Tutorial #1
Learning How to Sing!
Learning How to Sing!
If you feel like there is no hope for you becoming a great singer, think again! Your vocal cords are muscles, and like all muscles; they can be conditioned! Singing is a muscle coordination; it is muscle response memory. Learning to sing is just like learning how to swing a golf club or shoot a basketball; anybody can do it, you just need the right methods!
Speech-Level-Singing:
The first thing you must understand when learning to sing is that your voice is an instrument, and like every other instrument; you can learn how to play it! Of course, different teachers might use different methods when training their students. With singing, there are 2 main methods: Speech-Level-Singing (good) and Classical training (not-so-good). In today's society, the most common and successful method is Speech-Level-Singing (SLS). Speech-level-singing basically teaches you to sing similar to the way you speak and can be applied to all styles of singing (what an easy way to learn how to sing!). Classical training receives a lot of criticism for teaching bad habits and lacking specific ways to fix a problem; meaning they tell you what to do but don't teach you HOW to do it. But to avoid starting an argument/debate, lets just stick with saying this: if you plan on singing in today's music society then SLS is the way to go. If you aren't familiar with speech-level-singing and who uses it, then here is a quick overview: Seth Riggs is the founder of SLS and is known for working with big names such as Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, and is a Hollywood consultant for movie stars that need to polish up their vocals for their role in a movie. Brett Manning is also a vocal guru. After being a top teacher for 10 years and one of the founding members of SLS, Brett now teaches singers in Nashville, TN and has worked with names as big as Keith Urban and Take 6. To sum up, Speech-Level-Singing is the favorite method in today's world of singing and has produced well over 100 grammy winners. If you want to learn how to sing then it's for you too!
Enough with the reviews, lets get to technique!
Instead of reading a long explanation of how the voice works, let me direct you to an online video that sums it all up for you. To get a basic understanding of how the voice works, please click HERE and follow these steps:
1. After clicking that link, Go to "Free Stuff"
2. Enter your email address to sign up for the newsletter which gives you access to the members area (its free).
3. After you enter your email address you will be given a password to access all of the free features.
4. Inside the "Free Stuff" section, Click on "Online Video Lesson"
5. Enjoy the show! Then come back here and read more.
So you've watched that online video right? Now...
You understand that your voice can perform different coordinations in order to produce different sounds. You use chest voice for your lower range, mix voice for your middle range, head voice for your higher range, and whistle voice for your extremely high range. In chest voice, your vocal cords vibrate at their full length. In mix voice, your vocal cords stretch/thin which allows for the higher notes. This is similar to switching from a thick to a thin guitar string. Then for very high notes, your vocal cords start "zipping up" like a zipper which is similar to fretting the guitar string, isn't that amazing?!? So instead of straining as you go higher by "pulling up chest voice" you instead "shift gears"! But how do you learn to do that, how do I learn how to sing?
Well, thanks to a genius named Brett Manning, there isn't a more simple way to learn how to sing! Its impossible to teach you how to sing with just these words on a website, so you will need the assistance of a qualified instructor. Brett Manning offers an at-home training program consisting of 12 audio CDs with pre-recorded vocal lessons, information, and vocal demonstrations. Check it out HERE. Brett's course has quickly grown a great reputation and it works so well that Brett is able to offer a full-octave increase within 6 months or your money back (an octave is 8 consecutive notes on a piano, the average range of experienced singers is about 3 - 3 1/2 octaves). It really does work, but HOW does it work?
The exercises automatically "trick" your voice into working correctly. Each lesson begins with Brett explaining the exercise; how to do it, what it does, and why it works. Then you hear both a male and female singer go through the exercise so you can hear what it is supposed to sound like. The best part is that the exercises are very simple, yet SO genius. These exercises consist of sounds you have made all throughout your life, anybody can do them... even kids!
I wish I could help you learn to sing without having you spend any money, but you have to realize something... your voice is an instrument, a very valuable and delicate one. If you snap a guitar string you simply buy a new one. If you crack a drumstick then you simply replace it with a new one. If you damage yor voice, you cannot replace it. Musicians spend a lot of money on their instruments. If you want to be a guitar player then buying a guitar will cost you some money. So why not spend money on your voice? If you are dedicated to becoming a better singer then the cost should be well worth it!
To sum up...
If you plan on studying with a vocal instructor in person, then please, make sure you study with a SLS certified vocal instructor!
If you choose to use Singing Success, then you can get help from the "tips email support" and forums.
Learning how to sing sounds very intimidating to most beginners but they just need a change in thinking. Singing is only a mystery if you don't know how the voice works. Anybody can learn how to sing, I promise!
Keep Learning, and Enjoy the Journey!
P.S - I cannot stress enough how much of an advantage it will be for you as a singer if you learn how to play an instrument. I highly recommend learning piano or guitar. Learning piano will be a great benefit as it will improve your musicianship and teach you about pitch in relation to your own voice as you learn how to sing. Please think about it!
