Why do I need to Train My Voice for Singing, Public Speaking or Acting?

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The voice may be the most treasured physical asset that we possess inside this marvelous machine we call our Human Body. As a professional vocal coach for many years, there are two remarkable conclusions that I have made from my experiences.

1.) How easily we take the voice for granted and often fail to nurture it or, even worse, abuse it.
2.) As far as its performance applications as a musical instrument, we conclude that, “I either have a great instrument or I don’t.” (without training)

I will discuss conclusion number one in more detail.

How easily we take the voice for granted and often fail to nurture it, or even worse, abuse it. I would first ask you to Google images of Vocal Cords or the Larynx. You will find pictures of the two vocal cords that we use to accomplish two major goals.

1.) The cords are moved together by muscles and air is pushed between them from the lungs and abdominal muscle system. This makes them “buzz” and creates a fundamental sound. Just try “humming” and you will get the idea.

2.) Once a fundamental sound is produced, other muscle systems stretch the two cords in a perfectly coordinated manner to produce varied pitch. This can be compared to tightening or loosening a guitar string while plucking it.

Most of us can perform these basic operations without training as we must learn to speak and “hum a tune” at a young age. This is a marvelous or even miraculous process that must not be taken for granted. The pictures you have found during your Google search may make the Larynx appear rather large but it is actually about the size or smaller than your thumb. Now that you have viewed this delicate little instrument, imagine what it must endure when you go the Ball Game or Rock Concert and yell and scream. Or maybe you are a vocal performer of any given style and because you have little or no formal training about how to properly deliver controlled levels or air pressure to your larynx, you are constantly vocalizing with a lot of strain and tension in your throat. Under these stressful conditions, your delicate little instrument often endures a lot of abuse. This is one of the reasons why you get a “hoarse voice.” What is happening is that your tender vocal cords actually become swollen from straining and banging into each other.

Try beating your hand on the wall for a while and you will also swell up. With the vocal cords, this constant abuse may develop vocal nodes, which might be simply thought of as calluses on the vocal cords. I am also a guitar instructor and I get calluses on my fingertips from pressing down the metal strings to make musical chords. Great pop singers like Elton John, Ian Anderson, Julie Andrews, Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, Justin Timberlake, Victor Wills, Joni Mitchell, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Rod Stewart, Celine Dion and many others have all endured surgery from vocal nodes. This result means that they abused their voices to some extent, not intentionally of course.

Another example of serious vocal abuse can be found in some of our young performers who “scream” the lyrics intentionally in a vocal style called “Screaming.” I have already had one of these young people in my studio for vocal rehabilitation following surgery for vocal nodes. We all must realize that this is serious business and if we want our voice to last us a lifetime, we must never abuse it. Further we must submit ourselves to professional training and not be so naïve that our voice does not require this to operate to its potential.

I will now discuss conclusion number two in more detail.

As far as its performance applications as a musical instrument, we may conclude that “We either have a great instrument or we don’t.” (without training)

Let me ask you this question:

Why, when we consider studying the voice, is there such a lack of considering a practical educational approach?

Here is what I mean by this?

Imagine the normal process for a beginning student learning how to play the clarinet. A common approach might include the following strategies:
1.) Observe and understand how the instrument works mechanically.
2.) Learn basic fingering positions.
3.) Learn proper embouchure, or how we position our mouth on the mouthpiece.
4.) Learn proper posture, breath control, and phrasing.

Where I find the approach to vocal instruction fall short of these basic goals is mainly in the mechanical part of instruction.

I have never had one student start with me with any prior experience that had any grasp of how the entire body works as one team to produce sound. I mean never!

This issue is discussed in depth in Chapter 3, “The Vocal Power Team,” in my popular ebook, “Singing and Speaking on the Edge of a Grunt.”

How do I make this conclusion? My first consultation is always an in-depth inquiry regarding what students understand about this information. Sadly, not much.

We must be honest and ask why this is the case. In my observation it results from a disconnect about the necessary process of learning how to properly vocalize when compared to other musical instruments or professional life skills like sports. We approach the voice like no other learned skill most of the time. If we were learning to play the guitar, even just to play the simplest of songs, we would conclude that we must at least buy a lesson book to begin studies. In other words, we would not just pick up a guitar, put it in our lap and expect to be able to play. This may sound rediculous, and it is, but this is often how we approach using our voice to Sing, Public Speak or Act. We may conclude that the fundamental sound and quality of our vocal instrument is the best it can get and there is little or no room for improvement. It is hard to imagine anyone approaching any other learned skill in this manner.

