Singers often ask me what “voice type” they are – whether they are soprano/alto, tenor/bass or something in between. In classical/opera circles this classification is broken down even further (I.e. lyric tenor, dramatic soprano, coloratura, etc.), depending on the unique qualities of a singer’s voice.

Sadly, voices are often mis-classified and singers find themselves placed in a box they struggle to force themselves into, and never seem to fit. They learn to accept themselves as singers with insurmountable limitations and try to make the best of it. Tell me if any of these sound familiar:
- I’m a baritone. I can’t belt out those tenor high Cs – though people often tell me my speaking voice sounds like a tenor.
- I sing alto in choir because I have trouble hitting anything above an A above middle C.
- My choir director put me in the alto section in high school because I could harmonize and I’ve assumed I was an alto ever since.

Often a voice is so full of strain and range-limiting tension that it’s difficult for a singer to understand what kind of instrument they are working with. You may find that, as a male singer, you can only hit those F sharps and G’s above middle C by pushing your chest voice to it’s limits. In the same way, as a female singer, you may think you are an alto simply because hitting anything beyond an A or Bb above middle C yields a light, breathy tone with no connection to the strong sound you could make on the previous pitches. Once these issues are addressed with a knowledgable teacher you may find a whole new world of vocal possibilities opening up.

The biggest voice-classification mistakes I’ve seen have been in college vocal programs where voice-typing is often based on a singer’s existing range rather than the harmonic qualities of the actual instrument. Not long ago I met up with a recent graduate from my Alma Mater. He explained that he had spent 4 years of his life struggling through as a “baritone”, only to discover (when he studied with an SLS instructor) that he actually had a lovely, free, tenor voice. I heard him sing later that evening and was amazed by the ease and beauty in his Josh Groban-esque high notes and his obvious tenor qualities. It was frustrating to hear how he had spent so much time and money pursuing his passion only to require someone to undo the damage (which echoed my own experience). He’s now teaching the SLS technique in Canada.

Now, let’s be fair and not always place the blame on vocal instructors. People can also easily mis-classify themselves: A voice can develop and change over the years through the effects of age, voice-change, pregnancy/hormones even into or past the twenties. My own voice deepened considerably throughout my three pregnancies and I’ve really loved the rich qualities it’s gained as a result. Often a singer accepts a vocal designation, places themselves in that box, and filters all incoming information based on whether or not it agrees with their particular label. They unknowingly place limitations on themselves based on a categorization, (of course, this statement can apply to life in general – not just singing…but that’s another kind of blog).

And some voices are just more difficult to classify. A while back I had a student who asked me what his voice type was and I told him I believed he was a baritone…a week later I observed him having a lesson with my own vocal instructor who told him he was, in fact, a tenor. This was a good learning experience for me not to be too quick to categorize a voice and to make sure I was more educated in this area before even attempting to make the call. I’m still cautious about labeling voices before they’re fully developed.

Realistically, unless you’re required to label yourself because you live in the classical world, my suggestion would be to avoid placing yourself in a box altogether. A mezzo-soprano could have a coloratura range and a tenor could opt to sing a jazzy song in a lower key because he’s making an artistic choice. Avoid the labels if at all possible and simply find out what your voice can do when it’s free to soar!

Hey everybody. Change is in the air. After 3 years at our Hillcrest studio we’ve moved to a new location at 846 Lindawood St, Newbury Park, CA 91320. It’s less then a mile away from our previous studio and easy to find. I’ll include instructions below.
We’ve also changed our online booking system from Bookfresh to Bookingbug. Booking bug lets us run promotions and handle re-occuring lessons. As before we prefer that you prepay for your lesson with paypal, however we will continue to accept your checks or cash at the beginning of the lesson.

Directions to our new location:
846 Lindawood St, Newbury Park, CA 91320
We’re still off the Lynn Road exit. Head the other way over the bridge to the West side of the freeway. After the second light (Greenmeadow) be on the look out for the next right onto Capitan. Follow Capitan looking for Lindawood St. on the Left. We’re the white house on the corner of Capitan and Lindawood. Park on the street and enter though the side gate on the right of the house. The garage door leads to our new studio.

