vocalcoachkentaylor

It's always good to see a singer having fun doing there thing. Yeah, there's room for improvement, but if this is more of a hobby for you, then I'd say you're doing alright man. When it comes to critiques, I agree with most of what I've seen here. There's some unnecessary tension in your voice... which you may benefit from reading this article on Releasing Vocal Tension - http://singingtipsblog.com/2008/10/01/rid-yourself-of-the-2-most-common-forms-of-vocal-tension/ Also, I feel like you're singing on a small fraction of your voice. It's partially tension that's getting in the way, but also a lack of resonance space. Check out this video and I bet it'll help you quite a bit - I hope this helps man, and keep enjoying and sharing your music!

I agree with John. Dehydration doesn't immediately go away when your cords come into contact with water. Your vocal cords might feel temporary relief when you take a swig, but after a minute or so, they'll return to that old, dry feeling. When dealing with dehydration and the effects of it, consistent water intake becomes extremely important. I don't know how true this is, but it was once explained to me that your vocal cords become hydrated not at contact with water, but more so when there's enough water within your blood stream. So, in order to "rehydrate," it's not so much about drinking a bottle of water before you sing, but maintaining a consistent habit of drinking plenty of water each day (and potentially limiting your caffeine/alcohol intake). I'm a professional vocal coach, so I sing more hours a day than most would argue is healthy. In efforts to ensure I'm performing to the peak of my abilities, I mostly drink water (albeit carbonated water, b/c I enjoy the bite of the carbonation). I easily drink 100ozs a day. Now don't get me wrong, I still drink a little bit of coffee for a caffeine boost, but I'll easily drink 3 or 4 cans of soda water for every cup of coffee. This is likely more extreme than what you'd need to do, but this is something I do as a singer who uses his voice day in and day out, when sick or when well... for what it's worth.

As I understand it (and I'm not a doctor, so I'm not offering medical advice here), if you're able to create a solid sound in head voice (with cord closure... ie not breathy), then you probably do not have vocal damage. If you can't create a clean sound in head voice, then go to your doc and get scoped just in case. I've had it done once before when I was in my teens (...theme park work... yes, I was a tool). It's not a big deal. Regardless, check out this article on How to Sing High Notes. With any luck, you'll experience an ah-ha moment or two while reading it. Best of luck!

Lol... yes, this has definitely happened to me. I usually sing whatever comes to mind, which is usually a combination of the verses together. I can't think of a time that I went completely blank... but if I did, I'd probably try to play it off by introducing the band. HA!

I don't know James, but my experiences with both Brett and SLS completely changed the way I viewed singing. I highly recommend either, and I'm sure if James is an SLS cert, then he's probably a strong coach as well.

Unfortunately the link didn't work. However, as a general rule, singing flat is a sign of an unsupported tone. To learn more about how the breath effects your singing, check out this article on Breathing and Singing.

If I know I'm going to be singing or teaching for a while, then I always try to warm up beforehand. It's just best to get the voice opened up and in the right place to ensure success and stamina. While I should probably do more, here's what my typically rushed schedule allows me to do, and why I do it... Lip Flutters - to help establish a steady flow of air "ng" - to help open up that pingy resonance space hooty "Buh" sound (as in book) - this helps balance a lot of things, but one thing it does is prevents the larynx from rising when I sing higher (this is often what causes the voice to crack) I do all of this on a long scale (octave and an half arpeggiated), which helps me more easily transition between my bridges. That's about all my hectic schedule typically allows for. I may spend 7-10 minutes doing this (usually closer to 5), but it definitely helps me balance my voice in the right way for my more strenuous days of singing.

I'm a vocal coach, so you'd think I'd put the technical aspect of the voice first, but the truth of the matter is music is emotion that we can hear. That's why we all love music so much, because we can connect to it. It makes us feel. That being said, if you're able to convey a strong emotion without 100% pitch accuracy, who cares so long as you get your message across. But don't make the mistake of thinking that gives you the excuse not to brush up on your chops. Inaccuracy of pitch or a pleasing sound for the sake of driving the feeling of the song should be a choice... not an excuse. That being said, singing is a skill just like anything else. Some skills come more naturally to some, while others have to put in more effort. If you're willing to put in the effort and get the right guidance, then you'll be able to achieve better results (now I'm not promising you'll sing like an angel, but lets be honest... you probably don't want that anyway). All that being said, if you're really passionate about singing/performing, don't let not being perfect stop you (esp if you have the type of charisma that we as listeners crave so bad). Just put in the hours to take your voice to the next level.

I might be slightly biased, but I think Singing Tips Blog and Ask a Vocal Coach are two pretty high quality content sites :-) Oh, and thanks Cheryl for suggesting themodernvocalist.com site. Seems pretty cool!

Whenever I feel myself getting sick, I tend to run out and get a handful of Bolthouse Farm C-boost Smoothies (typically you can find them in the produce section of your grocery store). I believe they account for 1200% of your vitamin C needs per serving, and a larger bottle has 4 servings. I like this over a supplement because the nutrients in this come from real fruit instead of some processed chemical shoved into pill format... basically, your body is better able to absorb the nutrients in it. Drinking two of these the first couple of days I feel a cold coming on has always dramatically reduced the time I feel less than healthy. Also, when I'm sick, I take an old college professors advice and do three things: sleep tons, wash my hands regularly, and drink tons of water. The extra rest helps strengthen your immune system, the hand washing ensures nothing else attacks your immune system while it's weak, and drinking water helps flush your body of toxins and crap that you don't want in it. This has also been helpful to me over the years. Anywho, I hope you get to feeling better and good luck on your exam! ~ Vocal Coach Ken Taylor

I dabbled in SLS for a bit (Seth's vocal training method), and it was at least a part of what helped take me from a 2 octave range to a 5 octave range. Seth is a genius, and one of a small group of coaches that I would recommend without hesitation. That being said, enjoy the videos because last I heard, lessons with him are like $500/hr!