If we approach vocal instruction in this manner then we are being ignorant of the potential of our incredible instrument. My studio is filled with many a beginning vocalist who have been told by their peers that they were “tone deaf’ and should never sing again. The truth is that, although and untrained voice may have some difficulty in singing in pitch initially, this can be quickly fixed with most people. I have only encountered two people in 26 years that were clinically tone deaf.

So, we must conclude that our approach to learning how to properly vocalize must be no different that any other instrument or life skill. It must be trained properly so that it will be operated in a responsible and powerful manner ones entire life.

The following issues are also very important for any aspiring vocalist to consider.


In case someone forgot to notify you, singing is work! One of the largest obstacles to progress I have found is that some students apparently never take into account that learning to sing or speak correctly will take a lot of practice and hard work. Of course, there is the gifted crowd who think they are so naturally talented they do not need to work hard. This attitude breeds failure no matter what you are trying to accomplish in life. Many people do not equate learning proper singing or speaking with work.

The fact is that when I sing or speak correctly for a long period of time, I actually break a sweat. My whole body is involved. Your whole body is your instrument! Just like any sport, part of the learning curve involves learning which muscles to use in the right way and then using those muscles in a similar or repetitive motion to develop consistency and muscle tone.

If you have ever trained with weights, you know what I mean. The only way you make progress is to build and tone your muscles with consistent effort. Just like you can’t go to the gym one day a week and expect to compete for Mr. America, you can’t sing or speak correctly once a week and expect to become Lucianno Pavarotti. You must be focused, disciplined, and work hard.

I truly hope this information has been helpful. I hope that you will seek out a competent voice coach before you begin your journey to become a serious vocalist. I would highly recommend that you buy my ebook for only 9.95 at my website where I thoroughly explain how to use your voice properly.

Best of luck to all!

Jonathan Morgan Jenkins
http://www.vocaltrainingwarrior.com

Buy Jonathan's best selling ebook on sale for only 9.95!
http://www.vocaltrainingwarrior.com/ebooks

http://www.youtube.com/vocaltrainingwarrior


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Powerful Performace Interpretation techniques for Singers, Actors and Public Speakers

Vocal Training Warrior: Vocal Training, Voice Lessons, Singers Voice Lessons, Speakers Vocal Training, Actors Vocal Training, Home Recording Studios, Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises, Clear Diction Exercises, Vocal Training Videos, Vocal Training E-books.

Artistic Interpretation - The Icing on the cake!

Weather you are singing a song, making a public speech or acting a monologue, how you interpret your performance is critical to your success. Further, it is ultimately the only thing that will separate you and your performance from that of your peers. For instance, if we were to chose a recording of Handels Messiah, we would usually make our choice based on the conductor. This is because each conductor “interprets” the same piece of music differently. The decisions about tempo, volume, phrasing, balance, etc are all the prerogative of the director.

Here is a personal example. One of my favorite instrumental orchestral recordings is The Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe. The piece is a musical interpretation of the visual components of one of the worlds greatest wonders. I am a fan of the former great conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy. A few years back, I had an old, worn out vinyl recording and was looking for a CD or at least a cassette recording to purchase. Not finding one, I settled for a recording by a different director. Big Mistake! The piece was interpreted so different, and badly, that it was hard to recognize that it was the same piece of music.

Ultimately, interpretation is the most important aspect of any vocal performance. It is where the performer, after mastering their fundamental skills, can create their own performance version of any song, speech, poem, or monologue. The process of interpretation is supposed to be an experience whereby the performer and the listener have the freedom to draw their own conclusions about the success or failure of any creative process. The positive aspect of this freedom of artistic expression is that the performer is free to interpret a song or character that may have been performed many times in a similar fashion and interpret it in a fresh and innovative way.

The risk of this freedom is discovered when ten critics attend the same concert, play, or speech and form ten very different conclusions regarding how successful the performance was. Some may like it, and some may not. The reasons for their conclusions may be realistic or fallacious. Unfortunately, many critics may have the power to affect your career, even if their opinion is completely wrong.

