Singers: Soft First Verses Need To Deliver Impact

I just worked with a singer who has been asked by her producer to sing the first verse of a song softly but not breathy. I think that's good direction, and a way to build a song. But she was having trouble knowing how to do it effectively.

Here's what worked for her and can work for you when you want to sing with a smaller dynamic.. first verse or breakdown 1/2 chorus are common places:

Sing everything with all of you! From your heels to your face... your whole being has to be involved.

You need to support and communicate the lightest places in your song as passionately and purposefully as the highest, longest, loudest notes. This works for all genres of music.

Think about it... do you want the audience to be lightly involved with the first verse? Or do you want to engage them from the start... making them understand something from your very first lyric? Here's a fact...if you don't engage them at the beginning, you'll likely loose them for the rest of the song, too!

Like a great athlete or violin player, even the smallest moves are deliberate and purposeful. If you just sing from your shoulders because the passage is not hard or you're trying for a quieter dynamic, you will not communicate. Don't tense your body, but do involve it. And pronounce your smallest lyrics as clearly as your loudest. Support (as Power, Path & Performance teaches -- without pushing) every note with breath.

Something to think about the next time you want to sing soft. Your comments are most welcome!

Learning To Sing From Scratch: A Strategy to Fast-Forward A Beginner

There is an interesting fast forward strategy you can take as a new vocalist, which mimics the way people learn to use their voices as children.

1. First, choose the vocal style you want to sing (rock, pop, country, alternative, etc.) based on particular songs you like. Then choose an easy song in that genre.

2. Now listen closely to the artist singing. I find that headphones are good at this point because they help you zoom in on the intricacies of the vocal performance you're listening to. Listen like you're holding an aural microscope to the sound.

3. After listening a few times, start miming with the singer, SILENTLY moving your mouth, face, tongue, etc. trying to imagine in your mind creating the exact sound and pronunciation of the singer you're listening to. Literally let the intent to make the sound teach your automatic nervous system to sing.

4. After you feel confident miming the song, start putting your voice to it. IMPORTANT: If you're wearing headphones, take half an ear off so you can hear what you are really doing. Don't sing with both sides on ... you'll fool yourself.

Let me know if you decide to do this. It's also a great way to learn a new musical style.

Power, Path and Performance training... when voice matters

Well Behaved High Notes Are More Lovable

No matter what style of music you sing, from quiet alternative to heavy metal, there is a basic "etiquette" that your high notes should follow to be accepted and loved. It's like the stuff we learned in kindergarten. You, as the owner and operator of your high notes, are responsible to ensure they behave:

1. No pushing... If you are a reader of this blog, you probably know how much I advise against this. Too much air pressure will sabotage the character of your high notes... they'll be pitchy and icky sounding... and may cause harm!
2. Share the load... High notes need to be supported with adequate breath so they will not leave the brunt of the phrase to the other notes. Chickening out is no way to develop the beauty or control of your highs.
3. Play nicely with others... notes, that is... If your high notes poke out of the rest of the phrase, all of a sudden loud and shrill due to incorrect set up and follow through, the jarring sound will be heard and felt with disdain (unfortunately too common in soprano sections of choirs and choruses.)
4. Know when to use your inside or outside voice... If there is a crescendo or decrescendo appropriate to the music or directed by your leader, learn to control your high notes enough so they appropriately obey.
5. Play a lot... You can't expect your high notes to behave if they never get to play. Do vocal range and control exercises to make them feel confident.

Now, go out and play nice.

10 Signs Of Bad Vocal Technique

Whether or not you are studying voice, you are still using certain "vocal techniques" which you've learned either consciously or unconsciously from family, friends or music teachers. Here are some signs that your vocal technique is in need of an overhaul. Your technique is bad if:

1. Your throat hurts to talk after you perform.
2. You worry about losing your voice from talking or singing performance.
3. Your voice feels strained after using it
4. You don't command much attention when you speak or sing.
5. You never seem to have enough breath.
6. You can't hit your pitch accurately even though you can hear that it's "off".
7. Your vocal tone is thin, uninteresting or hollow and hooty.
8. You can't do certain vocal licks you're trying to imitate.
9. You can't sing very low or high, your vocal range is limited so your song choices are, too.
10. Your manager, agent, label rep or significant other who you trust tells you confidentially they are hearing  a problem with your voice. (duh).

