A labeled anatomical diagram of the vocal folds or cords. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Good professional singers not only have to be fit and healthy to look good for stage performances, but 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 with 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 cords. Here are some examples of what can harm your voice and there are many 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 may be 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 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.
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 yours 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 a long way 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.
Penelope Jean - Publicist, TV Entertainment Analyst, and Booking Agent (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In the world of the music business, there are true singers who sing and singers who don’t, along with talent booking agents who book and those that couldn’t sell cotton candy at the circus. Is it drive, talent, or a mystical combination of “factors” that create singers and talent booking agents, or is it yet the pure unexplainable? Let’s look at some factors in this article as singers, looking to further their careers, try to find suitable representation.
As a former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency, I can tell you that there are many factors that determine both effective agents and marketable singers and artists. While there are many explainable factors, there certainly is the element of luck, the right place at the right time and the “Who knows, it just happened,” phenomenon. Let’s start with what we can determine and hopefully, you will gain some insight into what effective booking agents look like and your securing one of them.
To begin with, there are many calibers of booking agents out there. As I’ve outlined in a previous article on booking talent, that you can find at ReelMusician, there is the order taking agents who book mainly headline acts, the agent who started in some agency somewhere and who branches out starting their own agency booking more of the “has been” acts and the lowest, but not always the least on the totem pole agents. These agents are usually friends of the artist or a manager looking to push their act before a major record deal signing, etc.
With each agent level comes a different approach. The order taking agent, with the larger well-known talent agencies, isn’t going to be interested in your act unless there are interest and ongoing courting from a major record label. These agents take the “baby” acts and use leverage, with promoters who want the headline act, into a must take the baby act as well deal – And most promoters don’t have a problem and understand that this is part of the deal when playing in the big boys club. Unless you have a record deal or are very appealing and are drawing some interest from the labels or a big-time manager, you won’t find yourself behind the desk of one of these agents. If you are trying to approach the agent at the top of the pyramid, you must recognize that image, packaging, appeal, and your knowing and talking the game to a tee, and not in artsy-fartsy language, is going to be key.
I recommend that you really have your act together and don’t even begin to bother these individuals, not that they’re necessarily the best agents in the game, but certainly have more power and influence from position alone, before approaching them. Your artist bio, pictures, artist demos have to look like there label ready. And before that, you really need to have a manager and a manager working on securing an agent on your behalf.
Again, many more articles on this and other topics can be found at ReelMusician. So, unless you really have your act together, with management in place, don’t bother wasting yours or the agent’s time.
The next level down the agent totem pole will not only be easier to gain access to but easier to gain representation from. The middle line agents are hard-working agents who make their bread and butter on the older, end of the product or market shelf life acts. These acts, because of name recognition, can make these agents a significant income. You will have to prove to this agent that you will not take up any more time than any other activity that they are promoting. Why should they spend all of their time trying to book your act with nothing or little in return? This is a key question. Ask yourself, as an agent, what do I get out of this? - Phone bills and mailing costs or am I going to see a valid positive cash flow return on all of my time expended on this act? I want you to think about that question and reflect. This alone will help you not only relate, converse knowing their difficulties in booking but ultimately help you secure a booking agent.
In the game of booking, you as an artist have to have something more than “hip and cool” and a “new” artist sound, but you have to be able to present to the seller, that being your agent, that he or she has something of value to sell with minimal headaches. You can’t possibly begin to imagine how hard it is to book some acts – when you start booking your own shows, with vested interest I might ad, you begin to touch on the realities of the agent’s day to day barrage of booking complexities. So begin to compile a mental list of positive booking attributes that you or your band can bring to the table.
As you look at either contemplating a manager, or a serious friend who wants a try at booking and management of your act, try to be reasonable in your business relationships. I’ve said it before, that everyone wants to be a star, but nobody wants to help pay for it. For the most part, artists just expect that booking agents and managers will pick up the exhaustive phone, mailing and press kit bills. You might inquire, if you are really serious about securing a business team, about helping out with some of the initial start-up costs trying to land your act on the map. It takes a tremendous amount of energy and money and just your willingness to help out alone, will tell a manager or booking agent that you are serious and not just “takers.” This alone, even if they decline the financial help, may be the key in determining the start of a successful relationship.
