Judy Rodman - All Things Vocal

Stage Fright Ambush: How To Prevent or Defuse A Sudden Attack Of Nerves

2009-11-08T11:31:00.011-06:00

Have you ever had a strange, unexpected attack of stage fright you couldn't understand? There are two prime causes for uncharacteristic stage fright, numbness or nervousness sucker-punching a performer.

1. Unfamiliar Venue

When you haven't played a type of venue in a while, you may experience a guarding reflex triggered by your primal fight or flight response. Your inner "horse" (the automatic nervous system that gives your voice cues) isn't use to running this particular field, and will shy until it knows there are no lions, tigers and bears about to jump at it from the sidelines. (Or tomatoes about to be thrown!)

What you can do: Know that there will be a tightening of your body for the first part of the first song you sing. So, make sure your first song will be easy for you to do... not one of your most vocally challenging. Then, start to sing without fear, because you know what is going on and that the "clench" will pass if you don't hold on to it. Just allow your ribcage, throat and auto nervous system to relax... and they will.

Note that size does not matter here. If you are used to playing arenas, a small venue like a 100 seat listening room may feel oddly petrifying.

The cure for this ambush: play more of these venues til your 'inner horse' learns to trust them!

2. Inadequate Preparation

During performance, the stage fright beast WILL jump on you to some degree or another if you don't accomplish these two preparation steps for performance:

Know your material.

How? Practice, practice, practice. You should know the lyrics so well you could recite them in your sleep. You should be able to know the song so well in your fingers (if you play an instrument) that your fingers are on "automatic".

Have vocal cords at peak operation.

There is no substitute for doing the things that put your voice on it's best footing. If your voice is smoothly running, it will smoothly run. If it's rough, it will get rougher because you will try to push it through. So... make sure you are rested, hydrated, peaceful, and exercised... both physically and vocally. WARM UP YOUR VOICE!

Think your little gig is too small to worry about? Think again.

Picture that in the hallway of the venue of your little gig happens to be the boyfriend of a girl who works in the mail room of a significant record label who would be interested in an artist like you. He hears a less-than-stellar performance and casually mentions it to his girlfriend the next day...

The cure for this ambush: Maximize your vocal stamina with Power, Path & Performance lessons and training Cd's .

Breathing For The Voice: The Counterintuitive Secret

2009-10-30T19:34:00.012-06:00

The real secret to having enough breath for your voice:

Don't Think About It!

I had lots of problems when I first started going to my vocal coach, Gerald Arthur. He had to tackle my guarding, my inflexibility, my mix imbalance, my range limitations. When I asked him what he thought were my breath problems he flatly told me something to the effect, "you're breathing is fine; if it weren't I would tell you, until then don't worry about it!" And we never had another discussion about breath.

What happened, of course, was that he tackled my breath issues from another direction. He wanted me to concentrate on other things, and the breath problems resolved themselves without direct intervention.

Thinking about breathing while performing actually causes tension and worsens your breathing problems. Instead, when you sing or speak, learn to habitually stand or sit tall, head balanced on tailbone with your ribcage open.

If that doesn't work, get with a vocal coach who can assess and help you fix the source of your unique problems in one or more of the following breathing techniques:
1. inhaling,
2. supporting your breath
3. being able to control breath.

Breathing... it's important, and it's important to get so right you never think about it.

Possibly My Best Bluebird Round Ever Nov 5th

2009-10-28T06:23:00.002-06:00

If you want to experience one of the best Bluebird songwriter events I've ever taken part in, you might want to put NOVEMBER 5th, 6:00PM on your calendar.

That's when I'll be joining Michael Stergis, Michael Hodges and Gerald Trottmman for a two hour round we will all remember. Michael Stergis wrote, sang and played with Crosby, Stills & Nash as well as a plethora of other huge artists from Count Basie to Helen Reddy, Michael Hodges has had almost 5 million hits on his MySpace page, Gerald Trottman has had success as composer, singer, music director in many genres of success including New York City musicals.

The four of us rehearsed for seven hours the other day. And that's just one of our rehearsals... This show will be for the love.

You can't make reservations until 8:00am tomorrow on Thursday October 29th. Then you can reserve your seats online at bluebirdcafe.com and even pick your table.

Don't count on getting in at the door... do reserve a seat, because this event will be sold out. There's no cover, but there is a $7 food and drink minimum.

Singing and Speaking Loud Without Vocal Strain: The Double Secret

2009-10-27T10:36:00.006-06:00

To sing or speak at a loud volume without straining your voice, you must put two things together: Form and Strength.

FORM:
You must know how to use your voice as efficiently as possible, with the least effort necessary. And you must know this BEFORE trying to increase your volume, so that singing loud is no more stressing to your instrument than singing soft.

