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Singing Tips 1

Hi, I'm Melissiah, international singing teacher, and founder of the Absolute Singing Mastery method of instruction and BodySense for Singers. Welcome to my FREE online singing tips and FAQs.

You can now contact me LIVE if you need an immediate answer to your question about singing, auditions or need help for your stagefright.

 

To make your dream a reality you need to let go of limiting beliefs. You say you 'can't take singing lessons because you don't have the money', so ask yourself what prevents you from having the money.

Here's a story to illustrate the point. I've been a horse lover all my life and when I was your age, I was determined to own a horse. (I realised all the letters to Santa weren't going to work!) Firstly I went around my neighbourhood to find a nice paddock where I could keep a horse. I not only found a paddock, but the owner's were prepared to give me free agistment when I told them I was still at school.

Then I got my first job in a restaurant. The pay was terrible but the day I handed my hard earned cash over to buy my first pony was the greatest feeling in all the world. Did I stop work then - not on your life! Horses are expensive creatures and I also wanted to continue with my riding education. My endeavours eventually earned me many awards as both a rider and horse trainer. And to think it all began with scrubbing plates at a restaurant.

But back to singing - Celine Dion made many sacrifices to get where she is today. What are you prepared to sacrifice to follow in her footsteps?

 

Let's get something clear - the singer or frontman is the most important member of any band. Firstly did you audition to join the band or did they audition to join you? Who has written the songs, lyrics and melodies? What are your objectives as as singer and musician, as opposed to the objectives of the other band members?

A frontman needs to be a leader, but not an egotist and definitely not a dictator. Creating a successful band usually involves some compromise whilst being open to new ideas.

While your band members may be offering you some useful advice or suggestions, I get the feeling that you are on the wrong wavelength with these people and would be far happier working with people who share your progressive tastes and ideas. The chances are that you probably have very different tastes from your band members when it comes to music.

Finding a group of musicians that you click with musically may take some time, but ultimately should be a rewarding experience. Just make sure your clear about your musical directions and goals from the beginning and you'll start attracting the right sort of folks.

Hi Blair, learning to sing involves the training of many muscles in the body as well as the vocal 'cords' or vocal folds. As our body is our singing instrument, realistically, learning to sing involves coordination of some 400 muscles! By focusing on your vocal folds, you are probably ignoring other essential elements of singing such as airflow, resonance, diction and dynamic control. In addition to this, if you wish to be an opera singer you will also need to become an accomplished actor to take on different roles.

Study the lives of famous opera singers. Most of them attribute their success to unwavering personal dedication combined with the expert training they received from a master vocal coach.

Scientifically speaking there is actually no such thing as ‘mixed voice’, ‘chest voice’ or ‘head voice’ registers, although a great many singing teachers use these terms. The apparent register shifts you are referring to are actually caused by accessing different resonators in the body. The ‘belted’ sound you mention is produced by a higher larynx position in the throat, greater 'chest resonance' and less pharyngeal resonance.

The object of vocal training, amongst other things is to be able to produce an even tone across all notes of your vocal range. To obtain a strong tone throughout your range you need to;

1. Adduct your vocal folds (to prevent a breathy sound)
2. Access pharyngeal resonance with regard to the higher notes or the notes you currently refer to as ‘head voice’.
3. Learn how to smooth the transitions between different areas of vocal resonance.

Most beginners display a much weaker and breathier sound as the voice ascends. This is due to lack of strength in both the larynx and the body. As we sing higher the vocal folds stretch and thin due to the action of the cricothyroid muscles. Differences in the air pressure also need to be addressed. The higher the note, the higher the frequency of vocal fold vibration which therefore requires a greater VOLUME and PRESSURE of expelled air.

My Absolute Singing Mastery program shows you how to achieve these 3 essential components of a strong and even voice. As regards your concern about destroying your voice, it’s important to understand that voice disorders occur in singers regardless of how much ‘belting’ they do or don’t do.

 

The most obvious thing about your request is that you did not include your name on your email and you talk about 'killing' the nerves - this tells me a lot about yourself and how you relate to others.

Performance anxiety, also known as stage fright is actually a learnt response, just like a phobia.

Whatever the reason for your stage fright, it can be successfully treated. After many years of research Dreamquest has developed 2 products proven to increase levels of confidence and relaxation - Absolute Singing Confidence and BodySense for Singers.

These CDs are part of my Absolute Singing Mastery package that can be ordered here and are covered by a 60 day money back guarantee. Your self-esteem and confidence must get significantly better when you use this program or I'll give you a full refund.

 

You ask some interesting questions. This singing advice page was not set up with the intent to pass judgement on other teachers. Some singing methods certainly produce much better coordinated use of the body than others. However it's an unfortunate fact that many emails I receive every month are from singers who complain of sore throats during performance and unbelievably, even during their singing lessons.

