Your SINGING Career

Singing Girl - Photo: Pixabay

As a former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency, I know the struggles and the emotional whirlwinds that often face young singers attempting to find their niche in the music industry.   Satisfying the desire to become successful in the music industry is not easily achieved or obtained, but those who make it, are well aware of the rewards.

In an effort to increase your odds and to obtain any “real” recognition in the music industry, whether as an artist, jingle singer, or just plain session singing, let’s take a closer look at a few factors that might increase your odds.  Notice, I didn’t say do this or that and it’s a done deal.  If you’re familiar at all with the music industry you are well too familiar that some make it with virtually no talent at all and others, with incredible style, look and drive, never even get the slightest nod from music industry executives.

To begin with – What’s your career blueprint look like?  What are you doing from a pre-determined game plan right now?  Have you actually taken the time over a cup of coffee and sat down with a pad and pencil and jotted down 

1) your goals, short-term, and long-term 

2) your overall game plan and 

3) how you are going to implement your to-do list to get to your end goal?  

I’m surprised to learn how few really get this far.  Sure, many sit in the car or on the couch “thinking about life and their career” and have a general idea, but until you put it down on paper and follow through with a course of action, you might as well forget it.  Start by writing down your goals with a course of action and break it down with what you can do this month, this week and what I can get done today -  This will help you to not only stay focused but give you the boost when you feel like giving up.

Next, now that you’ve figured out what you want to do and how you’re going to go about doing it with a set blueprint, what does your demo sound like?  It can’t just sound pretty good – And yes, this does take time and money - $75 demos won’t get the job done.  Good and pretty good won’t get it – It has to knock their socks off and turn the heads of the listeners.  Yes, as I mentioned earlier, some with virtually little talent get in, but what I’m talking about here is reflected in an overall picture of what’s being sent to the A&R director, producer, etc.  Not only does this demo sound great, but “Should we use it as the final mix in the CD, because it’s already in the pocket and we won’t have to spend any more production money re-cutting any of these songs.”   That’s how good your demo’s should be – And as an aspiring jingle singer, don’t settle for a “mom and pop” or car commercially sounding demo reel.  Your jingles ought to sound like they’re national TV and radio spots like you’ve already arrived.

The next important element, almost as important as the music itself, is your press kit and how you present yourself to industry professionals.  I will break this up into 2 segments the first on the artist press kit and secondly phone calls and interviews.  Anything that you send out in print or on your CD, has got to look like you’re established and you’ve already made it.  Make sure that your CD covers are printed on gloss paper with high-quality photographs of you or the band.  Managers, producers, and A&R directors alike are more inclined to pick up an act that looks together.  They don’t have time to figure out if this poorly imaged act has what it takes or not – And they very well might – But they don’t have the presentation.  In here lies what I consider to be your greatest ally.  If you will spend time and money to have your artist press kit not only look professional but with an edge, you can convey 1) your image, 2) your marketability, 3) and your dedication and sincerity – This is not a fleeting moment or idea for you.  You’re in this for the long haul and your presentation states that.  Make anything in print that you send out, shine.

The next part of your presentation is in the phone calls, meetings, and grin and grip events, whether concerts, showcases or otherwise.  If you don’t have a natural ability to interact with individuals, you are going to have to practice.  And furthermore, there’s nothing wrong, and I would suggest, writing down on paper anything that you want to come to mind before a phone conversation even begins.  If you’re bad with names, as many of us are, have those names written down, easily obtained in the middle of a call.  Prepare as much as you can before the conversation and be honest.  Honesty goes long ways with people.  Most in the industry have “heard it all” and it’s so refreshing to hear somebody state, “I’m not sure, but I’ll find out.”  Speak with sincerity, honesty, but with confidence as well.  After all, you’ve got something unique and it’s your vocal career.  You need to sell them, but they also need to recognize the obvious, and that is that they’ve just discovered the next…

So as you begin or at least start looking at your singing career, look at these simple to implement principals that we have just looked at and know ahead of time that you are going to be specific, analytic, and purposeful in your singing career strategies.  Take a look at your strengths and weaknesses and be honest.  Ask others.  Don’t be afraid to change course or look at other singing alternatives as well.  We know that short articles are difficult to present every point of the equation, so don’t hesitate to contact us should you have further questions.

