This is one of the very first blogs I posted. Back then I had a very small list of friends and maybe 3 or 4 subscribers. Today I have more than 160 subscribers and over 1200 friends. So I thought this was worth a re-post. Enjoy!
Did you know you are a musician? You are if you're a singer, even if you don't play a musical instrument that you can actually put your hands on. That's because your voice is a musical instrument.
Most singers make a very distinct difference between what they do and what a piano player, saxophonist or guitarist does. " I'm a singer, he's a musician". "I don't play any instruments, I just sing". However, the two are very much the same.
Let's say I had two pieces of sheet music for "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". One is written for a saxophonist to play the melody line, the other for a vocalist to sing the melody. What would be the difference between the two pieces of music? Only one. The singer's sheet music would have the words below the notes. Everything else would be exactly the same. The notes on the sax player's music would look the same as the singer's sheet music.
The difference is the instrument being used to create the notes. Ok, got it Ron. So why is this such an important thing for singers to make this distinction?
Very simple. If you as a vocalist can begin to really see your voice as an instrument, then it begins to change the way you think about what you do. Many singers are very passive about their craft. I suspect it's because most singers are born with most of their talent. "I know how to sing, that's all I need to know".
A musician wasn't born playing his instrument. Once he chooses one he likes he must begin studyng his instrument. Soon he knows all of it's parts and how they work. He knows how it produces tones and how to manipulate those tones. He knows how to take care of it, clean it, even take it apart and reassemble it in many cases.
He hones his craft constantly. The musicians who excell on their instruments ( over others who play the same nstrument) are those who know the most about their instruments and have learned to master them by getting to know them inside and out. That and of course, lots of lessons and lots and lots of practice.
It should be the same with you if you're a serious vocalist or hope to be someday. For example, you may be a soprano in the church choir who leads that Yolanda Adams song with the church choir. But you really have to scream that high note to hit it, and once you're done you're wiped out. You're hoarse for the rest of the day; sometimes several days.
Yet when Yolanda sings the same song she's smiling the whole time. Then she goes on to sing for another 45 minutes straight after that! And that's just that night. She has engagements every day for months lined up. Years for some artists when they're out on tour.
How is this possible?! After all, you were both born with the gift to sing, right? There's no denying different singers have different levels of God-given ability. And there are some people out there that defy logic. Some people are just flat-out anointed. But there is usually a much simpler explanation.
The simple answer is usually that these singers have learned some things about her voice, how it works and how to use it properly, that you don't know. Recording artists are faced with a very stark reality once they get signed. They must either learn everything there is to know about their voice, how to master it, get the most out of it and most of all, protect it so it lasts them for many years- or be faced with a very short career. So the big secret in the recording industry is that almost everybody takes lessons. Many don't want the general public to know that, so you won't often see the names of vocal coaches in the liner notes among the "thank-you's". But I digress (he says pouting).
So my "homework" for this week is to start thinking of yourself as a musician. You play an instrument, the instrument is your voice. Every musician should learn as much as they can about their instrument. Unless of course, your instrument is simply a hobby or something you do to relax.
If it's more than that to you, stop accepting your limitations and start asking some questions about how to overcome them. You've seen people sing high notes effortlessly. You've seen recording artists sing for an hour straight. You know something's going on, what is it? What do they know about their instrument that you don't know about yours? What have they done to be able to do what they do, that you haven't done?
Many of you might have seen the short video of me singing a piece of the Fred Hammond song, Bread Of Life. If you're familiar with it, you know it's a worship song that starts very softly and builds later on.
Well, I just had this sister argue me down that in my video I didn't have enough "fire". Dispite my best efforts to explain to her that not all songs should be given everything you have all the way through, she continued to argue with me, telling me I need to "let go and sang that song", lol
She explained to me that she comes from a long line of singers, which is why she knows more about this than I do. Reminded of an old proverb that basically says when you argue with a fool it's pretty hard to tell the difference between you and him, I decided to conceed and just say "ok. thank you."
