Tag Archives: gospel vocal coaches

How doing regular cardio makes you a better singer

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A Brand New DayIf you’ve been a regular reader of this blog for any length of time you’ve no doubt seen me harping many times on the importance of improving your breathing technique for better singing. In fact Shena did a 3 part blog series dedicated to The fine art of proper breathing, which ended with a blog including 4 powerful exercises for great breath control. There’s no question then, that breathing exercises are an important tool for singers to add to your daily vocal workouts.

However there are a few other exercises that are equally as important and very effective for improving the singer’s over-all lung capacity and breathing. Adding them to your routine will not only make you a more powerful singer but a healthier person. I’m speaking about cardio exercises. Cardio exercises are not vocal exercises but physical exercise like the kind you get from walking, jogging or running, aerobic exercise, skating, cycling, skiing, dancing, swimming, rowing, tennis, basketball; you get the idea.

Cardio is short for Cardiovascular. These are exercises that raise the heart rate and keep it elevated for an extended period of time. Doing cardio regularly improves your breathing because it increases your lung capacity. Now, in my own research I saw a lot of people mentioning “lung capacity  as the main benefit of doing cardio for singers, but hardly anyone went on to explain what that is, exactly.

At first mention you might think that means that you’ll somehow increase the size of your lungs. That’s not really true. As far as I know there are no exercises you can do to actually increase how big your lungs are. So when we talk about lung capacity we’re talking about how much air you actually take into your lungs. Many of us don’t take in nearly as much air as we could or even should, simply because of shallow breathing. And honesly a lot of that comes from simply being out of shape. Regular cardio workouts dramatically improve your breathing by improving your lung capacity. Meaning you actually breathe deeper and fill your lungs with more air naturally.

We already know the endless list of benefits to your heart and overall stamina and energy that cardio workouts cause. But think about the effect having a surplus of energy and stamina can have on your singing. Remember singing is very much a physical thing that can be compared to any athletic event. So a stronger, healthier cardiovascular system has some very powerful benefits for the singer in regards to both performance and breathing.

However it’s important to also point out that for the purpose of improving your breathing for singing, cardio must be added and used along with breathing exercises. And all of it must be used in conjunction with actually practicing singing with better breath control; actual singing, not just holding notes longer, or singing scales. You may, for example, get to a point where you can hold one note for a very long time. But singing an actual phrase has many different vowels as well as fluctuations in pitch and volume. All of these have a very different effect on how much air you need to say, finish a long phrase vs. just holding one note. Even holding one note gets more difficult the higher the note is, because it requires a different amount of support. So in addition to cardio and a regimin of regular breathing exercise, you need to actually practice singing longer phrases. Not taking breaths as often. Things like that.

So don’t misunderstand me here. You should definitely start doing some cardio at least 3 times a week, and it will definitely yield some very noticeable benefits to your breathing. It will give you more stamina and make you a more powerful singer. But the maximum benefits come only if combined with regular singing-specific breathing exercises and actual practice singing longer notes and phrases.

Now go for a walk!

Need help with with your breathing? Running out of air? Screaming for high notes? Most breathing issues are the result of bad technique. Taking vocal lessons dramatically improves your vocal technique, so your breathing improves also!  If you’ve looked before and found lesson to be too expensive for you, take a look at my new home study vocal training course. Vocal Ministry Breakthrough.  .

The Resonators: Your Built-in P.A System

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Electro VoiceHey gang,

Shena Crane here. I want to change gears for this blog and focus on how your body enhances the sound you produce when singing. There are seven resonators in singing, unfortunately only three of them are really effective. But first we need to know what resonation is; it is the process of phonation enhanced in timbre and/or intensity by the air-filled cavities through which it passes on its way out. Personally I think of resonators as an inside microphone. It is a proven fact that a singer’s voice can be heard over an unamplified orchestra. How is this done, you ask? Well with the three main resonators that we are about to talk about.

The first most important resonator is the pharynx, this resonator is effective simply because of its position. It is the first cavity that the vibrations from the vocal folds pass through, and the other cavities have to accept what the pharynx passes on to them. The pharynx is broken down into three parts; laryngopharynx, oropharynx nasopharynx. This resonator is the most flexible and can be adjusted in size vertically and horizontally. The laryngopharynx is the first space that the larynx opens into. The oropharynx acts as the primary resonator for the vocal folds. And the nasopharynx is the highest part of the pharynx.