In closing, in order for you to succeed, you must remain in front of the masses and this is done not so much musically, but in your day to attitude and business focus and with your professional and well laid out blueprint for success. Feel free to contact us at the contact numbers that follow.
Portrait of Harry Belafonte, singing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Kids tend to find singing very amusing and never miss a chance to show off their singing talent. For some kids, the desire to sing does not wear off by getting older. In some cases, it grows even stronger and it becomes a passion they wish to pursue as adults. In this case, singing becomes a bit more challenging. It's one thing to make singing mistakes as a kid and quite different to become embarrassed in a karaoke contest. In fact, many people give up singing as adults, simply because they are afraid of the harsh criticism they may get.
If you can identify with the above situation, you'll certainly be glad to know that you can, in fact, learn how to sing properly, every time. Sure, good genes are a factor if you want to become a star, but anyone can learn how to sing impressively well if they devote the time and energy required to master the technique. Hence, the most important step you need to take is to decide if you are really determined to learn how to sing and everything else will follow with studying and practice.
You will have noticed that the word "studying" was mentioned in the above paragraph, along with practice. You see, in order to sing properly, you definitely need to learn some of the principles of voice production. Singing is a highly physical activity and professional singers know that. That's why they seem to be singing with their entire body rather than just their vocal cords. Pro singers can manipulate three types of singing voices, which are usually common to all people. The chest voice, the middle voice and the head voice.
The chest voice is the voice you use when you speak. With this voice, you can create a rich, full-bodied sound. The head voice is usually used for higher pitched notes, most frequently by female vocal artists. The middle voice acts somewhat like a bridge between the chest voice and the head voice. You can think of these different singing voices as the ABC of singing. Only after you've studied and learned your ABC does it make sense to practice. And if you practice with some solid guidelines in mind, be sure that you can learn how to sing correctly, every time!
The 'Karaoke' is a very popular form of entertainment. The Karaoke allows the singer to sing along with the favorite recorded soundtracks. The origin of the word 'Karaoke' is from Japan which means 'empty orchestra' or 'virtual orchestra'. Now a day Karaoke machines are widely used as an alternative playback device in films and even in computers and mobile phones.
Overview of Karaoke Machine
A Karaoke Machine is built-in with a karaoke player, amplifier, speakers, and often a TV monitor. The karaoke player is generally a CD or DVD player that comes with the various added function of graphics output. The Karaoke Player allows playing 'Karaoke' which further is needed to get connected to other karaoke equipment such as a TV monitor, sound system, etc. in order to function. The Karaoke Players generally come in two types i.e. portable and component style.
The portable Karaoke Player is basically an all-in-one system which is very easy to operate. The portable Karaoke systems which are great home entertainer are mainly used at home parties and at small entertainment venues. These systems generally consist of a CD player, a microphone, a pitch and echo controller and external speakers with built-in amplifiers.
Other than the portable Karaoke Machine these players also come in component style. The Component Karaoke systems are similar in size and function to that of portable systems but have several additional features. The component players are basically multi-disc systems. These systems have several microphone inputs with separate volume controls for each microphone. The component Karaoke systems do not have any speaker or amplifier. Therefore these systems are usually connected to either home or any professional sound systems.
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The Technology behind the Karaoke Machine
A standard Karaoke generally consists of an audio input and an audio output and act as an audio mixer. In a Karaoke Machine, regular songs can be fed into the machine and the voice of the original singer can be suppressed. Sometimes karaoke machine uses a special type of compact disc which has graphics capability and this disc is popularly known as CD+G disc. The CD+G players are generally used to display the lyrics and pictures on the screen along with the music, while both audio and video are displayed in the other formats of karaoke. With the help of different technologies, the karaoke machines are capable of changing electronically the pitch of the music. This technology helps the amateur singers to sing along with any music source most appropriate to their vocal ranges.
A karaoke place in Wuhan, in Luoyu E. St. (Across the street from the HUST campus) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Are you looking for a fun way to add some life to your parties? Karaoke is an activity that people of all ages really enjoy doing. Your guests will look forward to your next party once you tell them they can sing their favorite songs while they are there. There are plenty of different karaoke machines you can purchase and many of them are very affordable.
The words of the songs will be scrolling on the karaoke machine or across your TV set depending on the type of set up you have in place. A microphone allows the voice of those singing to be amplified and that is very exciting. Most karaoke machines come with several tracks from which you can choose to sing. You can also buy additional ones to give your guests more of a selection of songs.
