“Speech Level Singing is the ability to always maintain a speech level production of tone – one that stays connected from one part of your range to another. A teacher needs to know how to get each of his students to sing through their range in a connected, easy manner, without any “breaks” or sudden changes of tone quality. This is Speech Level Singing (training). You don’t sing like you speak, but you need to keep the same comfortable, easily produced vocal posture you have when you speak so you don’t reach up for high notes or press down for low ones… ”

- Seth Riggs

Q: Wait a minute!! Isn’t singing supposed to be EASY?

A: Yes! Singing IS VERY easy – but only when the mechanism has been properly developed and tuned through the RIGHT training.

In fact, the success of the Speech Level Singing voice training system is built on simplicity: Learn to coordinate a “Speech Level” across your entire vocal range. Although not everyone’s speech habits are necessarily the healthiest (and if yours is not, SLS has some some simple tools to help), training in the SLS technique helps you to ensure that the way you speak, and the way you approach your singing remain similar – nothing will feel different in your throat or mouth.

Your speech level (a relaxed larynx, and moderately closed cords) is likely an already natural phenomenon for you during speech. But for singing, you need access to a much wider range of dynamics and pitches. In order to acquire those greater degrees of vocal cord tension further in a balance, Speech Level Singing voice lessons help you to build and maintain a Speech Level coordination across all of your entire 2, 3, or even 4 or more octave vocal range. This way, you will have a naturally rich voice full of overtones, leaving it optimally healthy and in it’s naturally flexible state, so you can continue to experiment in any style you choose – and have a GREAT time doing it!

To help you find and maintain your *Speech Level*, you need only do 2 things on every vowel, across your entire vocal range.:

• Keep your vocal cords *moderately closed* (no breathiness, yet no excessive cord pressure/squeezing either), and
• keep your voicebox/larynx *in a low and stable position* (doesn’t ride up and engage your swallowing/word making processes on high pitches, or dip on low ones),

“The most important skill a singer can acquire is the ability to move smoothly from the chest to the head register as the pitch ascends. The secret to accomplishing this is to allow the resonation to move behind the soft palate as it moves into the head without reaching up or letting go of the adduction of the vocal cords, and this is done through the use of vowels.”

- Speech Level Singing Instructor Manual

Unlike the breathing mechanism, and thus probably why so many voice teachers try and teach singing as if the voice is in the stomach, the vocal cords in your throat can’t be seen. Nor can the voice be balanced by telling the student to “put” the “sound” somewhere. Such training advice can be ruinous for voices and do not teach the singer balance. With little understanding of how to engage the singer into the correct balance between the vocal cord and breath pressure across their entire range and on all vowels, excessive breath pressure can be disastrous, and the singer has no chance of reaching their potential, never-mind any possibility of singing safely.

At 3rd Voice, although advice on style or genre may be offered, vocal coordination to enable your vocal potential remains emphasized. By learning how to find balance, you can live in the muscular freedom you only dreamed about, remaining free to explore your voice as you choose.

“When any voice has been developed through voice training, it should come to the point where in all ways it is found in the same condition which the naturally great voice has without training.”

- BARBEREUX-PARRY, M. Vocal Resonance: Its Source and Command

Q: Why Is Voice Training So Important?

A: Your voice is an instrument like any other – except this instrument is much more fussy! Essentially, your vocal cords (lying flat inside your larynx) create a basic pitch and tone by resisting the air you send to them (from your lungs), the tongue modifies that basic tone into what we hear as the vowel, and your body gives it amplification.

