Hi Singers! Welcome to the All New Vocal Coach!
Because we are as passionate about the voice as you are we have made some great changes to the Vocal Coach Web Site and Blog.
NEW WEB SITE at vocalcoach.com with some great new features including:
Lower prices on all your favorite CD’s & DVD’s.
The Coach’s Pick is back. Each month we’ll highlight one of the many Vocal Coach training products and offer special pricing. The current Coach’s Pick gives you a 20% discount, so be sure to check it out.
Free Singing Resources. In addition to our blog articles we will be offering free quarterly online classes. Free instructive videos. Free downloadable mp3’s. Free white papers and more.
Enhance Your Worship is a new resource for those in ministry. It will feature articles and tips for worship leaders, worship teams and choir members. We will also address common issues with the speaking voice for pastors and teachers. So, be sure to share your needs and questions at chris@vocalcoach.com .
NEW BLOG at blog.vocalcoach.com featuring:
Tips and articles that answer YOUR vocal questions.
Carole Cares. Carole, who along with Chris has been working with singers around the world for over 30 years. In this section Carole will feature your vocal success stories and testimonies as well as other personal observations and thoughts. You can contact Carole at carolecares@vocalcoach.com
We look forward to sharing all that 2010 has to offer with you. Please visit us often at vocalcoach.com and blog.vocalcoach.com and let us know how we can help you be the best singer you can be.
Lastly, to be sure you don’t miss anything Vocal Coach has to offer PLEASE ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE. Even if you think you are on the list. Why? Because we have changed blog hosting and need to update our list.
Thank you for being part of the Vocal Coach Family.
Chris and Carole Beatty
Tags: blog.vocalcoach.com, chris beatty, singing lessons, vocal coach, vocal coach blog, vocalcoach.com, voice lessons
Posted in Ask the Coach, Choir Directors, Coach's Pick, Duets to Groups, From the Coach, Worship Team | No Comments »
Hi Everyone! Carole here. I’m the shorter of the two vocal coaches (and the one with hair). I wanted to tell you a little about me and about the Carole Cares part of the Vocal Coach Blog.
I’m a Brooklyn-born girl, raised in a Jewish home on Bay 41st Street. 36 years ago I added to my Jewish heritage by becoming a Christ-follower. And, while it took a while for my family to accept that, they quickly became great supporters of all Chris and I do. I’m also a fanatic New York Yankees fan. So much so that we move our office to Florida for five weeks every Spring to be near Yankees Spring Training.
Now, about Carole Cares. This is where I’ll feature some of your stories and testimonies about how Vocal Coach has impacted your life. Maybe some fun or humorous experiences, also.
So, let me know what’s going on with your and your voice at carolecares@vocalcoach.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
Carole
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Finding great songs that will work well for you takes more work than just dreaming. It isn’t as simple as just saying, “I like that song. It moves me. I think I’ll perform that at my next opportunity.” There is, however, a process you can work through that will help you qualify songs that you will be able to sing and communicate well, and here it is:
There are millions of songs out there in addition to what you can write. As you choose carefully you will increase your chances for strong communications.
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Being flat, sharp, north or south of the note etc., is worth looking at. Being pitchy means you are not centering your pitch on the pitch center, which is one of the non-negotiables in singing.
Everyone has occasional inaccuracies, and even major recording artists often let the recording engineer “fix it in the mix.” That’s where they look at a graphic of the note and literally “drag” it up or down to fix it. In truth, there are a lot of problems that are fixed “in the mix.”
If you have constant pitch issues, it’s another matter, and you need to take some immediate steps to try and fix the problem. It could be a simple matter of inexperience. In rare instances, however, you may not have the natural gift, or ability to know if you are on, or even near the right note. That’s called tone deafness.
In that case, you have a long road to go, and even then you may, or may not be able to accurately sing the right notes. In the same way that some people will never be good athletes, painters or electrical engineers, some will never be accurate singers. But, as long as you’re not picking up a microphone, and claiming to be a good singer, sing on! God listens to the heart, and those hearing you sing in the shower love your spirit and heart.
Here are some steps you can take to evaluate what’s going on and get things moving in the right direction:
You need accurate feedback to know what’s happening. That can be either from another musician who can immediately tell where you are in relationship to the note, a recording of you singing, or, ideally, a combination of the two.
Once you are convinced of the need for fine-tuning your pitch accuracy, you need to look at some foundations of singing and go through the “Singer’s Pre-flight Check List.” All of these areas can have an impact on your pitch:
In summary, all those who sing in public need to have good pitch accuracy. It’s a gift and skill that can be enhanced and refined in most singers, and it’s worth the effort.
Let me know your thoughts and experiences in this area. Also, let me know if you have ever worked with any of the ear training software programs.
