Author Archives: Susan McAllister-Bee

Be A Vocal Athlete

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If you wanted to get your body fit, chances are you would join a gym and/or hire a personal trainer. Getting your voice in shape to sing well is really no different. Chances are you would take singing lessons from a professional singing teacher or coach.

You can certainly get fit without going to a gym if you know what you are doing. So, can you learn how to be a vocal athlete without the guidance of a singing coach?

Professional singing coaches should be able to tell you what is standing in the way of becoming a better singer at the first lesson. They should be able to tell you how your voice works, and what issue(s) is possibly stopping you from improving. Then they should be able to show you some exercises that will instantly improve your voice in some way or another.

Has your voice been diagnosed? A great voice is usually a balanced voice. Working on that balance would typically need a professional’s ear and knowledge to get the best results. Once you know what to work on, and know that you are doing your exercises properly, then indeed, you may become a vocal athlete without the guidance of a good coach!

How to Belt

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I stumbled on this video and it prompted me to write this post. Take a moment and watch this first. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5eKV3AgxJY

Expert Village should be ashamed of themselves for posting this. It certainly has tarnished my impression of anything they post as being “expert”.

First, let me state….I’m no expert! However, I do try to keep up with the latest information about belting.

Let’s first look at what’s wrong with this video instruction:

To simply state that belting is speech-like shouting (as in her demonstration) is not going to help any singer learn how to belt!

Here are my recommendations:
First, every singer who wants to understand and learn to “belt” needs to know where their register shifts are, and what they feel like.
Belting in it’s safest form should be coordinated through a balance of all registers….chest/middle/head. If the note being belted is in the chest voice range, it is safest to have at least a component of middle to head voice resonance in a balanced coordination that is manageable by the singer.

This video is implying that belting is simply shouting. If that were the case, belting would only be harmful to the voice. That is incorrect, belting can be done efficiently without harm. BUT, not by watching this video!!

Rock Singer’s vocal lesson

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First, I want to thank Justin for letting me tape his recent singing lesson. It is not easy to “let go” in a singing lesson and allow your voice to make sounds and try things that are not always pleasing, nor do they always feel “normal”. That is the key to developing a better voice….finding out what’s holding you back from progressing, and then taking the necessary steps to improve your voice.

You can see the video by clicking the link below. But, first, a little background on Justin’s voice. He has been singing a long time, (lol, at least since the age 14 when his “adult” voice started to set in!)  He is self taught….as most rock singers are. He noticed problems hitting high notes and vocal strain early on. Let’s just say it usually goes with the territory of “rock singing”.

Have a look at the videos (two parts) and let me know if  you have any questions. These exercises are specifcally good for rock singers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEDfi84TRKQ

 

The Journey

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Did you do your exercises today? How long did you sing? Are you paying attention to and listening for the signs and signals from your body and voice as you sing, or are you randomly going through the motions of your exercises and songs?

Each day can present a new achieveable goal and a new step in the right direction towards a voice that is yours to express freely and safely; strongly and passionately. Isn’t that what we all want? Don’t we, as singers, simply want to express ourselves and make sounds that are pleasing to ourselves and our listeners?

The journey is today, and the journey is tomorrow, and the next day. The journey is your lifetime so enjoy the trip.  Take the time everyday to express yourself and master your technique. Then your journey will be as enjoyable when you are 70 as it is now!

Listen to your coach and teacher. Listen to your body. Then go and sing!

Let’s be clear what SLS is and what it is not

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I’ve been a huge fan of Speech Level Singing for over ten years, and continue to be. I’ve studied with some of the best SLS teachers in the world, and I use SLS exercises continuously in my studio. I think the method is superb and was even certified for two years. I vocalize with the SLS technique daily.

What SLS is: A fabulous vocal training method to keep the vocal folds in tip top shape. This can allow you to sing any genre you wish.

What SLS is not: A vocal training system that teaches you how to sing any genre you want in a safe, effective way.