Author: Tom Gauger

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Professional OPERA SINGER Voice Types: The TENOR

Leo Slezak (1873 – 1946), tenor opera singer and actor
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We all know how thrilling it is to hear a live professional opera singer. Even on a recording, it is something quite special, but nothing really beats seeing and hearing a professional opera singer in the flesh.

A tenor is the second highest male voice with the highest being the countertenor. As with any operatic voice type, each voice has several sub-categories. There is the lyric tenor who sings a lot of Puccini and Verdi, there is the Mozartian tenor, and the Heldentenor who sings Wagner to name but a few. In this article, we will take a look at some types of tenor voice types, and name some popular, very difficult, tenor arias relating to those voices.

1. Di quella pira from Verdi's Il Trovatore

This is a dramatic aria, both in character and plot-wise. When Manrico (the dramatic tenor singing this aria) learns that his mother, Acuzena, is about to be burnt at the stake, he gathers all his soldiers around him and tells them what has to be done. Manrico is outraged and Verdi conveys this through his music. You can hear his anger and the sense of drama is heightened by the rhythm. This aria isn't demanding in the sense that it doesn't have lots of high Cs, yet it is one of the most difficult ones in the operatic repertoire. It requires the tenor to have real muscle to his sound and when the high C finally comes, it is worth the wait! This aria is sung by a dramatic tenor and when you hear it, you understand why.

2. Ah mes amis from Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment

This aria certainly has high C's. Ah mes amis, sometimes referred to as the ten high Cs aria, is filled with them. The character of this aria is light, melodic and beautiful. Of course, it is thrilling as you just can't wait for the high Cs to come. This aria requires an easy high lying tenor voice, namely a light tenor.

3. Che gelida manina by Puccini from La Bohème

This is a classic tenor aria from one of the most loved operas ever written. This piece, as well as most other arias and duets from La Bohème, are pieces you often come across at opera galas, corporate entertainment events, and singing waiter performances. The hero, Rodolfo, has just met the love of his life, Mimì (a lyric soprano), and sings of how cold her hand is. It is sensitive, has beautiful melodic vocal lines and a lush, rich orchestration. This would be sung by a lyric tenor.

There is nothing that beats the experience of hearing a professional opera singer live. Hopefully, the time you next go to an opera gala, an operatic corporate entertainment event, or even a performance at an opera house, you will feel you know a little bit more about the tenor voice.

By Margaret Cooke To find out more about how opera entertainment can transform your event visit http://www.operabespoke.co.uk/ Article Source: EzineArticles

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How To Preserve Good SINGING VOICE

Portrait of Harry Belafonte
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Good professional singers not only have to be fit and healthy to look good for stage performances, they must also know how to maintain and preserve a good singing voice.

You have only one voice and when your voice is damaged permanently, it will probably spell the end of a singer's. Many singers who have not been through professional singing coaching by good singing coaches or attend any singing schools may not even know that they may be damaging their voice.

Many singers also forget that when their singing voice does not feel right and they are not singing effortlessly as they should be, they will have a tendency to compensate for bad and unhealthy singing habits. These newly created or old bad habits may become stuck unconsciously and will have to be unlearned with the right vocal exercises. That is if the singer is aware that such habits are already in existence in the first place.

There are many things you can do to damage your singing voice and sometimes the damage will lead to permanent damage to your vocal chords. Here are some examples of what can harm your voice and there are much more.

a) Constant screaming or talking forcefully all the time. This happens very often if you are singing in a night club environment where you have to speak above the din to be heard.

Making funny voices maybe cute, but you may be doing terrible damages to your vocal folds.

b) Dry air and/or not enough water consumption will dry up your larynx and thus placing too much friction on them.

c) Poor diet, lack of sleep, stress will place more toll on your body and your singing mechanism.

d) Caffeine consumption, alcohol consumption, smoking will also damage your voice.

e) Talking, singing or whispering when you have laryngitis or sore throat. You need to rest your voice when you have a sore throat.

True professional singers must spend a lifetime working to minimize the stresses on their voices. Why should they want to destroy their singing career by being ignorant about what these bad habits can do to their singing?

What is more, if the voice is damaged because of frequent abuse and polyps grow on the larynx, they may even need to go for a surgery to remove the polyps. That will mean an of income and avoidable medical expenses. So you must preserve and maintain a healthy singing voice if you want to have a successful singing career.