May the Lord bless you as you seek to be the best, most efficient communicator you can be, in singing and speaking.
Tags: Flat, Pitch, Pitchy, Sharp, Singer, Tone Deaf
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A choir director recently called me and said, “Help! I’m Leading By Example & I’m Not a Good One!”
We all do it. Lead by example, that is. It’s just the way things work. Our children learn how to speak by imitating those who raise them. That can be good, or that can be bad. Our moral judgments, values, eating habits, attitudes and more are also passed on to those under our care.
When it comes to any kind of vocal group the same is true. The leadership who takes their voices, and how they use them seriously will be constantly sharing good foundations as they speak sing and lead. Those who don’t may be creating confusion as they ask for one thing and demonstrate another. Now, I’m not suggesting that choir directors need to be great singers. But certain, non-negotiable foundations can be maintained by almost anyone at any age.
I strongly believe that one of the most influential vocal leaders in today’s society is the high school choir director. During this time in a singer’s life he or she is in the “learning mode” and very vulnerable to what is being taught. In college only the music or voice majors pay much attention to voice technique and as we get older the percentages get even smaller. Yet we all continue to use our voices for a lifetime.
Why this power at the High School level? Perhaps it’s because choir is a contrast to English, French, algebra or biology. It’s a place where the audio senses can engage along with a different kind of social interaction. And, like sports, it has an element of team interdependency and that is an important skill to learn.
Second only to the High School setting is the church youth choir. Here, with the addition of the spiritual is a place where a supernatural unity can develop in sound and spirit, and it doesn’t get much better than that.
If you are in a place of influence over singers, whether as a choir director, worship leader, voice teacher or public school music teacher at any level, YOU ARE LEADING BY EXAMPLE WHETHER YOU WANT TO OR NOT. Those under your care are not just listening to your instruction. They are observing your posture, breathing, facial expression and more. They are listening to the tone and pitch accuracy in your voice.
Your desire should be to continue to evolve as a singer and leader, and that takes commitment and time. It is, I believe, necessary if you are to continue to be the best possible influents you can be. And, here’s a bonus: You will be experiencing personal satisfaction every step of the way.
Tags: choir, good foundations, habits, leadership
Posted in Breathing, Choir Directors, Performance, Posture, Tips Tailored for You, Worship Team | No Comments »
As we moved to this, our new BLOG format I wanted to again feature this important article. Just like “You Are The Message, Part 1,” this article hold a number of keys to moving from wanting to communicate, to doing it clearly and consistently.
IT TAKES A LOT OF HONESTY
It takes a lot of honesty, and a bit of reflecting, to deal with the visual side of presenting a single song or an entire concert. But, the good news is that by adding the visual to the audio you have many more ways to get the job done. That job? To get the message of the song from your heart, to the listener’s heart.
The following are some areas to consider, evaluate and act on. Before you look at that, however, you need to take an inventory of who you really are . . . now. Not, whom you think you’d like to be some day, but who you are. Why all this analysis? Because there has to be a comfortable connection between the audio message, and the visual messenger. If not, there are dozens of things that can and will get in the way of a successful sharing.
A BIT OF SELF-HISTORY MIGHT HELP
As a counselor and mentor to a number of musicians I have often used a personality inventory test to get the conversation going. It’s neutral, doesn’t care who the players are and is generally accurate. After using this test with myself, and my family I remember saying to Carole, “Am I really still doing that? Well, since you, and the kids are still seeing it in me, I guess I’m still blinded to some of my own actions.” All that to say, don’t be too shocked if you discover some annoying truths about yourself. Growing is a non-stop process.
SOME SPECIFICS TO LOOK FOR
Be age-appropriate in the way you look and act. Wow. How does one do that? Since we’re dealing with physical and mental age it’s not always obvious. For example, I’m 65, work with young musicians and teens, have a shaved head, ride a Segway for fun and travel the world with my wife teaching about the voice. I have no intention of retiring any time soon. I think and feel young and workout every day but, like it or not, I’m not a kid, shouldn’t pretend I’m one or try to be one in concert. It won’t fly, and instead of taking advantage of my maturity and experience, I’ll look like an old guy who can’t accept where he is in life.
Dress in a way that compliments you and the situation. I can dress casual, moderately mod, wear an Italian suit or my favorite, shorts and a T-shirt, but I’m still me. Why go into such detail about me? Because I see other people my age who are convinced that if they change their hair and wear smaller sizes they will magically become young. No they won’t. In fact, they will only emphasize their lack of self-acceptance and make the whole presentation less than believable. Enjoy your station in life, dress in a way that compliments you and rock on. If there are some tasteful changes you can make, such as taking off a few pounds and getting a new doo, great.