One important goal to possess as a performer is to always create such a strong performance that even your worst critics have to concede to your success. This occurs because your interpretation was so effective that even the critics understood it on some level. One, though, must be very suspect of the opinions of critics.

Here are a few important reasons:

1. There may be only a few present to judge any performance, and as any political pollster would tell you, the more opinions you can get on any subject, the more valid the conclusions are.
2. Professional critics may be politically or financially connected, and their professional opinion may be highly suspect as to the truthfulness of their conclusions. This conclusion is easily confirmed by the yearly results we see in the Academy Awards. Considering the recent films that are chosen each year for the highest awards, it is obvious to those in the real world, the ticket-buying public, that many members of the Academy are highly politically correct and too connected to Hollywood to have an unbiased opinion. The sharp television viewer ratings downturn for the Academy Awards in the last few years reveals that the public has become their critic and has judged them harshly.
3. Performers rely on their often uneducated family and friends to be their critics. I can’t count the number of singers I have had to reprogram after they were told by a friend or family member that they were tone deaf when, in fact, they were not.
4. Critics are often not even performers themselves. These are the worst kind of critics. The truth is, if they are so knowledgeable about the correct way to perform, they would be up on that stage showing everyone how it is done instead of flapping their jaw about your performance successes or failures
5. The best critic of what you are accomplishing is you. Ultimately, every performer must be secure enough in how they are currently performing and in their performance goals. A sailing ship must have a sail and rudder to move forward with confidence, and you must have yours. When you have the self- confidence in your own abilities, or lack thereof, you will be able to graciously receive all opinions about your work without taking them as a personal attack. You will be able to sift through all the opinions of the critics, forsake the false ones, and embrace the truthful ones, using them as a solid foundation on which to build your future performance goals with confidence.

The Importance of planning how you will communicate your Lyric, Speech or Dialogue is very important. Try this exercise with every work you will perform.

Read out loud your entire song lyric, speech, or acting part exactly how you would perform it in character.

When you are done, ask yourself the following questions:

1. What is the main theme of the story, lyric, or speech?
2. To whom am I singing or speaking?
3. What is the visual location of my performance?
4. What mood is portrayed in the words?
5. If music, what mood is conveyed in the harmony?
6. Why was this lyric, speech, or script written?
7. What result am I trying to accomplish in my audience?
8. What do I want the audience to remember about my performance?
9. What movements, mannerisms, etc. do I need to rehearse to convey my message?
10. How should I dress to perform?
11. If I am a character other than myself, who am I, and how will I effectively imitate that person?
12. Create your own questions!

Write out the answers to these questions about every character, speech, or song you perform. I am sure you will be able to think of more relevant questions. The clearer you are about what you are trying to accomplish in any performance, the more effective you will be.

I hope you have enjoyed this important discussion. Pass it along to a friend!

Jonathan Morgan Jenkins
http://www.vocaltrainingwarrior.com

Buy Jonathan's best selling ebook on sale for only 9.95!
http://www.vocaltrainingwarrior.com/ebooks

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Performing all Vocal Styles with Expertise and Confidence is Critical to your Resume as a Vocalist.

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To become a truly professional vocalist, you must be able to perform all vocal styles with expertise and confidence. If you are a vocalist that is stuck in a "Style Rut", read this article and you may find that it is not as difficult as you may think to sing and speak in different styles with control and confidence.

During my tenure as a Voice Instructor, I have coached Singers, Speakers and Actors of every age and musical of speaking style. Some typical singing styles would be, Classical, Opera, Musical Theatre, Jazz, Pop, Folk, Rock, Rhythm and Blues and Country. Some typical speaking styles would be, Corporate Trainer, Corporate Speaker, Politician, Teacher, Poet or Rap Artist. Some typical Acting styles would be, Stage Actor, Musical Theatre, Film Actor, Commercial Actor, Voice Over or the creation of specific Characters or Accents. If I missed any, please add them to the list.

My point is that there are so many uses for the Human Voice, an incredible miracle of an instrument. After working with all of these people through the years, I have found these consistent themes in how they perceive their chosen method and/or style.

1) They often worship their chosen style and exclude all others. (This is especially prevalent with snooty academic/classical crowd)
2) They think that their style of singing is the only correct way the voice can operate.
3) They have little or no understanding of how the voice operates.
4) They think they are gifted and do not need competent training.
5) They refuse to even consider expanding their capabilities by attempting to sing or speak in another style.