The problem with SLS is that it doesn’t help singers build their signature sound. It is a fabulous way to keep the voice in shape, but it doesn’t allow the singer to learn how to make sounds that are specific to their genre.  For example I like to sing country, pop and rock. There is no way I am going to sing a high C in a song the same way I sing high C when I vocalize. My preference is to use more chest voice “in my mix” and keep the resonance near the front of my face to achieve the sound that I want. I even prefer to allow my larynx to rise a little and tilt. This gets me the sound I like in a safe and effective way. Lots of twang and great breath control.

I think SLS could take the next step in helping the artist develop their signature sound in a healthy way. I believe Brett Manning’s organization is much better suited to a variety of vocal sounds than is the Seth Riggs Organization. Brett is getting loads of country singers in Nashville so you can bet he is helping them achieve the sound they want in a safe, effective way. Seth Riggs, on the other hand, is a pure and very specific vocal training system to teach singers how to sing from the bottom to the top of their range in a balanced way. This is a fabulous thing, but I think some students may be confused about what the voice can and cannot do in terms of making healthy sounds that suit their specific genre.

If you are a rock singer and have been vocalizing with the SLS method for some time, consider this? Are you happy with your high notes? Are you able to get the sound you really want without straining? If not, then the next step is looking at safe ways to make those specific sounds. I  believe some SLS studios can do this, if they understand what you want. Communication with your coach is definitely key here. If your current teacher isn’t equipped to help you with these sounds, then you may need to consider other coaches. There are ways to build your chest voice higher in your mix in a perfectly safe way. And, I’m not talking about belting. That is a very different way of singing.

SLS will always be a fabulous singing method. But singers need to be clear about what it is, and what it is not.

Singer/songwriters and key choice

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This post is for singers who also write songs.

Do you know your voice well enough to write sounds around your best sounds? Your money notes are not necessarily going to be the same as other songwriters. I can’t stress enough how important the key choice for your song is.

I had a student this week who came in with an original song in the key of E. His biggest note in the chorus was E (above middle C) with a little slur up to G# and back down. He was singing with great passion, but the E note was tight. We transposed it down to D and he sounded so much better. The problem was the guitar licks didn’t work with the song transposed. He then had to decide whether to compromise the sound of his voice or change his guitar licks.

Knowing your range, and the quality of sound you can produce on the big notes is very important. For men these big notes can be anywhere from D to G (above middle C) depending on your range and quality of your voice. For women these notes can be anywhere from A to D (above middle C).

It’s particularly important that you learn to pick songs and write songs that work well for your voice type. It shouldn’t be your goal to sing like someone else. It should be your goal to know your voice, and what it can do well. Then transpose your favourite songs into the range that best suits your voice.

What do you think? Do you sing songs in keys other than the original?

Speaking or singing?

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Let’s talk about your speaking voice for a moment? Do you like the sound of your speaking voice? I bet you don’t think much about it. However, your speaking habits can easily affect your singing ability.

The ability to access your head voice resonance is a key factor to singing high pitches. For some people, this coordination hasn’t been used since they were a child.

Go ahead and try it. Can you make a woo woo sound like a little kid imitating a choo choo train? What about a fire truck siren? Do it lightly and not too loud to ensure it’s your high voice making the sound. If it’s difficult or you feel strain in your throat, then try to focus on your rib cage and abdominal area and see if that makes it easier.

Instead of thinking about singing high pitches, why not think about speaking high pitches. Imitating cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny can sometimes engage the head voice and its resonance. Or, you could try meowing like a small kitty, or doing a puppy dog whimper. All these sounds are helpful to engage the coordination necessary to sing high notes.

It’s very much a feeling of less voice, or a sensation of losing oneself. Singing high notes is all about leaving the speaking voice behind and entering this new unchartered territory. At first, it may feel strained or breathy, or wrong. However, if you relax and allow the voice to visit this coordination everyday, it will eventually get easier and familiar.

Take your time, and do it everyday! Once you know how to access your head voice, then you can work on mixing the chest voice with it to create a strong middle voice. This is where all the action is!

The “Carrie Underwood” / “Kelly Clarkson” type of voice

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I wanted to talk about this type of voice, because the configuration to get it isn’t what most people think.