On the other hand, don’t fall into the, “I’m over 50, therefore I need to look as boring as the people I work with or others in my church. No you don’t. It gets back to identifying who you really are inside, then being that with joy and confidence.
THE VENUE and SETTING
Make sure you check out the physical setting and what the host’s expectations are for people who sing there. Singing in a church? Some churches require a jacket and tie for Sunday mornings, but not for Sunday evenings or mid-week services. Honor that, even if it’s not your norm and you have to borrow a tie. Some churches could care less what you wear at any time, but do the research. You’re job is to make sure you don’t let something as silly as clothing get in the way of your communications.
AGE OF THE AUDIENCE
Find out the demographic of your audience. If it’s 90% seniors they may not “get” certain forms/styles of songs. It is your job to change, not theirs. If it’s a youth-based audience make sure your stories and testimonies apply to that age. If not, you are not honoring their time.
SUMMARY
Do your homework so that the message and the messenger are appropriate and ready to get the job done. That job? Fully, completely sharing the message.
TOOLS TO HELP YOU GROW
Perhaps your best tool is going to be some thoughtful interaction with yourself, some mature, trustworthy friends and a video camera. Let’s all keep growing together.
Tags: chris beatty, know your audience, visual performance, vocal coach
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As Vocal Coach moves to our new BLOG format I wanted to feature a previous article that addresses a key to being a successful singer. When you sing there needs to be a coordinated effort between a number of parts of your presentation. If not the distractions and filters between you and the listener can completely block your message from getting through.
CONSIDER THESE KEY ELEMENTS AND HOW YOU NEED TO PREPARE:
The Sound/Tone Quality
Think about it. Does the message invite a full rich, vibrant tone quality or a softer, almost airy sound? Is it a declaration or conversation? Are you testifying or asking questions? You need to answer this question then practice the various possibilities. If you can’t think of any, try listening to accomplished singers and imitate what they do for various kinds of songs. Then, begin in integrate some of these qualities into your own vocal sound. A caution: I said integrate, not copy. You still need to be you, just with more possibilities of sound.
Treatment of Diction
If you’re singing a hymn or English art song, the way you pronounce the words will be handled differently than in a worship song, or a contemporary/pop style of song. If I’m singing, “My Jesus, I Love Thee,” I’ll treat the words differently than when I sing the Broadway song, “To Dream The Impossible Dream.” If I don’t, I will be putting up walls between myself, and my audience. Again, listen to the pros, imitate and play with the different options. Build some choices into your diction options. It’s the only way to keep things real and really communicate with the listener.
Phrasing & Expression
Going back to the earlier example of the difference between “My Jesus, I Love Thee,” and “To Dream The Impossible Dream,” let’s consider phrasing and other tools of expression. To begin with, most hymns will have built-in phrases that invite breathing at certain places. And, though you may make things more interesting by stretching that a bit, you are still at least partially limited unless you are doing a real pop arrangement.
With other songs, however, you have more options as to where you might breath, pause, or bring attention to a word with more or less volume or a dramatic and sometime sudden change of tone quality. The options are many and best learned by listening to those who do it best, then imitating them to feel and hear you and your voice doing it. That’s how a singer builds a repertoire of creative options. If you have never heard and felt yourself do it, you are not likely to draw on that option any time soon, even when it would be the perfect solution.
Summary: Get inspired by those who do it well in the same way you get inspired by watching an excellent, experienced athlete. Observe, analyze, imitate and integrate. And, remember throughout that to do this safely you must maintain the foundations of posture, breathing, tone, diction and expression. It’s a lot of work . . . with a lot of rewards.
Tags: chris beatty, coaching voice, expression, performance training, vocal coach, vocal coaching
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Maybe it’s time you did. Why? Because many of us forget that there is are a number of physical and acoustical processes that make singing possible. One the the key players is the larynx, and the closer you two become the better, and more consistent your singing will be.
Why, just th other day I listened in to a singer-larynx conversation that went like this:*
Singer: I just want to sing.
Singer: I just want to survive your singing, and sometimes you make that tough.
Singer: Sorry about that. I get so stressed and distracted I don’t even know what I’m doing until it’s all over, and by then I’ve abused you. You actually hurt and get rough sounding.
Larynx: You got that right. But, if you’ll stop physically stressing me, I’ll stop emotionally stressing you.
Singer: Sounds like a plan. Where do we start?
Larynx: Well, since we’re kind of stuck with each other for the rest of our lives, with no replacement parts available, maybe we should get to know each other. You know, abilities, expectations etc.
Singer: I’m game. Why don’t you start.
Larynx: Well, to start with, I was designed by the greatest inventor of all time. He created the entire universe and everything and everyone in it. He also figured out the mechanics and acoustics of making sound. He’s really good! Here are some things you should know:
The vocal folds (sometimes called vocal cords) are designed to protect the lungs from foreign objects. When something heads that way, like food or liquid, the vocal folds close to protect the lungs. They can also become a one-way valve allowing you to cough the threat away. Rather clever if you ask me.