Click here to go to our booking system to setup your lesson times. We will be transferring your previously booked lessons from BookFresh to your Bookingbug account this week. Watch for your booking bug invitation and let us know if you didn’t recieve one.

For so many people the road to finding a vocal instructor begins with a “Google” or Craigslist search.  From there singers are inundated with ads promising that working in their studio will make dreams of stardom come true.  Some of these instructors may actually have the skills to help you on your way – and many of them haven’t got a clue (though they are all well-intentioned).

Keep in mind as well that there is more than one type of vocal instructor out there: my own strength is as a Vocal Technician, meaning that my job is to bring the most balance and ease possible to a voice so that we can then apply that ease to whatever musical genre a singer wishes to sing.  My students are made up of singers of rock/pop, musical theater, jazz, classical, country….and everything in between.  I’m not the teacher with a musical library filled with every possible book and recording of the perfect musical theater audition pieces for a high tenor simply because I apply what I do to so many different styles.  You may want to work with a technician like me to get the most out of your instrument but keep your musical theater or opera expert on the side to assist you with song/audition choices and proper interpretation of their genre of expertise.

When looking for a vocal technique instructor you may have to “audition” several teachers to find one who can help you but here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Here’s my list of what to AVOID in a vocal technique instructor:

• They insist that learning classical/operatic repertoire is the basis for every style of singing – even if all you want to do is sing pop (or any other style)
• They use imagery to try to meet your vocal goals:

• • “place” the tone into your eyes
  • “sing into the mask”
  • sing “forward”
  • “cover” the tone
  • use more support
  • sing on the air

• The may use “results” oriented teaching:  they describe to you how a sensation feels to them  and then let you flounder around trying to find it on your own.  If you knew how to find it, you wouldn’t be there in the first place!
• They hear you sing and just keep telling you “That was great!” – unless you are perfect already (then why would you seek out a vocal instructor) there is always something that can be worked on.
• They assign you song after song but are unable to help you improve vocally.  Often this is what you’ll experience with a “Vocal Coach” – again, a very valuable asset for their expertise in a specific genre but first things first.
• You feel like you are losing the elements you used to like in your voice or you can do less vocally than you could before the lessons
• Your vocal goals are not being met
• You are told to only sing in “head” voice
• They instruct children to only sing in “head” voice until they reach puberty
• They teach children to “yell” or “belt” in their chest voice
• They teach adults to “yell” or “belt” in their chest voice
• Your understanding of your own voice hasn’t increased and/or they respond to your technical questions by giving you more songs to sing.
• Singing doesn’t feel comfortable and/or feels strained or tense
• They ask you to just sing like them – but don’t give you any clue how to accomplish that

Here’s what I would recommend you look for in a good vocal technique instructor:

• They assess your voice at the first lesson and give you a plan of action
• They are able to explain to you what your voice is doing and why
• They are able to identify your vocal “defaults”:  recognizing what your voice tends to do and know how to fix it
• They should be able to balance your voice through the bridges – no cracks, flips, breaks or strain  (depending how far a voice needs to go this could take from a handful of lessons to a year’s worth of consistent, hard work – but they should know how to get you there).
• You should experience something new about your voice in the first lesson
• They should help you become more “you” in regards to your voice
• The vocal technique they teach should be relevant for whatever musical style you are singing
• They don’t tell you what sensations to feel, rather they place your voice in exercises that cause you to experience what you need to feel – then ask how YOU would describe it
• You find that singing feels easier, without strain – anywhere in your range

Don’t be afraid to leave an instructor who isn’t giving you the results you were looking for (within reason – we can’t turn you into Beyonce…there already is one).  Loyalty to an instructor whom you’ve been paying for years but haven’t seen any real results from will not help you meet the goals you sought them out for in the first place.  While I do understand that times are tough financially these days, understand that paying a “bargain” price for a teacher doesn’t always pay off.  Consider:

• $30 for an hour/week over 2 years ($3120) with a teacher who is sweet and well-meaning but gets you nowhere
• $100/hour weekly for 6 months ($2600) with a teacher who helps you understand your voice, overcome it’s tendencies and have you doing more than you could have imagined as a singer.