There are some excellent software programs you can purchase to burn karaoke songs offer of the internet. This is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to increase the number of songs you have to offer to your guests. If they find something they really like they will be more likely to join in the fun.
You can have a karaoke contest at your party as well. If the party is for children you will want to have a prize ready for each child to take home just for participating. For adults and teenagers, you can offer great prizes for different categories including best voice and the most original performance.
Don’t think that your karaoke machine is going to remain stored away in between parties either. Chances are your family will have so much fun with it that members will use it regularly. They may just want to have some fun or they may want to improve their sound for the next karaoke party.
Take your time to compare the various types of karaoke machines available and the music for them. You want your party to be a huge success so give guests something they will really enjoy being a part of. It is a good idea to set up the karaoke machine in advance and practice using it before your party. This way you won’t be fumbling around with the equipment and holding up the entertainment.
It helps if you have a sign-up sheet where guests can write down their name and the selection of the sound they want to sing. You can print out sheets of the song titles and artists for them to review as well. You can make a spreadsheet on your computer so you can continually update it as you add new material.
Regardless of the type of party, you are hosting, you can bring a smile to the face of everyone there with karaoke. Make sure you offer a wide variety of songs since everyone has their own taste in music. If karaoke night at your house becomes a regular routine you can even ask your guests if there are particular songs they would like to hear. This is a great way to have fun without spending very much money for your event.
Morrison's handwritten original lyrics to 1971's LA Woman. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
What makes a good song so appealing to the people who buy CDs and MP3 files? Is it the background beats or the guitar riffs played? Is it the voice of the lead singer or how high he or she can take his vocals to? The truth is that the most important part of most songs, techno possibly being an exception, is the lyrics, or the words of the song. The lyrics are the meat of any song and are usually the part that is most recognizable from any song. They are an integral part of any music tune and it would be a mistake for any artist to take them lightly.
As mentioned before, the most recognizable part of any song is usually the lyrics. What this means is that when someone is looking for a song they heard on the radio, they will probably remember some key lines from the chorus. They are not, however, likely to remember a well-done guitar solo or something of that sort. While the instrumental play is important as well, people usually link songs with the words inside the music. This is because words are not only much easier to remember than instrument music is, they are also easy to translate to someone else. For example, it would be much easier to find a CD if you know the words to a song that if you knew the drum beats from a song.
Lyrics are often commonly considered to be the single artistic part of music as well. While this is certainly not true from a musicians standpoint, as guitars and drums take a lot of practice and time to master, it doesn’t change the fact that many people feel that a good song must have quality lyrics. Good lyrics will relate to a person’s life and make them feel better about a bad situation. Bad lyrics will focus on trivial parts of life that really don’t matter and will have no deeper meaning to them after the song is over. Artists will find that after a while people tire of hearing the same old stuff about showing off gold chains and shaking behinds. Many music fans are looking for songs that have meanings, and this, in turn, means that artists need to spend more time on their lyrics.
Remember that before it was stated that lyrics are important because of how they can be recognized. This is double-fold when you consider that good lyrics in one song can sometimes single-handedly assure an artists legacy. The journey is one good example of this, as their biggest hit in “Don’t Stop Believing” is a pop culture hit that has never lost fans throughout the decades since it’s release. On the other hand, artists without a standout lyrical song will often find themselves fade out of the picture as their era in music ends.
All in all, lyrics are an important part of any song and the words are the part fans look to the most for inspiration and meaning. Artists who come up with great lyrics are usually the ones most revered long past their prime, so it is important that they focus on this part of a song!
A trio of karaoke machines. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
"Always keep a song in your heart - it's like karaoke for the voices in your head"
-Robert Fulton Abernethy
Music has been part of the development of every culture in the world. People had few forms of entertainment and song and dance were the biggest among them.
Karaoke came into existence in Japan in early 1970?s when a group of businessmen asked popular nightclub performer Daisuke Inoue to make recordings of his songs for their entertainment. Since what they were really interested in was singing along, these businessmen also asked him to remove the singing from the songs and then display the lyrics. With some insight, Inoue realized that this could actually be a good business opportunity and he invented the first karaoke machine. This was actually a tape recorder that allowed people to play a song after accepting a hundred yen coin. Moreover, Inoue did not sell these tapes; instead, he rented them out. Although this amount was entirely too expensive for the Japanese, the trend caught on.