However, there are many considerable differences (and challenges) that make your voice very different from every other instrument:

• To start, you can’t buy new vocal cords if you sang with too much tension, or if you blew a bit too much air too hard on a particularly rapturous night. If you do strain your voice by singing improperly, depending on the severity, you must at minimum stop singing for however long it takes until you recover your vocal health, IF your vocal cords can fully recover. That can be frustrating if people are depending on you.
• Worse, the voice does not even have the advantage of, say, the guitar with it’s touch and turn tuning keys on the bridge. You can’t see or touch the vocal cords at all – the voice can ONLY be tuned by adjustments from your thought and feel alone!!
• Consider that for every pitch you can make, there is a wide variation of vowels (around 10 or so in english) that must be coordinated on each of those pitches. No other instrument has this kind of variable for every pitch. Granted, singing through many vowels on *some* pitches isn’t such a bad thing, but on others, different vowel and pitch combinations can potentially create a tremendous amount of instability due to slightly differing feedbacks of compression that each vowel creates. If you experience a “crack” or strain at certain places with certain vowels in your voice, that is what I’m talking about. These changing conditions occur at “bridge” areas of the voice that directly influence the ability of your voicebox to stay stable, and your vocal folds to vibrate efficiently.
• As your vocal cords are part of the vast system of your body, the healthy condition of your vocal cords that is required when you sing requires the much more challenging, prime condition of your body in it’s entirety. Your vocal cords are mostly mucous, and one of the least important vital systems. That means when the health of any part of your body begins to waver, whether it be from allergies, lack of sleep, or hard night of partying, resources will be diverted away first from areas like your voice to take care of what’s causing you ill-health elsewhere. Great for survival, but terrible for singing. If vocal cords swell up on the day of a gig, understanding how and what to do can make all the difference.
• And last but not least, after your voice is tuned up and ready to go, you have to be able to shift between coordinations quickly, if you want to sing at and sound your best all the time.

Just like learning to play the guitar though, *anyone can learn how to coordinate their vocal mechanism* so that their vocal folds may vibrate freely within a balance of harmonics and compression that change not only on every pitch, but on every vowel. So, unless you’re one of the miraculous few born with fully functioning voices (and even then, how long will it stay that way?), you will probably find that you may need some help learning how to coordinate and maintain your own voice to fully tap your vocal potential.

Q: Wait a minute!! Isn’t singing supposed to be EASY?

Yes! Singing IS remarkably easy – but only when you’ve done the right kind of voice training. SLS is the only proven voice training system to tune your voice across your widest range possible with the most of ease, and consistency.

Voice Training Basics Part 2

RSVP: heroes@superheroesofvoice.com

The question on nearly every singers mind is: “How can I be awesome… Fast?”

Singing always seems simple and easy to the untrained listener. How hard can it be? You just sing along to the song, just like at karaoke… right?!?

Sure. Some songs ARE easy to sing to karaoke. But an audience might not pay to hear it. Imprecise pitches from a singer can be very unpleasant to any listener, for instance, simply because we’re all so accustomed to hearing near-perfect recordings. But in the music business, you only get one shot! That means your voice needs to be ready for your shining opportunity ASAP…

Most songs require a fairly wide arsenal of various abilities in order to sound somewhat decent. If you want your voice to be enjoyable to sing with and/or listen to, to sing pitches that are mostly correct yet full and free, to have a natural tone, if you want to sound “awesome”, then you’re going to have to get yourself organized.

Here’s how to do it:

1) Be Clear About Your Ultimate Vocal Goal:

What vocal qualities do you most admire, or are influenced by? What is your vocal goal? There are musical and artistic identity elements that contribute to the making of an awesome singer. But without a doubt, the most important element is the vocal. What do you see for yourself eventually? How and/or what do you see yourself developing into as a vocalist?

2) What are your current vocal abilities and natural vocal qualities as of RIGHT NOW?

We are often shocked to hear the actual sound of our voices played back to us for the first time. Accepting the sound of your voice is an absolutely essential first step of tappiing your own sound. Only after fully embracing it, can you express yourself naturally through it. Can you fully embrace the qualities of your natural voice as it is? How can you adapt your goals to suit where you are vocally? What can you change about your vocal technique in order to move towards your vocal goals without overshadowing or interfering with your natural vocal timbre?

