A great way to learn to sing is by singing karaoke. There are karaoke players you can by that are relatively inexpensive or you can attend a ‘karaoke’ party, usually at a legion hall or local pub.  With karaoke, the karaoke jockie or host (also called a “KJ”) will have a book with all the songs you can sing. You look through the book until you find a song you want to sing, then you write it down on a slip of paper and hand it back to the KJ. When he calls you up to sing, the music will play and the lyrics (song words) will show up on a television or computer monitor. You just sing along!

Karaoke is a great way to get used to singing in front of people. As a KJ myself, I know many who started off singing karaoke and have gone on to form bands and sing at events – like weddings, even shopping malls. It is also a fun, social activity to do with friends. There are many bars that sell food, which means children under 19 yrs old can attend if they are accompanied by an adult and order food from the menu. They can usually stay and sing as long as the kitchen is still serving food – typically 11pm or 12 midnight. The KJ will let each person sine 1 song – this is called “a rotation”. Once everyone has had a chance to sing, they will go back to the beginning of the list and start again, allowing each person to sing a second song. You can sing anywhere from 2-4 songs on a typical karaoke night at a bar or pub – of course this will vary, depending on how popular the host is, how busy the bar is and how many singers there are that want to sing.

If you prefer, you can purchase a karaoke machine and karaoke cds to sing at home. Some of these home karaoke machines are stand alone models, while others hook up to your computer or television. Singing karaoke from home allows you to practise new songs in private and have as many turns as you want, without having to wait your turn.

Whether you sing at home or at a bar, singing karaoke can be a fun way to practise new songs, try new musical genres, and have some fun with your friends. Even if you can’t sing, a night of karaoke can be a lot of fun! Try it!

Mastering Pop Music 

Successful pop music is usually measured in terms of commercial success with little regard to artistic merit although it generally has a good dance beat and hook to the song — performed by charismatic singers who may or may not be technically talented, look attractive, fashionable, and have the ability to dance well. The Image of the performer is often regarded as just important as or more than the music itself in this particular genre.

There are different techniques used in pop singing that cross over into many other styles or genres of music as well.  Speech singing, belting, twang, staccato notes, quick phrasing, breathy vocals, vocal runs, using the head voice/falsetto, attitude, and delivery are all key components in pop music. By using a combination of these techniques, you can create your very own unique style.  However, great singing always comes back to the key components of   your pitch (singing in key while hitting the correct notes) and breath control.

Below is a list of links to allow you to hear the techniques mentioned above.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO5uCKw4nl0

Example: speech singing, staccato, breathy vocals, attitude and delivery. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlvYivspHpk

Example: Usage of the head-voice in a stylistic way, speech singing, staccato notes, belting, ascending siren as discussed in my earlier article on singing rock and roll. This song shows a lot of attitude, emotion as well as intensity in the vocal performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlvYivspHpk

Example: quick phrasing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8

Example: Belting in the chorus, inflections in the voice to create emotion.

Head-voice in the notes at the end. All achieved by using a breath push from the diaphragm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dhtsH23wmE

Example: Emotion, vocal runs, breathy vocals, belting, nice open sound through out the song, good use of higher range, holding controlled note at the very end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9ZBENn-nUU

Example: subtle breathy voice, strong vocals, speech singing, head-voice, quick vocal runs ascending and descending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVEGfH4s5g

Example: quick phrasing, quick staccato notes, strong vocals

Listen to the above styles and notice the techniques these artists use. To be a successful artist does not mean sounding like someone else but rather, using the same techniques the stars use, combined with your own unique vocal sound to create your own unique sound. Give it a try!

Singing with Emotion Part 2  

In part two of this article we will cover 6 popular Vocal/ Music Styles and some of the techniques used for each style. There are many different styles of singing. Some singers excel at one or two particular styles while others can round the scope on various different styles. This will be a personal choice that you will have to make as a singer.  I always liked versatility so my goal was to become as versatile as my talent would lend.  That meant extensive study in various different genres. You may decide you love Jazz for instance and do more study on techniques and style for that genre, or some of you may decide Rock ‘n Roll is what your voice is suited for and it’s your only interest, or you may decide you want to be able to sing Opera, or Pop with some R&B.  When it comes to your singing style, there is no right or wrong. These articles are designed to help guide you down whatever your musical path is and enjoy the journey while achieving your vocalizing goals.

