I got a recent comment on this blog asking me to talk about jingle singing. Thanks very much for the comment and here goes… What’s the difference between jingle singing and session singing? Jingle singers are a sub-field of session singers, which is just an abbreviated term for “recording session singers”. Session singers includes background… Read More » about Jingle singing
All Things Vocal Blog & Podcast
Chronic breathiness or hoarseness? Suspect vocal damage!
I was eating lunch when my one of my new students’ mother called. “Hello”, I said. “Well, you were right”, she said. Sadly, I had guessed I would be right. It wasn’t the first time I’d correctly suspected vocal damage. She had taken her little actress daughter to the doctor after my suggestion at her… Read More » about Chronic breathiness or hoarseness? Suspect vocal damage!
Vocal Aerobics- the importance of physical exercise
I have a new understanding to offer you for the phrase “Move it or Lose it!” Think of the word “it” as meaning “voice”. If you sing according to Power, Path & Performance principles, you’ll notice you don’t get vocally tired. You’ll also notice that you do get physically tired! That’s because singing correctly will… Read More » about Vocal Aerobics- the importance of physical exercise
Balancing strength in vocal muscle sets
If you, like so many popular genre singers, have trouble straining in your upper chest My contemporary (non-classical) students have found astounding vocal improvement by using exercises I give them to strengthen their head voice. That’s because of the need to balance the muscle groups that work the head and chest voices… and if one… Read More » about Balancing strength in vocal muscle sets
Tips on writing music
Ok.. got some great comments on writing lyrics; so on to the next part of the songwriting equasion: here are some tips on writing the music. The Music – should have a memorable melody. should have structured patterns of rhythm. These structures can be more free-form, however it takes experience and study of patterned music… Read More » about Tips on writing music
More on lyric tips for songwriters
Wow, I got some great comments on my last post about writing lyrics. Before going on to writing music, I’d like to post on my commenters’ thoughts about lyrics. Leigh Ann, you ask about my favorite song lyrics and songwriters: There are so many truly great songs now… I can’t think of all but some… Read More » about More on lyric tips for songwriters
Lyric tips for songwriters
I get lots of questions about songwriting. This is, of course your inner voice, and so the subject belongs on “All Things Vocal” (don’t cha think?) I intend to write a 3-part series on songwriting, beginning with my thoughts on writing great LYRICS. In my humble opinion, no matter what the musical genre, a well-written… Read More » about Lyric tips for songwriters
How to get work as a background singer
I still love doing bgvs… for over 40 yrs now! I get asked this question a lot… How does one go about getting started if they are interested in singing bgv’s (background vocals)?” My answer: To sing background vocals you need- vocal training to be able to perform the feats of what I call a “stunt… Read More » about How to get work as a background singer
The beauty of backing off vocal pressure
I just wrote with a wonderful new pop artist, Skye Dyer, today. She was suffering from an allergy attack, with the resulting swelling of the vocal cords. As I watched her sing our song for a worktape cd we made, I noticed something she did to accomplish a good vocal in spite of her compromised… Read More » about The beauty of backing off vocal pressure
Pitch problems in the recording studio
I recently received an emailed question about pitch problems while recording vocals that I’d like to share here. The question:Dear Judy,I’ve just started recording some songs and have run into a problem. When I sing my vocals, I am off pitch. I play in a band and have for a few years and we seem… Read More » about Pitch problems in the recording studio