Some of the most amazing AND emotionally powerful contemporary vocalists out there have something in their bag of tricks you’d never guess could come from a trained singer. This pro trick is an illusion… the singer temporarily suspends and deliberately drops “vocal technique” out of their performance, giving the sense of quite casual and intimate… Read More » about Pop Style Trick: Suspend Vocal Technique Momentarily
Vocal Technique
Why Singing On Mic is Hard For Opera Singers
I just got a great question about classically trained singers having trouble using mics. I am a classical/operatic soprano who is starting to do live radio and studio work. I also play guitar to accompany myself on some original songs. My vocals are fabulous when I’m at home practicing, but when I find myself in… Read More » about Why Singing On Mic is Hard For Opera Singers
The confusion of differing vocal training methods
I’ve had a lot of queries about my vocal lessons which start with the question “what method of vocal training do you use?” A fair enough question, but more complicated to answer than you might think. I teach my trademarked method “Power, Path & Performance”. It is a three-pronged approach to training voices that I… Read More » about The confusion of differing vocal training methods
What A Tight Tongue Can Do To Your Singing
Your tongue is connected to more than you think. Use it the wrong way and it can cause trouble. That sounds like something your mother would tell you, doesn’t it:) Well, here’s how speaking or singing with a tight tongue can affect your voice: A tightness in the root or base of the tongue will… Read More » about What A Tight Tongue Can Do To Your Singing
Singing At The Piano? 7 Tips For Keyboard and Voice Synergy
As a singer who frequently plays keyboard instruments, and a vocal coach who works with a lot of piano players, there are things I’ve had to learn about the most efficient ways of accomplishing this musical multitasking. Depending on how you do it, playing keys can either help or hurt your singing. Here are 7… Read More » about Singing At The Piano? 7 Tips For Keyboard and Voice Synergy
Breathing For The Voice: The Counterintuitive Secret
The real secret to having enough breath for your voice: Don’t Think About It! I had lots of problems when I first started going to my vocal coach, Gerald Arthur. He had to tackle my guarding, my inflexibility, my mix imbalance, my range limitations. When I asked him what he thought were my breath problems… Read More » about Breathing For The Voice: The Counterintuitive Secret
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… Read More » about Singing and Speaking Loud Without Vocal Strain: The Double Secret
Singing In Heels (not just for the girls)
I had to wear heels last week to sing in Vegas and I have to tell you that I don’t spend nearly as much time in those pedi-torture devices as I used to. It was actually fun to be back in ’em, but I had to use my secret to make it work for me… Read More » about Singing In Heels (not just for the girls)
Problems Singing Phrases: Uncontrolled Beginnings and Dropped Ends
We all too often focus on the high or long or otherwise difficult notes of a phrase. But the secret to getting the hard stuff right is often how we begin and end the whole phrase containing the hard stuff. Without getting the beginnings and ends right, we will not communicate the message within the… Read More » about Problems Singing Phrases: Uncontrolled Beginnings and Dropped Ends
Voice-Over Career: How to get started
I get questions from time to time about a specialty vocal career: Voice-Over. If you work in this area, you are known as “voice-over talent”. It entails speaking over multimedia platforms like radio, TV, movies, Internet. It includes such things as commercials, news casting, narrating documentaries, reading books-on-tape, and even voices over animated movies. To… Read More » about Voice-Over Career: How to get started