Online Voice Lessons

Brighter Day by Kendall Hunter

2011-02-14T08:08:00.000-08:00

Singing Tips: How Can I Increase My Vocal Range- 3 simple tips

2011-01-20T12:41:00.001-08:00

Ever wondered how Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, and Beyonce sing with such a wide vocal range? If you have ever wanted to learn to sing the really high notes? Here's five easy steps to do that.

Breathe deeply- Great singers have great deep breathing skills. They have learned how to expand the lower part of their abdomen which allows for more support of the air while singing.
Move the Air- Learning the proper way to exhale when singing is vital to increasing your range. You have to allow the air to really feel like its moving quickly out of you. Don't hold it in, or else you won't have momentum to hit higher notes.
Sing in the Mask- Whether you're belting, using a falsetto or head voice, or singing in your chest voice, finding your voice's best resonance point will increase your range by an octave or more!

Singing Tips: Vocal Fatigue: What to do when Your Voice Is Hoarse- 3 Remedies

2011-01-20T12:18:00.001-08:00

Singing, whether at a chorus concert, church function, or in a nightclub can be so fulfilling! However, it can also wear down on your voice. Here are 3 tips for singers who occasionally lose their voice to help them keep singing.

Talk less. Keep in mind that whether you speak or sing, you are using the same vocal chords. You do not want to fatigue the voice before you have sung a single note!
Drink lots of hot tea. Not only will this keep you hydrated, which allows your vocal chords to be more 'pliable', the steam from the hot tea will much more quickly provide moisture for your vocal chords than will cold or room temperature water.

Sing in the Mixed Voice- This is also called 'Singing in the Mask'. This technique allows you to sing 'off' the vocal chords which will significantly lessen vocal fatigue and hoarseness while you are singing while simultaneously dramatically improving your resonance, volume, and eliminating that breathy tone quality.

I Used To Smoke, Is My Voice Ok?

2009-06-16T06:19:00.001-07:00

The effects that smoking can have on the human voice can, for some, be quite catastrophic:

Smoking 'thins' your vocal cords and take the elasticity out of them. This creates a limited vocal range and tone color. For some, it also means complete hoarseness.
It also enhances or brings on symptoms of asthma, which creates breathing difficulties, which often result in lack of breath control and breath support.

Once you've quit smoking, CONGRATS! But now the work begins

Be aware that while, with training and practice, you can 'oil' your voice back up and get it in great shape, some damage may ne irreparable.

In that case,

get with your ENT doctor to check your current status.
Take the time to learn keys that will keep your voice its healthiest as you embark on this new chapter!

How Long Should I Take Private Voice Lessons?

2009-06-16T05:53:00.001-07:00

Voice Lesson needs vary from person to person, of course. I've learned that 1 ½ to 2 years of consistent lessons makes a powerful difference in your voice.

Literally, it can take you from having potential to being studio- ready, with the right teacher, of course.

Here's my timeline:

0-6 months: we're getting over shyness and insecurities and getting adjusted to new technique. For many voice students, this is THE BIGGEST hurdle to overcome. Once they are comfortable making mistakes with their teacher, they're confidence rises and everything falls into place rather quickly.
6-12 months: we're generally locking in technique, and working to close major gaps in technique.
13-18 months : we're 'tying up loose ends'. You have overcome your major hurdles and are now polishing your technique, to have consistency throughout your range. You're new range opens up new posibilites with repertoire. You are finding your voice
19-24 months: You are becoming an artist. This takes you from being mechanical and skilled, to being an artful performer.

*This is coming from the perspective of becoming a pop/ gospel/ country/ r&b performer. Of course classical singing takes 6+ years of ongoing training to be an artful performer!

All About Vocal Cords

2009-06-16T05:15:00.002-07:00

Firstly, just as we are all different on the outside, we are likewise different on the inside. We all have different vocal cords. Some of us have thin, long vocal cords, and others of us have short thick ones. The difference between the two is the sound they produce, and the effort it takes the singer to produce that sound. The long, thin ones produce a lighter sound. These voices tend to have a naturally fast vibrato which allows more ease with runs and coloratura. Their voices, even at the strongest, are characterized as ‘light and thin’ and quite often ‘high’. They also tend to be very flexible in the upper registers of their voices.

The short, thick ones produce a heavier, meatier sound. These voices tend to produce a mid- tempo to slower, wider vibrato and are remembered more for their power and ‘color’ rather than vocal tricks. Even at their lightest, their rich tone color is always present. Their voices tend to also have the most flexibility in the middle to lower registers. While these voices can master the same ‘tricks’ that lighter voices can, it may simply be more of an effort.

Think of it as the difference between a race car and a heavy duty truck: A race car is smaller and lighter, thus it has an easier time maneuvering tight corners at fast speeds. It also can go from 0-60 mph in 5 seconds flat. The heavy duty truck on the other hand does not have as easy a time in tight situations and although it is able to go at monster speeds, the weight its carrying causes it to exert more effort to perform that task.

Make sense?

*No need to run to the ENT to find out what type of vocal cords you have! Just listen to your voice and decide which is easiest, Michael Jackson, or Anita Baker? Learn to gauge yourself and what is most comfortably ‘you’.

