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
What exactly is singing with strain? Basically, it means a singer is over-compressing the vocal cords. Over-compressing is “squeezing” or “pushing” the sound out, instead of simply allowing the sound to release with good cord closure. This can happen a lot when singing high notes. We tend to “reach” or “squeeze” to sing our high … Read more
Do you ever ask yourself why you do all these exercises? Each exercise is designed to bring an awareness about a correct coordination that is essential for good singing technique. When you exercise your voice by doing the same coordination over and over again, your larynx will begin to build “muscle memory” and it will … Read more
In my opinion, it’s all relative, really. Here is my definition of falcetto: The condition of the vocal folds whereby the glottis is large and a lot of air is passing through. Here is my definition of head voice: The condition of the vocal folds whereby the glottis is small(er), and the folds are able to withstand … Read more
All singers really want to bridge and connect. For those of you studying speech level singing, bridging and connecting is simply another way of describing mixing. No matter what method you are studying, this concept is universal. A singer who isn`t bridging and connecting is either yodeling (flipping), pulling chest, or singing in falcetto.
Too many times I hear over-compressed cords from students who think they are singing with power. Unfortunately this sound is dull and to be quite blunt … ugly. Over-compressing the cords will only cause students trouble as they try to sing higher, because they can’t release this sensation without flipping into falcetto. The answer is; … 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 ability to make certain sounds can have great benefit on your overall vocal ability. The trick is being able to make these sounds correctly without constriction (pushing). It’s always a good idea to have a coach work with you on these sounds to make sure you are going about it the right way. A great … Read more
Oh, the controversy! Is there such a thing as the middle voice? Some would argue there is only chest voice and head voice, and a passagio (sometimes called a bridge or a break), separating the two. The chest and head voice get their name from where the voice resonates in the body. If you put your hand on … Read more
As a singer, we all seem to want to know what is the difference between head voice and falcetto. Do we really need to know exactly when it switches from one to the other? I have had numerous singers ask me this question, so this is how I try to explain it. The difference between head … Read more