I'm here if you need me:)

Indie Connect Membership Fee Reduction: Gone in 12 Days

Hey folks... thought I'd give you a heads up:

If you are an independent artist who needs to know more about the music business, I recommend an organization called "Indie Connect". Many of you who are also readers of my newsletter have heard me mention it before.

I wanted you to know about the membership fee discount, which will be gone in 12 days. NOTICE: I am a board member but I do not get any compensation from you joining; this is simply a notice I'm sending you for your benefit, if it applies to you. Here's the info:

There are only 12 days remaining before the cost of Indie Connect membeship goes up. The cost of a 1 yr. general membership is $79, but will move up to $99 on April 1. In addition, the cost of an Indie Connect Professional membership will rise from $99 to the still-discounted rate of $129. 

What do you get for your membership? Besides meeting and event discounts, a free Broadjam membership, a long list of discounted services (recording studio discounts, voice lessons, Songsalive membership, etc.) you gain access to a vast library of videos, articles, tools, audio tracks and more. Click here to see the entire library. Keep in mind that every week they add more.

Audition Alert: SAG LA Webisode Show wants submission within two days!

 This just in:

THE RYAN AND RANDI SHOW PRESENTS
Webisodes
SAG

Shoot/Start Date: April 15
Pay Rate: TBD (this is a paid job)
Location: Los Angeles

SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY NO LATER THAN MARCH 20TH, 5:00PM

EMAIL MP3S, HEAD SHOT, AGENCY RESUME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

This is of a spin off of the successful web series "The Ryan and Randi Show."
We are looking for super talented singers and songwriters.
All submissions MUST be original songs.

[MUSICAL PERFORMERS] 13 to 21 years old. Super-talented singers / songwriters for the web series "The Ryan and Randi Show." Bands and Rap artists should also submit. The 20 artists chosen will perform live on the show. We are looking for acts that might break in the next year...We are a union (SAG) series. But nonunion are encouraged to submit.

Heidi Cataldo-Blais
HeidisStudio for Talent
Direct Casting for Talent
www.HeidisStudio.4t.com

PPP Vocal Technique: When Pulling Back, Don't Lift Your Chin

In my role as your vocal coach today, I'd like to clarify something I teach about head position that people often get wrong when first trying it. My vocal students know that I advise pulling the head back slightly when singing or speaking. Let me be more specific:

• Don't lift your chin! Float your chin levelly when singing or speaking.
• Don't pull your head straight back!
• Do pull your head back slightly to the side, cocking your head at a small tilt as you do.
• Do lift your head by lengthening your spine, which carries your head up.
• Do balance your head over your tailbone. This is farther back than most people carry their heads.
• But...don't bend your head back in such a way that something you were carrying on your head would fall backwards. In fact, practice by putting something on your head as you sing or speak. It should ride along, not falling forwards or backwards.
• Do use your lyric to pull ... not push ... your voice out.

Hope these clarification tips help you!

Improving Vocal Ability: How Long Does It Take To Get Results?

In a recent forum subject on The Modern Vocalist website, a question was posed about how long a singer can expect to take lessons and practice in order to gain significant vocal improvement. I suggested the following thoughts:

How many lessons you must take before your voice improves?

You should notice definite improvement after ONE vocal lesson with an intuitive, skilled voice teacher. Then, if you're serious about vocal training, I recommend committing to two or three months of work with a vocal coach and then reassessing where you are. But your improvement should be both noticeable and growing after every lesson you take.

How long should your practice sessions be?

It depends. You should understand that your vocal ability can improve in two major ways... and you can plan your practice sessions accordingly:

• The first way is to improve your vocal technique... meaning the WAY you use your voice, the way you apply breath, the openness you keep in your throat, the degree to which you effectively communicate. (I call this training  Power, Path & Performance.)  This helps you gain access to the latent vocal ability you already have. And this is where HOW you practice is matters. If done properly, vocal exercises can help you create and correct vocal habits you need. But just like in any athletic endeavor, form is everything. Even if you could only fit in 10 minutes of daily practice with correct form, you could make constant, significant vocal gains. Just don't practice wrong!