STRENGTH:
You must increase your vocal stamina gradually and steadily. Never increase your vocal volume suddenly. You may injure it. If you haven't been singing full voice much, this becomes even more important. Once your stamina allows full voice without strain, sing full voice several days before a strong performance.

Comments from you let me know how you are understanding what I tell you... and are appreciated! Click the comment button at the website page under this blogpost.

Check this website for further information on "Power, Path & Performance"vocal training cds and personal lessons

Vocal Strain: Top 17 Causes

2009-10-25T12:00:00.011-06:00

From the answers to my recent questionnaire, vocal strain is the subject most often on my readers' minds. You spoke, and I listened.

This is a big subject. Instead of just a series of posts, I will be writing about vocal strain off and on, interspersed with other vocal subjects in which you and other readers have expressed interest. Also per reader preferences, some posts will be short tips, some longer articles.

Here are the top 15 causes of vocal strain I see in singers and speakers:

1. Bad Breathing Technique:
...inhaling too high in chest, too much or uncontrolled breath pressure applied to vocal cords.

2. Tight Throat Channel:
...tightness where nose, throat and mouth meet at the "post-nasal drip zone".

3. Yelling:
... 20 minutes of yelling, screaming or "shooting your voice from your throat" can result in blood blisters, the beginnings of vocal nodes, appearing on the vocal cords. Keep it up and you'll harden those blisters into callouses, polyps, nodes, or even cause vocal cord paralysis or vocal cord hemorrhage.

4. Acute Viral Laryngitis:
... which usually is triggered by an upper respiratory illness, but sometimes appears without other signs of sickness.

5. Acid Reflux (GERD)
... most damaging if it is laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR)

6. Smoking
... causes irritation, swelling and dehydration of the cords

7. Talking too loud, too long, without good vocal technique
... can cause serious vocal damage. Many times the first thing I address to correct vocal strain is the person's speaking voice.

8. Chronic or Strong Coughing
... the constant hitting of your vocal cords together is as bad as yelling. You must get to the bottom of the cause of the cough and cure it. Sometimes it's GERD or LPR, sometimes a short term virus, post nasal drip, allergen or other air-born irritant, sometimes it's throat cancer. See your doctor if your cough lingers or brings up blood.

9. Bone and joint problems:
... lack of strength and flexibility in the spine tremendously affect the voice; pain in spine or between ribs can indeed cause vocal strain from breath and throat issues.

10. Muscle tension problems:
... trigger tight chest and/or throat channel and "freezing" of anatomy... always detrimental to voice.

11. Fatigue problems
... inhibiting good support/control, causing slumping of body with concurrent high, pushed breathing and throat tightness.

12. Posture issues
... causes pushing of breath, tightness of throat channel and guarding stance.

13. Emotional problems
... nervousness, lack of confidence, numbness, eating disorders, addictions, chronic resentments, inability to focus on communicating. These emotions affect anatomy in ways that can cause vocal strain.

14. Lack of Sleep
... causing once again, slumping of body and breathing/throat issues

15. Dehydration
... the vocal cords need a thin layer of mucus lubricating them to move most efficiently. Not enough water intake results in a thickening of this lining... imagine your boat running aground and you'll have an idea of what your dehydrated voice experiences.

16. Flabby Core (insufficient physical exercise)
... causing slumped posture, unsupported and under controlled breath and tight throat.

17. Endo-tracheal damage from being on a ventilator
... if you must undergo surgery, watch for this one.

Need your help:
Which of these 17 top causes of vocal strain do you want me to write more about next? Or... is there another cause of vocal strain that you'd like to add to this list for me to address?

The difference between my Blog and my Newsletter

2009-10-20T11:48:00.011-05:00

I recently put out a short questionnaire, which I sent to my "Judy Rodman Productions" newsletter database. One of the many things I learned from the valuable answers and feedback of the survey (if you took it, THANK YOU!!) was that several people were asking for me to write more about vocal technique. This let me know that these respondents probably didn't know about this blog , and the difference between it and the newsletter. So... let me explain so that YOU can be sure you're subscribed to the right thing for YOUR interests and needs:

WHY YOU SHOULD SUBSCRIBE TO MY "ALL THINGS VOCAL" BLOG (if you haven't already)

This blog is called "All Things Vocal" for a reason...if you've been reading it a while, you know:) Here's what I write about on this blog:

Tips and insights on things concerning the singing and speaking voice.
Free vocal lessons with "Power, Path & Performance" vocal techniques that you can instantly apply to your next live performance, recording session, public speech.
News flashes about upcoming auditions, events or other urgent news for vocalists.
Frequent updates... two or three times a week.

