My job is more than just teaching young children how to play the piano. My job is to create a fun-filled atmosphere where students can explore and learn music that will last them a lifetime! It’s easy when you realize that not all children learn the same way. Oh sure, some will sit at a … Read more
What went wrong? The acting went wrong. The singing did not. And what about the singing? Did the producers honestly think there would be no backlash when audiences compared Julie Andrew’s British classically-trained voice to Carrie Underwood’s broad and brassy southern twang? If we talk about Carrie’s voice, then that is what we get…..Carrie’s thick-cord, … Read more
Do you ask yourself why you keep losing your voice? Why do you get a hoarse voice after singing for an hour, a night, or maybe two nights in a club? The vocal cords can only handle so much pressure. When they are misused, we can hear evidence by the imperfections in the sound quality … Read more
When I think back to the voice training I have had (6 different teachers in the past 20 years), speech level singing was the eye-opening experience for me. That is not to say that the classical training I had wasn’t useful….because it was….in many ways….but in other ways, it was detrimental. It wasn’t until I … Read more
It’s no secret that good technique is key to singing well. Once you have established a firm foundation on which to build your voice, you should then, and only then, venture on to extreme singing. What is extreme singing? Any coordination that requires the voice to go beyond the basic set-up of a balanced mix … Read more
There is a lot of information out there about the ideal position of the larynx for singing. This post is to help shed some light on the “variables” associated with your larynx. SLS (speech level singing) teaches you that the larynx should remain “stable” or “neutral”. I’m not a big fan of this description, although … Read more
The last post showed you the “number” of each chord in a major scale. This post is going to tell you which numbers are the most important, and why. In any major scale, the I, IV and the V notes are the most important for making major chords. In the scale of C major, this … Read more
Learning to play piano by ear is an intertwining discipline of two separate coordinations….rhythm patterns and chord patterns. I have long neglected this very special part of my blog and I plan to make time for it over the next few months. I’m not going to string you along……the best and easiest way to learn advanced … Read more
So you want to sing with more “belt” in your song? Well first, let’s check…..do you know if you are mixing? Do you know if you are accessing your head voice resonance and tilting your larynx? Belting cannot be done safely (or sound good) without these two conditions first. I suggest that you continually work … Read more
Most singers want to know how their favourite singers get their sound…in other words, how they sing so well. We all want to understand the voices of Steve Perry, Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert. The list goes on and on. It’s a complex question with a complex answer, but one thing is true with … Read more