Rock n Roll

Whether it be the heaviest or the lighter side of rock n roll, vocal technique and breathing are key to any style.  I cannot stress enough how important learning to breath and project your voice properly are, in assuring a long vocal career in this genre of music.

Bad habits, sloppy mouth formation and singing entirely from the throat not using the diaphragm will result in strain and in many cases, permanent damage to the vocal chords. Remember if you feel pain in your throat when you sing then you are not approaching the notes or phrases properly.  The majority of every live vocal performance should be done in proper singing form in order to preserve the singers voice.  You need to learn to preserve and pace the voice, especially if you’re touring. If you have to perform 4 nights in a row, all heavy style rock that requires a rasp technique, octave jumps, ascending and descending sirens with power, and some switches to the head or even a falsetto will need to well thought out and practiced in advance. To be able to make these transitions not only smoothly but be able switch from a rasp technique to an octave jump takes work. Using rasp too often can cause damage however when used stylistically in conjunction with proper breathing and singing techniques, rasp can be an effective way to create your unique style of singing. 

Ascending and Decending Sirens

In other articles and in our FREE Video Singing Lessons, I wrote about head voice and falsetto, and how the sound and vibrations resonate around the middle of the forehead to the top of the nose area, with an open flow of breath from the diaphragm straight to the forehead.  Another technique commonly used in rock singing is the Ascending and Descending Sirens; The ascending technique will take you from low to mid range right into the highest of head-voice notes smoothly while Descending is the reverse, taking you from the high head-voice notes to some lower bass notes. The desired affect will have no transition noises; no breaks in breath and can carry an octave or more in one swoop. 

Another effective technique used in rock singing is Octave Jumps. Basically that is when you are on a note, for example middle C and you jump to the next note – one octave higher, in this case to high C. To do this requires a good push from the diaphragm and an open throat to allow the sound and air to pop from the lower note to the higher with an open sound, while your voice is very controlled. The technique of Octave jumps is usually done quickly.

Rasp Technique

The rasp technique is used in many different styles of music and can be effective in creating the mood of the song or accenting certain words to create an emotion. The rasp technique can be done by squeezing the back of the throat tight and making a raspy sound with your voice. The more effective and less damaging way to do this is to use that squeeze technique sparingly, along with using saliva to coat the throat so the vibration is being made by the saliva in the back of the throat (similar to a gargle), thus creating a raspy sound with less damage. This takes some practice and if you feel any pain, you should stop immediately.   To save your voice and vocal chords you don’t want to be using this affect all the time or you will not have a voice left by the end of a tour, not to mention you will be in a lot of pain and can cause permanent damage to the vocal chords. The less strain and squeeze on the throat – the better! I have included some You Tube links of each technique done properly by some of the world’s best rock singers. These singers are great to practice along with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHl_SLD2nlQ.  This song will give you an example of Rasp used to create emotion, style and intensity.  You will also hear open vocal scale runs which are great to practice along with. All the notes are open and in specific places the rasp is incorporated.  This song requires good breath control and endurance and provides a great example of all the techniques I have been talking about in this article, as well as many more.

Octave Jumps

 Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LuP6LjaKNU This song has examples of octave jumps, how the singer creates atmosphere with softness and more aggressive sounds as the song builds. The notes at the end show a great example of a descending siren that starts on a higher note and descends to a lower with little to no transition noises, while the notes flow smoothly in one breath.

