This week: Seven tips for practicing for a gig – especially for the first gig with a new band. 1. Dress in actual gig clothing. If you are planning on wearing anything other than street clothes (or clothes you haven’t worn at a gig before), run through your set wearing the clothes and shoes […]
What if you could take the leap from good to great? Rather than toiling along the road slowly, hoping that some day, eventually, you’ll be great? Well, I believe the only way to get from good to great IS a leap, rather than a one-step-at-a-time process. It’s a decision. A realization, rather than an accretion […]
This week’s newsletter was written by Panos Kolias. I have seen this question written in several forums. I have been asked this question several times, and had to ask the question of myself too. If you are asking that question, you have probably already decided that you want to change your life and follow a […]
Many open mic nights, jam sessions, and karaoke opportunities take place in bars, where students under 21 can’t usually enter (in the US, anyway). Â Consequently, several of my students were wondering how to get stage experience when they are too young to enter establishments where they could perform. The idea of coffee-shop style open mic […]
One of my students, singer-songwriter Jaden Carlson, is playing at the Desert Rocks Music Festival this weekend. She’s very comfortable on stage whether talking or singing, but she wanted her song introductions to connect with her audience more powerfully. So in our last couple of lessons we worked on her song introductions. The things we worked […]
When you sing any given pitch, you are producing sound not just on that pitch, but also different overtones as well. That’s one reason why your voice sounds like a voice, not a pure computer-beep sine wave. Think about what happens if you change the EQ settings on your mixer or your stereo. Even though […]
I’ve had to learn about 40 songs recently for a cover band I just joined. But most of them are still not anywhere near done. There’s learning how a song goes, and then there’s owning a song. You’re a much better performer when you get to the point of owning your songs. The Six Stages […]
Most singers come to me saying they want to be better singers. Before we do any exercises or singing, though, I ask more questions. Better… for what? Original music? Singer/songwriter stuff, or hard rock band? Karaoke competitions? Musical theatre? Recording only? Live performance only? Casual singing with friends? What makes a great singer depends on […]
On the one hand, you may hear about front placement: “Sing through your mask. Sing as if your voice is right in front of your face. Feel your voice hit the back of your front teeth.” On the other, you may hear about creating space in the back of the mouth: “Open the back of your […]
Have you ever done any high-intensity sports? I ran track and cross country in high school. When we would warm up for the afternoon workout, we’d start with an easy jog. Not a 100-meter sprint; not even a half-mile run. We would start with an easy jog around the football field. Why? You know […]