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GOOD SINGING Tone Quality

Glottal cycle, animated (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A common pursuit amongst singers is the quest for a good head and chest voice/tone resonance. Although we have discussed to some extent about head/chest resonance in previous articles, there will still be a lot of confusion on this subject such as balancing tonal brilliance and depth of the resonance.

Blending these two voice qualities or vocal colors is a major source of confusion and frustration for many aspiring singers. However, once you understand how the voice work, blending the vocal colors should become easy and automatic as speaking expressively.

In fact, once you are able to blend the tones, you will begin to sing with more emotion and passion because you will know how to create the tones that will draw out the feelings and the emotions of the songs that you are singing. Some people call it singing with feeling.

It is well established that the head resonance, when properly supported, has a brilliant ringing tone quality as compared to the chest resonance singing tone. This bright voice tone is developed in the bones and cavities above and, behind and around the nose known as the mask.

The result from an unsupported head resonance is very different and is characterized by a false falsetto tone. This oddity occurs when a singer suddenly switches into a choir boy tone.

The resonators have a lot to do with what your voice sounds like. This is why you can listen to many singers with high voices and yet each of them will have a different blend of sound and tonal quality.

Now try this experiment to feel the resonating system of the head. Gently tap your finger on the bone between the upper lip and the nose. Can you hear the gentle thud it made? Now tap the bridge of your nose and then your forehead just below your hairline and again listen to the thugs again.

Did you notice that the thuds were higher in pitch as you ascend from the lip to the forehead? By performing this experiment, you will know that certain bones are predisposed to amplify various pitch levels.

When singers refer to chest resonance, they are actually talking about vocal tone which is characterized by darker vowel qualities or mellowness. However, the term is a misnomer. By dictionary definition, an effective resonating chamber is a hollow place surrounded by hard surfaces. However, the chest is too full of organs to be suitable for amplifying the singing tone.

Throat and chest resonance occurs where there is plenty of empty space for amplification of the lower vibrations created by the vocal cords in the mouth and throat. Contrary to popular thinking, most so-called "chest resonance" actually comes from the throat. However, there is also a distinct sensation of vibration in the chest when singing, especially in the sternum or breastbone area. This feel of tone gathering in the chest area can be used very effectively to stabilize high notes.

So in order to get good singing tone, then you must practice with the right vocal exercises to blend the head and chest tone.

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How To SING Like An Angel and Create Beautiful VOCAL Tones

Singing Cast (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of the more challenging tasks of becoming a singer is creating beautiful vocal tones while singing. This is a work in progress and any "singer" who says that he has his tonal work figured out is probably not the best model for a beginning singer.

The first step in creating beautiful vocal sounds is by exploring your voice's unique tonal qualities. Here are three steps that will reveal to you the actual tonal quality of your singing voice:

1. Draw a breath and try to sigh for as long as possible. It pays to be relaxed when performing this vocal exercise.

Your muscles should be loose and flexible when you sigh, especially the muscles around the head, throat, and shoulders. Make sure that your posture is correct when singing.

2. The next exercise will help reveal your high and low notes. To explore your high and low notes, take a deep breath and imitate the sound of a loud siren.

Make sure that you imitate the low and high intervals of a siren. Listen to your siren imitation or you can even record it to so you can examine your voice later.

3. Lastly, imagine that you have become a millionaire overnight. Whoop as loudly as you can, and as many times as you want. The loud whooping sound also releases your vocal quality.

When you are done exploring your voice's tonal quality, try to find songs that match that tone. You may be surprised at the variety of songs that you can easily perform using that unique voice of yours!

You see, it is important that you always learn from listening to your own voice. Singing voices can always be improved with method, remember that. A non-singer with some talent can become a superstar with the right method. We can't all be like the late Whitney Houston or John Legends, so for those of us who need to learn how to sing, we must focus on the best techniques.T

The next step to creating beautiful vocal tones is to learn now to properly release your vocal power.

1. Before singing, gently massage all of the muscles surrounding the face, jaws, neck, and shoulder area. These are your "final frontier" muscles, since they will be fully responsible for making the final transmission/projection of your voice. If muscles around these areas are not relaxed, you will not be able to sing with ease.