When I have a student trying to sing in this style, I quite often hear a lot pf chest register being yelled at a high pitch that usually sounds dull, painful and, to say the least, quite unpleasant.

It isn’t uncommon for singers to try and duplicate this type of sound with their chest voice…it is however, the wrong approach.

Instead, the singer needs the practise “twang” in the head register. (Try quacking like a duck, or sounding nasty like a witch). You should be able to do this easily without any constriction or tightening in the throat. What usually happens is the head voice is not able to twang easily, and the student will over-compensate with throat muscles. Sometimes the singer will “flip” into falcetto mode.

Both Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have a superb ability to twang in their head register. This gives the listener the illusion of a powerful chest register volume, when in fact, they are not using much chest register at all. They are, in fact, in a middle voice/head register configuration with a lot of twang.

Secondly, the vocal cords are under a great deal of breath pressure. In other words, the singer is able to hold back a lot of breath without flipping to falcetto.  This ability allows for great mouth and head resonance and again gives the listener the illusion of great power and volume.

Two singers that come to mind that do sing too high in their chest register at times are Adele and Christine Aguilera. Even though they both sing very differently, they both sing very loud and very high in their low register. Christine Aguilera has only had trouble with this as she has gotten older. Her ability to sing in a loud chest, middle and head voice mode through her entire range when she was younger made her a superstar.  She is still a superb singer, but as she gets older her cords have probably thickened from singing so hard in her chest register. Thick folds can make it hard for a singer to ascend into their head register and keep control of their voice.

Do you have any questions or comments? Please leave them here.

 

Preparing for Sunday morning worship

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If  you are like me, you love to wake up Sunday morning to go to church and praise God with your singing voice! However, it’s not always easy to sing in the mornings, so here are a few things you can do to help get your voice ready for worship.

Starting off with a hot shower will help clear the sinuses. I usually hum in the shower, usually from my top voice down. I keep it very light and connected. Zzzzzz’s in your high voice done lightly are great, as well as sirens from your top voice down. I like exercises that get my head register resonating first. The chest voice will get it’s warm-up when I start telling the kids to hurry up!

Then in the car on the way to service, the kids and I will do some arpegio exercises in a light mix. Again, I prefer top down for my voice,  because most of our music is sung in the lower part of the voice register (ie around A below middle C up to high C for a female. An octave lower for a male). Therefore, it’s really important to have the “gears” in place for an easy transition to head register when singing.

Comments?

The mixed voice

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I’ve talked about the “mixed voice” and how to find your “mixed voice” before. This is a term created by Maestro Seth Riggs in his Speech Level Singing method years ago. It is also used by Brett Manning, Roger Love, Dave Brooks, and countless other top-quality singing coaches from around the world.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding this term in the singing community. Some singing teachers from around the world cringe when they hear the term “mixed voice”. I believe this stems from the fact that we physically do not actually have a “mixed voice,” and the fact that many singers do not actually know what it is, what it should feel like, or how to get it.

However, I believe all singing teachers will agree that we do have a chest register (or chest voice as referred to by SLS), and a head register (head voice as referred to by SLS). These are two terms that have been around for hundreds of years, and are commonplace in a singer’s vocabulary.

I tell my students that a mixed voice is simply the ability of a singer to ascend or descend in pitch between their chest register and their head register without constriction, and with the appropriate balance of both registers. Every singer knows about those whacky areas of their voice where singing gets a little tricker. This area, called the bridge or passagio, is where the larnyx and the body need to make careful adjustments in order to sing higher without constriction. In SLS, coaches do this with carefully selected scale combinations of vowel (resonance), consonant (cord closure), and volume (air flow).

I, frankly, like the term mixed voice for myself and for my students. For myself, it is a balanced sensation (or state) that I exercise daily with scales to keep my voice healthy, strong, and flexible. I don’t use the same blend of mixed voice when I perform because I prefer to sing harder at my gigs. That is a choice I make. I am self aware of my vocal limitations, and trust me, we all have them!

Do you have questions or comments. Please leave them below! Thanks.