Many singers are told and believe a breathy voice is harmful. This isn’t necessarily true. Bottom line, too much of any one thing can be harmful. But having the control over a breathy voice can be a great thing. You need lots of breath to belt and to sing long phrases. The key is the … Read more
I’ve said before what a tough job it is for female Broadway singers these days. Most casting directors are requiring singers to demonstrate a belt, as well as show a nicely mixed legit voice. Not many auditions require a legit soprano voice anymore. Instead, they are looking for a legit voice that can sing from … Read more
Let’s be clear …. belting wrong will hurt, and if it hurts …. stop. Let’s be clear …. belting CAN be done without harm and without hurting. Let’s be clear … belting well takes a lot of practise. It is not for amateurs. There have been singers belting for their entire career with no voice … Read more
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
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
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
The chest voice is very powerful. I recommend all singers learn how to carry their “low voice” up into their higher register by learning how to mix from the bottom up. If you want to earn a living at singing, it is crucial to learn how to belt and sing safely in your chest voice. … Read more
So, I used my cricoid muscle extensively on Saturday night. Yes, I was more shoutier than usual. Since my workshop a couple of weeks ago, I have been revisiting some of my repertoire in a beltier way. This is similar to the way I sang about ten years ago, but also much different. Yes, this … Read more
The body is an unique instrument and these are unique times. The voice can make soft, loud, breathy, scratchy, raspy, whiney, yelly, low, screechy, shouty, deep, high, thick, shallow…..sounds. That’s right. We can make almost any sound we want. There’s no right or wrong. Only safe. Think of a ventriliquist. He can make some amazing … Read more
What is a yodel? It’s simply a defined change in register from your low “voice” to your high “voice”. Can you make your voice yodel? I actually have trouble doing it. My mixed “middle” voice is so well connected that imitating a yodel takes a certain coordination for me. If you are a trained singer … Read more