My "Refresher" Singing Lesson

Music has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Although I have experimented with piano and guitar, my voice was the instrument I always felt like I could rely on, and could use based on feel rather than technique. Singing came quite naturally to me. I think it had to do with me bumpin' Destiny's Child and Aaliyah tapes and trying to copy their style :)

When I got to high-school I started performing and singing a lot more frequently and was commended for my abilities, but it wasn't until I got to university that I really learned that there is a whole world of knowledge on vocal technique beyond "sounding good".

I joined a vocal guild that focused on operatic singing. I love singing opera although that is not my favorite genre and where I see myself as an artist. However, learning opera has taught me a lot of things about vocal technique, as it is one of the most demanding genres for the voice.

I encourage all singers from all backgrounds and levels of experience to see a trusted vocal coach from time to time. Some people think it's more valuable to say that they learned singing "all on their own" without the help of any coach or training. However, singing is not just about sounding good and beautiful. It is also about creating the right habits that will protect your vocal cords from harm, using the right facial/throat muscles to maximize resonance and sound, the right posture and breathing technique, and getting a clearer sound. Think of it as personal training - anyone can benefit from personal training when it comes to fitness regardless of your fitness levels. An experienced and certified trainer can help you correct bad habits that you never thought might be harmful, and push you to greater heights that you never thought existed.

Yesterday I went for a "refresher" lesson after 2 years of no vocal coaching. I saw my old opera coach, Emily, who used to train me when I was in university. She is getting her PhD in voice! How awesome is that? It just goes to show that there is so much more to singing that meets the eye (or the ear, should I say!). She was very supportive and made me feel really good. She was happily surprised that my voice was still in shape and supple after 2 years of no training, and I told her that I still do vocal exercises as often as I can, sometimes everyday. She was happy because most people don't keep that up. Also, she finally identified my voice type: soprano dramatic coloratura. Sounds pretty dope, right? According to my teacher this is an extremely rare voice type, but its a very lucky one to have because I am able to hit very high notes (I can go up to a high F6) while still maintaining power (I'm still working on how to do this in 'real songs' rather than just in warm up exercises). So hopefully with continued practice I can maximize the potential of this voice type!

Some things we covered:

• The right posture. This was the most difficult for me to master. I had to keep my head lifted so I don't stifle the vocal cords, but not too lifted. Stretching my neck and shoulders helped me be in a more relaxed position. One of the first things she mentioned was that I have a long neck which shows that I can sing high notes... and then she also mentioned that I also have a really wide neck which is where the power of the voice comes from (I felt a little bit self-conscious about my neck after that! LOL)
• She told me that when I sing, the right facial structure matters. She told me to imagine a pencil between my teeth (keep a gap between my teeth), raise my cheeks as if I'm smiling, and keep my tongue flat. My top teeth should always be showing while I'm singing as if I'm "smiling", unless I'm singing an "o" or "oo" sound, then I have to kind of "raise the roof of my mouth" without really dropping my jaw open to do it. This position allows maximum resonance and the fullest/clearest sound as it creates more space inside your mouth. If you master the right singing positions/technique you don't even need a microphone if you sing in a relatively small venue. 
• Eliminate any "hhhh" sound from my singing, as in any breathy-ness. So when I do my vocal exercises, instead of singing "ha ha ha" or "hee hee hee" it has to be just "aaa aaa aa" and "eee eee eee"

The first two points is what I really struggled with. I know she comes from a very operatic background so I was scared that these techniques are reserved for opera only, and wouldn't really work in contemporary styles, but thats when she explained to me that these exercises only strengthen the voice and then you can do whatever style you want. Right now I'm finding it hard -- I know this is the right technique but its really hard to apply this when it comes to R&B and contemporary singing, and realizing that I've been doing it wrong all these years! So I'm just trying to find a balance between the two, really. Sometimes too much perfect technique takes away from the character/persona of the song and singer... especially when it comes to soul music which has a lot to do with feel and sometimes I feel like technique gets in the way of that. I guess what I have to do is practice the technique until it becomes second nature to me and then introduce the whole feel aspect to it. I can apply these learnings much easier to opera singing than contemporary, so I need to get my "contemporary" singing levels up to par with my opera singing levels. 

Next week I have my 2nd refresher lesson so we'll see how that goes :) Meanwhile I will keep practicing. 

Tips for Vocal Health

Singing is a very physically demanding activity. Being a singer, I find that the more I take care of my voice, the more rewarding it is to me in terms of range and flexibility. I would even go so far as to say that it really affects my delivery -- when your voice is in good shape, you feel more confident and you worry less about the technicalities of singing and focus more on the feel.

