singer's blog

The best way to save time and money in the recording studio is to be prepared – and I mean completely prepared! I have seen so many bands that just can’t get it together in the studio for one reason or another. Either they haven’t put much thought into how difficult recording can be, or they just can’t pull everything together like they can at their live shows. These bands can waste a lot of studio time trying to come up with parts or arrangements, or even fixing problems with their equipment, and all of this wasted time could be prevented. They end up spending way more money than they should have, leaving less money for manufacturing, advertising, and promotion of their record. In some cases, they never finish their record because they can’t afford the costs. Remember, this is a business, and controlling costs is the key to any business. Some simple steps, such as thoughtful preproduction and being prepared for as many contingencies as you can, will go a long way toward controlling costs.

How about teachers who say they teach the „scientific“ method of singing?

Many teachers in recent history have fallen victim to what has been erroneously termed „voice science“. You see, any time you associate something with the word „science“, it automatically assumes an aura of truth. That's very attractive to both teachers and students, who are anxious to grab onto anything that offers them hope of understanding what has unfortunately become a very confusing subject.

How does one select a voice teacher?

First of all, you must be able to discern whether or not a teacher is primarily a voice technique teacher – one who shows you how to sing, or whether he/she is primarily a voice coach – one who shows you what to sing. Of the two types, the voice technique teacher is the most important, because without the technical ability to sing flexibly and clearly in all parts of your range, you are very limited to the material you can do.

Should your vocal technique be the same for choral (ensemble) singing as it is for solo singing?

Yes, you should always use the same vocal technique, whether you sing solo or in a group. However, choral directors sometimes want you to modify your tone (change the way you sing) in order to blend with the other singers in the group. This may be okay for those singers who have developed a solid vocal technique, but dangerous for those – the majority – who haven't. You blend, all right – but at what cost? A singer should never compromise correct speech-level technique.

How do you determine what the tone quality of a singer's voice should be?

A singer's tone should be determined by his or her own individual vocal anatomy and not a predetermined ideal held by a teacher – or the student, for that matter! It should be a blend of the top, middle, and bottom resonance qualities that results when the singer's larynx remains in a relaxed, stable position.

What about breathing? Doesn't correct breathing play an important part in your ability to produce good tone?

Should beginning voice students sing in foreign languages?

Training your voice, as you may have guessed, means learning to coordinate and strengthen the muscles in your larynx so you can sing with speech-level posture over a wide pitch and dynamic range. Coordination and strength an?

How soon in my training program can I expect to sing high notes easily?

Immediately, since in our approach there is no strain involved in the production of tone anywhere in one's range. You must move quickly into the extreme ranges to ensure that you don't get locked in to any one part of your range.

What about teachers who say you should build your middle range before you try to extend it up or down?

You should be able to sing through your entire range – from the lowest notes of your chest voice, up through the highest notes of your head voice – in a smooth, even, or what we call connected manner, and still maintain a relaxed speech-level posture.

Singing low notes

How do you teach young voices, say under fifteen years of age?

For both boys and girls, basic musicianship should begin as soon as possible. A stringed instrument such as violin, viola or cello is good to learn, li gives the youngster a feeling of long, continuous, bowed lines, and a „vibratoed“ quality of tone which is indeed similar to the singing voice. Piano and guitar are also very good as they will help in the later study of harmony and be useful as a means of self-accompaniment. Naturally, with all instruments, the involvement with reading music and rhythm is invaluable.