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Am I talking too much?
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Sunday, September 13, 2009
Am I talking too much?
Have you ever noticed that sometimes people sound completely different when they sing and speak? It’s because people get used to used-to a certain pitch level when they talk. This pitch and placement becomes routine or habitual and if the pitch is too high or too low can mean the voice is being misused. As in my classes we talk about voice quality and how it is affected by pitch and tone focus or placement. A voice that is being used improperly may have one or more of these qualities: nasal, thin, weak, breathy, hoarse or scratchy, or squeaky. I have had a few questions lately regarding talking and how and
why it can be so damaging to the voice. In reality how you talk, how much and how loud you talk can definitely affect your singing voice. So lets take a look at some techniques and exercises you can do to help your speaking and singing voice.
Take heart, if you have some of these challenges going on in your voice, by learning good breath support techniques and correct tone focus or placement of the voice, these problems can be successfully avoided and in many cases, reversed. If you are experiencing severe vocal abnormalities, you should visit an ENT to get an accurate understanding of exactly what damage has potentially been done, and what your vocal teacher needs to know in order to help you and your doctor rehabilitate your voice properly.
I like thinking of the voice in thirds: the bottom, middle, and top thirds of the voice.
The Upper third resonates in the head. Imagine your head just from the nose up. The middle third is around the philtrum, that vertical groove right under your nose above your upper lip, and the front top teeth. This is also where the center of the pitch is located. And the bottom third is around the larynx and even vibrates into the chest cavity.
Good voices should have balanced upper and middle resonance with a natural bottom resonance. Too much top is nasally, too much bottom is guttural or swallowed, and too much mid can be harsh.
Watch also that you are using correct volume. Volume when speaking should be produced at a moderate level, one that is comfortable and doesn’t produce strain.
So how do you find your correct pitch and placement for your voice… everyone is built differently and will have slightly different center pitch… would you like to know… close your lips and say ummm hummm.. as sincerely as you can… feel the vibrations up around the lips and nose… close your lips and say “ummm hummm” one more time… feel it? This should be right in your natural pitch…. Try saying this in response to people through out the day when they ask you questions and feel this placement or tone focus up front in the top two thirds of the voice.
Here’s another technique you can use to help you find your natural voice. While standing, place your finger just under your sternum about where your ribs come together. Now press gently with a quick, short staccato movement and while making a sound with your lips closed. The sound you are producing is your natural voice. Now say “ummm hummm” in that same voice. Keep the pitch and tone focus in the same place.
Now say “ummmm hummm hello” and keep everything in the same place. Do this a few times… now raise your arms over your head and say … “ummmm hummm right” and “ummm hummm hello” then let your arms down for a short rest and repeat this exercise a few more times.
Next say “ummmm hummm one” then “ummm hummm two” and so on till at least 10. Remember to feel the tingling or vibrations on your lips when you say the “ummm humm.”
You may feel as if the pitch is higher than you normally speak, and it may be slightly higher. However, don’t worry… no one will think you are talking like you’ve just inhaled helium….
Creating a pleasant speaking voice is a must for any singer who is going to be doing any talking when they’re on stage… and lets face it… that’s all of us… just some talk more than others… You need to have a vocal tone that projects with out staining the voice or being annoying or inaudible. And you need to find the proper rate of speech for your circumstance. If you talk to fast on stage you run the risk of making your audience nervous or uneasy and if you talk to slowly… you might… run the risk of being a tad bit boring…. Neither is good…
You want to be captivating and engaging while on stage, so develop your natural speaking voice and be both a singer and a speaker that everyone wants to listen to!
why it can be so damaging to the voice. In reality how you talk, how much and how loud you talk can definitely affect your singing voice. So lets take a look at some techniques and exercises you can do to help your speaking and singing voice.
Take heart, if you have some of these challenges going on in your voice, by learning good breath support techniques and correct tone focus or placement of the voice, these problems can be successfully avoided and in many cases, reversed. If you are experiencing severe vocal abnormalities, you should visit an ENT to get an accurate understanding of exactly what damage has potentially been done, and what your vocal teacher needs to know in order to help you and your doctor rehabilitate your voice properly.
I like thinking of the voice in thirds: the bottom, middle, and top thirds of the voice.
The Upper third resonates in the head. Imagine your head just from the nose up. The middle third is around the philtrum, that vertical groove right under your nose above your upper lip, and the front top teeth. This is also where the center of the pitch is located. And the bottom third is around the larynx and even vibrates into the chest cavity.