 NOTE: the first note hit in this descending scale attack that top note dead on with power and confidence; it does not swoop into the note. The higher passage in the middle shows a great example of notes having an open sound in the higher head-voice register. This song requires great breath control and diaphragm control and uses many great rock n roll techniques for you to try .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNDO6dYxkmk This song has everything I have been discussing in this article, great use of emotion, the vocal dynamics (volume and power) build in intensity throughout the song, a proper use of rasp, and uses a quick technique of a quick squeeze of the throat with a burst of air from the diaphragm to support the top note, as well as the use of saliva and vibration in the throat to create a raspy sound. This should cause you no strain or pain at all to achieve. The higher notes should resonate in your upper nasal cavity. A full open sound from the diaphragm to the upper nasal cavity where the vibration should be resonating and you will feel a tingling in the upper nasal cavity and forehead. 

Check out these great examples that you can try to sing along with 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d51IRlf_Xdw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPW1xBwm1WI great use of rasp accents and feel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8s3A-B4oas great use of natural vibrato and note extensions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGbVoDVWZsc

Try this …

Take a song and practice it in sections. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t complete the song on a first or second try.  Sing the song all the way through, find out where your trouble areas are and practice those areas in sections until you are comfortable with the full song. Remember you need to be able to hear yourself so refrain from using the popular style head phone units like the ipod for practice purposes. You cannot hear properly when you are listening and singing along with headphones.

You should be able to hear the music your listening to and what you are singing in order to remain consistently in key.  

Ready to take your singing to a whole new level? Click here!

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Vocal style, charisma and the ability to capture  your audience quickly (make them feel and believe what you are singing) are all major aspects to becoming a charismatic and versatile vocalist. 

In Part 1 of this article we will be covering Capturing your Audience by portraying emotion and creating your own unique charisma on stage. Although one of our Free Lessons states that, for working on the fundamentals of singing you need to clear your mind of any emotional debris so you can focus on specific fundamentals such as breathing, posture, increasing range, reaching those high notes etc., performing live is very different. You will be incorporating all the fundamentals of singing along with creating the MOOD of the song through facial expression, vocal emotion and body language. 

 Capturing Your Audience

It’s always easier to perform something you can relate to; such as a situation you have been through yourself or have personally felt.  

“A listener (your audience) comprehends not only the content and grammar of what is sung, but the emotion and melody of how it is sung – what a singer feels.” , Dr. Rhawn Joseph, Ph.D.  “Feelings, be it anger, happiness, sadness, sarcasm, empathy, etc., are often communicated by varying the rate, amplitude, pitch, inflection, timbre, melody and stress contours of the voice.”   

  When there is a void (emptiness) of vocal contour (meaning all these dimensions are missing from your vocals), then the singing becomes monotone, bland and your audience experiences difficulty distinguishing your attitude, context, intent, and feeling.

For instance: if you were to sing the following lyric “Door 612 awaits you” (Lisa Smith) 

By the inflection in your tone and stress contour of the voice, you can describe to the audience emotionally whether what’s waiting for you at Door 612 is something that makes you angry, something that makes you sad, something that frightens you, or something that makes you happy – all by adjusting the timber, tone and stress contour of your voice.

In addition to this, adding body language, movements, and facial expressions with confidence define the charismatic aspect of performing. (Charisma: the ability to inspire; enthusiasm; interest; affection in others.)  So along with all the fundamentals of this craft you also create your magnetic personality on stage. Become what you sing!!  

Try this …

 Next time you practice, try taking a line of a song that can have many different meanings and practice giving the lyric different emotion as you would if you were expressing the emotion in actuality.  There are 16 Basic Emotions. As an exercise, try taking a line of a song and giving it that emotion as if you were truly feeling it. Go to a place in your mind of an event when you’ve actually experienced this emotion and use that emotional energy to make the song come alive with that feeling.  Make your audience feel the emotion you are experiencing. 

Here are some basic emotions below for you to try:

Sadness     Trust     Disgust     Fear    Joy     Anger     Surprise      Sadness     Anticipation

I also included a great Wikipedia link with a list of many branches of the basic emotions for you to try:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emotions

In Part 2 we will be talking more specifically about using emotions through various styles of singing.

Ready to take your singing to a whole new level? Click here!

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