30 Day Singer Blog - archives - page 9

When it comes to nerves and confidence, we can work from the inside out. That entails gaining performance experience, identifying your strengths, listening to encouragement from others and addressing any underlying fears at the root of your nerves That’s all great, and it’s the main way singers build confidence over time. But we can also work from the outside in to get some more immediate benefits. Read more to learn how you can do this too!

Vowel modification is simply: changing a vowel sound to make it easier to sing AND improve the tone quality. Why would we need to change vowels, though? Aren’t they all basically the same? No! Each vowel is the result of a slightly different shape in your vocal tract (the pathway from your larynx to your lips).

Belting is a high-energy, high-volume mode of singing in which a singer maintains their “chest voice” sound into the middle and upper portion of their range. Belting is both a vocal fold event AND an acoustic event, as described by master teacher John Henny this way: “Your vocal cords come together more strongly and hold back more air in a belt, creating a stronger sound wave. You then create brighter sounds (with your resonators) to give more edge and bite to the sound.”

A few weeks ago, I came across this video of Alicia Keys and Billie Eilish performing “Ocean Eyes." Many commenters have already noted that Alicia does not sound her best on this song. But why? Alicia Keys is a professional vocalist - can’t she sing anything? Alicia Keys is incredible within her style, just as Billie is incredible within hers. You truly can’t compare them, nor should you ever have to! They have unique voices with different strengths, and they’ve both found their wheelhouse. 

Most students can easily find their chest voice and head voice placement. But where many struggle is in transitioning between the two, resulting in an inconsistent tone quality with noticeable points of weakness, strain, and/or “cracking”. What can we do about this? Read on for some practical tips and application. 

Online video lessons allow you to learn at your own pace, review previous lessons on demand, and access instruction on any topic, any time. But there’s one component that video lessons can’t easily account for: the ability to measure your pitch accuracy. Within a private, one-on-one lesson (either in person or online), a skilled teacher is the one providing feedback on your pitch accuracy.

Why do people talk about mixed voice as if it’s the holy grail? What is it in the first place? How can I tell if I’ve found my mix? All great questions - and believe me, I understand how confusing this topic can be. In this article, I’ll do my best to demystify the mixed voice for you and give you some practical tips to find and strengthen your mixed coordination. 

Head voice, falsetto, and whistle are the three highest-pitched registers of the voice. This article will help you understand what they are, the differences between them, and how to exercise your voice within your uppermost registers!

The term “chest voice” refers to the register in which most people speak and sing low to medium-high pitches. Chest voice is characteristically full and strong, with a naturally higher volume and warm, rich tone. 

Have you heard of vocal fry? Even if you’re not familiar with that term, you’ve most certainly heard people speak and sing using vocal fry. So what is it, and when should you use it? Read on to find out!