The latest karaoke machine uses all sorts of media formats to play karaoke music. There are VCD and DVD versions that have become popular for household entertainment as well. Daisuke Inoue won the IgNoble Award in the year 2004 for providing an entirely new way for people to learn to tolerate each other?.
"How can I develop a vibrato singing voice?" This is a question often asked by aspiring singers. But firstly, what is actually singing in vibrato?
A vibrato is a slight variation of pitch tone caused by the free oscillation of the vocal folds from an open pharynx (open throat) along with the healthy closure of the vocal cords with the use of good singing muscle support system.
However, there are many singers singing with wrong vibratos resulting in awful pitching and tones. This is usually the results of the oscillations being too slow, which is called a wobble and when it is too fast, called a tremolo.
We often hear singers who have a wide and slow vibrato which is actually a wobble. This phenomenon is usually caused by a lack of correct resistance of the breath pressure or a lack of focus in the singing tone. A wobble can also be caused by a lack of proper adduction of the vocal folds.
On the other hand, some singers developed an overly fast vibrato that sounds just as awful as the wobble. This overly fast vibrato is called a tremolo and neither the wobble nor the tremolo is the desired vocal tone for good singing.
A tremolo can be caused by a pressure built up at the root of the tongue. This pressure can have its origin at inhalation or onset of sound production. It can also be the result of a lack of vocal cord approximation.
Many singers do not know that the vocal folds must close after inhalation. This lack of proper adduction of the cords can result in a faster vibrato speed and therefore, the creation of a tremolo. The improper use of the singing muscle support system is another cause for producing a tremolo voice.
A good vibrato is when the singing voice is vibrating at an even rate. An uneven vibrato may be the result of sudden changes in the sub-glottis breath pressure. These sudden changes in the air pressure are a result of even "body resistance" from the singing support system. The vocal cords then begin to separate and vibrate unhealthily.
Most singers started off having a straight singing tone (no vibrato) before developing the vibrato through good vocal exercises. Some straight tone singers have even sung in choirs where their choir masters insisted that they sing in a straight tone.
Singing this way can be damaging to the singing voice as it put too much stress on the vocal cords and nodules can develop from singing in a straight tone over a period of time.
A good choral vocal blend can be developed through vowel and acoustical alignment but not squeezing the singing voice into a straight tone. Most straight tone singers have problems with vocal cord closure because too much pressure has been held at the vocal folds over a period of time.
A good vibrato gets woven into the voice when the singer achieves a proper balance in the support muscles and when the feeling of the "oo" vowel is sustained in the pharynx. The feeling of the "oo" vowel allows a healthy adduction of the vocal cords without too much pressure at the glottis.
A diaphragmatic vibrato is the when the diaphragm pulsates during a sustained tone to create a false vibrato. Many theatre singers develop this bad vocal habit so as to have some sort of vibrato when no vibrato is actually present. A diaphragmatic vibrato is difficult to reverse because the abdominal muscles memorize the pulsating sensation and develop a muscle memory. However, it can be corrected through time with proper vocal exercises.
A healthy vibrato can be developed in a rather short period of time with the right vocal exercises. How long does it take for a singer to develop a good and healthy vibrato voice is usually dependent on the singer's mind/body coordination?
So if you want to develop a good vibrato singing voice, then go look for a good singing teacher or get the right vocal exercises and start practicing.
The ability to sing high notes and increasing the vocal range is an aspiration of most singers. However, most singers find it very difficult to increase their vocal range so that they can hit and sustain those high notes effortlessly and effectively.
So how can you own a powerful singing voice and hit those high notes without straining your vocal cords or even damaging them?
Although expanding your vocal range is an elusive issue, the good news is that it is not all that difficult. Once you understand it, you will be surprised that it can be so simple after all.
Now, for the bad news, it is somewhat like learning how to swim. You cannot possibly learn to swim by reading an article or even a zillion articles without getting into the pool and start practicing your swimming strokes. The problem is that many singers are doing just that when learning how to sing.
It is the same when you want to increase your vocal range to hit those high notes. You can possibly learn the theory from an article such as this one but would be most unlikely that you can master the skill because it involves the coordination of muscles moving and correct breathing techniques when you are singing.
