If you have not yet heard about the musical “Hamilton,” you have likely not turned on a television, opened a newspaper, or flipped through a magazine in months. “Hamilton” has been a reoccurring topic on major media outlets for a year including Vanity Fair, CNN, and the New Yorker. People can’t get enough of the… Read more »
Are you obsessed with The Voice like the rest of the world? You just can’t help yourself when Carson Daly comes on and you know that it is only a matter of time before Adam and Blake start taking jabs at one another. It is a nearly irresistible show to watch each week and we… Read more »
Being in the music industry, it is hard to ignore all of the talent that is out there. When a new show premiers on television, like The Voice, America Idol or America’s Got Talent, we can’t help but watch. But why are these shows so intriguing? The Voice We love The Voice because the name… Read more »
Skill One: Dynamics Crescendo means to get louder, and decrescendo/diminuendo means to get softer. We want to be able to do either of these without adding extrinsic interfering muscle. Increasing volume requires “just enough and not too much” increased air pressure and a corresponding increase in vocal fold tension. Decreasing volume involves a decrease in… Read more »
Breathing is one of the most controversial and hotly debated topics in vocal pedagogy, second only to the debate about chest voice and belting. When we interview students and ask them what they think they need to improve most about their singing they often list breathing as their most important challenge. While breathing is not… Read more »
When we discuss breathing we must include posture. Without the correct posture for singing breath management is impossible. For optimal singing the chest must be high, the shoulders relaxed and back, and the body aligned. the head should be comfortably back (gently moving toward the back wall), the neck log, the knees slightly bent to… Read more »
Most of the students who come to us are interested only in singing popular music – which is often sadly limited to what they are exposed to on the radio and T.V. This is totally understandable. I remember starting voice lessons as a young teen and being very disappointed that my teacher had no idea… Read more »
Every vocal style has its own language of inflections, riffs, mannerisms and traditions that you can only acquire if you immerse yourself into it. In all styles of music, spending lots of time listening to and imitating artists of all eras – not just the current stars – will help you build and develop your… Read more »
Continue learning about the different styles of singing in the third part of our series “Singing Authentically in Every Style”. Before you start reading Part III, refresh yourself on Part I and Part II. Pop Style Pop is short for popular, the style of music that most of the general public tends to listen to… Read more »
Earlier this month, we shared some tips on singing authentically in every style. Here are some further words of advice on the subject: Diction and dialect also contribute to making the sound more authentic. Country Style Country singing is filled with dropped final consonants such as G; in country music you would say singin’ rather… Read more »