The next resonator is the oral cavity, which is second most important. The size and shape of the oral cavity can be adjusted with the tongue, soft palate, jaws and lips. This is why it is vitally important for singers to have good diction. It is important to articulate words without altering the sound created by the larynx and resonated by the pharynx.

The third most important resonator is the nasal cavity. This cavity cannot be adjusted in size or shape, it is pretty much set in stone. In the English language there are three sounds that require nasal resonance (m, n, ng). This resonator has the capability to be switched on and off. And if you feel vibrations in your nose and roof of your mouth when you sing, then that is a sign of good vocal tone.

So looking back on what we have learned so far singing can seem a lot more difficult then we realized. We have to think about posture, breathing, diction and tone quality. My question to you is, can you feel the vibration? Which should be felt in what is referred to as your “mask”. The vibration is felt in the teeth, lips, cheekbone and nasal cavity. Feeling the vibration is the result of good tone quality. If you sing with a upside down smile it will force your larynx to stay low, which will place your tone in the right place to cause vibration. So the point is to keep your larynx low when you sing.

Until next time,

Shena

In The Dallas Ft. Worth Area? Why not Book Shena for a private lesson!

Using good Diction, part 2: Diphthongs

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Using good Diction, part 2: Diphthongs

MicIn my last blog on diction I discussed the three rules for omitting r when singing. If you have been implementing the rules in your singing then you should notice a change in your sound and how clear your words are. In this blog I want to focus on diphthongs. This word is derived from the Greek di – twice and phthongs- sound. A diphthong is a word consisting of two consecutive vowels in the same syllable. An example of a diphthong is the word fight. You have the first vowel sound ah and then I as in it at the end. So the first vowel sound is sustained the second one follows at the end. In reading this keep in mind that we are talking about being understood clearly when you sing. As a singer it is your job to tell a story through your voice. In order for the story to be conveyed is has to be understood.
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How simply using good diction can make singing easier

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Hello Mic...Many singers do not really understand diction and the affect it has on their singing. Have you ever heard someone sing and you question in your mind “ what did they say”? Or even “ why do they sound flat or sharp”? Well guess what? Diction plays apart in all of that. If you are a singer you have to put focus on the way you are saying your words. Diction is vitally important in large group settings such as choirs and praise teams. When you have several people singing the same words at the same time, everyone needs to be saying the words the same way.

Let us pause for a second and give a definition to the word “diction”. The meaning of diction is a saying, expression or word. It is the art of speaking clearly so that every word is plainly understood. This word is often used in conjunction with enunciation or its synonym articulation. When it comes to English diction there are a plethora of rules that might surprise you when it comes to everyday singing.

Many English words include letters that are spelled but not sounded. We also have words with consonants that are sounded but not spelled. We know about silent letters, but what about those consonants that are sounded but we do not see them? Take the word “one” for example. It’s spelled with an “O”, but It’s pronounced, “won”. The w is not there but we say it.

Think back to my previous blogs where I talked about having an open throat. When it comes to diction clear singing equals easy singing. As a singer once you adjust the way you sing words singing will be a breeze and tone production will be improved.
I want to start this series off by talking about the rules for omitting the letter R in English diction when it comes to singing. There are three basic rules for omitting and sounding the letter R. I like these three simple rules because it helps singers control their sound.

  1. Never sing the letter R before a consonant:

I want you to say the word charm in two ways- first the way you normally say it, then with no r (chahm). Now if you sing the word without the r with an open throat, it comes out easier.

  1. Do not sing the letter R before a pause:

A pause would be considered as a spot that you would breathe or come to a stop. Omitting the r before a pause results in good tone and naturalness. Try saying the phrase “ when life is over,” with and without the r (ovah). Try singing the phrase, does it feel different at all? There is one exception to this rule and that is when a diphthong or triphthong is followed by a pause. An example of a diphthong is “dear” and of triphthong is “fire”. Oh, by the way I will discuss those two words in a future blog.

  1. Always sing the letter R before a Vowel

This rule is pretty much self-explanatory. Some examples are “spirit” and “for us”, if these words were said or sung without the r they would not be understood. Without the r these words would be totally different: “spit” and “fo us”, now you see why this rule speaks for itself.

Start implementing these rules in your singing while also applying everything I discussed in previous blogs. You will feel and hear your singing change.. Remember to always keep your throat open, larynx low and support every note as if it were your only one.

Shena

 

Shena Crane is a Classically trained professional vocal coach. She graduated from University Of Texas At Arlington. Shena holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Education as well as an Associates Degree in Music/Performance. Book Shena for private vocal training through The Music Ministry Coach.com

 

Why should a naturally gifted singer take vocal lessons?

