Techniques for
singing can be improved substantially by scheduling a vocal lesson with a
reputable voice coach.
How do you know
if you need help and when? It's a good idea to start out your performing career
by laying a foundation of good techniques for singing. Starting with an empty
slate is a whole lot easier than finding out later in your career that you have
to correct long-standing bad habits.
Watch for these
symptoms of a voice in trouble:
Sore throat during or after singing
Pitch problems, sharp or flat
Feeling that you need to sing louder
to maintain the tone
Feeling that you need to whisper to
get the words out
Finding it difficult to pronounce
the words
Lack of emotional communication with
audience
If you are
experiencing any of these symptoms, you might want to start asking around for
that vocal coach we talked about and begin to develop some valid singing
techniques for yourself.
I once asked
country singer (first singer to record "Wind Beneath My Wings") and
Broadway star (Les Miserables) Gary Morris why he thought he needed to take a
vocal lesson. He replied by saying, "You might be a big, tough guy, but
you wouldn't get in the ring with Mike Tyson without an expert trainer in your
corner." Good analogy, Gary!
How can you know
what to expect from the singing coaches you may interview? Look first at their
resume, client list, and fees -- as is true in many fields, you tend to get
what you pay for. Are any of the students known to you? Ask the coach to supply
you with a way to contact present and/or former students. Encourage the coach
to explain their personal philosophy of techniques for singing. What is most
important to them? Vocal safety? Emotional impact? Perfect singing techniques?
A five octave range? (And you need five octaves for what?)
At some point
you have to quit looking and start trusting. Once you have the information you
need to make a carefully considered decision, it's time to hand yourself over
to the strange things this individual will ask you to do in a vocal lesson. I,
for one, admit my warm-up exercises sound a little dorky, but they work!
And that's what counts.
You have to
trust your singing teacher, but keep an open mind. Regularly check your
progress by taping yourself and listening to the results. Ask for progress
evaluations from trusted friends and family. If your progress seems to be
stalled or you are plagued by the serious voice problems listed above -- well,
it might be time to move on to a better fit. I always give my students a %100
guarantee that if my techniques for singing better don't work for them, they
can always go back to what wasn't working for them before.
With the right
vocal coach you can learn how to sharpen your techniques for singing freely and
how to craft a song to move an audience from tears to joy and back again. But
when it comes to making career moves you need to be a self-starter.
You can ask for
feedback from your singing teacher when opportunities come your way. They
should be able to help you make informed decisions, but don't expect your vocal
coach to manage your career, or get you a record deal -- that is, unless they
offer that service and have a track record of success.
Nashville
vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams reveals the trade secrets that have already
helped hundreds of aspiring singers become celebrities: Tim McGraw, Martina
McBride, Dixie Chicks, Miley Cyrus, Huey Lewis, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill,
Jason Aldean, Christina Aguilera...
Like
me on Facebook
at or follow me on Twitter @MyVoiceCoach. My blog can be found at MyVoiceCoachBlog.com.
Go
to CyberVoiceStudio.com and
sign up to receive my free weekly Video Voice Lessons.
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