Stop Trying to “Use Your Diaphragm”
A Tip On The Anatomy Of Breath Support How many of you have been told to “use your diaphragm!” by a voice professional? I want to let you in on a little secret . . .you can’t actually “use” your diaphragm. It’s a futile request. While the diaphragm is an essential muscle for breath support and for the production of sound, you can’t actually direct your diaphragm to do anything because it is an involuntary
Help! I Can’t Sing High
One of the most common frustrations I hear from singers is that they have trouble singing high notes. Do you relate? If you are a singer who wants help expanding your range so you can learn to sing high notes with ease, read on. Range is a tricky thing. To some degree, our voices are physiologically built for a certain range. Longer, thicker vocal chords constitute a lower voice. The shorter and thinner your chords
Video: Exercises To Maximize Breath
In this video I explain two techniques to help eliminate feeling tight and out of breath while singing. There’s nothing worse then worrying that you will run out of air before the end of the phrase. Understanding breath support is one of the main issues that confounds singers no matter how long you’ve been singing. The two elements I explain in this video will help you form a more consistent understanding and foundation for your
Before & After video: “Chest Voice and Finding Supported Legato”
Watch how the idea of “talking on pitch” in her song to helps Crystal to stabilize her support and maximize her resonance in her chest voice. When we talk, most of us innately do many things which maximize our resonance and support our sound, but somehow these things go out the window when we sing, much to the detriment of our sound. So using the tool of “talking on pitch” can help shed some of
Best Kept Secret Of Good Technique
I always say “Your body is your instrument, not your voice”. And in my opinion, the single most important part of your body involved in good singing technique is the one part of the body that most singers are the least familiar with: the pelvic floor. Your pelvic floor is an area of muscular and membranous tissue that extends between your legs from your pubic bone in front through to your tailbone in back. Both
Before & After Video: “Ooooo that’s better!!”
I recently gave a masterclass at USC for singers in Mu Sigma Epsilon (a music fraternity within USC’s Thornton School Of Music). Here is a clip of Sloane singing a phrase from a Pink song and the “before” and “after” working with her on finding a more open, supported and less pinched resonance.
Top 10 Causes of Vocal Fatigue
If you experience vocal fatigue from singing, there are several very common reasons why. When singers experience vocal fatigue from singing it is usually the result of improper and/or inefficient breath support. If a singer does not have stable and consistent support for their sound, then the body will adapt by using other less efficient and often damaging ways of getting the sound out. If you are singing correctly the voice should not tire with
4 Simple Exercises To Prepare The Body To Sing
One of the very first things I remind singers when they begin to study with me is that their whole body is their instrument, not just their voice. The way a singer uses and treats their entire body has a great effect on the sound that comes out when they sing. To that end, I often recommend that singers do a few simple body warm up exercises before they start doing their vocal warm up
What is Vibrato?
I am often asked what vibrato is and how a singer can develop it. The term vibrato comes from the Italian word “vibrare” which means to vibrate. Vibrato is a small variation of pitch occurring spontaneously that results from the free oscillation of the vocal cords. A singer achieves a healthy vibrato by allowing for an open pharynx (open throat) while their vocal cords come together seamlessly without unnecessary holding/tension. It is the result of
Should You Sing When You’re Sick?
What to do when you’re sick and you have to sing a big show that night? We have all been there. Do you call in the understudy, do you go on and sing? It’s never an easy decision. Here are some questions to ask yourself before making the call. 1) Are my vocal chords sick? By this I mean, do you have laryngitis, strep throat, or some other illness residing in your throat that directly effects the
A Simple Physical Awareness Checklist To Improve Your Singing
The ways in which we use our bodies in our day-to-day lives effects how we sound when we sing. What do I mean exactly? When your body is your instrument, the way you use it when you are not singing influences how it behaves when you are. An example I like to give is of a tenor I worked with who was extremely tall (nearly NBA tall, well over six feet). He had always been
Mental Practice – A Singing Technique So Easily Overlooked
Sometimes the most efficient form of practicing singing doesn’t involve singing at all. Singing is an athletic endeavor, don’t let anyone tell you any different. We are asking our body to do the same thing over and over again for a desired outcome. Just like a major league pitcher or an Olympic sprinter, a singer’s body is our instrument. And no matter how good your technique or how healthfully you sing, there comes a point where
3 Exercises To Reduce Tension While Singing
Tension is the enemy of the singer because it blocks the free flow of energy, breath and sound throughout the body. One very important concept for any singer to remember is that your body is your instrument, not your vocal chords. Anything that negatively impacts the open flow of energy and sound through your body will negatively effect the quality of your singing. . . . chief among these is physical tension. When a new
Out Of Breath Too Soon? Here’s A Singing Tip
Singers – Are You Out Of Breath? Do you feel like you never seem to have enough breath when you sing? Are you constantly grabbing bigger and bigger breaths only to run out of air in the same place each time? If so, the problem may be that your breath quality is affecting your air quantity. Many singers unknowingly approach breathing for singing as a fast manipulation to pull as much air into the body