Finding Your Voice: Vocal Uniqueness

When it comes to finding your own vocal uniqueness, you have to create your own vocal art. Very much like painting your own picture or writing your own novel, you take the color palate and alphabet of other vocal masters and create your own vocal work of art. It's a process; most people start by tracing the vocal masters to gain the vocal 'alphabet' from which unique voices make their own sentences.

This tracing of other voices begins in early childhood. Ask yourself if your speaking voice resembles someone in your family, and unless you've trained to change it (and you can), you'll most probably affirm you have an inherited sound. Some voices begin making their own sentences quite early, some, like me, later in adulthood. I was a club singer, jingle singer and background session singer before I began finding my own voice. That process fast forwarded when I began to write my own songs. You may find that to be true as well. I was able to land a recording artist deal and have some hits, but truly, I feel more like an artist today than ever, because I keep writing, experimenting and performing.

I encourage every singer wanting to find their own unique sound to experiment with writing; at least journaling. If you want to become a true artist, you must tap into the full use of your own instrument (larynx and resonating surfaces) AND your own life experiences, personality and worldview to create your own artist definition. This includes creating uniqueness in...

• sound (tone, rhythm, embellishments)
• message (lyric, presentation)
• style (unique personality within your chosen genre)

There is no shortcut, except that of dedicating time to training and experimentation.
If you are seriously wanting to create a unique vocal sound for a recording artist production, I greatly expand on this training and a ton more in my "Singing In The Studio" multimedia guide. And/or, check into some vocal lessons by a coach who specializes in developing  artist's voices.
 

Singers, Speakers: Three Worst Vocal Habits

The three worst things you can do when singing or speaking are:

1. Tightening your ribcage
2. Tightening your throat
3. Communicating to more than one heart (hint: it's the heart to whom your lyric or words are directed.

The bad news: most people get these areas wrong habitually, The good news: changing them can make an instant difference in vocal ability.

That's why these are the three foundational concepts of Power, Path and Performance vocal training.

You need to get all three areas right for not only great sound, but great effectiveness in vocal delivery.

Question: How do you think these three concepts affect your own voice?

Finding Your Voice: Matching Voices

People sing for different reasons, all are valid. Karaoke singing, cover band singing, choir singing, background studio singing... all these involve the singer needing to sound like someone else, or blend with other voices. To do this very well, vocal techniques need to be finely honed to adjust and match tone, rhythm, diction inflection, cutoffs and vocal licks and more.

The best way to do this is to start by ...tracing the masters. Love jazz? Study both legendary jazz voices and current masters ( Jane Monheit or Michael Buble). Love R&B? I'm absolutely sure Adele studied other r&b singers for years. Love country? This is a huge, diverse genre full of sub-genres. For a great, clickable list, check out AllMusic's portal page on country music. Love pop and/or rock? Again.. a huge field with sub-genres.. Try this AllMusic page. From the menu at the top of that page, you can see and explore all kinds of other genres of music's top artists.
Here are the steps:

• LISTEN

Get some headphones and listen intensely to your favorite vocalists do their thing. Deeply notice and try to mentally memorize their tone, style, rhythms.

• MIME

Don't sing out loud, don't make an audible sound... just actively mime, trying to trace the voice exactly, using your face and body language to silently sing.

• SING SOFTLY

Then start lightly singing softly but audibly, still mostly listening.

• SING FULL VOICE

Once you are sure you're tracing the voice accurately, increase your volume til you are singing as loud as they are. 

• SING TO TRACK ONLY

Then try getting just a track to the song and see if you can sound like that voice. Record yourself to know for sure.

If you want to find your own unique voice, you will need to approach singing differently. That will be my next post...

Song Critiques: Can Too Many Cooks Spoil Song?

Working with singers who are also songwriters, I am frequently asked what I think about song critiques. Here is what I tell them: Critiques of songs can either help the writer turn a mediocre tune into hit song... or they can absolutely kill the song, derail and shut down the voice of the writer.

Where can you get song critiques?
1. Songwriting coaches
2. Music industry insiders (people to whom you pitch songs)
3. Songwriting organizations like NSAI
4. Family and friends
5. Your audiences
6. Your own heart

What sources are right? 
They can all be right ...and they can all be wrong.

There are examples of hit songs that break most of the songwriting 'rules' you will hear about. If you are on the leading edge of a musical movement (think Dylan, Morrissette, Ani DeFranco) you will DEFINITELY be breaking some rules. And...rules are different in different genres.

Yet if you don't write with excellence, you will not get a cut (unless you cut the song. So what to do? In my own experience, five things helped me become a better songwriter:

1. listening to, singing on and dissecting LOTS of songs
2. co-writing with different people who were as good or better than me
3. getting my songs critiqued by some hard industry people (some were great, some were wrong)
4. playing songs out for audiences
5. writing lots of songs.

