Breathing Made Easy – Free Singing Tips
October 30, 2008
I want to start this post by mentioning that I have been a professional singer since the age of 15 and I am presently working full time as a vocal coach (and not to toot my own horn, but I’m pretty good too). That being said, what I’m about to say will shock everyone who knows absolutely anything about singing.
“The breath isn’t that important.”
…are you still reading? Good. Now let me explain my reasoning for saying such a blasphemous thing.
I know that everyone who thinks they know anything about singing knows that it’s all about breathing from the diaphragm. You’ll hear it everywhere from studio engineers, to choir directors, to your next door neighbor who’s been singing his whole life… occasionally even on stage. However, I can assure you that from my personal experience and the experience of many of my students, working too hard on the breath (aka making it a bigger deal than it is), especially with beginning singers, only creates bigger vocal issues.
If you try too hard to make something happen during the inhalation process, you’re ultimately going to create pressure underneath the larynx. This holds true whether you breathe too deeply or shallowly, whether you stick your stomach out or tuck it in. Now, that being said, we can’t ignore the breath.
If you are a high chest breather (aka your shoulders rise while you breathe), you have to address this immediately because by doing this, you’re raising the larynx and knocking your whole vocal mechanism out of wack. To fix this, bend over like you’re going to touch the floor and breathe naturally. While doing this, you’ll likely feel the breath filling the lower back and stomach area. This is where I want you to send the breath when you’re singing. Beyond that, forget about it. Make it effortless just like the whole singing process should be and I promise that especially for all you beginning singers out there, you’ll get better vocal results.
I hope you benefit from this tip as much as many others have and as always, happy singing!
Getting Over Stage Fright
February 17, 2010
Someone recently emailed me, asking how to get past stage fright. I answered, but while I was writing it I though it was so relivant that I decided to ask if they minded if I share it with everyone. They agreed, so here it is! Enjoy!
The question went a little something like this…
Anonymous
Singer’s Be Warned!!!
October 22, 2009
Whether you’re living the life of a performer or looking into it, there is one personality trait that you MUST have in order to be a professional singer. You have to be able to deal with rejection, and deal with it often.
I’ve seen it countless times, both in friends and students. They’ll come to me all excited because they’ve finally muster up the courage to follow their dream of becoming a professional singer/performer. Judging by the look on their face, they’re ready to take on the world.
But all too often, a month or two later there excitement turns into doubt after a series of carefully prepared auditions that resulted in zero calls. Then, they start questioning what they really want. They start wondering whether or not their goal is even possible.
Now don’t get me wrong, not everyone is cut out for the stage. But, if you’re talented and willing to learn, don’t count yourself out too quickly because everyone who’s ever made it has had to deal with rejection, and probably a whole lot more than you have.
I can just hear some people responding, “But you don’t get it Ken! I’ve been trying so hard and I just keep failing!”
The truth is everyone who does something extraordinary fails, and they FAIL OFTEN. Thomas Jefferson failed thousands of times before creating a light bulb. The Beatles, arguably the biggest band the world has ever known, was refused a record contract by a thick headed producer who thought the rock & roll era was over. Heck, even my college professor, an amazingly talented operatic tenor, said for every 20 auditions he does, he gets hired for one.
The point is we all fail. And, we all fail regularly. In order to learn how to succeed, we have to be willing to continue to move forward, learn from our failures, and use that new knowledge to get ahead. If you do this, failure isn’t failure at all, but an opportunity to learn. When you make this mental shift, it’s impossible to fail unless you give up!
So, keep moving forward and I wish you all the best and as always, Happy Singing!
~ Ken
Singing Contests – the How to Guide
August 18, 2009
Hey Everyone!
Ken Taylor here sharing some advice with you on the “How to’s” of a singing contests. Below are a few horrifically simple tips that I all too often wish people would consider when I’m judging these contests. Do these things, and you will help present yourself in a wonderful light and up your chances of walking away with the trophy and maybe even some money.
1. It Sounds Overly Simply, but Do A Song You Can Sing & Can Sing Well
If you are going into the competition wondering if you’re going to hit the high note at the end of the bridge, you’ve definitely picked the wrong song. If you’re running out of air because the phrases are too long, then it’s probably not a safe bet. For your singing contest, I suggest picking a song you can sing most any day, not just on your best vocal days.
2. Pick Something Your Audience Will Enjoy
To illustrate this, I’m going to tell a story. I know of a group here locally that got on America’s Got Talentthat sang a barber show quartet-ish version of “Don’t Rock the Boat.” Honestly, it was kinda nifty and the singers sounded pretty good, but sadly, it didn’t take long before people were booing them and soon the three X’s followed. I believe it was Sharon Osbourne that said something to the effect of she could see them performing that song at an elderly home, but not on that show.
