DISCLAIMER: This article is not simply going to be another example of an old man yelling at a cloud. It’s also not going to be a discussion around me staring into the middle distance and yearning for the “good ol’ days“. But I will put it bluntly There is an absolute epidemic of shouting masquerading […]
I was having a conversation with a client recently about vocal riffing: what it is, why it’s useful, and why it seems difficult to many. For the ease of discussion let’s say that anything that extends the melody beyond the original for dramatic/musical effect is a ‘riff’, and that riffing is therefore the act of
EDIT: This was originally written in May 2012, and has been updated and re-dated in the wake of Chris Cornell’s tragic death on 17 May 2017.
Pavarotti’s Take on Vocal Training Luciano Pavarotti famously said it took him six years to master his voice, even with natural ability. Here’s what we can learn from him: Passaggio Mastery: Navigating register transitions takes time, especially in classical styles. Persistence Pays Off: Pavarotti honed his craft with unwavering discipline over years. Avoiding Shortcuts: Consistency
I had a load of positive feedback last time I posted a feature on five songs from the last week, so here we are again with another instalment! 1. Salley Gardens A solid folk tune, this was brought in this week by a fab student whose voice has REALLY come on in the last few
I ended up having a fairly long Facebook chat with a few students today on a variety of songs, and five songs came up that I recommended they have a listen to… and they just hadn’t heard them before! So I figured I’d share the five right here for your listening pleasure! #1 – Bonnie
So, let’s talk about Formants in Singing… While I’ve taken a break from coaching and working on my own voice in general over the Christmas holiday (boy was that a good rest!), I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading on formants in singing. If any of you have any interest in voice science, I
Yesterday I had a conversation with a foreign student who is currently working with me on their voice, who did not know who Pavarotti was. While this seems unthinkable to many of us here in Britain, I can completely understand how those growing up overseas may well never have heard this incredible voice. Pavarotti was
