“What if you could easily learn the tools to be a
BOLD communicator? - Singing or Speaking...”

Mark Baxter, author of The Rock n Roll Singer’s Survival Guide, was recently my guest on my interview program, Singers Key Notes.

(Singers Key Notes, a FREE weekly interview hosted by Sally Morgan, Mondays at 1-2 pm NY time. Guests are top music industry songwriters, producers, voice teachers, music publishers and performers. For guest list and to sign up visit http://vocalpowertools.com/singers_key_notes.htm)

One of the toughest sounds for a singer to perform is the ‘scream.’ If you want to know how to sing better, read on.

Mark is one of the knowledgeable and insightful voice professionals I know. His techniques are based in solid science and his insights come from having been a rock singer on tour and from teaching professional voice lessons.

We talked about scream – how to do it without hurting the voice. Here’s a clip from that part of our interview. Enjoy!

http://web.me.com/sallymorgan/Site_3/Singers_Key_Notes_Clips.html

To listen to the entire hour with Mark, go to http://vocalpowertools.com/audio_products.htm

My students are always asking me how to play an instrument and sing at the same time. You want to become a singer who can accompany yourself. Very smart. Here’s the dilemma: playing an instrument is one skill; singing is another skill; and playing while singing is a THIRD skill.

When you are playing without singing you still breathe. Obviously you say, but check out when you breathe. You’ll notice that you breathe with the phrasing of the music.

Here are a few steps to follow when learning how to sing while playing.

1. Play without singing and notice when you are breathing.
2. Now play without singing and perform a simple opening inhale when you breathe.
3. Then as you play without singing, do the simple opening inhale then blow the breath out in one continuous stream.
4. Now you are ready to add your voice. Do the simple opening inhale then release your voice just like blowing the breath out.
5. Go get yourself a gig!

Singing voice lessons are sometimes just plain logic of process. Trust the natural intelligence of the body as a musical instrument to become a great singer.

A singer recently asked me if there is a specific name for the middle singing voice between head singing voice and chest voice. Here is the answer.

Voice professionals call this vocal range the mix because it’s supposed to be a mix of head and chest. The way people use the mix is to gradually mix in more head resonance as the pitch goes higher. Pretty complex maneuver to handle while you are at the microphone.

I have a big problem with any technique that makes how to sing anything less than natural and/or anything more than simple. The Morganix Method™: Sing Like You Speak handles registration – head, chest, mix, belt as one voice.

The body is a brilliant musical instrument. The problem with the ‘mix’ theories (and indeed many singing voice lessons) is that they negate or ignore the natural musical intelligence of the body.

If you simply open the instrument on inhale, opening the airways so that breath follows the natural path into the lungs, then use the breath to create sound without interfering as the breath and sound release from the body, your voice will perform head, chest and mix all on it’s own. The color or timbre of the voice and the degree of ‘mix’ are a response to the emotional life of the singer.

Try this vocal training exercise. Take a one-syllable word such as ‘shot’ and simply say it. Say it in a sentence: ‘I shot him!’ (Talk about emotional life when saying that sentence.) Say the sentence several times with different intentions such as regret, fear, triumph.

Continue saying the sentence. Now play a note on an instrument before you say the sentence and when you say it again, say the word ‘shot’ on the pitch you played. Speaking on musical pitches assures a connected, healthy sound every time. It takes away the pressure to sing in tune because you are simply speaking. It also helps your body to understand that it does not need to manipulate any part of the instrument of get a great sound no matter what range you are singing in. This perfect musical instrument will handle registration all on its’ own.