In my humble opinion, yes. I’ve had teenagers and adults (mostly ladies) who have had years of previous training, come into my studio with very pretty voices. They have perfect diction with clean smooth onsets, optimum posture and breath control. The problem: minimal chest voice and pharyngeal twang. This is not a balanced voice to … Read more
Maybe you think all that facial movement is just for show? Careful. Don’t underestimate the value of having the ability to sing with your mouth wide open, or your cheeks lifted high. Try it. Is it easy? It should be. You voice will feel like it’s out in front of your mouth or nose….not in … Read more
It’s been a tough month. I can’t really tell when one virus stopped and another one started. Needless to say, it’s been a roller coaster, and I’m still sick. And what I mean by sick, is that I’m still coughing and I have lots of phlegm. Coughing and singing do not go hand in hand. … Read more
Before you start “building” your chest voice, be sure you are mixing. In other words, be sure you have a low, middle and a high voice that are working well together. This is the ideal first move in building up your voice. If you are wanting to build “power” then you could be fooling yourself … Read more
I teach a keyboard program called Music for Young Children. One of the building blocks of this program is the introduction of left hand (LH) harmony chord structures early on in training. We teach the young student to listen for the “colors” of I, IV and V7 progressions in their music. If young students aim … Read more
There I said it. Now I’ll wait for all the criticism. Oh yes, I’ve been criticized for telling you to copy from your favourite singers. I’m constantly thinking about the pros and cons of training and listening to your teacher, versus listening and copying as many different singers as you can. My own teaching experience … Read more
Love ’em, love ’em, love ’em! And you should do ’em, do ’em, do ’em! This is no easy task but it’s a sure fire way to find out if the back of your tongue is getting in the way of mixing from chest to head voice. So, let your tongue hang out…not forced out … Read more
While I was studying SLS I had some interesting experiences while actually singing songs. Before I explain, let me say that mixed voice and balancing the voice is the best way to gain control over your abilities to do other coordinations. It’s your baseline. It’s the place where you return when you get out of … Read more
What I like about both SLS and Estille voice technique is that it takes the emphasis off of breathing as the front line for good singing technique, and it lets the singer focus on other co-ordinations first, that are just as important as breath control. There are other coaches that also do this: Ken Tamplin, … Read more
Healthy belting requires ultimate breath control to avoid damage to the cords. First, no pushing. Simply allow. It requires a lot of energy and effort to belt safely. This effort and energy is felt in your abdomen, pelvis, ribs and back. You should feel no tension in the throat. The throat is very open and … Read more