The precise coordination of these singing muscles and breathing techniques can only be learned by listening and repeating vocal exercises and then in actual singing.
People will think that you are crazy if you go around asking, "Can you provide me with some helpful tips on becoming a proficient surgeon in time for an open heart operation next week?", but no one will give you a second look when you ask "Give me some singing tips on how to sing high notes."
Having said that the correct vocal exercises are crucial for you to expand your vocal range, here are some singing tips for you to sing the high notes.
In order to increase your singing vocal range, you must learn to get the wrong muscles out of the way, so try this experiment.
Begin by gently placing your hand over your throat so that your chin is cradled between your thumb and your forefinger. Pretend that you are trying to hide your throat from view but just barely touching it so that you can feel its movement.
Once your hands are in place, just swallow. Can you feel things moving inside your throat? Of course, you do. What just happened is that more than 30 muscle groups working just to ensure that you swallow properly!
These muscle movements are to make sure food goes down your gullet and not into your windpipe. They are also designed to work for about as long as a swallow lasts, then they go back to their original position.
Unfortunately, these muscles are also activated when you are singing and especially so when you are singing the higher notes.
I said "unfortunately" because the muscles actually do nothing to help you to sing higher notes but are using up energy and increasing the tension around the muscles that are needed for you to sing higher.
Do remember that the swallowing muscles are designed to work for just a second or two when you swallow and they then go back to their original position, but when you begin to sing, you are more likely to feel them engaged and stay engaged until they wear the singer out. Therefore the singer must educate the actual singing muscles not to over-exert themselves when singing higher and higher notes.
Your most natural sounding voice is the voice you use when you are speaking. When you sing in a "normal" tone, you will start in this voice. It very likely is your "chest" voice. It is called "chest voice" because most of the resonating or vibrating to create sound is happening in your chest.
In your most natural sounding voice, you have learned to make a nice, strong sound by letting the tone vibrate mostly in your chest. You didn't even need to think about it and that is why it is natural. It is a very open, rich and full sound. It sounds "firm" and not "mushy" at all.
Your little tiny noise-making muscles which are your vocal cords are generally vibrating along their entire length when you are singing in your chest voice. Your vocal cords are amazing muscles. They perform tricks and some of those tricks are used to easily take your voice over three or even more octaves.
Your vocal cords change the notes along the bottom of your range by contracting. The tighter they contract, the higher the rate of vibration as air passes between them from your lungs.
Just like any muscles, they will reach a limit as to how tight they can contract without injuring themselves. At that critical point, they will do one of these two things:-
a) They protect themselves while maintaining their ability to sing higher than that critical point by suddenly dumping tension by swinging apart slightly, and producing an airy false voice usually referred to as the falsetto voice. I called the falsetto "false" because it sounds so unlike that rich chest tone you were producing just a few notes lower. Get the picture?
When your singing voice goes into a falsetto, you will experience a physical relief since you went from a high tension state to almost no tension at all. Your singing will go from struggling for the next note to easily reach the next higher note.
However, you will probably not be comfortable with the fact that your voice tone changed so drastically and losing the power in your singing. It is really an emotional a let-down. It makes you feel like writing emails to people asking "How can I sing higher notes?".
If you are properly trained, your vocal cords will do the next two tricks and can easily shift into the next gear rather than flip into a falsetto voice when singing higher notes.
Your vocal cords will begin to thin out as you go higher and changing their mass so that they vibrate at a higher rate of vibration and therefore they do not tighten more. It is just like changing to a thinner guitar string but keeping the tension exactly the same.
So your voice is unlike going into a falsetto as they don't pull apart so that the tone produced will still have that firm sound rather than that airy false sound.
You will eventually enter into what is called the "head voice" because the resonance moves from your chest cavity to the cavities in your head and face.
If you are practicing with the correct vocal exercises, your body will learn to fade more resonance into the head cavities and out of the chest cavity producing what is called a "mixed voice". When you listen to a singer who has a wide, powerful voice range, this is exactly what that singer is doing.
Once your vocal cords have taken you as high as they can go by thinning out, they will actually close off a portion of their length which is not unlike fretting a guitar string. This will result in even higher notes like the whistle tones of Mariah Carey because the length of the vibrating surface has been shortened.