3) Focus on one vocal element at a time

Part of your vocal arsenal will be natural – you won’t have to work hard for it. It will always just be unavoidably there. But the other parts – like pitch accuracy, range, dynamic, tone, intensity, licks, sustains, vibrato, etc. will take some time to get right – to get “awesome”. What issues have you been told, or are you aware of, that are the most challenging for you? Make sure you seek feedback from other people. We are often unaware of the issues most obvious to others. Choose the issue that is creating the biggest roadblock to master first. Don’t be afraid to spend weeks, or months, mastering that one issue in one song before you move on to something. Learn it deeply. Then move on and do the same thing with the next issue.

4) Get regular private training to get accurate feedback quickly

. Good vocal teachers efficiently correct issues, and move you quickly towards your goals. All of these things require critical feedback from an instructor skilled at vocal development. Because virtually every vocal issue is rooted in vocal registration, you need a teacher who understands vocal registration and voice tuning deeply and who can help you address your most relevant vocal issues and adjust them ASAP. Otherwise, you could end up spending years on vocal training that is not addressing root issues, or worse, that is damaging!

We thought it would be fun to share individual student stories as a way of making connections and sharing the amazing work that Brandon’s students are doing.

To inaugurate this new feature, we’d like to introduce you to singer and upcoming voice teacher Dawn Lewis.

April 2012 Singer’s Spotlight: Dawn Lewis

Dawn Lewis, photography by Margaret Kelly

She is a member of the internationally recognized band Repair, which has been a mainstay for her for more than a decade.

Music producers and sound engineers Matt and Mark Thibideau point to Dawn as a major factor in the success that has led them to music festivals in Canada, Germany and Spain, with as much as 3,000 strong audiences. The band’s work has been featured on compilations by well known record labels like Rough Trade, and tracks have been remixed by prominent German techno producers such as Richard Davis and the Modernist. You can view Dawn’s video here or purchase the Repair album here.

Discovering Vocal Strength

As Dawn continues to study voice with Brandon, she feels that “his approach has freed and refined my sound. Brandon has shown me the depth of my chest voice and taught me to sing with great strength (something I always wanted to do) and still maintain my wide range, accurate pitch and beautiful tone.

In the past I found live shows were very stressful. There were always feedback issues due to my breathiness and ‘light chest.’ Now with a new-found consistent volume, those problems are easily overcome.”

Overcoming Challenges

Dawn says her major vocal challenges have been “Volume and pitch, and for me they are related. When I would try to sing loud my pitch was always unpredictable.

I think I also shied away from singing loud because in my head it sounded too harsh or nasal or something. I always wanted to sound “pretty” which for me was breathy. I think that might be why a lot of women are light chest singers…

Finding my chest voice was the initial ‘ah-ha’, but it’s an ongoing process. Every lesson with Brandon has an ‘ah-ha’ – it might be some tweak to a vowel that he will suggest and suddenly the note just finds its place.

Influence

I have a wide range of musical influences. Growing up I listened to a combination of old country and pop. Linda Ronstadt, Patsy Cline, Olivia Newton John and Pat Benatar just to name a few. Later, I listened to artists like Kate Bush and the Cocteau Twins, even getting into Motown, like Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin. I also like more current indie stuff like Feist and Metric. I’m all over the map!”

With such an eclectic musical palate, she’s always looking to the future with an open mind. Her goal, she says, is “to have vast musical knowledge and boundless creativity and to attract inspiring collaborators that nurture this”.

Her ultimate dream however seems much more humble. It would be to “pay the bills by making music and teaching. I think that’s pretty realistic. I also would love the opportunity to do more traveling. If I could travel AND make music AND pay the bills, well that would be incredible!”

Helping Others

Dawn hopes to share her inspiration and passion for the vocal technique she has learned. She has a wealth of experience in teaching due to her early years as an instructor of Fashion Design at Fanshawe College.

She would like to see us all get on to our fulfilling and lucrative lives as uninhibited artists—pouring celebratory drinks for ourselves instead of others.