But you and I are friends, so I'll tell you what I "would have said", had I been talking to someone I could reason with. Basically, singing everything the same makes about as much sense as trying to drive the same speed everywhere you go. Or speak at the same volume level no matter where you are or what your environment.
Many people feel like they have to deliver every line of every song with as much "power" (note the quotation marks) as possible. But the reality is, a great deal of what many people feel is "powerful singing" is nothing more than screaming on pitch. And guess what, if you're screaming- most of it ain't on pitch. Sounds like my friend came from a long line of screamers. "If I had sang that same song you would remember it", she demanded.
How unfortunately right she was. I would have remembered it, but for all the wrong reasons. That's because she obviously would have taken a very serene, melodic part of the song, clearly meant to be quiet and to usher in a feeling of communion and meditation, and simply screamed her way through it.
So the moral here, virtual students, is to always be aware and sensitive to the changing dynamics and moods of different songs; even within the same song. Over-singing everything doesn't show how much power have, but how little control you have. And, as my friend has yet to realize, how little you really know about singing.
Looks like it's going to be a minute before I can post another video blog, so here's a Virtual Voice Lesson quick tip on breathing.
If you ever watch a baby breathe-especially while sleeping- you'll notice that the baby's stomach rises as he breathes in, and falls as he breathes out. This is the way we were all born to breathe.
However over the years as we got older we got a lot more vain. So we became really concerned about our appearance--mainly, our stomachs! To hide them we taught ourself to breath the opposite way, pulling and holding our stomaches in as we breathe in. However breathing this way puts our stomach muscles in the way of our diaphragm, so it can't move up and down as freely as it needs to in order to support our voice properly.
Stand in front of a mirror and take a deep breath. Chances are you'll raise your shoulders, inflate your chest and suck in your stomach. We think we are taking a deep breath when we do this, but we're actually taking a very shallow breath.
Now try taking a deep breath again, only this time do this:
Place your hand on your stomach. This time resit the urge to pull your stomach muscles in. Allow your stomach to rise as you draw breath in. Do not move any other part of your body. There should be no outward indication you are taking a deep breath. Breathe out slowly allowing your stomach to fall naturally. Breathe this way a few times, in and out. Don't force your stomach out as you breathe in, or pull it in as you breathe out. Allow it to happen naturally.
Now try it while singing a note. Take a deep breath as described above, with your hand on your stomach (this reminds you not to pull in or push out) and then begin to sing a note. As you begin to expell air to sing, resist the urge to begin forcing air out by pulling in your stomach muscles. Simply allow your stomach to fall naturally.
Chances are you'll add a few more seconds to how long you can hold a note or sing a phrase, just by making this adjustment. But that's only a sample of that can be achieved with lessons.
So the road to better breath control begins with baby steps. Breathing for singing is the same as breathing for life. So breathe like a baby!
20 Reasons Why Performing Artists Don't Succeed by Loren Israel
Ever wonder why some talented local musicians never find the audience or get that elusive record deal? Or why some signed artists' careers stall out just past the starting gate? It's not just "bad luck." Here are 20 common reasons why some artists never make it to the next level.
1. Poorly-defined goals. Even if they're too modest to say so in public, successful artists have a solid answer for the question: "What are your goals in the industry?"
2. Band members with different goals. In order to succeed, you have to be on the same page. It's tough to stay on track if some band members know what they want and others want different things or don't know what they want at all.
3. Lack of musical focus. Creativity is good, but in the mainstream music industry, only artists with multiple past successes have leeway to gravitate toward other musical styles. Different musical genres involve different business contacts and working methods. Artists whose styles are too diverse have difficulty achieving consistent contacts and working methods...and it takes consistency to break a new artist. (Newsflash for artists who think playing a lot of different styles makes them unique: it doesn't. We see artists with this "unique" talent all the time. In fact most artists can play or sing in more than one style but publicly focus on one they do best.)
4. Poor work ethic. The old saying that harder you work, the luckier you get is true.
5. Waiting to be discovered. People who are "discovered" make it happen instead of waiting.
6. Ineffective artist management, or not listening to good management. It sounds simplistic, but it's where many artists go wrong. In order to be effective, your management has to know what they're doing. If you have good, experienced management but don't listen to their advice, they can't help you.
