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 […]
Do you find that you can sing well in practice, but when you get on stage, you blow it? You can’t hit a high note except in falsetto, or your mind goes completely blank, or your throat is so tight you can barely sing? I was a nationally competitive waterskier for many years, and found […]
Ready for a little basic vocal technique today? One of my favorite exercises, which functions as a warmup, troubleshooting, training, AND recovery exercise, is simply humming. But not just any kind of humming. It has to be done the right way. Here are two ways to think about humming: 1) Go “Hmmmm…” as if you […]
Do you feel musically alone? Last week I visited college friends in California’s San Francisco Bay Area. The theme of the week was intrapersonal musical influences and connections. I used to feel very alone in my search for a music career as little as five years ago, but how rich, abundant, and connected the landscape […]
I got a call at 2pm last Friday from That 80s Band. Their lead singer had just come down with the flu. They had a gig at 9pm that night and needed a vocalist. Was I available? Although I had to cancel some plans, my answer was YES! I performed with this band a couple […]
Improvisation: singing without prior preparation and planning; choosing what to sing in the moment in response to circumstances or inner feelings. Improvisation is very hard to practice, especially at first. You are likely to sing a lot of notes that don’t sound good. And if you don’t play an instrument, it’s even harder practicing something […]
Christmas is six weeks past, but I’ve used this technique three times in the last week with students, so I thought I would share it with all of you on the newsletter. You have probably heard many times that singing is all about breath support and airflow. And you may think you’re singing with good […]