There are a lot of good-hearted and well-meaning people out there who are looking to make a living teaching singers – just be sure you find one that will deliver the results you are looking for.  Happy singing!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vvansanten/3147978049/

When a singer comes into my studio for the first time, the first thing I have them do is a “diagnostic” exercise that is designed to expose all of their vocal “defaults”.  Singing an “ah” vowel (as in “law”) on a 5-tone scale (in the key of C this would go from middle C4 to G4 and back down again, covering their existing range) is one of the most difficult combinations for a singer, therefore it allows me to immediately hear their most pressing vocal issue without giving them anywhere to hide.  (insert evil cackle here).  Once I hear where a singer’s voice defaults to I try and place the voice into a temporary category, based on what I’m hearing.  This category will change as the student progresses.  Following are the four different categories I listen for when evaluating a voice:

CHEST/BELTER:

This category is for a singer who pushes their chest voice to its limit without allowing for head voice or falsetto.  My first priority will be to use exercises designed to release and let go of the weight a singer like this tries to carry with them as the pitch ascends.

FLIP:

This singer’s tendency is to sing in chest voice in the bottom of their range, then flip into a much lighter head coordination at their first bridge (where chest voice ends).  Often this singer, once in head voice, will carry head voice all the way back down with them, unable to make the transition back to chest.  I will begin by strengthening the closure of the vocal cords in their head voice then applying exercises that will make the transition between chest and head voice more seamless.

HEAD:

This singer tends to sing only in their head voice.  If a singer tells me they have studied classical singing or classical choral singing I generally assume this will be their main issue (though I always take them through the diagnostic rather than teach them based on an assumption).  A singer trained in “Bel Canto” may be the exception.  My plan of action would be to utilize exercises designed to place them in their chest voice so they can experience the sensation for themselves, then build on connecting their chest and head voices seamlessly.

MIX:

This singer comes in singing comfortably in their chest voice, then transitioning comfortably, without any bumps or glitches, through their vocal transition areas.  Their voice sounds like the same person from bottom to top, yet their words can be clearly understood and strain is absent from their body and their sound.  There can be varying levels of mix, depending on what style of music a singer is performing:  a Rock/R&B/Blues sound will require a much stronger closure of the vocal folds than the lighter, “legit” mix found in classical singing.  This is the type of balance I aim to achieve with each of my students.  Once there is consistent mix established in a voice we can move on to applying that same level of comfort to songs, style and performance.

Please note: I don’t have a need to produce technically “perfect” voices.  If you like some of the quirky things your voice does, you will still have the ability to do them if you wish after we’ve achieved the balance we’re looking for.  But I often ask my students:  Did you use that quirky/raspy/breathy/you-name-it sound because it was the right color from your vocal palette for that particular moment in the song…. or because it was your only vocal option?  Next time your voice does something “quirky” – ask yourself that question.  Then call me.

Watch for my next blog, entitled “What To Look For – And What To Avoid – In A Vocal Technique Instructor”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dunechaser/125929149/

(*To understand the following explanations about Belt and Mix Voice, I would recommend reading my blog explaining “Chest Voice and Head Voice”.)

Whether you sing musical theater, rock, pop, jazz or country, you may have experienced a sensation in your voice where you felt you had to push your “chest” voice (the voice you use to speak) to it’s limits in order to reach higher pitches.  In most musical genres this ability is highly valued and a singer is given much praise for their ability to do this.  They work for years with teachers who train them with techniques to take this type of vocal production to it’s furthest possible extreme.

And then there are those voices you hear who seem to be able to effortlessly take this powerful vocal quality up into the stratosphere without breaking a sweat – for example, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Adam Lambert, Patty LaBelle, Beyonce, Pavorotti (OK so he was a little sweaty at times).

Most people believe that either you have this ability or you don’t.  Somehow these effortless voices have a God-given miraculous ability to sing in a gifted way you’ll never possess.   In fact this ability is available to everyone if they have the right instruction.

