AnaMZ
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Everything posted by AnaMZ
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Couldn't agree more! Don't be afraid to ask (nicely) what your teacher's musical background is - did they teach themselves (do they have any habitual technique flaws that they might end up transferring to you?)? Do they usually play the style of music that you're most interested in playing? Can they teach you theory?
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Hmm. Well, there are plenty of online resources out there, including videos and articles that may help you to improve. But can I make an earnest request? Please, please, PLEASE go to lots of different sources, try out conflicting theories and see what works for you personally - if it hurts, if it disagrees with your fundamental idea of what is healthy for you, don't do it. I take vocal lessons and coachings through my university and some of the "advice" that I see on the internet, in comparison to what I learn from qualified teachers, seems downright dangerous. To be honest, I think that if you want to work as a musician you need to also recognise that it actually is like any other job - if you're really interested in making good money out of it, you'll make the initial investments of time and practice, but also perhaps money. So don't necessarily reject the idea of vocal tuition straight away; it can save you a lot of time and even your vocal health.
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I agree, and I don't usually do it! But my singing teacher seems to find that it works for her, and on occasion it's been helpful for me too. It's so individual really, we just have to experiment until we find what works for us. For example, I'm quite fine to have dairy before a performance, but orange juice puts me in a bad way!
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Yes, definitely. The amount of warming up that I need really depends on the situation (and so I think that it can be a very individual thing), but I find that it helps me with nerves and putting myself into the right headspace for a performance, as well as preparing the voice itself. When you do warm up, it's important to engage the body, particularly healthy breathing and support, and use that time also to address any tension that you may be experiencing. When I'm not warmed up, my intonation is always a little flat, so I always warm up before a vocal lesson or coaching, so that my lesson time can be well-spent working on issues other than intonation.
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- Ease up on the dairy, particularly on the day of a gig - Minimise caffeine (I also find that orange juice makes me quite phlegmy, yuck) - It's great that you don't smoke, but do consider whether you're often taking in second hand smoke through the venues that you're performing at/working in - if it's getting to be problematic, consider relocating to a smoke-free environment - If this is coming coupled with other symptoms, speak to your doctor about allergies - Coke can be surprisingly effective at clearing up phlegm - the beverage, that is!
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Oh boy, that's a pain! I agree with what everybody else has said about hydration - by the time you feel thirsty, your body will already be very dehydrated, so it's important to maintain hydration even on your "off-seasons" (days when you're not singing), drinking cool or slightly warm water. Carrying a drink-bottle around with you can be a massive help with remembering to stay hydrated. Ease off on the carbonated and/or caffeinated drinks too, if you're very fond of them. Lemon + honey drinks are great for the throat, but on the whole I tend to avoid throat lozenges. They encourage salivation (yay) but mostly just numb the throat rather than contributing to its healing (boo). In an absolute pinch, if you had to perform in the next half hour for example, a VocalZone lozenge would do the trick for getting through the performance, but this is really only for emergencies - it'll dry out your throat, don't be fooled by the fact that your throat will cease to hurt for a while!
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