There can be no doubt that the singing instrument starts at the soles of the feet and ends at the top of the head. Singing therefore involves the WHOLE body and good healthy singing involves precise and efficient coordination of the complete neuro-muscular system.You mention concentrating on the closure of the larynx during singing. Our vocal folds do need to 'close together' to sing, but this is only one small part of the big picture. For the vocal folds to vibrate to produce sound it is crucial that the suspensory mechanism, balance and direction of the BREATHING ORGAN is addressed. The vast majority of people do not breath efficiently resulting in a negative influence not only upon the voice but also upon the entire body and mind.

It is important to note that the muscles of the larynx are INDEPENDENT of the respiratory muscles. This has very important ramifications for singers. You may be using the muscles in your larynx properly, but if your airflow is either insufficient or excessive a sore throat may result. Thus a coordinated effort is required between the larynx and the breath to achieve good, healthy vocalization.

To address your thoughts of different teaching techniques suiting different voices, I believe that a thorough understanding of the scientific concepts of voice production is essential for the teacher. Good singing however is an art and what is more useful for the student in many instances is the teacher's use of imagery or metaphors to convey technique to the students. Unbelievably, this practice continues to be criticized by ignorant teachers. Metaphors permeate our lives - they are found in dreams, fairy tales, parables from the Bible, Shakespearean drama, pop songs and in everyday speech. Metaphors are also an integral part of Tai Chi and martial arts training. Mountains of research (beginning with the great hypnotherapist Erickson) have demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt, that the use of metaphors is a powerful key to unlocking the potential of the unconscious mind thus accelerating the learning process.

I hope I've shed some light on your questions. I'd now like you to ask yourself why you are paying someone to give you a sore throat.

 

The very high range you are talking about is called the whistle register. One of the first popular singers to employ the use of whistle register was Yma Sumac. (If you really want to be blown away have a listen to her 'Voice of the Xtabay' CD.) An Aztec princess,Yma Sumac claimed the birds of the Amazon rainforest taught her how to sing!

I've found that the whistle register can be produced firstly by imitating a cat or kitten's meow. However there are some considerations to be taken if you wish to start using this register. The first is that continued use of the whistle register can lead to voice problems due to the extreme tensions it places on the laryngeal muscles. Some singers who learn to access the whistle register also find that it can abruptly appear in the upper vocal range without warning.

 

Just because you are loud doesn't necessarily mean you are a dramatic soprano. There are also loud lyric sopranos. The dramatic soprano voice is rare and is characterised by a 'metallic' or more strident tone. Usually there is more vibrato than with the lyric or spinto voices.

Dramatic voices generally develop later in life - it is exceptionally rare to find a teenager with a dramatic voice. If you are a coloratura, your voice will generally be a lot lighter in tone. You will probably find that your voice is fairly flexible, but you will have to work at the 'rapid stuff' if you wish to master the coloratura repertoire. The dramatic coloratura voice (eg Joan Sutherland) combines both qualities of strident tone with flexibility.

Your voice is still very much in the developmental stage due to your age. Also there are voices that are difficult to categorize - Maria Callas could alter her sound at will and could sing pretty much everything!

 

Headaches from singing can sometimes result from a slight raise in blood pressure. More specifically however, headaches usually result from excessive tension in the muscles of the back of the neck. The head/neck relationship is critical to singing as it is to many other activities. It's an unfortunate fact that posture training - as taught by the vast majority of teachers - is based on ignorance and actually causes greater tension in our singing instrument.

Many people believe they have perfect posture or muscle coordination, but sensory appreciation - the sixth sense or proprioception - is usually underdeveloped due to preoccupation with the five external senses. My BodySense for Singers CD, available with the Absolute Singing Mastery program shows you how to develop essential proprioception skills for optimizing your singing instrument.

It might also be wise to consult your doctor.

 

The Palatine tonsils at the back of the throat are located a fair distance from the larynx or voicebox. In my experience I've never found tonsil removal to affect singing ability in either myself or my students.

Theoretically, removing the tonsils actually makes more space in the back of the throat which could result in more resonance of the singing voice. I don't know of any studies that have compared the singing voice before and after tonsillectomy. However I do recall reading a news article where Josh Groban reported he sung better after tonsil removal.

If you are at all worried about your voice in any way please seek advice from an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor.

 

It's a fact of life that bullies exist everywhere, not just at school. There are corporate bullies who attempt to destroy smaller competitors, bullies in the workplace, and even bullies in the music industry. Bullies usually suffer from feelings of inadequacy, insecurity and greed which lead them to take out their frustrations on others. Many schoolyard bullies progress to become big game hunters, criminals and general no-hopers.

The best advice I can give comes from Anthony Robbins - "STEP UP!"
There's no way bullies can destroy your life unless you want to be the victim.

To improve your confidence and help protect yourself I suggest taking up a martial art such as Wing Chun Kung Fu (which was actually created by a woman.) The strength and muscular coordination you will develop through training should definitely help you maintain your lovely voice.

I realise you're on a music scholarship, but you're also very young. Remember that teenage years are for having fun, developing social skills and expanding your friendship with supportive individuals. You don't need to dream of becoming a singer as you already are a singer and you already are successful!

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