There are varying definitions among vocal instructors for the terms “Belt” and “Mix” but for simplicity’s sake I’ll make clear how I will personally define them for this article:  Those singers pushing their voices to it’s limits and experiencing a lot of strain and effort I put in the “Belt” category.  Those singers who can take a strong, connected sound up into higher pitches effortlessly I would put in the “Mix” category.  Following is a clear delineation of what constitutes “Belt” and what would be described as “Mix”:

BELT

When a voice is coordinating in a true “belt” the vocal cords are attempting to take the chest voice coordination up as high as it can go without allowing it to switch to a thinner cord.  (Again, for a further explanation of what it means to go to a “shorter cord” see my “Chest Voice and Head Voice” blog).  And when a singer takes it to that limit they will often find that, when they do make the switch, it flips into a falsetto or “heady” sound that is very different from the power of the chest voice.  If you’re a guitarist, imagine trying to play your higher notes all on the bass string – it would only be possible to take the pitch up so high before you’d have to shift up to the next string….but now the shift to the next higher note will be more abrupt because you have to travel so far back down the neck of the instrument.  It makes much more sense to make the shift earlier when it’s easier and less abrupt.  Also, in order for the vocal folds to create higher pitches in chest voice coordination, the surrounding muscles must become involved to pull and stretch the vocal folds to make them thin enough to make higher pitched sounds.  This is about the time when I start taking bets on when a singer’s neck will explode as you can often visibly see the effort it is taking to hit those high notes!

MIX

When a voice is coordinating in “Mix”, the vocal folds are making this transition to a thinner cord (reduction in the vibrating mass) around those shifts known as “bridges” or “passagi”.  In an ideal mix there will be no strain present as the singer vocalizes throughout their range: only the action of the vocal membranes vibrating together and resisting the air.  The larynx (the cartiledge that houses the vocal folds, also known as “adam’s apple” and “voice box”) should stay in “speech level” position, meaning that it should stay comfortably in the middle while vocalizing – not moving up or down with the pitch.  (Take a moment to find your larynx with your fingers – if you swallow you’ll feel it moving up, if you yawn you’ll feel it move down.  Now say the sound “ah” from a low pitch to a high pitch and back again.  Does your larynx move up and down with the pitches?)  The transition from chest to mix means that the resonance, while starting in the mouth will begin to move behind the soft palate (where your uvula hangs) causing you to experience a phenomenon known as “split resonance” – where the resonance sensation is felt both in chest and head voices at the same time.  You will need to find this sensation with a vocal instructor who has the skills to take your own unique voice to this coordination.  Please note:  a singer needs to experience this sensation before they can reach that “aha!” moment and describe it that way. Don’t put the cart before the horse:  experience the sensation first, then describe it.  Never try and make your voice fit a description.

I will describe some of the steps to finding mix in an upcoming blog but can’t recommend enough that you find an instructor who has the tools to get you there in balance.  Everyone comes with their own set of vocal issues and there may be some work to do before your voice is ready for this step.  Stay tuned for the next topic, “The Four Voice-Types”.

Two of the most commonly used term in singing circles are “Chest Voice” and “Head Voice”. If you’ve always wondered what this actually means, read on….

In the “chest voice” - the voice most people use to speak with - people generally feel the resonance of pitches in that area vibrating in their chest. Put your hand on your chest and say the vowel “a” as in “cat” nice and strong - feel how that seems to resonate between your throat and chest? That’s your chest voice. Then cheer saying, “Woo-hoo!” - feel how the sound seems to have moved into your head? That’s your head voice.

Now for a more technical explanation: how do the vocal folds work? If you’ve ever seen a picture of the vocal folds in action you’ll see that they are attached at one end in a “V” shape and vibrate together, with the help of breath, along their length to create pitch. (See link below to view video of vocal cords in action). At the pitch “A 440″ (the pitch orchestras tune to) the vocal folds are coming together 440 times/second to create that pitch (the note you hear). Lower pitches have a lower number and pitches up in a singer’s “whistle-tone” register (think Mariah Carey) are vibrating in the 3000′s. When a singer is vocalizing in their chest voice the vocal cords are using their thickest width to create the pitches in that register. Then, at a certain point, the vocal cords have to make a physical shift to reducing the vibrating mass and thickness to create higher pitches. What that means is that the vibrating portion of the vocal folds that is involved in creating the pitch must thin out as the pitches get higher.  Think about how you change pitch with a rubber band.  The lower the desired note, the thicker the vibrating mass of the band will be; the higher the desire pitch, the more you will stretch the band.  Similarly, the voice needs to make a shift to a thinner coordination in the vocal folds as the pitch ascends.  When it comes to bridging from chest to head voice think of the same rubber band experiment:  except that you can only stretch the rubber band so far before you hit a ceiling or break the band (top of your chest voice).  Now stretch the rubber band, but this time, place one finger in the middle of the stretched portion and play the pitch.  Now you’ve “bridged” the band and suddenly have many more higher pitches available without over-straining the vibrating mass.  Do this earlier and you eliminate the chances of breaking the rubber band - or straining your voice.