Good voices should have balanced upper and middle resonance with a natural bottom resonance. Too much top is nasally, too much bottom is guttural or swallowed, and too much mid can be harsh.
Watch also that you are using correct volume. Volume when speaking should be produced at a moderate level, one that is comfortable and doesn’t produce strain.
So how do you find your correct pitch and placement for your voice… everyone is built differently and will have slightly different center pitch… would you like to know… close your lips and say ummm hummm.. as sincerely as you can… feel the vibrations up around the lips and nose… close your lips and say “ummm hummm” one more time… feel it? This should be right in your natural pitch…. Try saying this in response to people through out the day when they ask you questions and feel this placement or tone focus up front in the top two thirds of the voice.
Here’s another technique you can use to help you find your natural voice. While standing, place your finger just under your sternum about where your ribs come together. Now press gently with a quick, short staccato movement and while making a sound with your lips closed. The sound you are producing is your natural voice. Now say “ummm hummm” in that same voice. Keep the pitch and tone focus in the same place.
Now say “ummmm hummm hello” and keep everything in the same place. Do this a few times… now raise your arms over your head and say … “ummmm hummm right” and “ummm hummm hello” then let your arms down for a short rest and repeat this exercise a few more times.
Next say “ummmm hummm one” then “ummm hummm two” and so on till at least 10. Remember to feel the tingling or vibrations on your lips when you say the “ummm humm.”
You may feel as if the pitch is higher than you normally speak, and it may be slightly higher. However, don’t worry… no one will think you are talking like you’ve just inhaled helium….
Creating a pleasant speaking voice is a must for any singer who is going to be doing any talking when they’re on stage… and lets face it… that’s all of us… just some talk more than others… You need to have a vocal tone that projects with out staining the voice or being annoying or inaudible. And you need to find the proper rate of speech for your circumstance. If you talk to fast on stage you run the risk of making your audience nervous or uneasy and if you talk to slowly… you might… run the risk of being a tad bit boring…. Neither is good…
You want to be captivating and engaging while on stage, so develop your natural speaking voice and be both a singer and a speaker that everyone wants to listen to!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Help my student, Shelby Downing, out by voting for her song... "Rebel Child".... lets get her the top spot! Thanks....
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Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Vocal Coach or Vocal Teacher – What’s the Difference?
I know that finding the right vocal instruction can be a daunting task. I thought I’d try and help you differentiate between vocal coaches and vocal teachers or technique instructors and help you take some of the mystery out of why coaches and teacher can be so different. And depending on your skill level and what you are looking for, you should be able to ask specific questions to teachers so you can quickly find the one that will help you in you’re the most with what you’re trying to accomplish. So as briefly as I can, I’m going to summarize the basic roles, as I see them, of vocal coaches and vocal teachers or technique instructors.
Vocal Coaching
A vocal coach helps a student through his or her songs and gives feedback on how to improve those songs. They focus on helping the student improve arrangements, phrasing, pitch, diction and articulation, pronunciation, lyrics, volume, breathing (when to breathe and when not to breathe), rhythms and how they approach the song. A vocal coach many times even assists the student in picking the right songs.
They should, at the very least, have a working knowledge in different genres and eras and their respective styles. And since repertoire comes in a variety of languages, the vocal coach should help students with diction, pronunciations, and translations of whatever language they are required to sing in.
Vocal coaches can also work with the singer on how to interpret the meaning of lyrics and how best to convey those emotions to the audience. Not only is this done thru the actual singing, but thru the effective use of body language or good stage presence. The coach may work with the student on making eye contact, gesturing, and microphone technique, how to move with the music, basic choreography, blocking and posture.
Keep in mind that a good vocal coach should be able to address errors in technique and be able to work thru basic technical solutions even though technique is not his or her primary focus.
Vocal Teacher or Vocal Technique Instruction
A vocal teacher or someone who focuses on technique instructor works with students mainly on singing fundamentals. They will spend much of the lessons working on breathing techniques, building and developing the support supporting muscular systems required for good vocal control and endurance, posture, placement, tone, range and flexibility, blending, A technique instructor doesn’t usually spend much of the lesson working on the intricacies of a particular song with his or her students. Again, they should be able to do so if asked. Again, a good vocal teacher or technique instructor should be working on such skills as correct breathing techniques, pure and altered vowel sounds, correcting nasal tones, correcting breathy or throaty tones, correct sliding between notes, blending and transitioning between registers, and increasing vocal range, flexibility, power, endurance and control.