7. Working with people who don't have contacts in the industry. Ideally, the people you start with should be constantly building better skills and contacts along the way. If that doesn't happen, you'll need to work with people who have contacts at the next level.
8. Signing with a label with inadequate funding or poor distribution. If you want a record deal, the goal isn't "a record deal." The goal is the record deal with the most potential for long-term success.
9. Lack of live following. Especially in rock and country, no draw means no deal.
10. Artist "settles" too much; recording quality, image, stage presence, photos, and demo packaging, and overall presentation are all "OK." Successful artists are more than just OK and never settle for it. Nor do their managers.
11. Poor networking skills. Successful artists constantly seek new networking methods and know how to use them.
12. Hanging onto ineffective band members. Many artists have trouble separating business and friendship, at the cost of their careers.
13. Dated musical style. (Sounding like Pearl Jam or 'NSync probably isn't going to cut it.)
14. Dated image. If you still dress the same way you did 5-10 years ago or have the same hair style, it's time to freshen up. If you're fond of the clothes, wear them on your own time--not when you want someone to invest money in your music being the hottest thing since sliced bread.
15. Lack of radio-friendly songwriting. No hit potential, no deal.
16. Bowing to peer or family pressure not to change. Doing the same thing the same way brings the same results, so in order to improve something, change has to occur; it literally can't stay the same. But that's not necessarily a bad thing: if you put icing on a cake, the cake changes but is still the same underneath. (If it's bad icing or you do something stupid when frosting it, the cake falls apart. Fortunately, that doesn't happen too often.)
17. Drug or alcohol issues. Many artists with easy access to drugs, alcohol, and groupies at the local level have the distorted impression that they've "made it" and lose motivation to go any further.
18. Spouse / child obligations. Putting together an entertainment career is expensive and requires a major time commitment. The same is true of spouses and children. We're not saying it's impossible, but it's definitely more difficult.
19. Impossible to work with. Being impossible to work with doesn't necessarily mean the artist isn't a nice person; one very nice artist has had seven managers in the past ten years. We like this artist just fine as a person, but in order for a team to become successful, it needs time to gel. With a rotating litany of band members, managers, and agents, that's not likely to happen.
20. Not understanding how the industry works. You have to know how the game is played in order to move the right pieces.
The one thing every great singer does. (re-posted by popular demand)
I did this one a while back before I started doing video blogs. It's one of the most popular I've ever done and people are still looking for it, so I decided to re-post it. No video though, so go grab your favorite drink and relax while you read this important blog.
So what is the one thing every great singer does? First off, I suppose I'd better start off by defining what I mean by "great singer". When I mention the "greats" I'm talking about those vocalists who have achieved critical acclaim for their singing. I'm talking about singers who are universally considered some of the best there is, by people across all genres, styles and backgrounds.
There are, for example, some artists in Gospel that have achieved great things and have a huge fan base. Gospel fans may think they're the best out there but very few people who don't listen to Gospel know who they are.
So, who are some people who have achieved this kind of universal acclaim as great singers? I'm talking about people like Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston (pre Bobby Whitney, ok?, lol) Luther Vandross. Remember Mel Tormey (sp?) Considered such a smooth vocalist his knick name was "The Velvet Fog".
I could go on, but you get the picture. These are people who are known the world over as simply some of the best vocalists out there...by everybody, not just fans of their respective genres.
There's one thing that every one of these singers do, that you can do too; immediately and without a single lesson.
Ready? The answer is one word.....
SIMPLIFY
I happen to know that most of my subscribers to this blog sing either R&B or Gospel. In both of these styles of music people tend to equate great singing with the ability to do lots and lots of vocal runs, riffs, trills and such. This has to be one of the most coveted vocal abilities of them all. It's so important to many singers that they do it almost the whole time they're singing.
