The Journey

maintaining one's passions

Category: Vocal Skill Building

So You Found Your Voice, What’s Next?

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On March 7, 2021

In Uncategorized, Vocal Skill Building

I hope these last couple of weeks have been a journey for you. I know they have for me.

We learned why physical exercise is important for your vocals. I even shared my favorite workout routine with you! Then, I shared some cool vocal warmups to try, after we figured out our voice parts of course. We even began the most fun part of singing together. Finding your own unique voice– your vocal signature.

I know these last weeks may have seemed hard at some points, but take a look back and see how far we’ve come.

We started with a weak voice that didn’t give us our dream sound. Look at us now!

We can sing comfortably and confidently!

Now what’s next?

So you think you have a great voice now?
The work is never finished and there is always room for improvement and new heights to strive for.

The next parts to your journey are up to you. I will suggest starting your focus on performance and dealing with nerves.

I call it, conquering the stage. Everyone, even those of us who are more seasoned performers, have nerves and get a little pit in our stomachs before a gig.

Those nerves mean you care about your craft. So I challenge you to find out what makes you nervous when you perform. Practice battling those nervous habits in your free time and before performances. Over time, you’ll feel more and more confident. The nerves will start to pump you up instead of tear you down. I promise!

Once you’ve conquered the stage, you’ll be able to truly blossom into the vocalist you were meant to be.

You can be whatever you want to be in this world of performers!

Don’t be afraid to try new genres, styles, writing styles, or performance techniques. Don’t be afraid to even try duets and group performing. Believe it or not singing with others is its own vocal exercise. You can build your ear and ability to blend your vocals with other notes.

Remember to stay true to your craft and never forget why you sing. When you get frustrated just remind yourself why you began and keep moving forward! You will do amazing!

Creating Your Unique Sound

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On February 28, 2021

In Uncategorized, Vocal Skill Building

I want you to take a minute. Think back to when you were first exposed to music. 

Now think about what you were listening to throughout middle and high school. Did your mom or dad play certain music often? Did your grandmother sing or play her favorite music when she cleaned, on Saturday mornings? Did you catch on to theme songs of your favorite shows or video games? Did you have a favorite playlist on your phone or Ipod?  

All that music you heard growing up has a huge impact on your feelings about music today! All that music you were into and emotionally connected to was wired into your brain! Literally. 

You may be wondering what this has to do with finding your own unique sound in your singing. 

The answer is EVERYTHING! 

I grew up on gospel, jazz, and r&b soul music. I was surrounded by it in all walks of life from home, school, church, and in the car. 

Today, as I have grown into a vocalist of my own. My influence comes from those genres. It carries over into how I developed my unique sound. This applies to you as well. 

So, you’re probably wondering how you actually find your sound. Here we go: 

Pull sounds, styles, and techniques from your genres that you know! 

  • Listen closely to those vocalists’ and how they perform.
  • Look at their personalities and their stories.
  • Do any of these resonate with you more than others? 
  • For my readers who haven’t had that music experience growing up, I’ve got you covered! 
    • Use this twitter list of musicians to find people and experiences that resonate with you. This list will be your starting point. Let it take you to other genres and vocalists! 

Take all you just gathered from above and start singing similar songs or using those styles in your own vocal practice.

  • Take note of what feels comfortable to you.
  • Can you copy any of what you hear exactly? 
  • What techniques don’t sound good to you?
  • What styles do you like the most or least? 
  • When you feel like you’re getting a good idea of what works and what doesn’t move to the last step.

Use what you learned about your vocal preferences and boundaries to switch from mimicking styles and techniques to creating your own versions. 

  • It’s time to get creative! 
  • If you hear a riff or run you like try to make your own signature run. 
  • If you realize you like singing soft versus belting (vice versa) experiment with vocal placement
  • This part of the journey is all about you. The possibilities are endless. You have to dig deep and find as many styles and techniques to try and make your own as possible.
  • The more diverse you can be the better vocalist you become.

