And so my journey continues…..

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

So, why do I write a blog? I write a blog to help singers everywhere learn as much as possible about their own voice. As most of you know, I have studied SLS for the last few years, and prior to that had many years of training with Bel Canto technique. I have recently attended an Estill Voice Technique Workshop and have had a fabulous time exploring my voice and understanding the many coordinations I was able to do! I look forward to sharing with you loads of useful tips that can be added to your “toolbox”.

What do SLS and EVT have in common? A few things, but the lingo is certainly different. How do they differ? Well, the easiest way for me to describe the difference is that SLS is one of the many, many “recipes” that Estill can teach a student to do. Another difference is in the way the “recipe” is taught.

I will dive into more of these differences with some upcoming posts so stay tuned!

Singers, you have a choice!

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Times have changed, and they are going to continue to change for singers. This is a great thing! Singers now have a choice!

Gone are the days when there was one, and only one, way to train the voice. There was traditional voice training, and there was traditional voice training! You could go to university and develop a beautifully resonant head voice that soared through arias. Or, you could go to a private teacher, who either learned the same way, or taught what worked for them.

Traditional voice training was developed for traditional European music (where a singer had to be heard at the back of the concert hall with no microphone), but this type of projection was not what rock’n rollers and contemporary singers needed to help them sing better. Most traditional voice teachers considered these modern types of singing (which was predominantly a thick fold/chest voice coordination) wrong and damaging to the voice.

We now know this isn’t the case. Certainly there are limits to what the voice can do (in any coordination), but making unique and different sounds other than traditional classical, choir-like sounds is not always damaging to the vocal cords.

Seth Riggs was a pioneer in developing a vocal technique that strengthened the bridges in the voice and encouraged transitioning through the registers. No more vocal breaks. Hallelujah! This technique balanced the singer’s voice so they could sing whatever genre of music they wished.

Some teachers are now helping singers who want to make even more extreme sounds. Resonance and bridging is fundamental in these music genres to ensure the singer maintains a healthy larynx.

Singers, what do you think? Have you found freedom and balance in your voice, while at the same time you’re able to make sounds you are happy with?

My Prediction

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I predict we will continue to be amazed! As young musical people listen to an array of unique and interesting singing voices on the internet, they learn that anything is possible. The human mind and body is so remarkable, and the internet can be a great teacher! Young singers who explore their voice and the sounds they can make from an early age are raising the bar for others.

True natural talent is the young singer who has figured out the freedom of their own voice at a young age, and sings with that freedom daily.

Young singers are no longer simply influenced by teachers at their local church or school, or singers they hear on TV or the radio. Now they are influenced by what other young singers are doing all over the world.

Young singers who find the freedom and release, that encompasses the art of performing with emotion and spirit, are popping up everywhere.

I am not saying that any young singer can learn to do this! Oh no, by far! It is a rare young person who will figure this out. I am simply stating that we will continually be amazed by young naturally talented singers who do!

The nagging “flip”

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

So this topic comes back and nags me every know and then. Actually, almost everytime I see a musical play.

Doesn’t it bother anyone to listen to a female singer with “two” voices? These singers who have a beautifully developed head voice all the way down to their belly button.

Of course, that’s the problem. The transition into mouth and hard palate resonance and the presence of “twang” just doesn’t happen very well, and these singers are left trying to figure out how to sing the middle notes around their first passagio. They are either yelling at the top of their chest register, or singing in their head voice only.

I’ve said it before….thank goodness I didn’t have singing lessons as a kid….or I could be one of them!

Singers, have you slipped?

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I haven’t been vocalizing near as much as I should be. I was very motivated at Christmas through to March break; doing my exercises, soaring through my bridges every day. It felt good, I was crooning!

The last couple of months I’ve been busier. Spring is here and I like to get outside in the garden, and take the dogs for a walk. It’s my favourite time of year. The days just fly by.

Yikes! My voice is paying the price. I did a gig yesterday and I noticed the setback. I was specifically having trouble accessing my head voice resonance as I was bridging through my first passagio.

Luckily I knew the steps to take straight away to get back on track. I focused on taking deeper breaths and engaging the abdominal muscles; I backed off on my volume a bit to the point where my vocal cords were “lighter” and I could handle the air pressure enough to focus on my “cry” and onset of each phrase.

If I was in better vocal shape setting out yesterday, my usual warm-up before a booking would have set me up well with the coordination necessary to get the “cry” and “twang” necessary to bridge through my first passagio with ease.

Once I settled in to the “rhythm” where my vocal cords, breath and body were in sync with each other, I was then able to focus on the bigger picture…..the dynamics, the resonance and vocal effects……and of course, the audience!

