I just saw a great cartoon from the old Family Circus series. The older brother is holding a trumpet and educating his younger sibling. He says,
That’s EXACTLY how a child would summarize the workings of a trumpet. He doesn’t need to know all the details. Someone else has taken care of that, and it works.
Well, guess what? In many ways we should think of our voices the same way. You move air from the lungs up through the mouth and it turns it into music. In fact, when performing, that’s about all you have room in your brain to think about. The rest of your attention should be on being an expressive communicator to the listener.
Don’t get me wrong. I am fully aware of all the mechanical and acoustical events going on as well as the preparation it takes to become a good singer. I’m just reminding us all that it’s easy to over-think the whole vocal process to the point of sounding and looking like a vocal robot.
Learning the mechanics in order to not have to think about the mechanics is the goal, and it is a process. But oh the joy of being able to just stand there and let your mind, body and spirit turn moving breath into a powerful and clear message.
Remember, it’s easy:
Have an amazing week, and let me know how Vocal Coach can help you do what you do, better.
Tags: blog.vocalcoach.com, chris beatty, chris beatty vocalcoach.com, singing lessons, vocal coach, vocal training
Posted in Breathing, From The Heart of Chris Beatty, Teaching Kids To Sing, Tone, Uncategorized | No Comments »
WANT TO HEAR THE AUDIO VERSION OF THIS BLOG? Click here: Blog-WarmingUpInCar_011612
Great Email Question
I got a great email question that asked this: “Chris, I bought the Vocal Coach series from you at a workshop you gave. You mention warming up while driving to rehearsal/gig. I thought I had heard not to do that. Is it ok to do that so long as posture is correct?” This is a super question because it deals with real life for a singer.
Ideal vs Reality
Let’s start with this: The “ideal” warm-up/practice scenario would have you peaceful and quiet, undisturbed. You are rested, have eaten well and have just read something relaxing. Maybe even had a string quartet playing during your meal. I’m not being sarcastic. Superstars like Luciano Pavarotti and Michael Jackson traveled with their own chef’s, food supply and, in the case of Pavarotti, entertainment.
Muscle Memory
Most singers who wait, and only warm-up and practice in perfect, ideal situations often just don’t do it. The result is that they don’t develop the muscle memory necessary for good singing.
Is Warming Up in the Car Ok?
I have sung all over the world and sometimes the only place I knew I could really “get away” to think and warm-up was in a rental car. Pavarotti and Jackson I am not, but I do know what my voice and mind and emotions feel like when I’m fully ready to perform and I’ll do about anything to make that happen. If you’re a choir or worship team member and the car is your only time to focus, put in a Vocal Coach Warm-Up or Daily Workout CD and go for it. The goal is to be ready.
If you do end up warming up in a car:
Ten Minutes Is Much Better Than Nothing
What it your schedule or situation doesn’t allow for a good warm-up? That’s where muscle memory and experience kick in and get you through, but it’s not something to get comfortable with. Those who do ultimately pay the price of sloppy, unpredictable performances. There is always some time to do humming and lip-trill exercises even if it’s while you’re in the shower and getting ready.
Summary
Do all you can to assure regular warm-up and practice times in ideal surrounding. When that can’t happen, make sure to still prepare your voice and heart even if you need to hide in the janitor’s closet or a car to do it.
Got a Question You Would Like Answered?
Just email me at chris@vocalcoach.com and put “Question” in the subject.
Tags: blog.vocalcoach.com, chris beatty, chris beatty vocalcoach.com, singing lessons, vocal coach, vocal training, voice training, worship leader
Posted in Soloist, Uncategorized, Vocal Coach Audios, Warm-Ups, Worship Team | No Comments »
Don’t get stuck in the rut of just thinking about it and wanting it. You don’t have to know the entire path from where you are to where you want to be, but you do need to take the first step. That requires writing down your vocal strengths and weaknesses. “But,” you might say, “I don’t really know what those are.”
By admitting that, you’ve actually taken the first step, and the second step is to get some feedback and evaluation from someone with training. That can be a current or former choir director, a neighbor with some musical/vocal training or even a visit to your local community college music department. You can also schedule an Online video session with me by signing up on the Vocal Coach site. Let whoever it is know that you are wanting their opinion on how you do with the the basics, or, if you’re more experienced with the more advanced areas of singing.
