Tip #1: If it doesn’t feel good, chances are it doesn’t sound good.

Tip #2: Singing is a SPORT. It has more in common with tennis than with painting. There are muscles involved that must be developed, but then you have to trust the body to take care of it. (And you can). It is actually a mental endeavor, based on humming. It’s better not to think of the sound as something you must do, or place or “hit.”

Tip #3: The voice must be free and not controlled consciously.

Tip #4: Place your finger on your…

Question: How can I sing harmony–I keep singing whatever the other person sings!
There are some parts when I am supposed to sing the harmony, but I always start singing the melody without meaning to. Then when it’s time to switch back to the melody, I hit the wrong notes. Are there any Quick Fixes you can give me for this?

Answer: You have to focus on YOU, not the other person singing. It actually is a right brain thing, which hears pitch and notes, and the left brain is comparing you to the other person…

 Hi Singers!  Just in case you're auditioning for something, I’d like to go over some lists of do’s and don’ts for winning auditions, contests, and the hearts of an audience. And for the inspiring part…just wait!

The Do’s :

1. Dress to brand yourself! If you don’t look like ‘you’ or you’re uncomfortable in your clothes, you’re already making it tough for you to win. Are you a Diva, a Rock Star, the Girl-Next-Door, or the Quirky Guy? And it has to be authentic--you have to feel like a “larger-than-life”…

Breathing is a natural thing, but breathing for singing is a difficult matter to discuss. There are many theories and explanations out there, and they range from “don’t worry about it” to lengthy diatribes on what to do and how to do it. My finding is that people learn in different ways and feel things differently. What is easy for one person to do physically may not be easy for another, who habitually tightens his abdomen whenever he talks or moves. This is actually a subconscious body affliction called…

Tension. Twenty-five years ago that word used to have more of a scientific meaning, referring to wires or ropes. Culturally, now it brings up freeway traffic, migraines, heart attacks. It’s acknowledged as a bad thing, and we try to get rid of it with massages, yoga, deep breathing and martinis.

When referring to singing, though, tension is more ambiguous. There must be tension for the vocal cords to vibrate, but all the other muscles surrounding them must be relaxed. The muscles in your neck, shoulders…

The book “Full-Throated Ease,” by James Terry Lawson, M.D., has some interesting explorations about singing that I thought I’d pass along, pre-Karaoke Fest. The good doctor is also a singer, so he is intimately acquainted with the particular mechanisms involved in singing well. He also discusses how difficult the communication regarding “sensations” can be, when a teacher is conveying information about your instrument. (We’ve mentioned this pitfall before—feeling is all important and words may just cloud…

Hi singers! Zappenin’? If you’re on the East Coast I guess it’s all about the weather–also the MidWest. Out here on the Left Coast, we’re not complaining, although we often do!
Thought for the day: The Arc of the Sound.
This saved me the other day, when I was performing. My voice sounded quite horrible to me–really weak on certain notes and I was freaked out by the sound I was producing. I couldn’t seem to get my voice to “come together”, no matter what I did. Now it should be said, I didn’t warm up as much…

Hi Singers! Just had some interesting last few weeks, and I am excited about sharing them with you, so possibly you can glean inspiration and maybe some help too. First, I had to deal with my voice being so weak and possibly injured for the last three months–what a worry! I’ve been treated for nodes before, and I didn’t think these were what I had, but still I had problems I’ve never had before. Now I also had this little show to do, followed by a big show, and I was singing worse than ever. My middle…

Charisma. What is it, how do you get it? Are you born with it or can you develop it? The term charisma (pl. charismata, adj. charismatic; from the Greek χαρισμα, meaning “favor given” or “gift of grace”) has two senses: 1) compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others, 2) a divinely conferred power or talent.; a mysterious, elusive quality. Media commentators regularly describe charisma as the “X-factor”.

It would seem then that you could be born with it and you also could develop…

Andre Donegan, voice coach, has some good things to say to clarify what is meant by “phonation“. In case you thought it was another cell phone plan, here’s what he says: “Phonation is the creation of sound from air. A mostly mental process! If we wish to create a “good vocal sound“ we must first define that concept.

Good vocal sound is freely produced; loud enough to be heard easily; pleasant to listen to; rich, ringing, and resonant; energy flows smoothly from note to note: consistently produced…