To me, anyone who thinks in any fashion like this is incredibly naïve and has little or no interest in becoming an accomplished vocalist. If I have ruffled your virgin feathers, I make no apologies.

Before you leave the room or call your Attorney claiming that I have bruised your ego, please allow me one chance to explain to you the many aspects of proper vocal performance that are similar to all vocal styles. Then we will discuss the actual few differences. Here is a list of all the aspects of vocal performance that must be understood and applied by all vocalists and all musical or speaking styles.

1) How to breathe properly to intake the maximum amount of oxygen every time we breathe.
2) Understand how the body is engineered to use pressurized oxygen to accomplish many vital functions by coordinating the abdominal muscles.
3) Have a thorough understanding of the most important abdominal muscle for singing or speaking called the Diaphragm. This includes its position in the body, how it is used to intake oxygen and how it is used to pressurize airflow and expel it in a controlled and efficient manner.
4) Have a thorough understanding of the Larynx or Vocal Chords and how this marvelous organ is used to accomplish a fundamental sound and correct pitch.
5) How to keep our throat open so the fundamental sound and pitch which emanates from the Larynx is not restricted and therefore diminished in any way before it reaches the resonating chambers of the head.

Before we discuss how style differences are accomplished, please review the above long list of important things that all vocalists must be able to understand and perform masterfully before they can be a powerful vocalist in any style.

Now let’s discuss how we accomplish different styles. You will be amazed at how simple it really is. And when you realize this, my hope is that you will become a vocalist that understands there are more common processes than different ones. And, hopefully, you will become more open to becoming an accomplished singer or speaker in all styles.

Let’s start with the style where the voice is usually operating to its absolute potential. That would be Classical or Opera. I realized that I made a not so flattering comment in #1 of my first group of numbered items. (This is especially prevalent with snooty academic/classical crowd) I did not make this comment about the style; I made this comment about the some of the people that perform that style. The college where I received my formal music degree was a place where the mention of Popular Music was considered Sacrilege. With my childhood musical background being Surf Bands and Rock and Roll, I had to watch what I said for fear of being Tarred and Feathered!

Lets analyze the physical singing style of Classical or Opera. We usually observe the following physical characteristics in the performer.

1) They often breathe correctly.
2) They often understand how to use their abdominal muscles for proper oxygen control.
3) Their Diction is often clear and resonant.
4) Their jaw is often open or dropped to produce the most balanced resonant tone possible.

I my experience, I seldom find these important vocal performance aspects in people who sing in other styles. The main reason is lack of training but another reason is a bad attitude about being open to sing in other styles.

Unfortunately, it appears to be human nature to dismiss a new challenge or even minimize its importance rather than embrace it as a gift that will change our life. We would rather shoot the messenger than listen, embrace and grow. Pretty sad!

What I have found is that, once I can get a student past the mental blocks of experimenting with a new vocal style, it becomes mainly an issue of altering the diction and opening the jaw to different positions that creates basic musical or speaking style changes. It is really that simple.

I want all of you to try something so you can get the effect. I want you to act in character using two extremes. Pick any song or speech you are familiar with and perform it in each of the following characters. Don’t hold back and perform the character as exaggerated as possible.

1) Pretend you are an Opera Singer or Speaking words in a Shakespeare Play.
2) Pretend that you are an old-time Country Singer with all the twang you can muster. If speaking, just say the words that way.

While you are doing this, be aware of the following:

1) How open or closed your throat is.
2) The position of your tongue at all times.
3) How closed or how open your jaw is.
4) What kind of tone, nasally or balanced, you are producing.
5) Do you feel tension in your neck and head or not.

I hope you are getting the picture that the differences in vocal performance are very few compared to the similarities. When you tell your body to become a certain character, the subconscious mind brings it to pass by altering physical positions.

In conclusion, I tell all my students that if they want to truly become and accomplished and fulfilled vocalist, they should be able to sing or speak in any style on command and do it properly.

So, it is time to drop the ego and open yourself up to receiving some proper training. Trust me, when you do this, you will be a very happy vocalist. Further, you will have a healthy respect for all styles, all vocalists and increased admiration for your marvelous musical instrument.

Thanks for Reading! Visit my web site fir more info. http://www.vocaltrainingwarrior.com/ebooks

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Blessings,

Jonathan Morgan Jenkins