So how do you know your song is well written?
You can get some good courses, books, critiques from pros. I've seen some great ones with insight that can help especially new writers tremendously. But more often, I see critiques that are just someone's personal preference - which may or may not be relevant to your ideal audience or your heart.

And it's not about how long it takes you to write... I took a day to write "Early Fall". It took 3 months to co-write "One Way Ticket"... because Keith Hinton and I actually thought of too many options and had to weed them out!

I think the best evidence of the worth of your song is in the reaction you get from your audience. Try to be honest with yourself... was it a reaction? Even if it's a quiet reaction... you can feel the electricity in the room created by a good song well delivered. Or it will feel like you just delivered a dud (or delivered your good song to the wrong audience!)

So yes, get your songs critiqued, get training, get better... but remember that songwriting is an art more than it's a science. After you get your critique, ask yourself in your heart of hearts if you agree with the revision suggestions. If so... edit your song. If not, maybe try getting other opinions from a different sources (and audiences). Or maybe... stick a fork in your song, it's done!


Have any of you gotten some song critiques you thought helped you be a better writer? Where did you get those reviews done? Do you disagree with what I've said here? Why or why not?

Singing In The Studio? You'll Like This

Dear blog friends...

I usually reserve "All Things Vocal" blog for giving you actionable articles on the voice. In future I'll be adding video and audio to some of my posts.

However, I've decided to do something rare and announce the new price on my multimedia professional guide "Singing In The Studio" first on this blog. If you get my newsletter, you'll hear about it again.

I've dropped it to $49 for the download, $54 for the physical DVD. And you're the first to know about it. If you are getting ready to sing in the studio, or know someone who is, this is something that can make all the difference in the world. Endorsements are already phenomenal. Check out the details here.

and... Happy New Year! May 2012 bring you the best ever!

Tis The Season To Be Singing!

I want to wish everyone a very happy, joyful and loving holiday season. So many of you have written me, sent cards and letters and I want you to know how thankful I am for your friendship!

It is my Christmas/Hanukkah wish for you all that music-making... particularly singing... is part of this time for you and your loved ones. Never has there been a more perfect time for 'making a joyful noise' ... whether that sound is professional or a family jam session where no voice is judged less important than another.

My New Year's wish is that your gratitude list, like mine, keeps expanding. Raise a glass of something or other with me to toast 2012. No matter what direction the economy and music business goes, no matter what life thing blindsides us, there will also be diamonds... blessings and sweet surprises ... embedded in every day. I find it so important, for so many reasons, to look for, notice and focus our spirits on them.

Thank you for being part of my journey. I can almost hear you singing!
God bless you and your precious voices...
Judy

Digging Deep for Songwriting Gold

Real songwriting, like real singing, is not for the squeamish. Got a great question about the sometimes perilous activity of digging deep for songwriting gold from a very dear friend. He is a singer/songwriter who is also an Army veteran of the recent Middle East wars.

I have noticed a bit of a trend with writing and I'm a bit worried or confused. When I write songs and I come up with ideas for songs, I tend to stop when it gets TOO real inside my head.
Now I know that when song writing you have to be honest and have integrity, but what if it's something you are so passionate about it's scary to even venture there?Odd question I know, but there are things floating around my skull and some of them are a bit rough to face, if that makes any sense.

Here was my response: 

An interesting question indeed. Here’s a thought… we write for different reasons, and all are valid and important. Sometimes we write just as a catharsis. The definition of that word, according to Webster online, is  

• purification or purgation of the emotions (as pity and fear) primarily through art  
• purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension  
• elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression      

This cathartic exercise can really be a form of therapy work. Sometimes we talk it out, sometimes we write it privately. Point is, sometimes this turns out only to be for ourselves, not for the public. Like when you write an unsent letter to express and process something. Oddly there is a whole website named "Letters To Breathe" dedicated to these letters. Songs can do this, too.

I have done this in my life. We don’t have to face all our demons at once… there is a time and place to ‘do some work’ and only God can tell you what you need to be working on. Always write towards healing and love, always. Write as if God is wanting to know what’s on your heart (which of course is true.) But don’t omit the truth and the hate/fear/regret that you need to process on the front end of the writing. Just then go on and write towards healing and release.

I hope this helps… just know you are not alone, that you will never be perfect, that you are loved right where you are, as I am. It’s not about us anyway… it’s about clearing away the crap so we can live useful, prosperous and peaceful lives that make a difference to at least one other soul. 

Do you mind if I share this great question on my blog… and not mention your name? [He said yes.] I know there are many others out there who are not yet able to even ask the question from where they are on their journeys. Maybe you bringing it up will lend courage and get some info out there to help other travelers.

And sometimes, sometimes, the song turns out to be for the public after all. You won’t know til you finish.

Love
Judy