Miced voice

Hello Camille 

I have got to the end of the course where you talk about performing in front of an audience and about nerves and style, etc. However I'm really not ready for all that just yet as my basic singing voice sounds rubbish especially the chest and mixed voice. My voice always cracks with an awful 'yodel'. Also my pitch isn't always good either often sounding flat or sharp on many notes (but strangely I can sing "The Look of Love" by Dusty Springfield really well, (how's that even possible??)) So what's the best exercises to do to improve those problem areas and improve pitch and strength?

Thanks, Julie

Hi, Julie!

Here are some resources for working on your chest into mix:

First, make sure you're exercising your head voice! Those head voice muscles (CT) need to be working. Use a full-range lip trill or OO to let your voice "hand over" from chest to head. As you train your chesty mix, that "hand over" will just be more gradual, with less head voice.

In that middle/mix range where you're starting to feel strained, try using a tall + narrow mouth position (OH or UH shape, rather than a wide HEY or YEAH shape) to encourage more mix (head resonance along with chest). This will relieve some pressure and help you avoid the unstable "shouty" pulled-chest voice sound.

Here's a video with a singer using that kind of "tall and narrow" vowel modification: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVqS_BYsDBA. Listen carefully to the tone after he modifies the vowel. It goes from shouty chest voice to a strong but more balanced "mix". 

Here's an article on the kind of vowel substitution he used as well: https://www.thenakedvocalist.com/quick-fix-vowel-substitution/.

These are the 3 exercises I like best for stretching chesty mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwiwZ3dS8mg&t=408s

Here's a short lesson on avoiding "flipping" within mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pI9v1YMFN4

If you're getting a shouty tone, here's another lesson addressing problems with mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzObbNv78oA.

I also love this teacher's demonstration & explanation of mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYsO7HX84P8. Sometimes it helps to hear the tone quality in a male voice, too!

 Lastly, remember that you're building coordination (between your TA and CT muscles) while you stretch (CT) and continue to resist air (TA). Progress might be slow, but keep at it!

And here are some resources for ear training:

Ear training article: https://www.30daysinger.com/blog/how-to-tell-if-you-re-singing-in-tune-using-free-websites-apps-to-improve-your-pitch-accuracy

App recommendations: 

1. 5 free/cheap apps with pros + cons: https://musiciantuts.com/ear-training-apps/

2. Singtrue: https://www.musical-u.com/apps/singtrue/

3. Perfect Ear: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.evilduck.musiciankit&utm_source=apkdot.com

4. The most well-established is EarMaster (app and software download, both paid): https://www.earmaster.com/

5. SingSharp and Perfect Pitch are pretty similar - free to download and use as a chromatic tuner, with some vocal warmups as well. 

6. Functional ear trainer: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kaizen9.fet.android&hl=en_US&gl=US

Additionally, here's a warmup for intonation and a mini-course on improving intonation!