Lesson to Learn – Choose a song that your audience will enjoy! Consider the age range of your audience as well as the type of music they’d enjoy, then simply don’t let them down. You wouldn’t Sing Led Zeppelin at your grandmother’s 90th Birthday party, just as you probably wouldn’t get a group together to sing the Halleluia Chorus at Woodstock. Keep your audience in mind and you won’t end up with funny looks or worse, booing.
3. Know Your Strengths
Some singers sound better on ballads, and some shine singing up tempo songs. Some people have an impressive high range while others can hold out a note long after the cows come home. So, know your vocal strengths and choose a song that highlights them. Last year, I remember literally spending 3 weeks searching for the perfect song for a student of mine. Sounds excessive, right? The results… she blew the judges away and walked away with one of those shiny trophies and a check. Just a side note, the trophy was practically as tall as she was… I was proud. So yeah, it pays to know your strengths : )
4. Connect with Your Audience
You can’t just sing the song for the sake of singing it. Tell the audience a story. Involve them. Make them feel special. The more you can do this, the more they’ll enjoy it. The more they enjoy it, the more likely you’re name will be called at the end of the contest as they’re announcing the winners. Simple as that.
5. It’s Not Enough to Just Sing
They say 30% of people take in the world through sound, but a whopping 60% of people are visually dominant. So if that’s the case, you’re number will more greatly impact the majority of people if you’re able to stimulate them through both sight and sound. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should include a dance routine in your number, but I do encourage you to be brave enough to step out from behind your mic stand and use your hands, arms, body, and facial expressions to further express the depth of the story you’re telling.
6. Focus on the Audience and Yourself, NOT YOUR COMPETITION
This is a little pet peeve of mine and I’ll try not to stay on top of my soap box for too long here, but if you go into a competition focusing on beating a certain person or persons, you’re going to fail 9 times out of 10. I say this simply because you’re focusing entirely on the wrong thing. Singing/performing is about the AUDIENCE. The more you focus on how you can give them the best show possible, the better you’ll do. The more you focus on beating someone else, the more you’re not focusing on what counts. End of story. Okay, I was able to keep that pleasantly brief. Yay!
7. Be Positive
Finally, I suggest a little pre-performance ritual. Before I go out and sing, I always visualize my performance going exactly how I want it. I see the audience enjoying it, and hear a roar of applause after I’m finished. I mentally go through my whole routine seeing myself having the best performance of my life. Strangely, I’ve found this routine proves to be much more effective than pacing around telling yourself you’re going to forget your words and worrying about what the person before you is doing. Matter of fact, I’ve always gotten great results with this, and I believe you will to.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for today. Hope this helps! Please feel free to leave a comment with any success stories or other suggestions.
Thanks for reading and as always, Happy Singing!
~ Vocal Coach Ken Taylor
Voice Lessons via Webcam?
August 12, 2009
Need voice lessons, but don’t know who to take from in your area? Or, perhaps you were like me and had taken from many different people, but never found exactly what you were looking for. There are vocal coaches out there that can drastically make a difference in your voice, even if you’re already really good (I’ve been a professional singer since the age of 15 and I’m still learning!).
Sadly though, many people never find those teachers. Why? Well, frankly, it’s because if they’re that great, they’re probably teaching in a city where they can pull top dollar for their skills. Nashville, aka Music City, is certainly one of those cities and believe me, there are some great instructors there!
I have worked with many instructors in the Nashville area. Heck, I’ve even toyed with the idea of moving there myself. But, in the mean time I’ve put together a little informative site highlighting the Nashville Vocal Coaches I’d recommend. Each of the handful of instructors listed on this site I back whole heartedly, and each of them make themselves available to the world through webcam lessons.
View the instructors I suggested that teach Voice Lessons in Nashville. As a side note, these instructors are a little pricey, but they can accomplish in just a handful of lessons what it takes other teachers months or years to do. Furthermore, I find it important to state that I receive no compensation from these coaches for promoting them, so trust that they are legit and this isn’t someone trying to hustle you.
Of course, if you don’t have a $100/hr+ budget for lessons, I also fill the rare dead space in my schedule with webcam students. My lessons run $75/hr, but I also offer a rate of $250/month for 1 hour a week to consistent students. If you’re interested, simply post a comment to this article and I’ll get back with ya!
Well, I hope that you guys get the opportunity to work and grow with some of these phenomenal instructors.
