You probably did, but in case you didn’t already know: the old model for rockstar success is gone. As recently as 10 years ago, you could still hope to “get discovered” and “get signed” by a record label. This meant that if you showed enough promise and potential to look like a good investment, […]
A singer I know got some great feedback recently from a new band member. He told her that although she was an excellent performer, she was undermining herself between songs. Here’s how: While singing in this particular band, she takes on the persona of a rockstar-type diva. She’s high-energy and edgy. She takes risks, both […]
Call me dedicated, call me crazy… Often when I’m learning a new cover song that’s going to be in the repertoire for a while, I record myself singing it. Then I compare myself with the original singer, WORD FOR WORD. That means: play a second or two of the original recording, then play the same […]
This past weekend was a big gig for a lot of singers: it was a reunion gig of Guitar Villians Live Band Karaoke, with 31 singers vying for $800 in cash prizes. Each singer got to sing only one song. Can you imagine the pressure? Understandably, a lot of them were nervous. Some came to […]
I’ve been sick, moving from one house to another, and gigging a lot lately. I apologize for letting last week week go by without a newsletter. This past Saturday, I completely lost my voice at a gig. I have rehearsal on Wednesday and another gig on Friday, so I need to get my voice back […]
You probably know how it feels – you’re singing higher and higher, and your throat is getting tighter and tighter, and you feel like you’re going to break unless you push harder and harder to hold it all together. You wish you could figure out how to sing in your chest voice without straining. But […]
Want to make a leap forward and sing better fast? Sometimes it helps to just go back to basics! I had a fabulous voice lesson last week. I brought my teacher the song “Use Me” by Bill Withers. It has one note that jumps up high – not that high, really, and I can hit […]
For most people, the low end of their vocal range is the range they’re most comfortable in. This is mainly because we constantly talk in the low end of our vocal range! But you may be able to access yet a few more notes on the low end of your vocal range than you currently […]
Remember the kids that came trick-or-treating to your house a couple months ago? Some of them wore masks, right? Remember how their voices sounded when they said “trick or treat”? Their voices were muffled and quiet, weren’t they? You have probably already figured out this week’s rocket-science tip: To sing louder, open your mouth. Simple, […]
Learning about stage presence is one thing. But in order to practice what you know about stage presence, you have to sing on stage for real! One of the biggest challenges for new singers (who are not also instrumentalists in bands) is to find singing performance opportunities. It’s the chicken-and-egg problem: without singing experience you […]