But often I think we get so caught up with the fancy stuff we mistake the fancy stuff for actual singing. Riffs, runs, trills, and other "vocal acrobatics" (as Arron Nevel called it once) are style elements; they are nice touches that should be sprinkled into your singing here and there for style.
But many singers mistake riffing for singing. Because this is such a highly regarded ability in Gospel and R&B, many singers mistakenly put way too much emphasis on it in their singing.
But look at the singers I mentioned above again. I'm sure you can add a few names to the list I'm not thinking of right now. But the point I'm making here is this: all of these singers are known the world over for their ablity to create some of the most beautiful music with their voices. Why? Because they place the emphasis on pure, honest, true tone production.
I heard Whitney's performance of the Star Spangled Banner again the other day and it gave me chills. Still considered to be one of the best renditions of it ever. No trills, runs, or riffs. She just sang the notes; pure, clean and with deadly accuracy of pitch.
There is no instrument more complex than the human voice. It is about the only instrument that can't be accurately duplicated by any keyboard. As such, no sound is more beautiful or unique than the sound of a human voice producing pure, clean musical tones with spot-on pitch.
So, as simple as it sounds, if you want to instantly improve your sound, do what the greats do..simplify. Just sing honest, true musical tone as clean and as pure as you can. If you want to work on anything, spend as much of your time as possible working on pitch. Always be on pitch, even if you have to sacrifice style elements you want to do.
Want make that Worship song transport the audience into the very presence of God? Strip your performance of it down to nothing but the pure musical notes it calls for, and sing them as clean and simple as possible. You will move your audience to tears.
Want to make that love song have people gazing into your eyes? Same thing. Luther Vandross hardly ever did a run or riff, and was overweight most of his career. Yet he was considered one of the most amazing ballad singers of our time.
Let's look at an interesting contrast, just to prove a point. I'm a big fan of Stevie Wonder. Now, let's face it. Stevie Wonder does a lot of riffing, and he does it like he invented it. The man is incredible. He uses his voice like a weapon, lol. Stevie can sing, no doube about it. AND....Stevie has indeed received critical acclaim the world over.
But NOT for his singing. When you think of Stevie Wonder what do you think? "That man's a musical genius! He's an incredible writer". So does everybody else. That is his claim to fame.
Now, when you think of Luther, what do you think? "That man can saaang!"So did everybody else.
Step Away From The Cow, Ma-am......
Current mood: productive
Before I give you today's tip I just wanted to let you know that the video blogs will return very soon. I upgraded my entire system recently. My old monitor had a built in microphone, so now I find myself without one. I just need to get myself a microphone and we're back in business.
OK!
Some of you have been asking me what's good and what's NOT good for a singer to eat/drink. My next video blog will cover this in detail, but here's something to tide you over.
If I could choose just one food for you to give up it would be this:
Dairy Products!!
Simply put y'all, milk does NOT do a body good, despite the very popular and ingeniusly crafted campaigns. There's a whole lot of very interesting things I've learned about milk that really blew my mind. This is not the place nor the forum to discuss them, but consider this:
Do you realize that humans are the only animal on the entire planet that consumes another animal's milk? Did you also realize that humans are also the only animal on the planet that go on to continue drinking milk for the rest of our lives? But I digress.
From a singer's perspective it is not good to consume milk or any other dairy product before you sing: before you sing meaning any time that day. In fact you want to begin avoiding it the day before if possible.
Here's why:
Milk and foods containing milk produces a lot of mucus in the body. Excess mucus. A lot of this mucus builds up and sits on your vocal chords. This can make singing a lot more difficult for you. It can muddle your voice, have you doing a lot of clearing and swallowing trying to get rid of it...etc, etc.
So avoid dairy products at least 24 hours before you sing. You would do well, in fact, to begin reducing the amount of dairy products you consume over-all.
If you should find yourself bored or curious, do some research on milk and it's affect on humans. A good place to start is:
Ok guys, this is a 2 part series. And I usually post both parts at once when I do these, but since only 2 people out of my 75 subscribers showed me any love on my last blog, I think I'll make you guys wait till next week for part 2 (it's a shame, I tell ya...a cryin shame-lol)
productive