If you know you need to improve your breath management and pitch accuracy you’ve got a good start. Maybe you need to add to that list the ability to smoothly move from lower notes (chest register) to higher ones (head register) smoothly. Or, are you trying to figure out how to go from just singing a song to really mastering it with full, creative expression.
Get feedback on the basics include the ability to accurately match pitch, rhythm patterns, imitate simple and complex phrases etc. The more advanced areas include how you treat phrasing, diction, dynamics and expression.
So, depending on your goals, budget and where you live you can find a way to take the next steps to being a better singer. And, I can tell you from personal experience as well as from watching lots of students that using your voice the right way is a lot more satisfying than just getting by.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW your thoughts and questions at chris@vocalcoach.com
I’ll be answering your questions on the blog and in videos throughout the year.
Tags: chris beatty, singing lessons, vocal coaching, vocal training, vocalcoach.com
Posted in Choir Directors, Performance, Singing and Voice Lessons, Soloist, Teaching Teens To Sing, Uncategorized, Worship Team | No Comments »
2011 has been a year we all would like to forget because of the economy. But my Father owns all the cattle on a thousand hills & He has never failed to provide over & above what I could ever think or ask. As we enter 2012, I know the thoughts that the Lord thinks towards me are thoughts of peace and not of evil, but to give me a future & a hope. Jeremiah 29:11. How I rejoice in knowing I am His, & He is mine.
May this be a year of victory and of peace in your life.
Carole
Tags: chris beatty vocalcoach.com, singing lessons, vocal training, vocalcoach.com
Posted in Carole Cares | No Comments »
Receive a 10% discount at checkout when you enter HOLIDAY10 in the coupon code.
1. A personal Online training & coaching session with Chris Beatty. All you need is a webcam and Skype, iChat or FaceTime. It’s the perfect way to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and get on a path to being your best.
2. Vocal Coach Singer 12 CD training series. A complete, systematic program to help you be all you can be.
3. Our Teaching Kids To Sing pack is the perfect gift for kids and grandkids! The two DVD’s and one CD set cover the foundations of singing in a fun, practical and very user-friendly way.
Tags: choir, chris beatty, sing better, singing lessons, vocal training, voice lessons, voice training
Posted in Choir Directors, From the Coach, Singing and Voice Lessons, Uncategorized | No Comments »
THE REAL DANGER is the control you can lose and the damage you can cause if the vocal folds (vocal cords) don’t have the right lubrication as they articulate thousands of times during a phrase.
THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP maintain the needed moisture include:
with a Vick’s Personal Steam Inhaler. It’s made by Kaz and sold at Target, Walmart etc ($25-30) or Entertainer’s Secret Throat Spray (vocalcoach.com/store $6.95 ea). The steam inhaler also helps is you’ve over-used the voice a bit. The Entertainer’s Secret is a great, topical moisturizer that will keep the nasal passages, sinuses and upper throat moist even in a dry setting.
Tags: chris beatty, chris beatty vocalcoach.com, dry throat, singing lessons, vocal training, voice lessons
Posted in Choir Directors, Performance, Soloist, Uncategorized, Vocal Health, Worship Team | No Comments »
It’s that time of year! We are slashing prices on all our most popular Vocal Training products. If you’ve been waiting to buy, now is the time. Tell your friends and family and consider giving the gift of song this holiday, because the Vocal Coach Series product line is the perfect gift for a special someone or yourself. Chris and Carole want you to have the tools you need to sing your best and they are here to help.
Spread the word and enjoy our holiday gift to you — for a limited time only we are offering the downloadable mp3 version of Vocal Coach Breathing absolutely FREE! Please feel free to tell everyone. Our Breathing CD is a great start to becoming a better singer. Order Now
Get a head start on your holiday shopping with these unbeatable deals without fighting the mall traffic. Starting today and running right through Black Friday and Cyber Monday we are offering the best prices of the year. Enjoy the savings.
These prices are the lowest they have ever been to make your holiday shopping a snap. Not only can you save on any cd you buy; you can get every Vocal Coach lesson (11 cds plus guidebook) for the singer on your shopping list for as little as $89.99! Remember sale ends Tuesday, November 29th so hurry before these incredible prices are gone!