2. People usually use their chin as a reference point when opening their mouth. This is not the way to do it when you are singing. Instead of using your chin as a reference point, I want you to release your jaw using your lower jaw hinge as a reference point. Your chin should drop straight down but the conscious movement should be centered on the lower jaw's hinge

The last step to producing angelic vocal tones is knowing how to position your voice box or larynx for optimal tone. Yes, believe it or not, it can be done!

The larynx or voice box is made of flexible, cartilaginous tissue that vibrates to create the sound that you hear when you sing or talk. This amazing organ is capable of producing hundreds of different sounds. You only have to know how to produce the sound yourself, and the voice box will be responsible for generating the sound that you want to hear.

The voice box works better if it generates sound from a low position on your throat. How will you do that? Should you push it down with your finger? Definitely not, as this might cause physical damage to your voice box.

Instead of touching your voice box, I want you to smell the air as if you smelled the most delicious food in the world. Why? Because when a person smells this way, even the throat muscles respond, and the movement automatically lowers the position of the larynx. At this position the larynx is ready to produce a wider range of tones, from low bass to high soprano.

There you have it. Now you have the tools to create beautiful vocal tones.

By Jamie Richards My name is Jamie and I've been teaching countless students how to sing for more than ten years. In that time, I've gained a lot of knowledge about the best methods that novice singers should learn if they really want to learn how to sing. As a vocal coach and music teacher, it is my goal to help anyone who wishes to advance their singing skills, so I'd like to share my knowledge with you, free of charge. Article Source: EzineArticles

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How To Front Your Own Band As A LEAD SINGER

Fronting their own band is a dream of every beginner singer. So how can you front a band and develop your own band's own distinctive style of music and performance? How to at the same time developing your own individually unique singing style? How are you going to be distinguished and get noticed from those thousands of bands playing only cover versions of popular music and imitating their favourite bands and lead singers?

Sheryl Crow and Mick Jagger during the Licks Tour
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

First thing to do is to view as many DVD performances of famous singers fronting their bands from the musical genre you have chosen as the forte of your band's music. Examine how distinctive and different they are from each other. Notice each band playing with their own style and song delivery. Take note of everyone's body language and what signals and vibes the famous bands and singers are sending out.

Let us take a look at some of these singers and bands. Take Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones for example. See how he pouts his lips and struts on stage cockily exuding sensual visuals and confident charisma at the same time. Those body language became his characteristics and singing charisma. In the advertisement world,it is called image branding.

If someone were to name you some popular singers, you will immediately associate a clear mental picture of that singer during a performance. That is how powerful your body language and distinctive branding can be. In otherwords, be different from the crowd by developing your own style of singing and performance.

Just try it. Close your eyes and when someone mentions to you these names, what do you see in your mental picture? Elvis Presley, Boy George, Bono of U2, Kate Bush, Cindy Lauper, Michael Jackson and even The Village People. Get the picture? (pun not intended, grin)

So, you must develop your own distinctive style of singing and stage performance to get noticed and create a brand for your band.

Learn from those excellent singers fronting their own bands. Learn from them how they keep time and rythym when they move on stage? Which action and movement during their performances that drew audience reactions? How do these singers whip their fans into a frenzy? What are the facial expressions at every stage of a song? How do they tell an emotional story from the lyrics of the songs that get people moved?

Learn and borrow some traits from these singers, and then develop them further with your own unique singing style blended in.

Once you have developed your personal distinctive singing style, the next step is to rehearse with your band. Your band must know what you want and this must be communicated before every rehearsal and reinforced. Things like when you want to bring the song into a climax, when to bring it down to tug at audience heartstrings, when to pause to create a dramatic impact...etc

Invest a little moeny in your band by buying some good music sheets so that the band can play together as a team with the same music sheets and scores.If you leave your band members to play by ear, all the band members will interpret the songs in their own way and you would have lost alot of time and energy to get the band to play tightly together.

Therefore you need to work closely with your band members since as a lead singer, you are probably the band leader as well. You then must insist that the band play the keys that you are comfortable to sing in, stick to the musical arrangements and follow the effects of the songs you want to portray.

Once this is done, rehearse until the band and you are inseparable components of the song, then you are there! You are now ready to front a good band as a lead singer, get recognized as a singer and band leader of distinction.

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