Diversity is one of the keys to success as a vocalist. We start with what we know as you did here today. 

After you build your foundation, stepping out of your comfort zone gives you an advantage over other musicians. Do what you do well and don’t be afraid to try new concepts. 

I told you my comfort zone is gospel, jazz, and r&b soul music. As I have developed my unique sound, I was able to step into pop, classical, indie, and even country music! 

I put my unique sound into all of those genres. You will know it’s me singing just by listening before you see it’s me. How? I am identified by my signature vocal style and techniques. 

That is the goal. That should be YOUR goal. The best artists can be identified by their unique sounds before you see them physically.

Build up your sound! Make it your own, and watch how people start to identify you in your music. In time you will have your own signature sound.

Building Your Vocal Skills

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On February 21, 2021

In Uncategorized, Vocal Skill Building

So, you want to get your voice back? You want to sing better? After realizing your physical health keeps your singing healthy, it’s time to get to work on your vocal skills. So, you start singing this song you picked out and realize you’re struggling to comfortably sing the right notes. That’s probably because you aren’t singing in your correct voice part.

There’re so many voice parts to fall into. Many manage to sing several fluently. It’s even possible to build a whole career singing one voice part and successfully transition to another! 

Before you go thinking about trying to master them all, it’s important to understand what the 6 major voice parts are.

  •       Soprano – highest female voice: vocal range C4 – C6
  •       Mezzo Soprano – 2nd highest female voice: vocal range A3 – A5
  •       Alto – 2nd lowest female voice: vocal range F3 – F5
  •       Contralto – lowest female voice: vocal range E3 – E5
  •       Countertenor – highest male voice: vocal range E3 – E5
  •       Tenor – 2nd highest male voice: vocal range C3 – C5
  •       Baritone – 2nd lowest male voice: vocal range A2 – A4
  •       Bass – lowest male voice: vocal range E2 – E4

 These vocal parts are constructs built on biological differences in male and female vocal abilities. It is important to understand this construct is primitive.

How you identify yourself can no longer constrict you to a single set of voice parts. I identify as female and I have successfully reached the countertenor voice part!

As you can see, there are so many vocal parts to try and work with. Now that you know what they are, you must consider finding your comfort zone. You may be wondering how to do that. It’s fairly simple. There are hundreds of free vocal range test resources out there to try! 

So, what IS finding your comfort zone? Finding your comfort zone is simply going up and down a scale of notes from low register to high while monitoring your comfortability and amount of struggle as you ascend or descend with the notes. 

Believe it or not, that’s the easiest part of this vocal journey! Once you set your vocal boundaries, it’s time to put your vocals to work and exercise them consistently. 

The best way to exercise your vocals and build skills is to rehearse and practice with warmups. Warmups can be anything from lip trills to the siren exercise. Each exercise or warmup is designed to strengthen a part of your voice and teach you the best way to use it strategically in performance.

For example, to build your belting skills, you wouldn’t want to use an exercise designed for singing riffs. 

As a vocalist you have full control over your journey’s focus and direction. If you want to build strategies and skills for extending your range, you can. If you want to work on different vocal attacks to learn control, you can do that too. Personalize your experience so that it caters to your strengths and weaknesses. 

Given we are still dealing with side effects of the pandemic, I will share my vocal routine secret! 

Why spend money on vocal coaches and training while it’s strictly virtual when you can get the same instruction online for FREE. 

You may be wondering how that’s possible. Luckily  for you, I have a custom resource playlist where you can begin your vocal practice journey today! 

Physical Exercise for Your Voice

By

On February 14, 2021

In Uncategorized, Vocal Skill Building

As a vocalist you learn that there’s some things you just don’t do. You protect yourself and your voice at all times. It’s your livelihood! As vocalists your vocal health is just as important as your physical, mental, and spiritual. There’s four big things to consider throughout the day that should become second nature. 

Get enough sleep! 

Having consistent rest decreases the chances of your body being physically fatigued. That type of bodily harm can cause stress to your vocal cord muscles as well. 