• The second way is to improve your vocal stamina... meaning to increase the strength, muscle tone and tissue structure... and coordination of the working parts of the vocal apparatus. This is where HOW LONG you practice (practicing correct form at all times, of course) matters. I would suggest singing at least as long as the length of the next performance you will be giving. If you have no particular performance coming up, it would be great if-- after warming up-- you committed to singing at least 30 minutes to two hours every day or every other day, for steady gains in your vocal stamina. Don't just practice exercises, sing your songs FULL VOICE, with communicative body language. Schedule your practice for when you have energy. The main thing here is that you don't want to practice singing with incorrect form, which happens when you get mentally and/or physically tired.

Bottom line... to improve your vocal ability, practice smart-- not hard.

Social Networking for Musicians: Indie Connect presentation

Lets face it; many musicians are some of the last, most uninformed and uninterested people to get themselves on the web. That's because you're too busy making music! But let's face it, the worms are out of the can and not likely to crawl back in... if you're doing business in music, you need a significant presence on the web.

At Monday's Indie Connect meeting in Nashville, tech and computer guru Scott Munc gave a great presentation on social networking for musicians and "broadcasting your station" on the web. Here are a few highlights from his talk:

• Make sure you have a website to which you can point people. You can get your domain name at GoDaddy.com, for instance.

• Get a Gmail account, from which you will have access to services like Blogger, Google Analytics, Picasa, and much more.

• Set up Google alerts for your name, business, interests... to find out what people are saying about you and your interests. For instance, I currently have google alerts set up for "judy rodman", "power, path & performance", "music business", "vocal problems". I get these alerts sent to my email's inbox, from which I can decide to go to the link or not.

• Get a Ping.fm account, from which you can update all your social networking sites with one "ping"! Note... you'll actually have to have or sign up for accounts at the social networks you choose to ping. Twitter and Facebook, along with MySpace, are the least you should do to get yourself findable. Add more when you can... and with Ping, you won't have to go to each site to update!

• Get on Tweetdeck. From the tweetdeck interface, you can monitor and interact with not only twitter, but also many other social network sites. You add multiple accounts if you have them, as well.

• Get on "Google Reader". Subscribe to some blogs (including this one) and newspapers, etc, for a fast way to keep up with what's happening.

•  I would add that you should join Indie Connect for physical and virtual meetings, newsletter, magazine and all kinds of music business information. You don't have to be in Nashville for this, it's going global.

As you monitor and interact with people, you will form your own community, within which you give and receive. What a great way to not only do business, but find friends and like-minded people! By the way... thank you for being a part of mine:) xoxo... Judy

Singing From The Soul

There is a subtle psychological shift you can make to take your next performance out of the ordinary and make it leave a memory in your listener's heart. I call it "singing from the soul" instead of just from the head. Let me use an old familiar tune to illustrate.

How many times have you sung "Amazing Grace"? When is the last time you ever thought about what the lyrics mean? It's usually played at a swift clip, sung with about as much emotion as "Row Row Row Your Boat" and if the lyrics aren't being read, the words come out as mixed up as most people's un-memorized version of "The Star Spangled Banner".  

But one event forever etched the song into my soul's memory, and I no longer can sing or listen to this song without emotion. Picture a woman's prison gymnasium, with an old funky piano somehow situated in a lost corner. This is where it happened.

I used to volunteer at Tennessee Prison for Women for a program called "Better Decisions" . After going through our own training, we each met with one woman prisoner partner for 8 weeks, teaching her a process of making wise decisions which would help her create the life she really wanted rather than the life that ended her up in such a place. Many times we were the only visitors these women usually had, and you can imagine, relationships of trust and friendship were quickly formed. Then we had to completely disconnect, for their own good, as part of empowering them to find answers themselves.