The first transition or bridge (also known as passagio), between chest and head voice, generally happens around an E-F# above middle C4 for men and around an Aflat-Bflat above middle C for women. Every singer I’ve ever encountered in my studio struggles at the beginning with either their first or their second bridge, though the first bridge transition is the most common struggle. (Every 4th or augmented 4th interval contains another of these bridges.)

Classical and choral singers tend to sing mostly in their Head Voice. Rock/pop and Musical Theater singers tend to sing in their chest voice without transitioning to a thinner cord, though some can sing in “Mix”, sounding like they are effortlessly taking their chest voice higher in their range. When a singer connects seamlessly between chest voice and head voice, maintaining a consistent tonal quality throughout this transition, this is referred to as “Mix” - which is just that: a comfortable mix of the elements of chest voice and head voice. To learn more about Mix, watch for my upcoming blog entitled, “BELT vs MIX”.

Here is a link to see the vocal folds in action if you’re curious: Keep in mind that the physician is using a strobe light so that we can see the action of the vocal folds “slowed down” in a sense - otherwise they are moving too fast for our eye to see.

This, then leads us to the topic of “Support” – which is where “Schools of Thought” #2 and #3 come in. Breathing and Breath Support are sometimes used interchangeably and, though they are inextricably linked, they are also separate ideas in their own way. Support is the word often used when a singer uses the muscles in their middle (referred to as the “diaphragm”) to push against the lungs, causing more air to be pushed towards the vocal cords. This generally causes the sound to be louder, simply because the definition of volume when it comes to singing is, “the ability of the vocal cords to withstand more air pressure”. The more air pressure your vocal cords can resist, the louder your sound will be. The fact that the “diaphragm” is obsessed about so much in singing circles is beyond me, to be honest. It is an involuntary muscle that contracts and allows a vacuum to be created in the lungs which causes you to inhale, then during exhalation it relaxes causing the elasticity of the lungs to force the air out. You cannot control this muscle. You can, however, use the muscles in your abdomen (like the intercostals, for example) to contract, making the space for the air in the lungs a little crowded, whereby forcibly pushing air towards the vocal folds, causing them to provide more resistance (and create a louder sound).

Wow. Complicated. And you don’t really need to know any of that. Now you can promptly forget you even read the previous paragraph. What a relief. Now try this:

Stand up straight, place your hands on your belly and say “HEY!” – like you’re trying to get someone’s attention. What happened in your middle? Your belly sucked in, pushed against the lungs causing air to be pushed towards the vocal folds, in turn causing them to have to resist the extra air while you vocalized….blah, blah, blah. What some vocal students spend months and even years of their lives sweating to learn to control in countless vocal lessons you just did right there. And you didn’t even have to know the word “diaphragm”. Good for you!

Of course, now I’m leading to another episode of “Having Said That”. So…having said that, at a certain point the ability to “support” (otherwise here-to-fore understood to be defined as: adding air pressure that the vocal cords will then resist) is an important step in your vocal education. When your voice is in balance – and this is important so let me repeat it: When your voice is in BALANCE (that means no strain or breathy sounds, no flips or breaks at your vocal bridges, no rising of the larynx/adam’s apple as the pitch ascends), THEN you can learn to support the sound. Just like a weight lifter has to learn proper form before he or she can add more weight and with bad form would cause muscle strain and injury limiting their ability to continue lifting. Once their form is correct they can gradually increase the amount of weight as their muscles build up strength. The same principle applies to the vocal folds: once proper “form” is achieved we then want to work on gradually adding more weight/resistance to the cords so they can achieve louder, more “supported” sounds.