Tessi- what? Explaining Tessitura

2009-06-16T05:15:00.001-07:00

In short, tessitura is the range of notes that your voice 'sits in' most comfortably.

I can sing a Bass A to a High Soprano E flat, but I won't be auditioning for any Bass solos or light coloratura roles anytime soon!

Why?

Those extremes are not in my tessitura,

Sometimes we get so caught up in increasing our range that we forget to make music. Never forsake your musicianship for skill. Just because you can hit the note doesn't mean you should

Find your tessitura. For me, it is my midrange. It's the

Most flexible,
Most full,
Most natural sounding.

Everything else is skill, but that mid range …. Is where I make music!

Singing in Choirs, Is it Healthy?

2009-06-16T05:04:00.001-07:00

Sorry Choir Directors. I had to do this.

After years of singing with show choirs, gospel choirs, and opera choruses, I have come to this conclusion: While singing in choirs is a great way to keep your voice active, it is not great for the development of the solo voice.

In fact, it's detrimental.

Keep in mind, the director of these groups is not interested in your voice, he/she is interested in the overall sound. I've had directors that went so far to maintain a blend that he had us practically at a whisper!

And of course, there is the other extreme which says, 'If it's not loud, it's wrong'.

SINGERS BEWARE!!!!

When entering choirs be cognizant of what the director is looking for, and do what is easiest for you. For me, it has always been 1^st alto. Noth that I couldn't sing soprano, it was just exhausting to:

Sing that high consistently
Try to blend my heavy soprano tone with all the other 'lighter voiced' sopranos.

So my texture and tessitura was better suited for alto in most settings. *The only setting that my full lyric voice fits perfectly is in the opera choruses! J

If you find you are consistently hoarse after rehearsal, you are singing wrong! Ask your director to move you. Otherwise, you'll need to find another singing group to which your voice is an asset.

Maintaining a Healthy Vibrato

2009-06-16T04:47:00.001-07:00

1. Sing In Your Comfort Zone, at least 90% of the time
2. Don’t Over Sing- you will end up putting too much pressure on your throat, which leads to a forced, wobbly, inconsistent, or unnatural vibrato
3. Don’t Under Sing- under singing can be very damaging to your voice. This can eventually create an uneven unhealthy tone due to too much air passing through during sound production. If you are doing this in the interest of blend. You may want to consider:

· singing with another group of people, or
· singing a lower voice part that would allow you to blend without under singing

4. Warm Up In Your Head Voice.- Being too pushy too soon can create an uneven tone and unhealthy singing
5. Try Not To Imitate Other Singers. – Try not to create a vibrato to ‘fit in’ with other singers. Sing naturally

How Do I Know Which Style Is Right For Me?

2009-06-16T04:34:00.001-07:00

Oft times as singers we put pressure on ourselves to be the best. To help carry out this endeavor, we choose the most challenging songs and are determined to master them. So often, however, we lose our musical identities in the process. So today we'll discuss which style is right for you.

We must first come to grips that being the best doesn't mean being able to do everything. If you're a contralto, for example, singing soprano all the time will not make you a soprano. Nor will it make you a better alto. It will just exhaust you and possibly ruin your voice.

EMBRACE THE VOICE THAT GOD GAVE YOU, AND DETERMINE TO MASTER THAT!

Also, so often I have found myself trying to tackle songs like Mozart's 'Batti, Batti' or Tamiya's 'You Put a Move On My Heart', 'knowing' that as soon I am able to get my voice to 'float' and 'sound' light, I will have mastered it. FINALLY!

But don't you realize that even if I did master it, a REAL coloratura soprano or R&B Soprano would come along and

Blow me out the water, and
Not have a sore throat afterward!

So, trust me, invest your time where it is most effective.

The style that best suits you is the style that allows you to express yourself most passionately. I was a senior in college, preparing to do my Senior Recital. I was the best singer in my vocal program. I had done several leads in the opera and had several professional opportunities to grab. And I announced to my vocal teacher that I had decided on a career in opera and classical singing. She looked at me and said, 'You will never be a classical singer. You don't have the passion for it."

So here's the lesson: Don't get so caught up in 'learning' and mastering' material that you lose your passion, and it all becomes vanity. Remember your passion, and let that lead you. The style that draws the most creativity out of you is your BEST style!

How Long Do I Warm Up My Voice For Singing?

2009-06-16T03:47:00.001-07:00

In case you didn't know, let it be said that warm- up is critical and essential to a healthy voice and optimum vocal production in singing. Sadly, it is often overlooked. Even well- meaning choir directors are guilty of speeding through the warm up process in the interest of time. So, what is a good warm up time? And what makes a good warm up?

Thinner, lighter voices are able to warm up very quickly, in 10- 15 minutes. Voices like mine, with thicker cords take at least 25- 35 minutes of intense warm up to be ready for singing. Bigger, heavier voices need more support, and 'stretching' of the vocal cords for full flexibility for performance, thus they need more warm up time than thinner, lighter voices.

Things to focus on when warming up:

Breath Support- when doing vocal exercise, be paying attention to your breathing. It helps get the diaphragm moving to support your voice
Warm up from the middle out- Never start warming up from the upper or lower extremities of your voice. Always work from the middle outward
Focus and clarity- focus on getting your voice clear, not forced, but clear, without raspiness