Can You Say 'Ahhhhh?'

One of the secrets to great singing, which also happens to be one of my 7 Easy Steps for Singing Like A Pro!, is keeping an open throat while singing.  In order to get a rich, full sound, you want the soft palate raised while the back of the tongue stays relaxed and flat.  This gives maximum 'space' for your tone to exit the mouth without obstructions.  Many times when the throat is not fully open, you will get a sound that is pinched.  When the tongue is raised in the middle, your sound shoots right up the nose, giving you a very nasally sound.

So how do you develop an open throat?  Simple!  Start practicing a fake 'yawn,' feeling the throat open and widen as you do this.  When you've mastered the 'yawn,' then just adopt that same open feeling before and during your singing.  This will raise the soft palate, flatten the tongue and lower the larynx.

Remember when the doctor would look in your throat with the tongue depressor?  Same thing.  He was flattening your tongue as your 'ahhhhh' raised the soft palate!

So the next time you begin singing, think of how your throat feels when you say 'ahhhhh' and keep that open feeling as you sing.  A simple concept, but one that takes practice and awareness.

To sing well, just say 'ahhhhh'!

Press the Easy Button!

Technology is here to make our lives easier, right?  But if you're like me, you sometimes feel like anything new you try is not as 'easy' as it should be.

Today I'm bravely linking all my blogs and other social media musings together - at least that's the intention.  So essentially, this post is a test to see how well I've integrated Google+ with my Viva La Voice blog.

Last week I attended the Extreme Income Explosion Summit hosted by the Buzz Boosters and Michele Scism, and all the speakers had mastered this 'fluid integration system' that made their lives so much EASIER!

It's my turn now to press the 'Easy' button!  I will keep you posted as to my tech progress!

Singers & Speakers - Know Your Equipment!

 Part of your job as a speaker/singer is to know how to control the equipment you use onstage, and be able to articulate what you need from the sound person.

I've been on tour with big name acts (male and female) who could not (after long careers onstage!) tell the sound person what kind of reverb they'd like (long decay/big room etc.); what frequency panel they'd prefer for their vocal quality; or what they wanted to hear, or not hear in their monitors.  I usually had to play interference explaining to the sound booth easy directives like 'boost the mids, drop the highs' etc. just so that we could finish the sound check!

I once saw a concert with Petula Clark, who at that time had been a seasoned veteran for many years.  Her mic cord came unplugged, and SERIOUSLY, she looked around helplessly until a tech came and plugged it back in!  I was stunned at her lack of professionalism.  I can't believe that she wouldn't know how to plug the mic back in, and it really was too stupid to chalk up to being a Diva!

I think it goes for everyone to KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT, and know how to talk to your crew on a technical level.  That's the best way to assure that you'll get the sound you want, and the respect and cooperation of those working being the stage to make you look and sound great!

Confident Speaking!

When I work with my clients, it's all about focus.  You come on stage with confidence; begin your program with confidence!  You are focused on your message, never on whether your AV equipment is going to operate correctly.  That is someone else's job - yours is to focus on the value you're giving your audience.  If there's a problem with the mic, your audience will let you know right away, and your AV person will fix it.  You then confidently start your program again, after, perhaps, testing the mic by speaking until the problem is fixed.  Unruffled, you launch into your program without putting any focus on the mic issue.

Barack Obama Slow Jams!

I just love that our President is able to be accessible, fun, hip, and still completely presidential.  Nobody since Kennedy has been able to do that, and really NOBODY has been able to do that.  I so admire that the president allows us to see him as a real person, not a removed elitist.  He is so Hip!  

Featured Article in Muse's Muse - Songwriters

Muse's Muse 'Featured' my article 'The Importance of Being Real' in this month's Muse's News!  http://www.musesmuse.com/col-vivalavoice-beingreal.html

Do Senior Singers Live Longer?

This from Bryant Stamford, professor and chairman of the department of kinesiology and integrative physiology at Hanover College:

"Research tells us, there was a study of senior singers, average age 80 years, in which they were tracked over a prolonged period and their data were compared with folks the same age in the general population. The researchers found that the elderly singers experienced less depression, took far fewer than the typical four prescription medications and a like number of over-the-counter meds, and they were more socially active.

Does this mean the older singers will live longer? Hard to say, but it’s not a far reach to suggest the answer is yes.

We know, for example, that the mind-body connection is very important, and that health and longevity of the body can be influenced by mental state (depression, etc.). Medications and their side effects greatly impact the quality of life, and if there is poor quality of life, the zest for living goes out the window. And those with a strong social network are likely to be happier, better adjusted in old age, and more accepting of change, and therefore likely to live longer and healthier lives."

