All sound comes from Vibrations or waves transmitted and heard within our body.. I believe if we approach our vocal instrument in that manner we can allow our instincts to come forth. Learning to feel the sound throughout our bodies or be the sound. All humans have music instincts from the heart and the brain. For example we are born with the rhythm of our heartbeat and then the imagination from the brain can stimulate our emotions in song. The Audio keyboard as well as the vibrations of our body can help us find exactly where those vibrations of sound are coming from then with the physical, mental and technical information we are able to put that knowledge together and go back to that place within our bodies always to repeat a wonderful vocal sound and gain more confidence. Practice and self motivation will allow you to remember exactly where that physical, emotional and audio point of sound was placed in you vocal cavity. I have included vocal exercises for you to help tap into that physical space. The videos take you step by step into the physical and mental side of singing. .After I learned the technical side I started to rely more on what I was feeling the vibrations of sound and how the breath and the shapes I was making with my vocal cavity, lips, tongue and jaw affected the sound I was producing. Also my state of mind. Music changes your state of mind. I then began to measure the sound vibrations diagnosing where it came from. I learned to balance the breath stream with the point of contact in my vocal cavity, hard palate to repeat the sound over and over again. These sound vibrations began to tell me who I was as a singer, all the colors of my voice and how I could adjust them as needed. I feel the student who takes this course will want to sing technically and instinctively to become more intelligent as a singer and begin to rely more on their own body instincts and emotions. I believe they can discover more of their own voice and bring more of the inner voice out.
Introductions and Determining your Vocal Range/Type/ Classification MF
Singing is tone we find in the resonances and vibrations of ones own body. Every person’s tonal quality will be different from the others based on gender, musical culture, how your body is shaped, life experiences and much more.
Let’s learn to begin to think of our voice as vocal instruments; an instrument that is very similar to wind instruments. We create tone through the balance of breath; visual imagery; audio; listening with our mind not just our ears; vocal technique and spiritual intuitions. Singing is like a science, experimenting is required for a physical and mental balance.
This is an overview of Female vocal ranges/classifications. The vocal range/classification you are singing in today will only be a beginning point. It will develop as you grow in vocal knowledge, age and experience . Let’s simply determine how high and high low you can sing right now.
9 minutes (9:38)
This is an overview of Male vocal ranges/classifications. The vocal range/classification you are singing in today will only be a beginning point. It will develop as you grow in vocal knowledge, age and experience . Let’s simply determine how high and high low you can sing right now.
7 minutes (7:26)
Anatomy of your Vocal Instrument and Breath Control
Learn how to produce a great vocal sound through mind and body connection. The recognition of the physical and mental keys of your vocal instrument and how it works. Let's distinguish which parts of your body will help you produce the creative sounds you hear in your head.
7 minutes (7:48)
Learn how to create an even breath stream or column of air for sustaining notes to achieve a balanced vocal tone and a firm foundation.
6 minutes (6:24)
Breathing and Breath Control
Step-by-Step instruction on how to take a singer’s breath. Lower Diaphragmatic Breathing. Learning to work towards using a minimum of air to achieve a maximum of tone. "Compression-compressed air - air that has been compressed within some type of chamber or container so that it can exert expansive force" ....Macmillan Dictionary for students
8 minutes (8:07)
Learn Strength building exercises for Breathing and Breath Control. Diaphragm Push Up is a favorite.
After watching the video, choose your vocal range and work on the Self-Practice Vocal Exercises in this section.
If you are unsure of your vocal range, please refer to Lectures 2 or 3 'Determining Your Vocal Range'
9 minutes (9:22)
[Audio Lesson] These diaphragm push-up exercises are in 5 vocal ranges: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano. These exercises will help strengthen your diaphragmatic breathing to gain more awareness and control of diaphragm muscles.
The more control of this muscle, the better you can control the flow of air through your wind pipe to create an improved balance of vocal sound.
[Audio Lesson] These diaphragm push-up exercises are in 5 vocal ranges: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano. These exercises will help strengthen your diaphragmatic breathing to gain more awareness and control of diaphragm muscles.
The more control of this muscle, the better you can control the flow of air through your wind pipe to create an improved balance of vocal sound.
[Audio Lesson] These diaphragm push-up exercises are in 5 vocal ranges: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano. These exercises will help strengthen your diaphragmatic breathing to gain more awareness and control of diaphragm muscles.
