I want to start by sharing an email I received yesterday in response to these new video classes. She states very nicely my premise for doing these. It is encouraging to hear someone really get it. So I wanted to share it here to help others understand what I’m going for with my teaching.
“Hello, I’d like to congratulate and thank you for the podcasts you’ve just started uploading on your site, it’s a great idea! It is so helpful when somebody is making a video and can actually show certain things. When I can watch you the message is much more accurate because I see you demonstrating what the words you’re using really mean.
You know, I’ve never seen anybody describing singing with the approach that focuses so much on our nature. It is so simple, down-to-earth, almost like pure anatomy and physiology, even physics from time to time ;) Probably you’re quite used to it now but this way of teaching is really rare!
It is as if the mental picture, imagining singing is becoming more complete so it feels like I’m almost starting to sing better just because of listening to you because I imagine it differently now, it’s so funny. So thanks again and I hope you carry on with the podcasts!
PS It’s great that you don’t cut the videos down to just a few minutes, I see describing it all precisely takes time but all this talking sometimes can really be better than just singing exercises endlessly that could still make no good for you and you don’t know why.”
This next class addresses a question regarding how to go to full voice. The person asking the question stated he had found a big benefit from exercising the lighter voice I describe in my article “The No. 1 Mistake Singers Are Making”. (Available by joining the free VocalWisdom.com Community on the Home Page)
The challenge he was finding was how to go from that nice, easy vocalization to a full, performance quality. Without resorting to his old habits of pushing or pressing.
Watch this class to find out how we can sing with our full, complete function with the ease and flexibility of the pure, light voice.
Thanks, Raul. There are many theories. For the key things are balance and flexibility. If we are in a good condition the high voice is just a natural reaction to the intention to sing those pitches. Without that foundation we need to compensate. Many techniques that we hear about are really just compensations for not being in a good condition. The biggest challenge is there are several things to coordinate and if any one is off we will have difficulty.
You’re welcome, Andreas. Glad you liked it. I don’t know why it seems like so few people get the importance of these concepts. But at least we are striving to get it. Thanks.
Thanks, Rachel. I would expect those sensations. Yes. It is because to feel forward the airway closes. So when we open there is a feeling of being more back. Just that will cause a change in timbre. But the difference in the vibration will also have an affect on timbre. So those are positive differences.
Great. Thanks, Tom.
Thank you so much Michael, you are very clear and helpful with your explanations. Going to full voice seems to be the previous class to arrive the tenor´s concern: high notes. Could you elaborate a little bit about this? There are many theories as voice coaches are: do this, do that, open, support, etc. It seems to me that exists a door beyond the A, a door that must be opened to keep going higher, “something to do”, in order to reach the real high register, but you said something great in this video: is the intention of do it. How can we deal with this mess, from Kraus to Kauffman there are a wide range of possibilities. Many thanks and warm regards. Raul
Thank you, Michael, that was a $100,000-masterclass, absolutely splendid! Your explanations and demonstrations are so easy to comprehend and make perfect sense. What puzzles me is why so few so called voice coaches have been able to wrap their heads around these, as it seems, very basic conceptions. Well, it doesn’t matter anymore – I have work to do, and I have finally understood what I am doing wrong and how to correct that. It will take considerable time, I’m sure, but for the first time I have some guidance as to what to do, practically, and what to get the feel for. It’s too late for me to make it to the Metropolitan now, but should I nevertheless somehow do it, in my 50s, I promise to give you the best seats.
Another really useful explanation Michael thanks. I am experiencing exactly the sensations you speak about right now in my vocal exploration and was curious know as the singer experiences the (in my case) new sensation of the hollow throat with light cord coordination can one go through a period of feeling the voice to be far more ‘back’ than in the common ‘pushed and exhaled school of classical singing? And, in your experience, once the voice and body really start feeling at home with this new coordination does the voice start changing timbre? I only ask because I’ve got a sixth sense there are some new vocal colours in the process of emerging when I’m singing!
Thanks for a good lesson. Keep up the good work.