Caroling Christmas Songs Bring Joy

Caroling Christmas singers can bring great joy not only to those for whom they perform, but to themselves as well. You don’t have to be a trained singer to sing at this time of year. There’s something about the holiday season that makes even the most timid singer want to join in.

As well as an opportunity to make beautiful music with your friends it should be fun, And isn’t that whole point of caroling? Holiday songs give us an opportunity to share our feelings of joy.

Caroling (wassailing) dates back to the early middle ages. Peasants went from manor to manor where the landed gentry fed them in exchange for their blessings. During the thirteenth century Saint Francis of Assisi introduced caroling Christmas songs into church services in Italy. English caroling began in 1426 with groups of wassailers going from house to house singing songs of celebration and Christmas.

If you are going to be caroling Christmas songs this year, these five basic tips should give your singing voice a little boost. I can’t guarantee you’ll get a recording contract if you use them, but they should help make singing carols just a little less intimidating and a lot more fun!

1. Breathe by relaxing your throat and lower diaphragm muscles. Picture air falling from your throat to below your waist. Don’t fill up with air. Too much air in the chest area creates pressure around the throat.

2. To hit the high notes, tuck your tail bone under your body and stand by pressing the balls of your feet into the ground. Loosen your knees slightly and tuck your hips under as if you were going to lift a heavy chair.

3. Try to feel the singing vibrate at the top of your head rather than in your throat. Your jaw should always be loose, not stiff and not stretched open.

4. Listen closely to the other voices. It doesn't matter whether you are singing harmony parts or in unison on the melody line, if you can actually hear yourself you are probably singing too loud. Put your efforts into blending with your group instead of blasting them!

5. And remember when you’re singing any song, especially a Christmas carol, it’s terribly important to think about what the words really mean. It’s amazing how simply thinking about the words and their meaning can improve the tone. That’s probably the most helpful tip of all.

One word of caution: if your caroling Christmas songs take you outdoors it is important that you protect your throat. Layer your clothing and be sure to bring a scarf to keep your throat warm. For soothing tired throats, take a thermos of something hot to drink. But don’t overdo it with the spiked eggnog; alcohol can be drying to the entire system as well as the throat.

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.

For more information go to MyVoiceCoach.com or call 615.244.3280 to schedule a private voice session in person, by telephone or by Skype.
 

Stage Fright: Don't Let it Scare You

Stage fright is an interesting paradox. Many singers are willing to suffer almost paralyzing anxiety as they bite and claw their way to positions that, when reached, continue to terrify them. What drives us to invite and endure these self-inflicted tortures?

The other day I spotted this graffito scribbled on a Nashville recording studio wall, “Try to relax, or we’ll find someone who can.” Ouch! What a cruel line! Nothing makes a person tighten up faster than being accused of being uptight. Nobody wants to think they’re not relaxed. “Relax? What do you mean, relax? I am relaxed!!!”

Stage fright is normal—even useful. It gives our singing energy and edge. But when stage fright is excessive it becomes counterproductive and we have to take steps to neutralize it. Here’s a little trick I learned from New York acting coach Jim DeBlaises that may take some of the Fear and Loathing out of performing and help calm your nerves.

Ask yourself what it is you’re afraid will happen. Write down all the things you think could go wrong. What’s the worst thing you could imagine? What are your worst fears? Make a list of all the things you think could possibly go wrong. Now confront them one by one by acting them out.

Do you think you might sing off pitch? Then sing a few songs out of tune. If you’re afraid you’ll forget the words, okay, do that—sing a few songs and forget the words. Maybe you're afraid your voice will crack. Well then, sing some songs and make your voice crack.

Make all the mistakes you can think of. If you’re worried you might stumble over your words, practice stumbling. What if you don't come in at the right time? Try that out. Just go crazy. Do you think you might fall down? Then practice actually falling down.

Now try to make all those mistakes -- just do a terrible job.

This won’t be as easy as it sounds, you’ll soon see that it’s harder to make mistakes than you’d think. In fact, it’s almost as hard to deliberately make mistakes as it is to deliberately be perfect. But after you’ve done it a few times, you'll find the terror starts to dissipate and your fears start to seem funny. Really put some practice time in on this. It’s not enough just to know about it.

Everyone deals with performance nerves in their own way. My mother often trotted out Harry Truman’s words, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” They came in handy whenever I started to lose my nerve. Of course, that’s where I want to be -- in the kitchen where all the action is! I’m reminded of why I wanted to be a performer in the first place.

If nothing else works for you, there’s always the trick Carol Burnett used to keep things in perspective. She recommends visualizing your audience naked—but only if you can do it without snickering!

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.

For more information go to MyVoiceCoach.com or call 615.244.3280 to schedule a private voice session in person, by telephone or by Skype.

Awsome Autumn Songwriting Contest Winner! 

Brian Harrison Wins!

We are happy to announce our winning songwriter, Brian Harrison.
Brian will receive a one hour session with Renee and a six month membership to
Renee Grant-Williams’ Membership website.

Listen to Brian’s winning song:
Autumn Leaves

Older Singers: When is the party over?

Older singers may have a problem knowing when to quit. A singer's voice is a living instrument with no readily replaceable parts. Eventually, with age, the muscles of your voice mechanism atrophy exactly like the muscles in the rest of your body. So, my question is this: How does a singer know when it's time to hang it up?

Mick Jagger once said, "I'd rather be dead than sing 'Satisfaction' when I'm forty-five." Clearly he has had plenty of time to re-think his position on that brash pronouncement made in the bloom of youth. Jagger still brings a whirlwind of kinetic energy to the stage as he continues to perform and tour. He'll probably be going strong for the next twenty years.

The Rolling Stones aren't the only rock and roll dinosaur band still in action. Take, for example, Grand Funk Railroad, (Homer Simpson's favorite band!). They formed in the late Sixties and by 1970 were selling more albums than any other American rock band.

Recently I had an opportunity to hear the STILL amazing Grand Funk Railroad play an outdoor waterfront concert right down the street from where I live in the center of Nashville.

A journalist friend had given me a couple of media pass lanyards so we could get a good up-close view of the stage. I was especially curious to see how their voices were holding up after fifty years of living the rock and roll life.

Concert security must have thought we were with Rolling Stone Magazine because Wham! we were immediately ushered to the front row -- dead center and about ten feet from the Action. And the Action was incredible!

The lead singer Max Carl, who joined the band when they re-formed in 2000 and had originally fronted .38 Special, looks and sounds absolutely great! His is an edgy, but clear voice that could have belonged to a healthy 22-year-old. I could hear no sign of diminished vocal prowess.

Sitting that close gave me a front row view of the technique that seemed to be responsible. It was a treat to see good support in action and up that close. And Max was a model of good support. He stepped back and tucked his hips (often I use the word "tailbone" to be more descriptive) under his body to access his support as he approached each high note.

Now, why do I make such a big deal mention of this event?

Although there are additional factors that contribute to the longevity of vocal prowess, whole-body support remains, for me at least, at the top of the list. There's no magic bullet. Singing will always require a reliable power source.

But you can access and develop your support system so that you sing with your entire body working under you or you can let your throat do all the work. It's your choice. Only you can decide whether you want to be rockin' on stage at 80 or rockin' in a chair out on the back porch.