Without a doubt, now is the best time to buy. Please be our guest and see what Vocal Coach has to offer. The great thing about the Vocal Coach Series is that Chris and Carole Beatty are personally committed to helping you become the best singer you can be. So if you have a question just ask the experts by email, post a question on Facebook, or check out Chris’s blog for amazing tips and suggestions. Chris and Carole are always there to help. Plus, if you have any questions about the Vocal Coach training method, don’t hesitate to ask To contact Chris and Carole, the creators of Vocal Coach email contact@vocalcoach.com – If you have any technical questions about the store, please contact customerservice@rede-commerce.com
Posted in Notes from the Vocal Coach Store | No Comments »
Before you listen to the audio link below prepare your mind with these thoughts:
1. The lip-trill is done naturally by all babies and toddlers. Yes, YOU did it when you were younger!
2. It brings an awareness of the many parts of the face and head that are involved when you speak and sing.
3. It is the safest way to venture into your highest notes without straining or pushing.
4. It helps the body produce the right lubrication for the leading edges of the vocal folds.
5. It serves as a natural decongestant since it helps vibrate loose any thick mucus in the sinuses and nasal passages.
6. This exercise is so freeing you may literally open up entire new areas of your voice.
How important is the Lip-Trill? I have all my students sing their songs on the lip-trill sound to discover how the song SHOULD FEEL when they sing it.
Join us Saturday, November 12 from 9:00-Noon for a live, interactive Vocal Coach Workshop.
Tags: blog.vocalcoach.com, chris beatty, Lip Trill Exercise, singing lessons, vocal training, Vocal Warm-ups, Vocal Workshop, vocalcoach.com, voice lessons
Posted in Choir Directors, Singing Exercises, Singing Subjects, Soloist, Teaching Teens To Sing, Tone, Uncategorized, Vocal Coach Audios, Vocal Coach Workshops, Vocal Range, Warm-Ups | No Comments »
There are still a few openings left for the Saturday, November 12th Vocal Coach Workshop in Dallas. It will be held at the “Voice Kitchen” video studio and limited to 15 students. I will be teaching “live” from my studio in TN and we’ll all see and hear each other throughout. 9:00-Noon Nov 12th. This is a great value. Just click here for more info or to sign up.
“I WANT A VOCAL COACH, NOT MORE CD’s!”
I totally get that statement. Regular, personal training from a skilled and experienced teacher/coach is the ideal. BUT, in real life that means living near one of those teachers who is probably going to charge a good bit, and they deserve it.
I HONESTLY BELIEVE you can get the “information” and “personal feedback” you need by using a combination of affordable methods.
TO START WITH, you really can learn (or be reminded of) much of the fundamentals through carefully structured CD’s. (There has to be a reason we’ve sold over 1 million of them.)
TO CONTINUE learning you will, at some point, want feedback and interaction from a teacher, or coach. In my case I am both voice teacher (technique) and coach (expression, interpretation, staging etc.). Because we live in the Internet Age you can literally be interacting with a teacher fom a desktop, laptop, iPad or even iPhone with full audio and video. If you’re in the Dallas areas you can start with the Nov small class. Or just schedule an ONLINE SESSION with me on our site. All you need is an Internet connection and a web cam and mic which are part of most computers or very inexpensive to add.
SUMMARY: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT ALL TO BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE. You can download a training CD in 5 minutes from our VOCAL COACH STORE at vocalcoach.com where you can also schedule an online session. And, don’t forget the free tips and other free resources our site, or email me at chris@vocalcoach.com.
Hope to hear from you or see you soon Online.
Chris
Tags: chris beatty vocalcoach.com, performance training, singing lessons, vocal coaching, worship leader
Posted in From the Coach, Singing and Voice Lessons, Vocal Coach Workshops | No Comments »
WHAT IS THE COST? Less than a one-hour personal session in the Vocal Coach studio, and you don’t need to drive or fly to Nashville and pay for a hotel. Your total cost is $75.
HOW DO I SIGN UP? Just go to WWW.VOICEKITCHEN.COM or email studio@voicekitchen.com. You can also call Jill at the Voice Kitchen at 469-383-8885. Technical questions can be addressed to chris@vocalcoach.com.
Tags: blog.vocalcoach.com, chris beatty, chris beatty vocalcoach.com, Dallas Vocal Workshop, Dallas Workshop, Vocal Coach Workshop, Vocal Workshop
Posted in Choir Directors, Performance, Singing and Voice Lessons, Uncategorized, Worship Team | 2 Comments »