This, in my experience, is effective using either method #2 or #3 above. They both achieve the same result: contracting the intercostal muscles to add more air pressure to the vocal cords, in turn causing them to resist the air. And I’ve met several singers, whose voices are beautifully balanced (and who I am a fan of), who swear by either one or the other and say they couldn’t reach the volumes they achieve and get their incredible vocal quality in their mix without it. And I believe them.

Wow!  This can be a hot-button topic for many vocal instructors!  I’m sure I’m opening a can of worms even posting this.  Often one of the first things a new student tells me is that they need help with their breathing.  This is usually the one thing the average Joe knows about singing – you need to learn to breathe like a singer.

Let me first fill you in on a few of the different  “Schools of Thought” when it comes to singers, breathing and support:

School of Thought #1: It’s all about breathing!  These instructors work intensely on getting singing students to breathe “low”.  They lie them on the ground on their backs and have them raise books with their stomachs moving up and down with their breath.  They spend hours and hours of lesson time working on trying to control their “diaphragm” before they even get to singing a song.

School of Thought #2: Learn to push your mid-section OUT while singing.  These instructors re-teach your body to have your stomach expand even while exhaling or vocalizing.  They may even have you learn to push back on the piano itself with your middle to build this strength.

School of Thought #3: Pull your mid-section IN while singing.  Once you’ve learned to breathe “Low breaths” (see #1) you then learn to pull your middle in while breathing out and/or vocalizing.

School of Thought #4: Breathing isn’t as important as it’s made out to be.  These instructors teach that the majority of vocal problems occur in the vocal cords themselves and the muscles surrounding them.  Solve these issues and correct breathing will come naturally.

OK.  How confusing is that??  Let me say at the outset that, although I personally gravitate towards the 4th approach, my teaching does tend to reflect bits of all 4 approaches.

Let’s start with #4: Breathing isn’t as important as some teachers make it out to be. When a new student tells me they need help learning to breathe I generally nod my head understandingly and then take them through some diagnostic vocalizes designed to show me their vocal “tendencies” or where their voice is unbalanced. If a person’s voice is out of balance, it won’t matter how much you focus on breathing, you will be beating a dead horse. A singer who is breathy and quiet will have trouble holding a pitch for a long time because they will be losing too much air where the vocal cords should be resisting it. A singer who belts their notes out full of strain and tension will have trouble holding notes because it will be uncomfortable. Any tension in the vocal apparatus itself (ie: your “Adam’s apple”) and surrounding muscles will limit a singer’s ability to hold a note for an extended time and will affect the way they are breathing.

Likewise, focusing so intensely on breathing when a singer has balance issues will cause a whole new set of problems: Pushing more air at vocal cords that are in a breathy/heady type of coordination will cause all sorts of outer muscles to become involved, as they attempt to keep the pitch going when there are gaps in the way the vocal folds are coming together. Like trying to race a sailboat when there are holes in the sails – it takes a whole lot more effort to get the same speed as the boats with whole sails. And when a singer has strain/tension issues, adding more air pressure to already overly-weighted vocal folds will lead to damage and more strain. Same race, now your boat is filled with rocks – better add some paddlers (muscle tension) to help it along again!

Having said that, if I see a singer come into my studio who is obviously breathing shallowly (shoulder raising, hyperventillating-type breathing causing a person to be light-headed – I can often hear it in their intake of breath before I even look at their body movement), you better believe that, while making sure their voice is in balance, we will also be working on breathing lower breaths and relaxing the shoulders – and correcting bad posture that often leads to this. But all of this may only take 5 minutes of our time. If this seems to be a problem for you try this: stand up straight, with shoulders back, chest out, bottom in and spine aligned all the way up through your neck. Place your hands on your middle and take a deep breath. Feel your middle filling out? Watch yourself in a mirror if you’re not sure. If that doesn’t work then maybe you need the lie-on-the-floor-with-a-book-on-your-belly approach.

Read on for “Breathing & Support Part 2″….