Author Archives: Susan McAllister-Bee

Jackie Evancho … Opera singer or child who mimics

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I recently read some very disturbing opinions about Jackie Evancho, the young 11 year old opera singer, and her “modified” voice on the internet.

I feel very bad for this little girl and her family, and I hope they never have to read what I just did.

When I hear this little girl sing I get goosebumps. Yes, I analyse her voice, and yes, I see her jaw wobble, but this is an angel who sings from her heart and soul.

There will always be children who learn to mimic what they hear and/or see very well. This is not anything new. However, now, in the 21st century when most people have access to the internet, children are learning more and developing faster than ever before. We will continue to be amazed by children on the internet who can do things that we never thought possible.

Is it really so amazing? In my opinion, no, not really. The internet has opened windows of opportunity for these children and young people to be seen and loved. The internet has given them not only the opportunity to view the best in the world, but to mimic the best in the world.

I believe we will continue to be amazed.

 

Classical versus contemporary voice lessons

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I’ve said this before and I’m going to say it again. I’m thankful I never took classical singing lessons when I was young.

I did sing in choirs up until about the age of 15. I respected my choir directors very much. I sang alto and learned great things about posture, head voice, reading music, tone, dynamics,  and blending with the other singers. It was great fun.

At the same time I was jamming with my sister in a local dance band. I sang everything from the Carpenters to Helen Reddy to Bill Haley and the Comets. This, too, was great fun. I was not using my “choir” voice in the dance band. I definitely had two very different voices as a young singer.

Eventually, I stopped singing in the choir but continued singing contemporary rock, pop and country music. My “choir” voice went away. I was happy to replace it with my “band” voice.

I tell you this story to make you aware of the many different sounds any singer can make. They are not made the same way, and any classical teacher who tells you they can teach you how to sing pop, rock or country better be able to prove it.

There are some teachers who can teach these two very different voices, but many cannot. So, be clear what you want and how you should get it.

If you have any questions, let me know. I’d be glad to point you in the right direction!

Enjoy the journey……

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Learning to sing better doesn’t happen overnight. Once you make the decision to improve your voice, it’s very much like commiting to go to the gym regularly. Except you commit to vocalise regularly. How and what you vocalize is important. There is lots of free information online to help you, if you know what you’re doing. However, one of the biggest mistakes singers make is singing “too big” too soon. In other words, singers need to learn to not push to make the sounds they want, but instead get very familiar with their head voice and the coordinations that are necessary to increase power and strength in the correct way. This isn’t the path that the amateur singer is naturally inclined to take. Most singers want to work their voice from the bottom and go up, instead of from the top and go down. This can cause problems if you do not know how to bridge through your 1st passagio. However, in saying that, there are some singers who have opposite problems, and in fact need to work from the bottom and go up.

So, take the time to learn about your unique voice and the proper ways to train your unique vocal habits. Learn what your passagio is, (there is more than one, but let’s start with the 1st one!), where it is, what it feels like, and why it causes so many singers such havoc! Then, figure out how to get through it correctly to make some fabulous sounds!

I appreciate your comments. Please leave me a message!

The tongue

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Do you know that the tongue is a muscle? It is the only muscle that is attached at one end and open on the other.

The tongue is interesting. It can get in the way of great singing. Most of the time it should simply relax and touch the tip of your bottom teeth.

It has to move around to help you form consonants like t, th, k, g, c, d, and more. Then it needs to get out of the way so you can make a nice tone with your singing voice. It needs to relax and stay out of the way so the vowels can form properly and create a nice tone.

Next time you’re singing, think about what your tongue is doing? Is it getting in the way?

The next family gathering – more about playing piano by ear

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Playing piano by ear does not need to be difficult. Start with your basic chord structures and go from there. Rhythmic patterns are the answer to freedom to play be ear on the piano.

I just posted a youtube video for Love Me Tender. This has a fabulous rhythmic pattern that can be used in many 4/4 time signatures. Check it out here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR75erMsSvM&list=UULXd_oaGk_U_pfwkvvxH2kA&index=1&feature=plcp

You do not always need to know the notes in the right hand to play a song. Once you know the chord structure and are able to freely sing or hum along, then you will see that the melody notes are intertwined among the chords. That’s when you start to break down the chords and involve the melody line. Use the notes within the chord structure to color your melody notes.

Fingering can be tricky, but there is no right or wrong way. Do what is easy for you at the time and go from there. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Then, at the next family gathering when it’s time to have the sing-a-long, you will be much better prepared. You will no longer need to sight-read those notes. Instead you will be looking at the chords and everyone will be singing along. That’s the path to great playing piano by ear!

Where to learn contemporary singing techniques?

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We all want our kids to get a superb education and university is, of course, the only way to get a “degree” in voice.

This post is simply to make singers aware of the changes happening very fast in the music business. If singing is your passion, and you want to work with your voice for your life, then university for voice may or may not be a good idea.

A lot of singers dream of working on Broadway.  Are you aware that auditions now on Broadway require not only a legit voice, but a voice that sing rock and pop. Are you able to sing in both styles?

Today’s singer needs to be versatile. Today’s singer on Broadway needs to be able to sing many styles. Sopranos need to know how to access their chest voice and be able to sing in a speech-like quality. Some teachers do not teach this.

Singers, beware. Know what you want. Then go find it.

Your GPS to a better singing voice

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There are no short cuts to having the voice you always dreamed of. However, with a good singing coach you should notice improvements in the first lesson and continue to learn and grow. With a good singing coach you should see a plan of action that will take you to a better voice one exercise at a time.