So, today I’ll vocalize for two sets of 20 minutes, or maybe longer depending on how it feels. I will do this daily (very focused) until I feel I’m back at the top of my game. Then it will be OK to take a day off once in awhile!

Let’s talk Justin Bieber’s voice

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I can’t diss this young man. After all, he grew up in my province of Ontario!

My concern is the care and development of his voice, now that his voice is changing. I heard him on The Voice recently, and I wasn’t all that impressed. The middle voice didn’t sound “easy” and effortless, and he was reaching for his high notes.

I do believe he has the potential, but I’m not sure that he is getting the vocal support he needs at this stage in his career. He needs to be vocalizing everyday through his entire register. Otherwise, vocally he will be out of shape, and he will suffer by having to reach and strain for his high notes…in other words… his larynx will rise. If his larynx is rising then he will likely face troubles such as hoarseness and laryngitis. In the studio, miracles can be done…..so that doesn’t count. He will sound great in the studio. Live performance is the only indicator that will tell us whether Bieber is mixing well enough when he sings.

Time will tell……….

Resonance

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

There are three main areas of resonance for the voice. The chest, the head and what I like to refer to as the middle. This is the mouth (soft and hard palate) and the back of the throat…..also known as the oropharynx.

This resonance happens easiest when you have a balance of chest register and head register (mix). If you are too much in a chest register coordination it is difficult to get this resonance, and same goes with too much of a head voice coordination. A good balance of the two will allow the larynx to adjust for effective middle voice resonance.

Check out this exercise to hear a good example of pharyngeal resonance. When you do the exercise you shouldn’t feel any strain in the throat. Just lift the cheeks slightly, and relax the jaw. http://soundcloud.com/beemusicstudios/the-shouty-singer

OK, let’s cut to the chase

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Please remember, I’m here to help you….yes, help you so you don’t take years off your career, like I did, just to figure out what you want from your voice.

If you are not interested in singing classical music, then don’t go to a classical voice teacher!! Period. You have options! If you want to sing Broadway, be careful about what voice teacher you choose.

When I was pursuing my dreams as a singer, I didn’t see my options. I knew I was struggling with my voice on the weekend with my band. I was yelling. I was hoarse. And then, on Sunday mornings I would use “this other voice” to sing songs in church. It was bizarre. I knew my voice was “disjointed” ‘but I didn’t know why, and I couldn’t figure out how to fix it on my own.

After taking voice at university, I had gained superb breath control, but still hadn’t figured out the voice I wanted. I felt like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I was with Dr. Jekyll on Saturday nights, and Mr. Hyde on Sunday mornings. It was not a great feeling. I knew something was wrong.

Then I learned about the mixed voice! Yes, the middle voice! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the ticket! No more flipping; no more yelling, no more breathy high notes. Finally, the answer I was looking for. Thank you Seth Riggs!

This is the answer for you as well! Don’t waste time like I did. Cut straight to the chase. Figure out your middle voice and voila….you can sing anything you want to and be proud of it!

Why I Admire Seth Riggs

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Seth Riggs, the man behind the incredible singing technique called Speech Level Singing. Many great singing coaches have learned from his early teachings. Teachers such as Brett Manning (Singing Success), Roger Love (The Perfect Voice), and Roger Burnley (Singing Made Simple) have gone on to create fabulous singing programs in their own right.

What makes this man so incredible is that he realized that many trained singers had a consistent and ongoing problem negotiating the middle of their voice. He realized most trained singers had only a head voice coordination when singing notes below their first passagio, and singers on Broadway would typically “flip” into their chest voice to get their speech-like belt, and end up yelling out the high notes, until they needed to flip back to their head voice coordination to continue on higher pitches.

He also realized that many untrained voices did the exact opposite. These singers would typically sing with a chest voice coordination only, and they usually ended up yelling and splatting on their high notes.

So hooray for Seth Riggs! This man has created a system of scales and awareness that strengthens the middle voice. This is called mixing!

What’s after mixing?

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Once you know you are “mixing” your voice, what is next? Is that all there is? Well, certainly not. Mixing is a good start, however!

The ability to mix your registers and sing well in your middle voice will set you up nicely with the coordination for safe and healthy resonance. But there are other very important factors such as breath control (airflow/volume), tone (vowels), cord closure (consonants), posture, and more to take into account. All these factors need to work in a balanced fashion to achieve good results. When one over-rules the other, the voice (throat) and body will likely try to compensate, thus causing strain.

Here is an exercise that you should do everyday to work your vocal cords in your mix. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTHnsyCEsHk

Let me know how it went for you!