The cool thing, of course, is that these same vocal folds can vibrate as air from the lungs passes between them. And, depending on the length and thickness of their leading edge, they can produce hundreds of different pitches.
Singer: Very cool, but why can some people sing the big high notes so easily and others look and sound like they’re screaming? And it doesn’t seem to matter if they’re male or female.
Larynx: You’re right about range not being gender-specific. Most men, of course have lower voices than most women, but there are thousands of exceptions to that. If a woman has thicker and longer vocal folds she may be a natural tenor. If a man has shorter, thinner folds he may be an outstanding high tenor or even alto. The Creator gave everyone a potentially wide range, but not all the same range. Kind of like the string family in the orchestra: Violin, viola, cello and double bass. All have wide ranges, but all have different ranges.
The important thing is to discover how we were made and maximize that range. Then, to choose song arrangements that fit into our range. And, remember: No matter what our range you need to develop the skills and habits that will make us the most consistent and flexible singer we can be.
Singer: But, what if I don’t like our range? What if I’m really a bass and would prefer to be a tenor?
Larynx: You’ll have to talk to the Creator about that one. I once overheard a cello asking the Creator if he could play a violin concerto. The Creator didn’t even bother to respond.
Note to self: Stay in touch with the larynx. It’s good for both of us as well as our listeners.
Tags: chris beatty, larynx, singer's larynx, singing lessons, vocal coach, vocal training
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If An Audience Is Going To Receive Youre Message
If an audiend is going to receive your message they need to be comfortable with you. That means they need to be vulnerable, mentally available and ready to hear what you have to share.
The Areas You CAN Control
Anything you can do to help them believe you is worth doing. This can be done in the way you promote yourself, the way you look and the way you sing your message. Those are all areas you can control.
The Areas You CAN’T Control
There are other areas that you may, or may not be able to anticipate, and this means you need to be ready to make things right in real-time.
* If the listeners are tired, it’s your job to revive them. This may mean adding a song that gets them up on their feet, singing, clapping and getting some much needed oxygen. Once they’re mentally and physically refreshed you can get to your message.
* If they’re distracted, your job is to get them focused . . . on you and your message. This may take a bit of personal story telling that engages then personally. Do your homework and know what your audience it likely to be interested in. Using name/stories from their community, sports teams etc. will draw them into what you are sharing. Remember: It’s about them, not you.
* If technical issues are getting between your message and the heart of the listener you need to do something about it. If they’re cringing or leaving because the sound level is too high, or look like they’re hearing more track/band than words do what it takes to change things. When in doubt ask the audience between songs. “Is the sound a little loud?” or “Are you hearing more instruments that vocals?” Then, in your most friendly tone ask the sound person to lower the accompaniment, or overall sound level. Better to offend one sound person than several hundred in the audience. You can also have a trusted ear seated on the isle in the middle of the house who can go back and suggest some changes to the sound person. (This, of course, should be pre-arranged to avoid an awkward moment.)
Summary
Your job isn’t just to get up there, sing your songs and then sit down. You are responsible for successfully communicating your message. Do what is necessary to get that done well.
Tags: chris beatty, performance coaching, performance training, singing lessons, Vocal Coac, voice training
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Rehearse your singing groups in small circles. It’s one of the quickest ways to get everyone on the same page.
Let’s face it: The biggest challenge in getting singers to blend, and be “one voice with many parts,” is that everyone tends to do their own thing. They do what in their minds is good singing, and it may be. But, it also may not fit in with what the others singers are doing.
I suggest having no more than 5-6 singers per circle for the best result. Having at least one strong, accurate voice in each circle is a good idea. You can start them in circles with their own parts, but that should be quickly moved to mixed-parts circles as soon are they are able. Instruct them to look at one another’s faces and mouths, even though this will cause nervous laughter at first.
Fine-tuning pitch. As singers are able to actually hear each other it’s amazing how they naturally tune up. Unifying diction. First, they will become diction-aware in a good way. Then, as they watch others working on pronouncing clear vowels and consonants they will fall into line.
Dynamics. Be sure to use exercises and songs that have varying dynamics so everyone can learn to move together. You should also have them lip-sync the words (no sound) during this exercise.
I use the circle technique in professional groups, church choirs and worship teams, high school and junior high groups. It always works!!!
I am betting that after even one extended session of working the circle you will have dramatically improved your singers’ sound. The proof will be when you let them back in their normal arrangement. You, and they will hear the difference, and this will likely become a regular discipline in your rehearsals. Let me know how it works for you at chris@vocalcoach.com.
Tags: choir, singing in circles
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