The more control of this muscle, the better you can control the flow of air through your wind pipe to create an improved balance of vocal sound.
[Audio Lesson] These diaphragm push-up exercises are in 5 vocal ranges: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano. These exercises will help strengthen your diaphragmatic breathing to gain more awareness and control of diaphragm muscles.
The more control of this muscle, the better you can control the flow of air through your wind pipe to create an improved balance of vocal sound.
[Audio Lesson] These diaphragm push-up exercises are in 5 vocal ranges: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano. These exercises will help strengthen your diaphragmatic breathing to gain more awareness and control of diaphragm muscles.
The more control of this muscle, the better you can control the flow of air through your wind pipe to create an improved balance of vocal sound.
In the beginning when you begin lower diaphragmic breathing it may feel uncomfortable or that you are not getting enough air, because you are comfortable with raising your chest upward to intake air instead of expanding the lower ribs side to side , horizontally , and expanding the trunk of your body front and back, It will feel look you are buidling a foundation of air. of which you are doing so. to lay the sound upon. The from that point you must learn to contol the release of the air.
2 minutes (2:43)
Vowel Articulation
Learn how to sing on the vowel. When we sing we must shape the sound physically and mentally. Learn the physical form and structure and gain strength.
5 minutes (5:29)
It is important to keep the physical position of the vowel once you have shaped the position that creates the ultimate level of good sound. Mentally you must photograph these various positions.
2 minutes (2:43)
Let's study the specifics description and execution of the vowel sounds. EE AY AH OH OO
9 minutes (9:39)
The pure sound of Medial AH encompasses words such as Mask, laugh, dance, that require widening the sides of your tongue! Also it encompasses a diphthong. AH-IH for the vowel I. This one requires a lot of mental shaping and listening to the audio sound you create to physically execute.
4 minutes (4:18)
Focus and Placement
The vibrations of sound come alive within your vocal cavity and hard palate. A balanced compressed air breath stream will allow to feel and then know where to place the sound and create vivid Harmonic Overtones on the vowel. For example feeling your head tone placement versus your chest tone placement and your mixed voice.
5 minutes (5:38)
[Audio Lesson] These Focus and Placement exercises are in all 5 vocal ranges: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano. The use of the consonant "T" followed by the vowel sounds, Too Toe Tah Tay Tee, will help us measure our hard palate keyboard for the placement of our low, medium and high vocal ranges. These Vocal exercises will help you obtain a more consistent accurate placement of quality tone.
(03:44)
[Audio Lesson] These Focus and Placement exercises are in all 5 vocal ranges: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano. The use of the consonant "T" followed by the vowel sounds,Too Toe Tah Tay Tee, will help us measure our hard palate keyboard for the placement of our low, medium and high vocal ranges. These Vocal exercises will help you obtain a more consistent accurate placement of quality tone.
(03:23)
[Audio Lesson] These Focus and Placement exercises are in all 5 vocal ranges: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano. The use of the consonant "T" followed by the vowel sounds, Too Toe Tah Tay Tee, will help us measure our hard palate keyboard for the placement of our low, medium and high vocal ranges. These Vocal exercises will help you obtain a more consistent accurate placement of quality tone.
(03:06)
[Audio Lesson] These Focus and Placement exercises are in all 5 vocal ranges: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano. The use of the consonant "T" followed by the vowel sounds, Too Toe Tah Tay Tee, will help us measure our hard palate keyboard for the placement of our low, medium and high vocal ranges. These Vocal exercises will help you obtain a more consistent accurate placement of quality tone.
(2:41)
[Audio Lesson] These Focus and Placement exercises are in all 5 vocal ranges: Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano. The use of the consonant "T" followed by the vowel sounds, Too Toe Tah Tay Tee, will help us measure our hard palate keyboard for the placement of our low, medium and high vocal ranges. These Vocal exercises will help you obtain a more consistent accurate placement of quality tone.
(3:32)
Register Change
First learn to recognize where your voice is changing. Learn to listen to all the colors of your voice. Learn to relax over those register changes from low chest tone to medium mixed voice and high head tone.
7 minutes (7:00)
[Audio Lesson] Running scales is a very good way to hear all the sounds or parts of your voice. Imagine you are a piano keyboard moving higher in vocal tone and then lower on each note within the scale. Look in the mirror as you do these exercises. Are you raising your head as you do these exercises, trying to reach for the sky? That would be incorrect.
