My last post was about the tongue and how it can get in the way when you are singing. When you let your tongue hang out over your bottom lip, it cannot interfere with the back of your throat and stop you from mixing. This is a great way to exercise your voice, although you … Read more
All too often, we as singers forget about the tongue. Yes, the tongue is an important link in our efforts as singers to resonate fully and “get in the mix”. Tongues come in all shapes and sizes, but nonetheless it is BIG. Even small tongues are big. You shouldn’t move your tongue out of the … 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
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
For those of you studying speech level singing, this term may make no sense. As a singer, you owe it to yourself to explore other methods and insights to be the best singer you can possibly be. Attack of the mask is the same concept that all coaches are aiming for with their students…cord closure, … Read more
Why do we love Adele’s voice so much? Or Whitney Houston, Celine Dion or Christine Aguilera? Sure, it’s because they exude so much drama and passion when they sing, but how do they do that? The ability to portray what you are feeling in a technically correct way is really what we are talking about … Read more
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
For those of you familiar with speech level singing exercises, the nasty “nay” sound is probably all-too-familiar. This is a sound that many singers do wrong. The goal here is to feel the resonance behind the cheek bone and nasal area, not in the mouth or at the back of the throat. In Estill Voice … Read more
I still remember when I was 16 and had ‘two different voices’. That’s right. I had my ‘not-so-great’ American Idol voice, and I had my ‘choir-like’ sweet voice. They were two separate voices coming from my throat, and they never met each other in the same performance. I struggled with the challenge of deciding “which … Read more