Category: Vocal Mechanics

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Why Breathing Isn’t Your Problem

The most common self-assessment I hear from people discussing their own voice and who want to improve their singing, by far, is:

“I think I’m doing a good job, I just need to work on my breathing“

Of course, other comments are common:
“I need to work on my tone”
“my vocal quality still needs work”
“I reach the high notes but it doesn’t sound that good”

But these are vastly outstripped (or accompanied) by self-assessments of “breathing issues“.

I understand why this comes up.

Many singers will typically think they sound alright, but notice that they run out of breath during specific lines, struggle to finish phrases, etc.

Typically, they feel like they’ve got full lungs of *something* but physically feel like they have to empty and refill before the next section of the song, etc. Breathing is critically important for singing, but I’ve got news for you: breathing probably isn’t your main problem. In fact, most singers’ breathing is typically fine, and the issue lies elsewhere. Continue reading “Why Breathing Isn’t Your Problem”

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What my practice routine looks like

One of the most common questions that comes up in sessions, workshops, etc, is “Mark, what does YOUR practice routine look like day to day?“. So that’s what we’ll cover today. This also extends to “what should anyone’s practice routine include day to day”.

The general answer works for most voices, but the specific exercises each voice should do will vary. I have updated this to reflect what my absolute up-to-date practice routine looks like.

Each section will start with what I specifically do for my voice, followed by what that translates to in a general sense. Continue reading “What my practice routine looks like”

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Descriptive vs Prescriptive Teaching

We had a workshop yesterday, and one of the participants commented on how they had once been told by a singing teacher to “put the sound in *THIS* cavity” accompanied with a finger pointing to somewhere in the head. The main reason he brought this up was because of how unclear and confusing that language was, so I thought it was worth talking about descriptive vs prescriptive teaching.

Descriptive Singing Instructions

If you’ve ever had a singing lesson, or looked online for singing videos, there’s no way you’ll have escaped the weirdness of such instructions. “Put it in the masque”, “make it brighter”, “the sound should open downwards not outwards”, “sing from the diaphragm”, “don’t sing from the throat”, “gain strength from your knees”, and other such gems. At least one of these statements I’d even agree with, in the sense that I also feel this when I sing, so they’re not “wrong” per se, they’re just not helpful. Continue reading “Descriptive vs Prescriptive Teaching”

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Style vs Hyper-style

I get a lot of emails and messages from people asking me “what do you think of this person”, usually with an attached video/link. One of the things I see a lot of is younger guys/girls doing YouTube covers of modern pop songs, or maybe original songs, but performed in a way that is highly reminiscent of a current pop singer. And here is what I’ve noticed, especially in relation to technique and vocal style… Continue reading “Style vs Hyper-style”

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Do I have to sing in chest voice?

“I was wondering whether I HAVE to sing in chest voice? I feel like when it’s only chest voice it’s a bit monotone and lacking variation”

Many students ask or wonder this when they first start with the technique and approach that we utilise in lessons. Just for a bit of context, often these kinds of singers are capable in their originals or own artistry, but it’s important to note that such singers are relatively fledgling in their vocal development. Continue reading “Do I have to sing in chest voice?”