Being a singer, songwriter and vocal coach, I have read the Lefsetz Letter on and off for years, written by Bob Lefsetz, music industry attorney, consultant and taste-maker. Recently, he wrote responding to Taylor Swift's new song "Mean," which he understood through the Howard Stern show may be directed at him for repeatedly articulating that "Taylor Swift can't sing." A year and a half ago Lefsetz said about Swift, "no one's done as much for...more
What Is Intuit Throat Singing? Originally, Inuit throat singing was a form of entertainment among Inuit women while the men were away on hunting trips. It was an activity that was primarily done by Inuit women although there have been some men doing it as well. In the Inuit language Inuktitut, throat singing is called katajjaq, pirkusirtuk or nipaquhiit depending on the Canadian Arctic region. It was regarded more as a type of vocal...more
How to Improve Your Singing in Steps - Listen to the Expert... You How can you improve your singing by listening to others? Listen to The Expert!This is a continuation of yesterday’s tip about your voice already being beautiful. If you are stuck in the “yeah, but” idea that you are the exception, or what about all the bad singing you’ve heard other people do that you didn’t think had any beauty at all, today’s tip is actually a challenge. The challenge is to listen specifically for the beauty in any singing voice that you hear. If you really listen for it, not necessarily the raw sound of the voice, but more in its essential human quality, you will find it. What does that voice communicate to you that is unmistakably human? The more you can hear the humanity in the voice, the more you will transform your own ability to sing. Since singing is ALL about communication, having an unmistakable connection to that communication in every voice will give you a rock-solid ability to tap into and produce that same thing in your own voice. The more you are willing to find it in other’s voices, the more you can trust it in your own. So, if you are really stuck in the...more
How to Improve Your Singing in Steps - Breathe Back into Your Spine "How can I improve my breathing while singing?" you ask. Breathing is the most important and complex issue a singer faces when confronting technique. "Aren't singing and breathing both natural actions? Shouldn't we already know how to do them?" Hardly! They may be natural,...more
How to Improve Your Singing in Steps - Lighten Up! Lighten up! That’s right, sing lighter. Here’s why: your vocal folds, the points of contact that actually vibrate and produce the sound when air passes through them, are only about one millimeter thick. "But what about all those singers I see on TV working so hard? Isn't it better when...more
How to Improve Your Singing in Steps - The Singing Circle How can you improve your singing by using energy, the planet and outer space? Why, the singing circle, of course! If everything in the universe is made of energy, than that includes your voice.This one is all about feeling, or rather, experiencing, physical sensations in your body while you are singing. While you are singing, imagine that your voice is traveling through you in a circle that flows out of you, down into the earth, around the universe, back up into the sky and back down into you. It’s a big circle of flowing sound and energy, and the faster it flows, the more energized your are by it and the more effortless it is to sing. You are creating this entire experience by thinking it, but you can also make up an image in your mind to go with it. Close your eyes and sing, and imagine you see your voice flowing in the big moving universal circle. Make it your favorite color so you can really see it in your mind. Make it a fast-moving energy force that powers everything. Get creative with how you imagine it. Do you notice as you “see” all of this in your mind that you are able to experience physical...more
How to Improve Your Singing in Steps - Your Shoulders Are Not Your Spine How to improve your singing by using your body instead of your throat? Fix your alignment. You may be surprised to find out that your shoulders are NOT your spine.How...more
How to Improve Your Singing in Steps - Sing into a Corner "How can I improve my singing without listening to myself sing?" a bewildered student asked. That's when I thought "Ah, it's time to teach her about the corner." No, it was not a...more
How to Improve Your Singing in Steps - Float DOWN onto High Notes! Ah, the dreaded high note! That is, unless you know the easy way to navigate high notes. But how can a beginner improve their singing of high notes without years of lessons?...more
How to Improve Your Singing in Steps - Stare at a Spot What do eyes have to do with singing? How does improving your singing have anything to do with something no where near the throat? Ah... the eyes have it.When I first took voice lessons in...more
How to Improve Your Singing in Steps - Bend Your Knees What the heck do your knees have to do with singing? How does improving your singing have anything to do with something no where near the throat? Just ask any middle-or-high school choir...more
How to Improve Your Singing in Steps - Sing into Your Teeth "How fast can I improve my singing?" How's instantly for an answer. You can improve your singing right now with one simple technique - sing into your teeth.Aiming your sound directly...more