So do you want to be able to sing high notes effectively? Don't let anyone tell that you can't.
As a singer without any formal vocal training, you would probably have wondered whether to hire a vocal coach to train your singing voice. Well, your procrastination is hurting your singing career.
Just name me any famous singer who never had any vocal training? Yes, some of them may have gotten popular without any formal singing lessons but all these popular singers, without exception realized that they have to engage a vocal coach at one time or another take their spectacular singing career to superstardom and to stay up there.
So what makes you think that you do not need vocal lessons? If you are already singing professionally, then it is vital that you take up voice training to separate you from the mediocre singers. This is how you can get noticed when you are above the pack and above your singing competitors.
If others do not believe in vocal training and you do, then you would already have won because you will be singing much better and control higher fees for your performances.
You need to take care and respect for your voice. That is your musical instrument and your voice determines whether you succeed or fail in your singing career.
Finding a good singing teacher can be a little tricky. There are many so-called vocal coaches out there proclaiming themselves to be singing teachers after merely reading up a few books. As this industry is not regulated, there are many charlatans out there.
The best way to determine a good singing teacher is to ask good singers. After all, they are already good singers themselves and their recommendation won't be all that bad, isn't it?
However, since singing teachers are human beings, it is thus important that the teacher-student relationship is good and you can get along your vocal coach. The chemistry between you and your coach must be good, otherwise, when you are singing under stress, your voice will come out as very strained and that voice is awful to the ears. If you can't along with your singing teacher, then you may need to change your vocal coach.
One way of eliminating this human problem in learning how to sing is to get VCD, DVD and video singing lessons of famous and proven vocal coaches. Not only is it much less expensive than hiring a vocal teacher, you can work at your own time and own pace. Since the teaching tools are yours, you can practice your vocal training anytime and anywhere. Better yet, you are learning from the best!
Most good singing coaches will have a vocal workout lessons plan for you. Learning how to breathe and use your diaphragm properly are the basics of a singer's inventory. You will find out how remarkable your voice can get when you mastered only these two singing exercises. Once you are using correct breathing and diaphragm control techniques, your singing voice and confidence will soar.
So, if want to bring your singing career to greater heights then go and get a vocal coach now and start practicing singing skills now.
There many things you can do to be a good singer and one of the most important things to do is to engage a good singing teacher. However, finding a good singing teacher can be a confusing affair.
Most singing teachers actually invent their own singing system and methodology to teach their students. Each method and singing technique will usually include vocal exercises, singing techniques, skills and concepts.
To add clutter to the confusion, there are many books and information and sometimes misinformation you can find in the libraries, music shops and on the internet. The most frustrating thing is that many of these products and books come with contradictory information.
With this abundance of information, you could be learning singing techniques that conflict with each other and this could be very detrimental to your singing support system and sometimes the damage done may be irreversible. Many exciting singing careers were destroyed because of learning wrong singing techniques.
Take a look at babies. They are breathing naturally with their diaphragm and they can throw their powerful voices across the room when they cry to get your notice. How can they project their voice so naturally?
This is because nature has provided us with the natural vocal mechanism to sing well and powerfully. It is when we adopt bad vocal habits as we grew older that the natural ability to be a good singer is lost and needs to be rekindled by good and correct vocal exercises and singing concepts.
One challenge to good singing is to combine a simple yet powerful singing technique with strong emotions. Powerful emotions can break down a voice that is not trained with solid singing skills and techniques as a foundation. The good singing technique is the foundation to build the emotional aspect of singing.
For instance, if you pour out all your emotions in a song, you will know that something does not sound right in the singing sound you produced. Pay attention to your inner feelings and you will know what sounds right or wrong.
Successful singing requires not only the will and ability to express your emotions in a song but also the correct singing technique and skills. Since emotions are channelled through your singing support system, your system must be fully developed for the emotion to come through powerfully and convincingly.
So to be a good singer, you must build your voice and the support system that produce that voice. With a good mastery of your voice mechanism, your own singing style and interpretation of songs will be much more enhanced. You do not have to be concerned about sounding like a copy of other good singers when you perform.
Yes, there are born voices, but there are no born artists. Each and every singer must develop his/her own individual skills to be an outstanding artist. It is not just how good a singing voice you have. It is what you can do with your individual vocal resources that is the crux of a good singer.