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question markI know from experience that people who are naturally gifted singers are often some of the most complacent people of all when it comes to fully understanding how precious that gift is. And to what lengths people all over the world are going to in order to learn how to do what you take for granted, simply because you woke up one day knowing how. I don’t say that to be mean though. It’s just natural to find it hard to really appreciate something that you’ve had all your life. So it stands to reason that often people born with a natural ability to sing will have a really hard time seeing the need for them to take vocal lessons. After all, vocal coaches teach people how to sing right? Often you hear things like “Well God blessed me with that naturally. I come from a long line of anointed singers so I just have it in my blood”.

I suggested to a friend of mine a few years ago that he take vocal lessons, and he took it as an insult. Mind you, I love this person’s voice! But I knew he struggled with certain notes that we find ourselves singing a lot in Gospel songs . And I knew that taking vocal lessons would make those notes much easier for him.

Although there are some people who can actually learn to sing by taking lessons, I believe some of the most dramatic improvements come to people who already have the gift of singing. But gifted singers still have a tough time wrapping their head around actually going somewhere and spending money to , in their opinion, learn how to do something they already know how to do. In another blog I explained in detail what I believe are 5 Tell-tale signs you need vocal lessons. But I want to give a couple of simple examples here, of things you may not be aware of. These are little things about the way even naturally gifted singers approach singing, that can cause strain and wear on your voice that will build up over time until your singing voice actually starts to deteriorate even sooner than it would over the natural course of time.

One thing that almost all of us do without being aware we’re doing it, is use muscles in our singing that aren’t designed or intended to use for singing. We engage these muscles sometimes even when we’re not singing in a way that feels particularly high or uncomfortable. Let’s feel one of those right now.

Put your thumb, face up, underneath your chin. Rest it gently against that soft fleshy area under there. Now, just sing a little. Sing something simple. You don’t even need words. Try singing “MM-MMM-MMMM-MMM-MMM” on a simple scale. Can you feel that area under your chin pressing against your thumb? Now sing notes a little higher. You’ll see that the higher you go the harder those muscles push against your thumb. This is a muscle used primarily when we swallow. Go ahead and swallow with your thumb right there and you’ll feel the same muscle.

This muscle is NOT needed at all for singing! It is what we call an “outer-larynx” muscle. In other words, it one of many muscles located outside of the larynx that have nothing to do with singing. These muscles add strain to the singing process.

Here’s another example of something very common many singers do that causes tension to build up. I heard one vocal coach on American Idol call it “Gospel Jaw”; that thing you see some singers doing where they move their jaw up and down in cadence with their vibrato? Completely un-necessary to produce vibrato and adds nothing at all to the singing process but tension.

Of course we’ve talked at length in several other blogs about all of the ways improper breathing affects your vocal cords in a very bad way. This topic is broad and includes everything from tightening your stomach when going for high notes to how you hold your mouth for certain vowels. Not to mention the actual process of breathing in and out, which believe it or not, most of us do incorrectly just walking around in every day life, let alone singing.

These and many, many other issues are things you learn how to overcome and correct when you take vocal lessons. When you do, some pretty amazing changes start to take place in your singing. Not only does your overall tonal quality and warmth improve, but your entire ministry becomes more effective, more powerful and more anointed. Taking vocal lessons eliminates all physical and mental distractions every singer feels at some point when they’re up before God’s people. Imagine that for a moment. How would that kind of complete and total freedom change your ministry?

So if you’ve thought about taking lessons before but just didn’t feel like you would benefit that much from them, I urge you to take my free 5 day video vocal training course. It’s an easy, risk-free to really see for once and for all if you can really benefit from vocal training. Hundreds of Gospel singers all over the world have already done just that, and as simple as this little mini-course is, many of them have reported some pretty amazing changes.

Have you ever taken voice lessons? Please share your experience by commenting about it below.

If you haven’t, why not schedule a session today! You can Book Shena or Book Ron at the top of the page by clicking on the Book Private Sessions page.

4 powerful exercises for great breath control

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In in my recent blog series, The Fine Art Of Proper Breathing, I explained the four stages of breathing and how they can affect your singing. Just to refresh your memory the stages are: inhalation, suspension, exhalation and resting period. We came to the conclusion that this process is something that needs to be purposely done until it becomes natural to the singer. There are several exercises that can help you in reaching this goal.

I would like to share with you some of the exercises that I use to help me personally with breath control. The whole concept of breath control is a mental and physical thing and involves the entire body.
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