After the 8 weeks, we held a ceremonial "graduation party" for them. At one of them, an impromptu request to sing something before we all had to say goodbye moved me to sit at that old piano and play Amazing Grace. They all took each other's hands... prisoners and volunteers, and while tears rolled, a version was created of "Amazing Grace" that I will never ever forget. And after many years, I ran into one of my fellow volunteers out of nowhere...and she remembered it deeply, too.

Sing every song you perform... from your soul. And if you choose to do this, a warning: Check your own song list. Don't sing anything you CAN'T sing from your soul. There's nothing worse to listen to than fake soul singing.

Musicians and Lizard Brains: Why We Get Stuck

I just read an eye-opening post from Seth Godin explaining how the amygdala, a prehistoric lump of brain tissue near the brain stem which he labels "lizard brain", may be responsible for our irrational behaviour. (Talk about a disclaimer..."My lizard brain made me do it!")

Seth says it is responsible for fear, rage and reproductive drive. Its predominant fear factor hates change and forward movement and the unknown... all essentials for creating unique, moving and courageous new music and getting a music career going. It wants to be safe, to fit in, to sabotage and stifle the urge to make any brave moves.

Lizard brain in control: 

You swear you want to have a music career. But instead of studying materials on music business, marketing and promotion you whine about the fact that you don't have a buying audience big enough to recoup your expenses.

You say you are committed to growing your music skills. But instead of practicing or taking lessons on guitar/piano, stage work, voice or film scoring, you buy a new pair of boots, roller blades or a lobster dinner and when you get home from the dinner/movie/shopping/rollerblading, you're too tired to practice anyway.

You intend to write songs that will rock the world. But instead of scheduling some private time with your keys/guitar, thoughts, pencil and pad, you surf the internet (ouch that hurt!) or watch the 4th re-run of NCIS (that REALLY hurt!!)

We need to follow Seth's advice. The lizard brain will accompany us in our time on earth, but we can tell it to be quiet, we are listening to something else right now. My adage is "act as if, and ye shall be". I also like Yoda's "...there is no try. Only do."

btw...One finger's pointing at you, four are pointing back at me:)

Songwriting Workshop from Rand Bishop

Breaking news... If you are interested in songwriting workshops worth your time, there's a good one I just learned about from Vinny Ribas. Here's the email he sent me:

Indie Connect is proud to present: "12 Choices to Solid Song Craft, An Interactive Workshop", conducted by Grammy Nominated, BMI-award winning tune-smith, Rand Bishop.

 

Bishop has well over 200 cuts to his credit in a wide range of genres, "from bluegrass to heavy metal," including the 5-week #1, My List, recorded by Toby Keith, country radio's most-played song of 2002. Bishop is the author of the hit songwriting memoir, Makin' Stuff Up, secrets of song-craft and survival in the music-biz.  

The workshop will begin with Bishop filling attendees in on the 12 most essential choices to constructing a solidly crafted pop song. Attendees will then break up into co-writing teams to collaborate on these 12 choices. Bishop will circulate, coaching each team, and guiding them through their process. Finally the group will come together to discuss and evaluate each team's choices and brainstorm suggestions on how to improve them.

Saturday, Dec. 5
10 AM - 3 PM
Bongo Java
Registration: $40 (lunch not included).
Indie Connect Members save $5.00!
Seating is limited to 20 participants.

Note: The 1st 10 registrants will be eligible for a drawing for a free 30-minute consultation by Rand!

Go here to register. 

Possibly My Best Bluebird Round Ever Nov 5th

If you want to experience one of the best Bluebird songwriter events I've ever taken part in, you might want to put NOVEMBER 5th, 6:00PM on your calendar.

That's when I'll be joining Michael Stergis, Michael Hodges and Gerald Trottmman for a two hour round we will all remember. Michael Stergis wrote, sang and played with Crosby, Stills & Nash as well as a plethora of other huge artists from Count Basie to Helen Reddy, Michael Hodges has had almost 5 million hits on his MySpace page, Gerald Trottman has had success as composer, singer, music director in many genres of success including New York City musicals.

The four of us rehearsed for seven hours the other day. And that's just one of our rehearsals... This show will be for the love.