So I say, again - get out there and sing, no matter what your age!  You will feel better, and just possibly live a longer, healthier life!  Want help with your singing?  My new book From Shower To Stage...7 Easy Steps for Singing Like A Pro!  can help!

Dedicated To Whitney Houston - An original Song

A song I wrote that I think is a perfect tribute to Whitney.

A Valentine Song From Broadway

Here's a nice love song to play for your sweetie on V Day!  "I'll Send You Roses"

'Sing & Dance Through Life - Viva La Voice Tip'

My Viva La Voice Tip of the month with a Video of the Month!

'Sing & Dance Through Life - Viva La Voice Tip'

New Music from Broadway's ' Marilyn'

Listen to new music I just posted from my Broadway musical "Marilyn, An American Fable'.  NBC's 'Smash" is fiction - I lived it!

Here's some music from the show - just piano, vocal and a little sweetening by Nyle Steiner.

http://bit.ly/As3kM6

Smash - Marilyn Monroe Video

'Smash' airs Monday on NBC with tons of buzz.  Have you seen this video??

'Relax and Lower Your Pitch - Viva La Voice Tip'

'Relax and Lower Your Pitch - Viva La Voice Tip'

How Musicians Really Make Money in One Long Graph - The Atlantic

How Musicians Really Make Money in One Long Graph - The Atlantic

Residual income is great; but the money is in the big volume you've got to generate. It's all about numbers!

Huffington Post Confirms the Truth About Singing!

You've got to read Jane Peyton's article in the Huffington Post which confirms what I've been saying all along.....singing promotes mental and physical health!


In my own article,  10 Ways Singing Can Change Your Life I talk about the health benefits of singing, like giving you more mental focus; oxygenating the blood; release of 'feel good' endorphins and so on.

It's a fun and informative article, read it here.

About Cymatics from Richard Learmont

This from sound healer Richard Learmont about Cymatics:

"Cymatics was re-discovered and coined it’s name in the 1960’s by the Swiss doctor Hans Jenny. With his invention of the tonoscope, he was able to see how sound structured matter. With the use of audible frequencies he was able to witness the animation of various powders, liquids and pastes into sacred geometry patterns, life-like forms and figures found in art and architecture of the world’s sacred traditions.
Hans Jenny’s research also discovered how uttered vowels of ancient languages of Sanskrit and Hebrew arranged the various powders to emulate the written symbols for those vowels, while on the other hand did not generate the same result for our modern languages.
Cymatics shows how vibrations interact to create the world we experience ‘out there’ and it reveals principles that are fundamental natural processes. Understanding these principles can help us to ‘cleanse the lens’ through which we perceive our world, thereby clarifying our outlook on life. Once you’ve objectively observed the rhythmic interplay of chaos and re-integration in simple powder, you may view your own tumultuous circumstances a bit more objectively (and with far less apprehension!) as a purposefully evolving process leading toward greater personal coherency and equanimity."

Beautiful Phrasing - 'how to'!

Speakers and Trainers - beautiful phrasing is essential to presenting your message. Here's a tip on 'how to' enhance your communication!

From Diario de Morelos - Alchemy!

This comes from 'Diario de Morelos':

"Everything in the universe is in a constant state of vibration, including our bodies. Sound is vibration translated by the delicate structures of our inner ear, but it moves more than just those tiny receptors. It’s part of the spectrum of energy vibrations that also affect us on the mental, physical, and spiritual levels." In my book From Shower To Stage.....7 Easy Steps for Singing Like A Pro!, my 7th Step is ALCHEMY.  I talk about the miracle of transmuting air, breath - that pass over the vocal cords - creating sound vibrations that are received by the ear of the listener then interpreted by the listener's brain - and finally transformed into thoughts and emotions.  To be a great singer is to understand that your voice has magical power.  You can turn air into pure emotion!

Rob Lowe On Shower Singing

My new book From Shower To Stage....7 Easy Steps for Singing Like A Pro! is written both for the shy, shower singer, to the working professional.  Here's what Rob Lowe says about 'shower singing':

 "Everybody knows that the shower has the best acoustics. There's no two ways about it. I actually have a recording studio in mine. So look out, Kevin Bacon. You think you've got your fancy band. You've got nothing on my shower band."

David Burger, SL Tribune, Blogs about my Book!

Thank you to David Burger, the music critic for the Salt Lake Tribune. He blogged about my book "From Shower To Stage....7 Easy Steps for Singing Like A Pro!" today, and talked a bit about how I help shy singers 'come out of the closet'!!

David's Entertainment Blog