Happy Singing!
Improve Your Singing Voice Through Feeling
June 4, 2009
I started this blog speaking mostly on vocal technique, which I do think is paramount in creating a great singing voice. However, the BIGGEST, most important factor of improving your singing voice has nothing to do with vocal technique at all. It has to do with connecting with your audience. So, how do we do that? First, we have to understand the following phrase:
“Music is Emotion You Can Hear”
Each song you sing has a dominate emotion, and some songs touch on several emotions. It’s these emotions that make the piece the wonderful work that it is. Without that emotion tied to it, the song quickly becomes boring and fades out of our minds. This is why certain songs really touch you, even though you may not know why. This is why certain singers, though they may lack real talent (or even the ability to hit all their notes accurately) can still get a great response from the audience. People can feel what they’re singing, and that’s what counts most!
All that being said, right now you’re probably thinking, “So Ken, how can I make this happen?!?”
To Improve Your Singing Voice, You Must Connect with the Song, then Connect with Your Audience.
Many singers focus their practice time on learning the right words, accurately singing the melody, and making sure that they can nail that high note. These are all important things, but the reality is that doing this is only the first, most basic step of preparing a song.
To really have a kick butt performance, you’ve got to be able to sing with genuine emotion, sharing with others just how you feel, causing them to feel it too.
Have you ever noticed the person with the most dominate emotion in a room can bring everyone up or down with them? This is true of singers too, and let me tell you, that mic in your hand automatically makes you the dominate person in the room.
So think about it… what emotion are you contagiously sharing with others? Is it fear and discomfort? Is is excitement? Sadness? Passion? Joy? All you have to do is check in with your own feelings at the time and odds are this is how you’re making others feel. If you don’t believe me, do some study in psychology. You’ll find this can be scientifically backed up.
So what can we do to help this? First off, you have to get personally involved in the message of your song. Each song tells a story, and that story makes people feel a certain way. You may not be able to relate with the exact story of the song, but odds are you can connect with the emotion through some other experience in your life, so use it! Genuinely feeling the emotion of a piece will automatically help you express it better, helping you keep your audience focused on you.
Now, to take that even one step further, if the main emotion of your piece is sadness but you’ve got a smile on your face, your shoulders are confidently back and you’re bouncing around like Tigger, this is probably not going to be overly convincing to your audience because lets face it, in their eyes, you’re living a lie. The opposite is true as well (ie – the song is happy, but you look scared out of your mind).
So the way you present yourself has a tremendous effect on how others view your performance. This part is really hard for people at first because singing in front of a crowd can be really nerve racking, but I promise if you keep at it, refusing to give up, you’ll master it!
Long story short, in order to best improve your singing voice, you’ve got to make the emotions of your song come to life! This emotion should be made obvious through the words you say, how you say them and your body language. Master this art and every audience you get in front of will be putty in your hands.
I’m Ken Taylor, and I hope this singing tip helps you take your voice and performance to the next level!
Happy Singing!
Tips for Singing Auditions
May 19, 2009
Tips for Singing Auditions
Hello all! Lately I’ve had a ton of people preparing for singing auditions for various summer shows. This inspired me to share a handful of ideas that will hopefully help you and the rest of my readers have a more successful auditions. So without further adieu, lets do it!
Always Show Up For Your Singing Audition Prepared
This seems really obvious to most everyone. If you’re going to an audition, you always want to prepare for it. But, how does one do that? Most importantly, you want to make sure that you know what’s expected of you. You should know whether to bring sheet music for their accompanist, or a track. Did they request you sing something from the show, or can you show off your voice with whatever song you choose (keep it genre specific)? Are you supposed to prepare 1 song, 2 songs, 16 bars, 2 mins, etc? How about a resume and headshot? These are all things you should take the time to find out before your vocal audition and most of it should be available on the flyer or website announcing the audition.
The reason I get so specific is theatres or individuals holding the auditions can see hundreds of people in a weekend and if you don’t show them enough respect to follow their guidelines, they likely will see you as unprepared and lets face it, NO ONE wants unprepared people in their cast. Other things you should do include showing up 10 minutes early and you want to be sure that you know your piece well enough that you can sing it at any tempo the accompanist chooses to play it.
Let Your Personality Shine Through
I can tell you from personal experience that the best singers don’t always get hired or cast. Most people think it’s because theatres play favorites, but I think more often than not it’s because some people are more reliable and enjoyable to work with.