So getting introduced to a good singing teacher to help you to hone your singing skills to perfection is necessary if you want to be a good singer.
You must have heard people saying "Sing from your diaphragm", but what exactly do they mean? How can your diaphragm sing? What they actually mean is to use your diaphragm to control your singing breath.
Well, you must actually practice with good vocal exercises to perfect your singing breath. Singing from the diaphragm is a complex muscle/breath coordination that many singing teachers find it difficult to their students in words effectively. That is why there is so much confusion on this topic.
Just to give you an idea of how your diaphragm works when you are breathing, try this breathing exercise. Stand up straight with a relaxed posture, and then take a big yawn - Ahhhhhh! While you are taking that big yawn, notice how your tummy expands outwards? That is the diaphragm at work, pushing out your tummy so that your lungs can drop lower so that you can take in more air.
Now the diaphragm muscle is also used for the control of airflow by sending the correct amount of air to the vocal cords. As you sing the higher notes, less air is required for the vocal cords. By sending the correct amount of air, your voice quality will be stable and relaxed and the overall singing voice will sound so much better.
However, you need to practice with the correct vocal exercises until "singing from the diaphragm" is an ingrained habit so that you don't even have to think of it when you are singing because you are automatically using this singing technique. You don't even need to remember how much air to release to your diaphragm because you will be releasing just the right amount of air naturally.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need breathing exercises for singing to strengthen your diaphragm! The muscles in your diaphragm are already strong enough already as it is. This is because your vocal cords are very small and delicate muscles and thus do not require too much support.
Since this is an article, it is not possible to show you the vocal exercises breathing technique demonstrations. However, you can get a feel for it by experimenting with this exercise.
Now put your palms lightly on your tummy. Take in a deep long breath. As you are breathing in, extend your tummy outward and sideways as the air comes in. When you breathe out, pursed your lips together to release a controlled stream of air and at the same time, with your tummy becoming smaller and back to its natural state as air is being released. Now, this is how you will feel when you are singing from the diaphragm.
Native American "conjuror" in a 1590 engraving (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Power Songs are oral prayers expressing your true self, your nature, your individuality, your power. All cultures have power songs but you can have your own power song too. We think of the power in a hymn or an African chant, a Shamanic ceremony song or even in the howling of a wolf. And there is definite power in sound.
All Shamans have several power songs because the vibration of the notes in the voice and in the fourth chakra of the throat stimulate sympathetic vibrations in the universe to respond. Everything is connected. What you put out comes back to you. When a butterfly flutters his wings in Cost Rica the winds of Africa are stirred. And when a sound is offered, the universe responds.
Power songs are used in preparation for journeying, healing, offering Reiki, praying, grounding, for protection, for celebration, for solace, anytime you want to connect with the universe in this very special way.
To demonstrate the power of voice and musical notes I would like to you try this exercise.
The fourth chakra is the note FA as in Do Re Me FA. Find a piano and discover the sound of this note if possible. Or find your own closest approximation to it. It is important to find the sound of FA. It is the F key above middle C on the piano but any F key in any octave will also work.
The fourth note or sound of FA is also the note of manifestation or creation upon this planet. So if we want to manifest healing, for example, we can send our intention out upon the note FA into the universe and healing will resonate with our voice of FA and become manifest where we are intending. It really is that simple.
Don't try to complicate it like so many others have. This little simple secret is one that some people have paid thousands of dollars for. Some people have made millions creating musical tapes based on the sound of Fa, subliminal, holosync tapes that offer healing are based on the sound FA. But now you know how to do it yourself.
The visual symbol for the universe made manifest is the square. This symbolizes the power of thought and vibration becoming solid and material in this apparent world. So let’s combine the sound of Fa with the visualization of a square.
Get yourself someplace comfortable where you will not be disturbed for a while. Close your eyes and visualize a square. Intone the sound FA and watch the square and see what image appears there.
You can also do this backward by visualizing the person you want to heal in the square and intoning the sound of FA. Or anything that you would like to manifest for the good of yourself and the world.
Shamans use this technique all the time. The last ingredient the Shaman uses here is desire or strong will. He or she really wants this healing to happen, they can really feel the wish, they put all their emotional energy into the intent.
