If you are working on your chest voice so you can sing more Adele songs, you may be able to access your mix more easily in her latest song Skyfall. Most of this song is under the first bridge (as are the others). But most importantly, there is no chorus repeatedly using thick folds through … Read more
Is your speaking voice breathy? Deep? Raspy? Whiny? Twangy? Heady? Throaty? Chesty? Thick? Garbled? Thin? Muddy? Edgy? Mucky? Tight? Loose? High? Low? Brassy? Mellow? Your singing voice starts with your speaking voice. Did you ever wonder how Jamie Vendera can bust a wine glass with his singing voice? Well, have a listen here to his … Read more
Bottom line…..good belting doesn’t hurt. It has a sweet edge to the sound. The larynx is tilted allowing the cords to close and stretch while remaining thick. On the other hand, bad belting is usually pitchy and lacks “emotion”. A bad belt is simply yelling on pitch. There’s nothing musical about yelling on pitch without … Read more
I highly recommend Dave Brooks from Nashville for singing tips. Check him out here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE_yUawJdBU&feature=relmfu Notice his emphasis on the “sob” and the “whine” to get cord closure. This can’t be stressed enough for commercial “contemporary” style music like country, rock, gospel, pop, and even opera…….yes opera. This coordination will get the cords closed on … Read more
One of my goals is to share with you the similarities and differences with Speech Level Singing and Estill Voice Technique. They are both great voice methods, and there is something to be learned from both. In its’ simplest form, SLS is one recipe among the many Estill Voice Technique possibilities. I love SLS because … Read more
For those of you still wondering if you are “mixing” with your head voice resonance, try this. Visualize you are holding a pencil lengthwise between your teeth (or actually put a pencil between your teeth!). Now, direct every note you sing above the pencil line. In other words, “think” your sound into your face. If … Read more
The ability to tilt the larynx happens at the thyroid cartilage and the cricoid cartilage (in the larynx) which are connected at the cricothyroid joint. There is a space in between that can be either open or closed. Tilting happens when the space is closed. Working on the ‘ng’ sound through your break will work … Read more
There’s a big difference between the larynx rising and the larynx tilting. Too much raising of the larynx will only cause you grief. You are basically choking yourself into a squeezed sound with nowhere to resonate. Tilting the larynx, on the other hand, will allow you to sing in your high register because the cords … Read more
I’ve said before that I’m not a big fan of classical voice training for commercial singing. I’m happy that I never had voice lessons when I was a teen. The reason being is that I learned what my voice can and can’t do on my own…long before I ever took a voice lesson. Classical training … Read more
If you are stuck against the chest voice ceiling there are a few things that might help. 1. Decrease your volume. 2. Narrow your vowels. 3. Anchor your head, neck and abdomen. Remember, the best thing for your voice is to get balance. Once you can sing through your bridges, then you can work on … Read more