You can't make reservations until 8:00am tomorrow on Thursday October 29th. Then you can reserve your seats online at bluebirdcafe.com and even pick your table.

Don't count on getting in at the door... do reserve a seat, because this event will be sold out. There's no cover, but there is a $7 food and drink minimum.

Singing and Speaking Loud Without Vocal Strain: The Double Secret

To sing or speak at a loud volume without straining your voice, you must put two things together: Form and Strength.

FORM:
You must know how to use your voice as efficiently as possible, with the least effort necessary. And you must know this BEFORE trying to increase your volume, so that singing loud is no more stressing to your instrument than singing soft.

STRENGTH:
You must increase your vocal stamina gradually and steadily. Never increase your vocal volume suddenly. You may injure it. If you haven't been singing full voice much, this becomes even more important. Once your stamina allows full voice without strain, sing full voice several days before a strong performance.

Comments from you let me know how you are understanding what I tell you... and are appreciated! Click the comment button at the website page under this blogpost.

Check this website for further information on "Power, Path & Performance"vocal training cds and personal lessons

Vocal Strain: Top 17 Causes

From the answers to my recent questionnaire, vocal strain is the subject most often on my readers' minds. You spoke, and I listened.

This is a big subject. Instead of just a series of posts, I will be writing about vocal strain off and on, interspersed with other vocal subjects in which you and other readers have expressed interest. Also per reader preferences, some posts will be short tips, some longer articles.

Here are the top 15 causes of vocal strain I see in singers and speakers:

1. Bad Breathing Technique:
...inhaling too high in chest, too much or uncontrolled breath pressure applied to vocal cords.

2. Tight Throat Channel:
...tightness where nose, throat and mouth meet at the "post-nasal drip zone".

3. Yelling:
... 20 minutes of yelling, screaming or "shooting your voice from your throat" can result in blood blisters, the beginnings of vocal nodes, appearing on the vocal cords. Keep it up and you'll harden those blisters into callouses, polyps, nodes, or even cause vocal cord paralysis or vocal cord hemorrhage.

4. Acute Viral Laryngitis:
... which usually is triggered by an upper respiratory illness, but sometimes appears without other signs of sickness.

5. Acid Reflux (GERD)
... most damaging if it is laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR)

6. Smoking
... causes irritation, swelling and dehydration of the cords

7. Talking too loud, too long, without good vocal technique
... can cause serious vocal damage. Many times the first thing I address to correct vocal strain is the person's speaking voice.

8. Chronic or Strong Coughing
... the constant hitting of your vocal cords together is as bad as yelling. You must get to the bottom of the cause of the cough and cure it. Sometimes it's GERD or LPR, sometimes a short term virus, post nasal drip, allergen or other air-born irritant, sometimes it's throat cancer. See your doctor if your cough lingers or brings up blood.

9. Bone and joint problems:
... lack of strength and flexibility in the spine tremendously affect the voice; pain in spine or between ribs can indeed cause vocal strain from breath and throat issues.

10. Muscle tension problems:
... trigger tight chest and/or throat channel and "freezing" of anatomy... always detrimental to voice.

11. Fatigue problems
... inhibiting good support/control, causing slumping of body with concurrent high, pushed breathing and throat tightness.

12. Posture issues
... causes pushing of breath, tightness of throat channel and guarding stance.

13. Emotional problems
... nervousness, lack of confidence, numbness, eating disorders, addictions, chronic resentments, inability to focus on communicating. These emotions affect anatomy in ways that can cause vocal strain.

14. Lack of Sleep
... causing once again, slumping of body and breathing/throat issues

15. Dehydration
... the vocal cords need a thin layer of mucus lubricating them to move most efficiently. Not enough water intake results in a thickening of this lining... imagine your boat running aground and you'll have an idea of what your dehydrated voice experiences.

16. Flabby Core (insufficient physical exercise)
... causing slumped posture, unsupported and under controlled breath and tight throat.

17. Endo-tracheal damage from being on a ventilator
... if you must undergo surgery, watch for this one.

Need your help:
Which of these 17 top causes of vocal strain do you want me to write more about next? Or... is there another cause of vocal strain that you'd like to add to this list for me to address?