How To Sing Without A Nasal Tone
It’s coming on summer and one of my favorite things to do here in Los Angeles in summer is go to concerts at The Hollywood Bowl. Hearing amazing music under the stars on a balmy evening with a gourmet picnic and a great glass of wine – well, there’s not much else that can beat that in my book. (If you’re not from L.A. or have never been to The Bowl before, here’s a photo:)
Improve Your Breath Support With These Two Singing Hacks
Today I’m bringing you two short and sweet technical tips to help you achieve a more reliable breath support. To improve your breath support, it all begins with words. That’s right. . . . not the air, not your diaphragm, not your lungs. . . . words! The words we use to direct ourselves in our technique and around our support REALLY matter. Changing words shifts understanding. A new understanding shifts mindset. And a new
How To Get Unstuck & Stop Struggling
Is your inner voice really harsh? Does it LOVE to criticize you? Does it constantly tell you how much your are lacking, remind you of all the ways it thinks you are bad or wrong, berate you for doing too little or too much. . . . .is it ever satisfied??? A few weeks ago I wrote to you about a question I am often asked: What keeps talented singers stuck and struggling? Today I have another
A Tip To Reduce Tension & Increase Vocal Range
As many of you know, I have a four year old daughter. One of the things I learned from parenting her throughout the toddler years (and now the preschool years) is the value of re-direction. Thank the lord for re-direction!!! I can not overstate how many times this tactic has saved me from being on the receiving end of a major fuss. And for singers, the value of re-direction is just as strong. Re-direction is
StarWars & Singing: How To Sing Without Tension
One of the things many singers struggle with is how to sing without tension. If you know me, then you can guess my response for how to sing without tension has something to do with the mind/body effect on your singing technique. There’s a quote in Star Wars that I love. When Yoda is instructing Luke Skywalker, he says: “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Singers, this is your mantra!!! It applies to
Achieving Lasting Breath Support The Italian Way
Throughout history, there have been many, many things Italians have contributed to culture and society that we just wouldn’t want to live without. Think espresso, the jacuzzi, the Mona Lisa and jeans. (Yes, denim can be traced back to Genoa in the 17th century as being worn by sailors. Who knew?) But given what I do for a living and my creative passion, my favorite of all Italian exports is . . . . .
One Mistake That Keeps Talented Singers Stuck And Struggling
There’s one question I am asked all the time: What’s the secret to great singing? Now, I totally get it. Who doesn’t want in on the secret to greatness? The thing is, there’s no useful, practical answer to this question. While these kinds of broad inspirational secrets are easy to soak in, they are hard to execute. They’re designed to address an insecurity with instant encouragement, without providing any real strategies or substance. As such,
What Singers Can Learn From Olympians
Using Mindfulness to Improve Your Singing Technique I’m a huge fan of the Olympics, so as you can guess, I’m in hog heaven right now tuning in each night to see the latest from the Winter Games in South Korea. As I watched legendary snowboard champion Shaun White pull off a come-back to get the gold, it got me thinking, as I often do, about parallels to singing. It occurrs to me that training more
Two Breath Support Myths Dispelled with a Before & After Video
Dispelling myths about breath support is like taking a sledgehammer to a cracked foundation. I think most architects would agree that when it comes to building a house, getting the foundation right is the most important part. Without it, the building will not stand (at least not for long!). In the very same way, our breath support is the foundation of our singing. It is from this support that our sound maintains stability. Yet it
The Mind/Body Effect On Singing Technique – Before & After
Let’s be honest. . . . if there were a pill that could magically improve your singing, I’m pretty sure all of us would take it. Who wouldn’t want to skip the periods of self doubt and angst we go through as we struggle to improve our singing? But what if I told you that it doesn’t have to be such a struggle. The more time I spend working with the mind/body effect on singing technique,
The New Years Resolution That Will Have A Significant Effect On Your Singing Technique
Have you ever felt like you intellectually understand the singing technique your teacher gives you, but your body has other ideas when it comes to implementing it correctly or consistently? Do you sometimes worry that maybe this is as good as you’re ever going to sing? If so, you’re not alone. Nearly every singer I know has been through this at one time or another. You’ve become so good at second-guessing, self-doubt and control that
Breathing For Singing, A Tip: Don’t Ignore What’s Behind You!!
Do you ever feel like your breathing for singing doesn’t work the way you want it to? Do you ever feel like you understand how your breath support is supposed to happen, but then it fails you when you get into a phrase? It could be that you are ignoring one VERY important element of your singing technique that could make all the difference in the world: Your back! In today’s blog video I explain
How Smiling Will Improve Your Singing
Have you ever noticed that really great singers always seem to be smiling when they sing? (From top Left: Beyonce, Joan Sutherland, Pavarotti, Sam Smith, Audra McDonald, Placido Domingo, Sutton Foster) Are they all just perpetually happy? Are they smiling because their singing technique is so damn great? Au contraire mon frère – their singing technique is so damn great because they’re smiling!! It doesn’t matter if it’s Beyonce or Joan Southerland, great singers across
This Technique Boosting Habit Will Improve Your Singing
The importance of ‘gratitude’ is often discussed this time of year, and I’ve found a way of using gratitude that can be even more powerful when linked to our singing technique. This isn’t just a “woo woo” theory. I use this idea in my studio and in my own singing technique year round and I can attest to the results. You’ll learn exactly what this is all about, and the four steps to implementing it
Eliminate The Fear | A Tool To Build Confidence In Your Singing Technique
Halloween this past week got me thinking about the relationship between fear and singing technique. Ghosts and zombies have nothing on the kind of fear that the opening of Gilda’s aria from Rigoletto used to elicit in me. Seriously. . . . there was a time I would rather walk through Haunted Harbor alone at 2am then to have to sing that passage one more time because it exposed every single insecurity I had about