That being said, when auditioning, you always want to be gracious, upbeat, and have a good attitude. Having a can do, enthusiastic attitude always beats out those who are likely to complain (or even worse, are complaining). So be gracious. Thank people for their time after they’ve heard you. Smile before and after your performance. Be excited to be there! These are all great qualities that the “judges” cannot help but notice, even if they act like they don’t (and they probably won’t).
Have Something About Your Dress that Sticks Out
Just like a pleasing personality, this little trick helps people (and judges) recognize and more easily identify you. If you wear a unique hat, a bright colored ribbon in your hair, a scarf… really anything that sticks out, people can’t help but notice and remember you.
If at First You Don’t Succeed…
Give up and go home. Ok, I’m totally kidding. Of course, try, try again. Let me share something with you that I tell all my vioce students.
You should never go into your first audition at a new place expecting a lead role.
I say this strictly because the director doesn’t know you. Being in a show is a huge responsibility, and honestly, it’s not something that everyone can handle. Because of this, many directors absolutely will not cast someone they do not know in a lead position because it’s unclear as to whether or not they can depend on them. So, if you aren’t cast, don’t get down. But more importantly, if you get in the ensemble, do it and take it seriously. Show the director how reliable you are and how fun you can be to work with. This will help the director become more confident in your ability to sing the lead the next go around.
Well, that’s it for today! I hope that these tips help your audition go smoothly. Break a leg (unless you’re a dancer, of course!) and as always, happy singing!
5 Bad Habits that will Kill a Singer’s Voice
March 12, 2009
Have you ever wondered why some days your singing sounds better than others? Maybe one day you feel complete vocal freedom, but then you wake up the next day and you can hardly carry a tune in a bucket.
Unfortunately for us singers, our instrument is ever changing and can be negatively altered by outside sources. We literally can have a different sound from one day to the next due to different vocal circumstances. That being said, below I’m including a list of what not to do to help you stay in the best vocal health possible.
1. Sleep Deprivation = Bad Singing
I learned this the hard way. Freshman year of college I hardly ever got 8 hours of sleep… honestly, I was probably averaging 5 to 6hr/night. I also didn’t progress at all vocally my freshman year. My lack of sleep not only led to a lack of focus, but also swollen vocal cords that made my voice feel very heavy.
The following year I forced myself to get 8 hours of sleep every night, regardless of petty things such as homework (;p). This made all the difference in the world for my voice, helping put me in the best position where I could continue to grow. The moral of the story - get your 8 hours of sleep each night.
2. Screaming is our #1 Vocal Enemy
No, I’m not picking on the rocker’s reading here. There’s actually a legitimate way to produce that epic growling sound you’re looking for (though probably less than 0.1% of all vocal teachers could help you get there). No, what I’m actually referring to is over using your voice.
Lets face it, we all over use our voices sometimes. Whether it’s cheering at a high school basketball game or a college football game, talking over a band at a bar, screaming at a sibling, or maybe yelling at the dog when it’s done it’s business inside. Whatever your reason, if you scream enough you’re singing voice is going to have some major issues.
Now, I can give you tons of advice as to what to do instead of over using your voice, but in the interest of time I’ll give the you simplest answer I possibly can. Don’t Do It!
3. Don’t Sleep with Your Fan Blowing on You
I’ve known people who can get away with this one, but whenever I sleep with a fan blowing on me I always wake up with a scratchiness in my voice that lasts most of the day. If you do this and you consistently have issues with your voice, try turning off the fan and sleeping with less covers.
4. Caffeine and Alcohol Cause Dehydration & Kills the Voice.
Yes, I love Dr.Pepper. And honestly, I drink it way more than I should. This is bad because too much caffeine and/or alcohol can dehydrate the voice, causing your folds to feel very dry and scratchy. It’s not a fun feeling, nor does it make relaxing while you sing easy.
That being said, I will not tell you to stop drinking caffeine or alcohol, but what I will suggest is that you get in the habit of drinking water regularly. I’d suggest no less than one glass of water per other beverage you drink. If you do this, you’ll at least help balance the hydration issue making it less likely for you to get dehydrated cords.
5. Don’t Have Allergies :p
Don’t you wish it were that easy?! Well, of course the reality is that many of us do have allergies and it’s a real issue that we deal with on a seasonal basis. To fix this, many will take allergy medication (aka dehydrators) and others will battle this inconvenience with sheer will power.
While I don’t have a solution for allergies, I will say that water does tend to help those who are suffering from them, whether you’re on medication or not. If you don’t like water, try adding small amounts of flavor to it like lemon or a powdered mix that’ll help make it more palatable.