Knowing your vocal habits, good and bad, is a huge step towards better singing. A good coach should be able to tell you the issues standing in your way at the first lesson.

Not all coaches will have the same suggestions and exercises for improvement. Some will focus on breathing exercises, or abdominal muscles and posture. Some will focus on your song material. This is where you, the singer will need to decide if this coach is for you.

When you come to my studio, you learn about your “mix” or “middle voice” first, and what your singing habits are. Sure your breathing and posture are  important, but these coordinations will take hold nicely as you learn how to transition through your passagio without strain or a break in register. We will start with a focus on cord closure, air flow and vowel formation.

From there I will map out an exercise plan for you one week at a time. You are included in the plan. You get to know your voice and what it can do, and you learn what needs the most work.

In no time at all you will understand what makes you “tick” as a singer. You will learn how to engage your body for strength and endurance without undue strain.

Learning to sing to your maximum potential is a balancing act. In my studio, you, the singer, are involved in the process. You will know exactly why I have picked certain exercises for you, and you will understand how and why as your voice unfolds.

 

The power of repetition

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All too often we make the mistake in repetition. We’re told to go home and practise. We put on the vocal CD, or we open up our piano book, and we do what we were told to…or do we?

So often the journey to improvement lies in the subleties. For instance, getting that “cry” to come out in your voice (which has a lot to do with your ability to do vocal fry in your head voice, which has a lot to do with your ability to be able to hold back your breath while making high pitch, quiet noises) takes a lot of repetition of the correct coordination in the vocal cords.

Starting with these simple, less musical exercises are well worth the effort. Repeat, repeat, repeat these sounds often and watch your scales come alive.

Does learning to play piano help you sing easier?

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It is easiest to sing when you have mastered the art of listening. Listening and mimicing sounds go hand-in-hand. In fact, that’s how we learned to talk…we copied what we heard. It is easiest if the singer has developed this art at a young age.

That’s why I always encourage my piano students to sing the rhythm or words as they learn a song. The goal, of course, is to match pitch. Later on, to match articulation and dynamics.

I don’t think we can under-estimate the value of learning a musical instrument and its’ correlation to learning to sing.

 

What’s the difference between falcetto and head voice?

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As a singer, we all seem to want to know what is the difference between head voice and falcetto. Do we really need to know exactly when it switches from one to the other?  I have had numerous singers ask me this question, so this is how I try to explain it.

The difference between head voice and falcetto can be recognized by the singer as a feeling or sensation, and a difference in effort level.

If you are in head voice, it will feel like you have good control over the volume and vibrato of your high notes. This is because the cords have the ability to hold back your breath, increasing and decreasing the amount of breath that you send through your cords as you desire. I classify this as head voice being “connected” or “mixed” with the rest of the singer’s voice. In other words, the singer would be able to descend in pitch and be able to keep the same “feeling” of vocal cord connection.

Falcetto, on the other hand, is the inability of the vocal cords to hold back enough air, that would otherwise be called head voice! Falcetto has a breathier quality by default, and feels totally different from the rest of your voice. It is hard to control the volume, and you run out of breath quickly. It usually follows a sensation of singing with control while ascending in pitch, and then being unable to maintain the same degree of control. The vocal cords suddenly feel like they “blow apart” or “let go.”

The reason it is hard to differeniate between head voice and falcetto at times, is because a singer can have a light head voice. Is light head voice the same as falcetto? IMHO, no. Falcetto will always feel like a loss of control of the higher register, and disconnected from the rest of the voice. Whereas, a light (mixed) head voice will be able to siren down and back up again, and feel the same throughout.

What is interesting is that singers like the Bee Gees, Aaron Neville and Leanne Rimes use their head voice and falcetto qualities to varying degrees in their singing all the time. Do we really need to label who is doing what?

Here’s my analysis anyway, ha ha, because I enjoy trying to “figure it out” and also hope some you readers will send me your thoughts and feedback.

The Bee Gees are using head voice (but not a mixed quality). They have a clear (although twangy), non-breathy, well established vocal musculature that they have total control of. It is disconnected from their chest register. Could this be considered falcetto? I’m sure many readers might consider their singing falcetto. In order to prove any such status, we would need to see their vocal cords in action, as well as have a pre-determined “picture” of what falcetto always looks like in the vocal cords. The entire professional vocal community would need to agree on these parameters. This hasn’t happened yet, so until the singing teachers and coaches of the world come together and agree on terminology and function, we will need to rely on other parameters. For me, it’s my ears!

Leanne Rimes, in the song “Blue,” has a yodel that some would classify as falcetto. However, she has the same quality in the low notes as the high notes. Sure, there is a defined flip, but her ability to engage her vocal cords in her head register the way she does, tells me this is definitely head voice quality, but not in a mix. It is disconnected from the chest register. In fact, that is what yodelling is. The ability to go back and forth from chest register to head register, with a flip, but with the same vocal quality in each register. One register is not breathier than the other.

Aaron Neville’s voice, is an interesting analysis. He has a beautiful mix of mostly head voice in his singing. When he flips to only head voice, he is simply releasing his chest register in the mix. Even though it has a breath-like quality, you will notice it is the same breath-like quality as his lower notes. Therefore, this is not falcetto. This is a defined flip between a mixed voice (mostly head voice) and his true head voice.

Do you have any questions about your head voice or falcetto voice? Can you tell the difference in your voice? Let me know!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I did writing it!