Watch what you eat! 

 Spicy foods are my favorite but if your body is not used to it, it can cause heartburn. How does it hurt your vocals? The acid can move to your throat and you don’t want that! 

Gum chewing is a hit or miss and I choose not to chew gum to avoid building tension and soreness in the jaw. Your face muscles are important too! You’ll need them to successfully use proper singing techniques to make certain sounds. 

Healthy foods are the best! Try to keep Vitamins A, E, and C in your diet! They reduce chances of dry throat and boost your immune system

Stay sanitary and up on your hygiene!

If it’s winter and feels warm, WHERE A COAT. 

Wash your hands, use sanitizer when you’re out and about to avoid germs. 

Catching the cold and flu can damage your voice temporarily so best to try and stay healthy.

Be careful around drugs and alcohol!

If you haven’t smoked before, DON’T try it and risk consistent smoking. You can severely damage your vocals by harming the vocal folds. Avoid second hand-hand smoke as well. 

Be mindful of your alcohol intake even with mouthwash. You can dry out your voice if you intake too much for long periods of time. 

Now with the daily routine checks finished, the second big thing for vocal care is physical EXERCISE! You could easily make this number five on the list above, but we all know most normal people don’t have time to workout everyday. I certainly do not! To keep your voice healthy there’s different exercises that work best for whichever vocal skills you want to improve. 

CARDIO works wonders! 

Whether you enjoy walking, jogging, running, dancing or any other cardio activity, get your heart pumping! It builds cardiovascular endurance which helps you sing more powerfully and feel more in control. 

STRENGTH based exercises are important too!

Lift with low weights and high repetitions to build core strength and endurance. Low weights decrease chances of straining which can harm your muscles. 

Building core strength makes singing strong effortless and holding notes easier.

Try a new sport or keep playing your favorite ones!

Sports can mix both strength and cardio exercise together allowing you to sing with more range, control, and less strain. 

Exercise and daily lifestyle considerations are both starting efforts in building up your vocal skills. Take time to figure out which lifestyle changes you need to make or bad habits you need to break. Once you decide that, you can build your own personal workout routine with a mix of cardio and strength exercises. Try to workout at least two to three times a week to start. If you’re having a hard time deciding what workouts to try, you can try my personal favorite routine! 

 

Starting Your Vocal Journey

By

On February 7, 2021

In Uncategorized, Vocal Skill Building

You take your breath. You attempt to let your melody escape through the air only to find it’s no longer the melody you hoped for. Time and time again, vocalists take breaks.

It’s normal.

Are you struggling to get your voice back? Are you new to the game and feeling unsuccessful? I promise you’re not alone. Don’t worry. You can sing your whole life and still fall off your game. I know I have. Dormant phases are normal. Vocal breaks are HEALTHY! 

Whether you’re dealing with slim access to gigs and open mics  or just got slammed with life priorities, it’s never too late to start practicing again. I was in the same boat as a college student. Just like so many other students, the pandemic changed my whole world. We got kicked off campus. Then they forced us back into our homes and said “Here’s zoom class.” I was NOT a fan.

It was awful at first, but I realized I had more free time than ever. I missed singing everyday and used my free-time to start practicing again.  I was blown away when I realized my voice was shot. I DID NOT have it like I used to.

With time, patience, and effort the voice can be made whole again. So here I am sharing my journey back to my prime with you. Why? If you’re here, you want your voice back or need start up guidance.

When beginning again, or beginning for the first time, there are so many things that get you going towards your goals as a vocalist.

  1. You start treating  singing as a sport.
  2. You build your own vocal technique and strategy list.
  3. You get the basics and finally find your unique sound.

 Following the sequence (and by that I mean blog posts) will send you on a guided journey to vocal success. Each post will give you a week to absorb and practice with the advice, preparing you for the next step each week. Everything will make so much sense, but my advice is to treat it like a math class. Every concept and piece of guidance builds on the other so do yourself a favor: take your time and don’t skip ahead.

 

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