Singing Should be as Relaxed as Speaking
January 17, 2009
If you were to go out and ask 100 singers if singing should feel as relaxed as speaking, I believe 98 to 100 of them will say yes. Ironically, out of that same 100 people, 86 of them will probably sing with unnecessary tension the next time they open their mouth to sing.
Now, I’m not a vocal Nazi, nor do I believe that you must sing one particular way in order to be considered a “singer,” but I do know that most people, even professional singers, sing with more tension than needed.
So the logical question for you to ask me now is,
“Why would anybody knowingly make singing harder than it needs to be?“
My response is simply one word: Habit.
Most singers don’t pay attention to their singing, they just keep doing what they’ve always done assuming everything is okay. This is alright if you’re planning on singing a song or two and calling it quits, but what about when you have to start singing multiple sets? Then you start recognizing that little bit of tension, because the more you sing the more that once little, almost unrecognizable amount of tension grows into something much greater.
But don’t get down… we are all guilty of this occasionally (myself included). But the only way we will get past this habit is through awareness. So, your exercise for today is to sing the chorus of your favorite song. Then, speak it and see if it feels the same.
Now sing something a little bit more challenging… then speak it. Did speaking it feel better, worse, or the same? If speaking it felt better, speak that section of the song again this time being sure to observe just how relaxed it feels. Then, speak the song on pitch slowly bringing it back to full out singing. You’ll be surprised how much this simple exercise can help you identify and correct tensions that you might not have even been aware of previously.
As a side note, if you still have problems getting your song back to a relaxed speech level, drop the words all together and repeat simple sounds like Bye, or No, or Guh, or Mum in place of the words. By repeating the same sound, you simplify the vocal process even more allowing you to get rid of stubborn tensions. Once you can get the feel of it simplified, you’re better able to balance the sound on the actual words.
I hope this little online singing tip helps. Thanks for reading and as always, Happy Singing!
Rid Yourself of the 2 Most Common Forms of Vocal Tension
October 1, 2008
Learn to Sing Freely – Singing Tips Blog presents:
Rid Yourself of the 2 Most Common Forms of Vocal Tension
If most singers were honest, they’d readily admit that they try to mimic the sound of the artists who did the song before them. While this can be an effective method of exploring your voice, it usually ends in us trying to manipulate things around to create a sound that isn’t our own. Being a good singer isn’t about creating a cool sound by whatever means necessary, it’s about relaxing enough that you can produce a great sound as effortlessly as possible. Put simply, if you feel tension in the voice when you’re singing, be it in the throat, neck, tongue, or anywhere else, you’re getting in the way of producing your best possible sound. Put even more simply, singing be as relaxed as speaking.
There are two main causes of tension in the voice. One of the causes of tension in the singing voice stems from allowing the larynx to move upward or downward while singing. This throws off the whole vocal mechanism and results in the closing off of your sound passage, resulting in a thin, pushed tone. The second major cause of tension in the voice is the tongue. Many people don’t realize it, but the higher they sing the more they press their tongue, be it downward or backward. This only gets in the way of good vocal production as it closes off air passages and creates tension that ends up spreading throughout the whole vocal system. Let’s look at these a little bit more closely.
Learn to Sing Freely with a Stable Larynx
What can we do to prevent unneeded movement in the larynx? Basically, I find that most larynx tension stems from pressure in the voice pushing the voice higher or pressing it lower. Most often than not, these unwanted movements are performed by what I like to call swallowing muscles. These of course are muscles utilized for swallowing and should not be used at all for singing. Singing should be as easy as speech. So, if you’re having problems with the larynx moving, try speaking the words first normally, then on pitch. They should feel identical. You can also make yourself aware of any unwanted movements by lightly placing your hand on your larynx while singing. If you feel a switch in the larynx placement, tell yourself to relax and speak the sound. You’d be surprised how effective this can be.
Learn to Sing Freely with a Relaxed Tongue
As I’ve mentioned before, I believe the tongue accounts for between 65% and 85% of all vocal tensions. Whether your tongue is pulling back while singing or it’s pressing downward, the result is an uncomfortable singing voice with a drastically limited range that tires easily. The easy solution to most tongue problems is relaxing the tongue to the front of the mouth. And don’t just allow the front of the tongue to go there, but feel the back of the tongue moving forward as well as this will give you more space in the back of the mouth and throat for relaxation and resonance. I usually try and keep my tongue resting on the bottom of my front lip (especially when singing really high).
As always, if you have any questions or are interested in voice lessons and are living in or visiting the Memphis area, feel free to click here for information on Singing Lessons Memphis.
Thanks for reading and Happy Singing!