Because of my 30 plus years of live performance experience and working both in front and behind the scenes on many different shows, I am often asked to wear both hats so-to-speak; and although I am very competent at both, I would always prefer my first focus to be that of voice teacher or technique instructor and then vocal coach. It is next to impossible (not impossible but it sure makes it more difficult; and who needs that added pressure) to build a strong and lasting career on a shaky foundation. I also believe it is important to train the whole body because the muscles of the whole body are involved when you sing.
I hear time and time again as many singers age they aren’t capable of doing what they used to do. As a general rule, the more instable, weak, or feeble your foundation is the faster your house will fall down. If your technique is solid, you will be able to sing and sing well as long as you want to do it. I like to first focus on empowering the singer. I want to give you the choice of how to run your career, not be at the mercy of a faltering body and technique.
All that being said, I believe that coaching and teaching can and should go hand in hand. A serious, professional or aspiring professional singer might want to have both a vocal teacher and a coach. If you are not a strong technical singer and don’t have a solid grasp of technique and use improper technique when you sing, you are most likely going to face frustration and quite possibly injure your voice.
Be over prepared… I think if you have good solid technique under your belt, your abilities should exceed whatever technical magic is required in the songs you’re singing. If you’re on top of your game and in top vocal and physical shape, singing should be effortless…. Not thoughtless… remember… THINK – BREATHE – SING!
Vocal Coaching
A vocal coach helps a student through his or her songs and gives feedback on how to improve those songs. They focus on helping the student improve arrangements, phrasing, pitch, diction and articulation, pronunciation, lyrics, volume, breathing (when to breathe and when not to breathe), rhythms and how they approach the song. A vocal coach many times even assists the student in picking the right songs.
They should, at the very least, have a working knowledge in different genres and eras and their respective styles. And since repertoire comes in a variety of languages, the vocal coach should help students with diction, pronunciations, and translations of whatever language they are required to sing in.
Vocal coaches can also work with the singer on how to interpret the meaning of lyrics and how best to convey those emotions to the audience. Not only is this done thru the actual singing, but thru the effective use of body language or good stage presence. The coach may work with the student on making eye contact, gesturing, and microphone technique, how to move with the music, basic choreography, blocking and posture.
Keep in mind that a good vocal coach should be able to address errors in technique and be able to work thru basic technical solutions even though technique is not his or her primary focus.
Vocal Teacher or Vocal Technique Instruction
A vocal teacher or someone who focuses on technique instructor works with students mainly on singing fundamentals. They will spend much of the lessons working on breathing techniques, building and developing the support supporting muscular systems required for good vocal control and endurance, posture, placement, tone, range and flexibility, blending, A technique instructor doesn’t usually spend much of the lesson working on the intricacies of a particular song with his or her students. Again, they should be able to do so if asked. Again, a good vocal teacher or technique instructor should be working on such skills as correct breathing techniques, pure and altered vowel sounds, correcting nasal tones, correcting breathy or throaty tones, correct sliding between notes, blending and transitioning between registers, and increasing vocal range, flexibility, power, endurance and control.
Because of my 30 plus years of live performance experience and working both in front and behind the scenes on many different shows, I am often asked to wear both hats so-to-speak; and although I am very competent at both, I would always prefer my first focus to be that of voice teacher or technique instructor and then vocal coach. It is next to impossible (not impossible but it sure makes it more difficult; and who needs that added pressure) to build a strong and lasting career on a shaky foundation. I also believe it is important to train the whole body because the muscles of the whole body are involved when you sing.
I hear time and time again as many singers age they aren’t capable of doing what they used to do. As a general rule, the more instable, weak, or feeble your foundation is the faster your house will fall down. If your technique is solid, you will be able to sing and sing well as long as you want to do it. I like to first focus on empowering the singer. I want to give you the choice of how to run your career, not be at the mercy of a faltering body and technique.
All that being said, I believe that coaching and teaching can and should go hand in hand. A serious, professional or aspiring professional singer might want to have both a vocal teacher and a coach. If you are not a strong technical singer and don’t have a solid grasp of technique and use improper technique when you sing, you are most likely going to face frustration and quite possibly injure your voice.
Be over prepared… I think if you have good solid technique under your belt, your abilities should exceed whatever technical magic is required in the songs you’re singing. If you’re on top of your game and in top vocal and physical shape, singing should be effortless…. Not thoughtless… remember… THINK – BREATHE – SING!
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