I often get to dancing and rattling while I intone my power song and bring my whole body into the act of intending a healing for someone. The more feeling you put into it, the stronger the vibration.
Have you ever listened to a Native American song? There is usually one major tone for the song, isn't there! Now you know why!
As a final thought, each note in the scale represents a unique vibratory pattern in the universe. You could do a study to find those out if you would like to know more about sound.
So you see the need for your own power song. Create one this week. it is usually just a line or two repeated over and over. You can use words or vowels or an imaginary language. As long as you create it with FA as your base and emotion and intent, it will be perfect. Power songs are usually kept private and seldom sung in public. The only time they are sung in public is when a group of Shamans has gathered to do a combined healing. It is your prayer to the universe.
Come Walk With A Shaman Indigenous Traditional Shaman Elder Maggie Wahls offers an introductory course starting with the history of Shamanism around the world. You learn about healing herbs, finding your totem, what Shamanic ecstasy is and how to achieve it without drugs, how to meditate and many actual visualizations to help improve one's skills and much more. To Start Today visit: www.shamanelder.com Article Directory: Article Dashboard
Portrait of Harry Belafonte, singing, 1954 Feb. 18.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Need a little help to improve your singing voice? Here are 10 tips to help you reach your potential!
1. Breath from the diaphragm, not the lungs. You need to really control the air that you're expelling when you sing, and breathing from the diaphragm gives you more air to work with. To do this, breathe so that your stomach goes out rather than your chest when you inhale. When you practice, try to focus on using the same amount of air for low notes and high notes. This will help erase the break between your registers and give you more steady tone.
2. Run through scales-a lot. If this was guitar, it wouldn't be different, and the human voice is a lot less accurate than a guitar. You need to get your sense of pitch down, and you need to train your voice to reach higher and higher if you want to really hit all the notes in your range.
3. Don't strain your voice. Practice is a good thing, but don't try to sing too high or you might damage your vocal cords. Go slow and steady and you'll sing well in no time. Keep your practice time to an hour or so a day, then move up if you feel like it. If you ever feel like your voice is straining, or if you feel soreness or pain, stop right away.
4. Listen to criticism. Singing well takes a long time, and in the meantime, you're going to hear people say a lot of bad things about you. If you notice a trend, recognize that people are probably making a good judgment and try to work on the problem aspect of your voice. Don't let anyone get you down who really has nothing to say other than, "you suck," though. You don't see them trying to do this, and they have no idea what they're talking about.
5. Make recordings of yourself. This is the only way to hear your problems because you can separate yourself from your voice and listen to what other people hear. You may not like this at first, but keep at it; you'll improve vastly, and you'll start to notice stuff you like about your voice and really expand on those things.
6. Talk to established singers. Most of them will be happy to give you some tips and exercises that helped them out, and any time you need to ask for directions, the best idea is to ask the person that's already at your destination.
7. Eat and drink well. Don't do anything that'll dry out your voice and stop you from singing well. Caffeine is bad, as is anything that causes mucous buildup like dairy products (milk, in particular, is a very bad choice). Don't smoke or drink too much; this can really make you sing poorly. One famous case of booze and cigarettes ruining a classic voice is Harry Nilsson, who shred his vocal cords while working on his "Pussycats" album with John Lennon and ended up carrying a bucket with him to spit blood into during the recording session. His fantastic voice eventually improved and sounded great, but he never could sing quite as well again; his highest register was permanently damaged.
8. Sing for the style. If you're singing country, listen to country singers; if you're singing rock, listen to rock singers. Notice things that are the same in each style and emulate those. Be careful, however, to keep your voice unique, and not to simply copy another singer's voice. Make your personality come out in your music.
9. Experiment with different sounds. Certain noises, like a really nasal note, can help you expand your range if you practice with them. Ask singers for their suggestions, and take them up on it.
10. Finally, stay positive! If you've had a few bad scales, that doesn't mean your voice is going to be bad all day. Drink some warm tea and try again. Don't get down on yourself, and don't think that your voice is bad, or it certainly will be. I know how stupid that sounds, but the mindset is definitely a big part of singing, and if you don't think you sound good, neither will anyone else.
If you are a social singer or someone looking for a career using their voice you can benefit from a little training. Online learn to sing software is not better than ever and can help you get started right away! Click below to find out what is available and what suits your needs best!