Photography by Margaret Kelly.

Either way, in her prime, Whitney was able to master in combination a peculiarly high number of vocal, musical, performance, & business skills.

If you’ve always wanted to sing like Whitney, you’re gonna have to match her at her game.

Here’s how to do it:

1) Develop Powerful Vocal Skills

a) Seamlessly transition between vocal registers by aligning specific resonances that will offer the most efficient and powerful sound, but WITHOUT yelling and without going into falsetto.
b) Sing in any dynamic (gentle to belt) within any part of your range
c) Always maintaining a vibrant and free vibrato
d) Sing with feeling: Wild and uninhibited but perfectly on pitch.

2) Develop Comprehensive Musical Skills

a) Have a solid practical understanding of the degrees in blues, major, and minor scales
b) Be able to switch between those scales spontaneously while improvising with feeling.
b) Tastefully alternate long held notes with rippling embellishments
c) Infuse rhythmic variation spontaneously
d) Be able to command a full band and orchestra without ever even looking at them

3) Develop Performance Skills

a) Perform often and regularly in supportive and encouraging environments
b) Perform with the highest degree of courage and confidence, unafraid to take risks live onstage
c) Stay determined to be the best you can be.
d) Be authentic, clear and determined about fulfilling your musical INTENT

4) Develop Business Skills

a) Suss out and engage with influential figures in the music industry
b) Have the worlds best songwriters write songs specifically for you.
c) Have the music industry collaborate with the film industry to propel your career even further
d) Be charming, well-mannered, poised, and open with everyone you deal with.

I hope you’ve had a wonderful holiday! If you’re like most of us well intentioned folk, you’ve probably set some hefty goals for yourself for the new year. Especially when it comes to singing, it’s all too easy to fall behind with your routine.

All vocalists have the desire to grow but many of us donʼt have the discipline to achieve our goals all alone. If you don’t keep on top of your practice, you could miss that one shining opportunity you’ve been waiting because you’re voice just wasn’t ready for it.

Think this might be you? Then these programs could be the friends you need! There are 2 programs I’ve started offering that can make a big difference:

1) Study Buddies (FREE!)

What better way to get a helping hand then to have a buddy that can keep you company along the way. A study buddy is another student from the studio who I think might be a good match for the both of you. When you are assigned a buddy, you will both help each other for 2 weeks. What/where/and how you communicate with each other, will be up to the both of you. If you both choose to extend your study together past the 2 weeks, then you are welcome to! This program is free, but aside from setting you and your buddy up together, I won’t be involved in your process.

HOW? To participate, let me know you are interested by replying to this email, and I will look for a buddy for you among others who are also interested. Then I will provide your contact information to each other, and that’s it! However you manage your relationship from that point forward is up to you and your buddy.

2) Power Practice ($60/month)

Power Practice is a new program in association with VocalizeU. Using the revolutionary new VocalizeU app for the ipad (a brilliant all round voice develop app for $40), POWER PRACTICE is a practice monitoring program that gives singers a much needed helping hand.

HOW? I will help you set up a practice schedule and keep it! All you have to do is record your practice sessions in VocalizeU, and send them to me through the app. I will be expecting them from you daily. IF you are interested in this program, let me know by replying to this email.

As always, let me know if you have any questions!

If you’re a singer in the making, don’t miss the opportunity!

Check out the Canada’s Got Talent youtube page for more info:

http://www.youtube.com/canadasgottalent

Please make sure you book asap with me. The cost is $60 and includes a DVD of the final performance, charting of your song for the band, FREE TO ATTEND for family and friends, feedback from a panel of industry professionals, performance rehearsal the week before (November 27th also at Central), and a helluva good time!

Space is LIMITED to 18 singers. Please book asap.

YOUR SONG CHOICE MUST BE SUBMITTED BY NOVEMBER 7TH.

If you’re a female artist/vocalist and don’t know your “voice habit”, you had better find out! Knowing your habit is the key to unlocking the potential in your voice.