forward foot into the ground. This should allow your spine to stretch freely and flexibly.

2. Make sure your upper back stays stretched and flexible.
Don't let the curve of your spine slump, and don't freeze in place, either.

3.. Be sure your head is balanced over your tailbone, chin down and floating.
It's "smooch de morte" (kiss of death) if you let your face drift forward while singing. If you do move forward, do it from your hips, not your shoulders.

4. Use your eyes.
"Talk" with your face just as expressively as you would standing.

5. Use your hands.
"Talk" with your hands. If you are holding a mic, make sure you do that correctly. (Another post soon about that.) Those of you who read this blog or are my "Power, Path & Performance" vocal students know that I caution against letting arms become "rib anchors".

Try these things and let me know how you do... your comments always welcome!

Recording Final Vocals Soon? Read This First

I just listened to a rock singer who purchased my 6  CD PPP vocal training package. I thought I would pass along the assessment I emailed him to any of you who are going in to the studio soon. I include some links blogposts I've written that you might want to take the time to study... they make great supplimental reading to the training cds:

• Your posture is “off”, at least for recording. Here are some blogposts I’ve done that can get you thinking: Why Studio Singing Is Hard For Guitar Players ;Getting Live Performance Magic In Recording Studio   

• You  don’t have enough breath support or breath control for your voice. The tension in your head may come from tight muscles at the occipital bone/ neck/ shoulders. Pay attention to your PPP training there. Here’s some blogposts to supplement your cds Breathing For Voice: Counterintuitive Tips , Breath For Long Notes , 3 Parts To Singing Breath

• Your jaw is tight, tightening your soft palate. Listen to what I say about your jaw. Here’s a blogpost on it, too Tight Tongue: What It Can To To Voice You are needing more vocal control. More supplementary blogposts Vocal Control For Studio Singing ; Pitch Problems In Recording Studio

• You need to know how to put your thinking in the booth in perspective, so here’s one more: Keep Critic Out Of Vocal Booth

These and other "All Things Vocal" blogposts will get you thinking, then Power, Path and Performance vocal training cds should spell it out and give you specific exercises to help. I would also recommend at least one phone lesson with me before you go into final vocals. If you want to schedule one, let me know. My fees at present are $100 an hour for the first lesson, $75 for subsequent ones. 

Something else you might consider is my vocal production services. Check them out on my Judy Rodman Productions website.

Stay warm in this icy weather and watch the roads... remember, if in doubt, don't go out!

The Vocal Booth: 7 Tips To Make The Recording Space Singer-Friendly

What does a singer need in the vocal booth? More than just eye-friendly recording studio design. The voice is a picky, sensitive thing. If you want to record it, here are 7 things it wants:

• Lighting -

It wants mood lighting, OK? Twilight dimmed to pitch black - experiment to find the lighting that makes it the least shy. Sometimes a singer is not bothered, but if there are windows to the daylight, the voice may like you to cover them with something.

• Smell -

What the nose doesn't like, the voice won't either. It can affect breath, throat and focus. Save the incense candles for the smokers who sing. They are usually more used to the effect! One must be careful with perfume or room deodorizers, too. The plainer and cleaner the smell in the booth, the better.

• Orientation of mic to control room -
  

The voice doesn't like to be stared at. You can fake it out by not aiming your singer (yourself if you're the singer) eyeball to eyeball with the producer, engineer or anyone else. If at all possible, position the mic so that the singer is facing a corner or side of the room... not the control room window.

• Temperature -
  

Try and get the temperature in the booth comfortable for the individual singer. It amazes me how many engineers don't understand the importance of this. Ever tried singing when you're shivering? It messes with your control big time. Ever tried singing while burning up? It saps your energy like a vampire, and the voice will sound tired, uncontrolled, numb. If the studio vents are not optimally placed, the people in the control room may need to suffer a bit to get it right for the vocal booth. Yep. The singer comes first.

• Furniture -
  

While not a deal breaker, it's nice to have a few simple pieces of furniture. Some kind of waist high table or ledge for water is nice so the singer won't have to bend over and then re-position at the mic. It can be helpful to have a tall stool for the singer who is fatigued. (And of course the vocalist will sit tall and flexibly from the front end of the stool, not hunched back into it.)

• Music stand -

The last thing you want is for a singer to have to hold lyrics. This will, I promise you, affect optimum breathing. It's always best if a singer has memorized lyrics, but if it's a situation where the lyrics are needed, have a stand (or duck tape for securing the lyrics to the wall!)

• Headphone box -
  

It's great if the "more me" cue box is on a stand instead of at the feet, so micro-adjustments can be quickly made from time to time. If, as I recommend, the singer is wearing headphones with one side half-off the ear, the headphone box should be set on "mono" instead of "stereo".

Anybody care to chime in on their thoughts for the perfect vocal booth area? What have I left out?