Keep your head comfortably erect or look straight-ahead and your shoulders down with chest relatively flat. Do not reach for the tones with your vocal cavity or head. Remember to lower your jaw as you climb up the scale. Lessen the air stream/pressure, or you might not be forming the vowel correctly with your teeth, tongue and jaw if your voice cracks.
Practice to find the balance of air or vocal breath stream that will allow you to climb the scale with an open throat, like yawning and without tightness in the jaw or straining. There should be no feeling of stress throughout your body.
(05:44)
[Audio Lesson] Running scales is a very good way to hear all the sounds or parts of your voice. Imagine you are a piano keyboard moving higher in vocal tone and then lower on each note within the scale. Look in the mirror as you do these exercises. Are you raising your head as you do these exercises, trying to reach for the sky? That would be incorrect.
Keep your head comfortably erect or look straight-ahead and your shoulders down with chest relatively flat. Do not reach for the tones with your vocal cavity or head. Remember to lower your jaw as you climb up the scale. Lessen the air stream/pressure, or you might not be forming the vowel correctly with your teeth, tongue and jaw if your voice cracks.
Practice to find the balance of air or vocal breath stream that will allow you to climb the scale with an open throat, like yawning and without tightness in the jaw or straining. There should be no feeling of stress throughout your body.
(05:11)
[Audio Lesson] Running scales is a very good way to hear all the sounds or parts of your voice. Imagine you are a piano keyboard moving higher in vocal tone and then lower on each note within the scale. Look in the mirror as you do these exercises. Are you raising your head as you do these exercises, trying to reach for the sky? That would be incorrect.
Keep your head comfortably erect or look straight-ahead and your shoulders down with chest relatively flat. Do not reach for the tones with your vocal cavity or head. Remember to lower your jaw as you climb up the scale. Lessen the air stream/pressure, or you might not be forming the vowel correctly with your teeth, tongue and jaw if your voice cracks.
Practice to find the balance of air or vocal breath stream that will allow you to climb the scale with an open throat, like yawning and without tightness in the jaw or straining. There should be no feeling of stress throughout your body.
(05:56)
[Audio Lesson] Running scales is a very good way to hear all the sounds or parts of your voice. Imagine you are a piano keyboard moving higher in vocal tone and then lower on each note within the scale. Look in the mirror as you do these exercises. Are you raising your head as you do these exercises, trying to reach for the sky? That would be incorrect.
Keep your head comfortably erect or look straight-ahead and your shoulders down with chest relatively flat. Do not reach for the tones with your vocal cavity or head. Remember to lower your jaw as you climb up the scale. Lessen the air stream/pressure, or you might not be forming the vowel correctly with your teeth, tongue and jaw if your voice cracks.
Practice to find the balance of air or vocal breath stream that will allow you to climb the scale with an open throat, like yawning and without tightness in the jaw or straining. There should be no feeling of stress throughout your body.
(05:33)
[Audio Lesson] Running scales is a very good way to hear all the sounds or parts of your voice. Imagine you are a piano keyboard moving higher in vocal tone and then lower on each note within the scale. Look in the mirror as you do these exercises. Are you raising your head as you do these exercises, trying to reach for the sky? That would be incorrect.
Keep your head comfortably erect or look straight-ahead and your shoulders down with chest relatively flat. Do not reach for the tones with your vocal cavity or head. Remember to lower your jaw as you climb up the scale. Lessen the air stream/pressure, or you might not be forming the vowel correctly with your teeth, tongue and jaw if your voice cracks.
Practice to find the balance of air or vocal breath stream that will allow you to climb the scale with an open throat, like yawning and without tightness in the jaw or straining. There should be no feeling of stress throughout your body.
(07:12)
Song Interpretation
Are you truthful to your audience when you sing? Learn how to diagnose or examine the song lyrics and make them your own. Find your own voice.
- Include an audience participation song. The audience loves to jion in singing.
- Remember to look the part if the song is happy or high energy, smile and move that body!
- Choose your performance songs wisely. Know your audience do not pick a Hip Hop song for an Opera audience.
- Make sure you know the melody line of the song. It is impossible to change a song when you are not sure of the original melody.
- Be confident!
- Don't forget to have FUN!
11 minutes (11:15)