Vocal Monogamy

Vocalists—and artists of every kind—are in a ménage à trois of sorts. There’s us, and our voices… … and then there is that voice. You know the one I am talking about. The critical know-it-all in our heads that is quick to criticize; the perfectionist and control freak...

You Are Your Own Best Teacher

I have been working with a singer with a beautiful voice. And a beautiful mind. Yet unfortunately, that mind has been working against her instrument. So have years of training that encouraged an intellectual and compartmentalized approach to all things vocal. Support,...

Sing Before You Sightread

Sight reading is not as common of a skill as it used to be. While classical and theater singers still rely heavily on sheet music, commercial vocalists often learn songs by example and imitation. Jazz, pop and R&B instrumentalists work with chord and number charts...
Dealing With and Healing a Vocal Injury

Dealing With and Healing a Vocal Injury

A month ago, I got a call from a client I hadn’t seen in a couple of years. A lot had changed in her life since then, including that she’d recently sustained a vocal injury. Even though Marjorie had just been given the all-clear for us to work together, it wasn’t...

Practical Tips on Performing: Pitch

  Recently, a voice teacher in China and I had a great conversation about three specific issues in her studio. In my last piece, I shared my thoughts and suggestions about Phrasing. Here, we’ll look at the second challenge a number of her singers, and so many of...
Practical Tips on Performing: Phrasing

Practical Tips on Performing: Phrasing

Recently, I was asked some great questions by a voice teacher and vocalist in China. After our session, I thought about the relevance of her young student’s issues for singers the world over and asked if she wouldn’t mind my sharing my ideas and exercise suggestions...

Capturing the Magic in your Rough Recordings

This article is for all of you songwriters out there who think you can’t sing. Of course, I disagree! Until we get the chance to work together, here are some tips for you. 🙂   Songwriting, for most of us, is a tremendously intimate experience. The magical...

The Joys of Being Wrong and Surpassed

For about a year now, I’ve been working with a songwriter, producer, and rapper– we’ll call him K– who came to me wanting to be able to sing on his own tracks. So much so, that on our first day together, he told me about his commitment to release an album of vocal...

Brandi Carlile’s Lesson in Authenticity

I’ve always been a binge listener. I’m incapable of listening to music casually; any time a song comes on, my attention gets diverted and I lose myself in the world of it. The same goes for when I come across a new artist I like… I remember spending weeks immersed in...

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