Over the years, and especially when I trained my voice for opera singing, I gained some insight about what keeps your voice healthy, in shape, and ready for a performance at any time. Some of these tips might work for you, and some might not. At the end of the day, everybody's voice and vocal cords are different and respond individually. Personally, my voice is very sensitive and if I make a mistake with any of the below, it really does compromise the quality of my singing. Let me know if you try any of them and how they worked out for you. Again, these are only insights from my very humble experience with music and singing.

• Avoid dairy products on the days you're singing. Milk and other dairy products (yes, this does include chocolate!) create mucus in your throat and vocal cords which can interfere with vocal clarity and cause irritation in your throat. You might find yourself not being able to enunciate your sounds as well as you could do. I personally stay clear from milk up to 3-5 days before a performance (my vocal cords are EXTREMELY sensitive to it) though for most people laying off the dairy for a day should be good enough. 
• Hydration vs. Lubrication. Of course, its very important to keep your vocal cords hydrated, its one of the best ways to allow your voice to stay limber and flexible. Singers, especially around performance days, should consume more water than normal - maybe 2 big bottles a day or more. However, once you get on stage/record, I find that drinking water wont help you so much. At that stage, you need lubrication and not hydration. Drinking water when your vocal cords are dry just makes you aware of how dry they are. I prefer drinking something to lubricate my throat rather than hydrate it. The best thing I've found for this is pineapple juice because of its viscous nature. Eating something a little bit oily like noodles in a cup/ramen noodles also helps right before a performance or recording session.
• Avoid citrus fruits and juices. While my vocal cords don't really suffer from drinking citrusy drinks, some people really do get affected by it. I steer clear of it anyway, just to be on the safe side, on days when I'm singing.
• Exercise! One of the best ways I have found to increase my vocal range and power is to do cardio, especially running, before I record. That kind of intense exercise stimulates your lungs greatly and allows you a greater range of breath, which will make it easier for you to hit higher notes as well as sing more powerfully! 
• Don't smoke. Even though Adele is a smoker and she sings beautifully, not everyone is as lucky. I'm a hypocrite though, I totally preach things that I don't do myself. I am dying to quit smoking and to gather enough willpower to never smoke again. I should really follow my own advice on this particular tip! If you find it too hard to quit right now, try at least not smoking the day you are singing, and double your water intake to make up for the damage that smoking causes.
• Don't shout! Seriously, your voice won't recover until you sleep and wake up the next day!
• Talk! This is really the best and most important warm-up ever. If you just woke up and you plan on singing right away, it can be difficult. Naturally warm your vocal cords by speaking -- call a friend, read a book or poetry out loud, or talk to your cat like I do (don't judge me! ;) )
• Do your vocal exercises and warm ups every single day, even if you're not singing. This is another one of those tips that I try very hard to follow but continuously fail to do so, given my extremely shaky self-discipline and forgetfulness. When I was training opera, I used to do it every day without fail. Now, I have to really push myself to do it. They really do work though, sometimes I manage to keep this healthy habit for a week or two before I fail again, and it really makes a remarkable difference. If you are unsure where to start when it comes to warming your voice up, I highly recommend Eric Arcenaux's videos on YouTube on vocal warm-ups (it also helps that he's very easy on the eyes!). His videos feature warm-ups for both male and female voices. View the first part of the warm-up here.

Like Eric Arcenaux recommends, it is actually very helpful to have a vocal/singing coach by your side. I would highly suggest that once you feel comfortable with the warm-up exercises on YouTube that you seek a singing coach to tailor a set of exercises specifically for your voice type, so that you may identify your strengths and weaknesses and work on them. I still have a recording of the warm-up exercises my opera trainer gave me about 2 years ago that are tailored especially for my voice, and I use Eric Arcenaux's videos as kind of a warm-up to my warm-up. If the warm-up exercises feel too hard, don't push your voice as you might damage it that way. Take extra care and time to make sure that all the exercises are done in the correct way possible, to reap their benefits. Try to record yourself doing the vocal warm-ups the first time, and put that recording on your phone. Then you can just play the recording anywhere and do the exercises. I usually do mine on my way to work in the morning, and I'm glad I recently got my car windows tinted, because you will do some weird shapes with your mouth and look funny :)

Remember: your voice and vocal cords are made of muscle, and just like any other muscle, you need to train and exercise to keep them in shape. With that being said, also be sure not to push yourself. If you want to try doing a split with your legs, you cannot achieve that overnight or in a short period of time without hurting yourself. You would stretch everyday and push yourself just a little bit everyday... until you get there. Keep that analogy in mind and hopefully you can become the best singer you can be!

Love,

N.