If you have not subscribed to this blog and would like to, go to the main blogpage HERE. Look on the left hand side of the page under the words "Subscribe to this blog". Click your choice to sign up via either email or reader.

WHY YOU WOULD ALSO WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO MY "JUDY RODMAN PRODUCTIONS" NEWSLETTER:

My newsletter's purpose is to actually deliver news which will encourage mutual support, community connection and networking. For this reason, I use this publication to talk about what I am, and my clients are, doing.

Here's what I've been writing about on the newsletter:

Who I'm working with and links to their webpages
News about my vocal students and recording clients
Projects I'm currently working on (studio, songwriting, multimedia, live engagements, etc.)
Breaking news and upcoming events (sometimes on both my blog and newsletter)
Links to other places where you can connect with me.
Short vocal tips
Links to blogposts you might have missed on this blog.
Main newsletter is a monthly publication, special short notices are sent from time to time.

If you want to subscribe to my newsletter, please go here

I will be tweaking both this blog and newsletter from the information I'm gathering on the survey. I'm still looking for about 45 more people to respond before closing the survey. If you'd like to take the 10 question survey, please go here.

And thank you again for your readership, your feedback and your friendship. Let me know what I can do better... for you!

Newsflash: Mat Kearney plays Nashville TONIGHT

2009-10-14T09:16:00.004-05:00

Hieveryone...

I just found out late last night that my friend and vocal student Mat Kearney will be playing the Cannery Ballroom tonight (Thurs Oct 14th). He just sold out the Fillmore, and has obviously been enjoying a great tour for his new album.

I know it's last minute, but wanted to get the word out, because we don't see him in Nashville much. This venue requires only 21 yrs old and up, and tonight's tickets are for standing-room-only. But I'm going... if you're interested here's the link to buy tickets.

Venue: The Cannery Ballroom
Time: show is at 8:00pm, doors open at 7.
Tonight (Oct 14th)

Let me know if you're coming and I'll look for you. If you're not in the area, do look for Mat Kearney on tour near you... you'll be so glad for the experience.

Vocal Warm Ups: Two Vital Reasons To Do Them

2009-10-14T06:33:00.002-05:00

I believe there are two reasons to warm up your voice.

To coordinate your body/mind/voice... practicing and developing the muscle memory that enables the basic vocal technique triangle of breath/throat/communication synergy.
To give your voice a physical workout... get blood flowing through the tissues, interstitial fluid pumped out, and muscle stamina increased.

To accomplish these two things, "form is everything". Doing vocal exercises wrong, just like other physical exercise, will not help and can harm your voice. You can do ANY vocal exercise incorrectly. If your voice doesn't feel BETTER after your vocal workout, stop doing it!

Train your voice, yes, but train it correctly. Make sure your vocal teacher shows you not only what to do, but how to do it.

For information on Power Path & Performance cd vocal training products, go here.
The third cd of my 6-cd course is completely on the subject of HOW to do my vocal exercises.

For more info on my personal lessons, go here.

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?

2009-10-11T17:33:00.006-05:00

I recently performed in Las Vegas, which was a blast, and here's what I came away with: great memories with my husband, my clients and friends, and... Perspective on why I sing. I told this story to a vocal student/friend and she suggested I put it in my blog here for you.

As always, when I perform, I end up looking for lessons I can use for you. I'm like a mad scientist, experimenting on MYSELF! I was doing live bgvs (background vocals) for a client of mine (Jim Wilkes) at the House Of Blues, and he also asked me to sing a couple of solos. One of my songs I chose at the suggestion of Ron Oates, who wrote a terrific arrangement of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" -- the Carol King classic.

As I worked myself into it (and yes, it took 7 days to get my full voice in shape because I haven't been singing out much lately), I looked for my usual motivation . I ask myself what the lyric meant to me. It came as a bit of a sudden surprise. I found myself singing to -- my audience. Why is this odd? Because the lyric goes...

Tonight you're mine completely
You give your love so sweetly
Tonight, the light of love is in your eyes
But will you love me... tomorrow? (by Carol King & Gerry Goffin)

... and the answer came to me... "Probably not". Wow. What a splash in the face. But it is the truth, and in this truth there is great protection and power for an artist. That's why I want to share it with you. Let me explain:

Earlier in my life's journey, I was having hits on the radio, national awards, on TV and in stadiums all the time, etc. and when I sang, everybody loved me. It was the strongest drug I can imagine, all that validation. Then came the day when I wasn't on the radio or TV much anymore, and guess what... when I sang, the audience reaction wasn't nearly as strong, finally trickling to an appreciative pat on the head. I was devastated. What was I doing differently? Can I tell you how common this is for artists - both now and since the "music business" began?

I finally got my bearings, my journey took some wild turns and I'm amazed and thrilled with where I am now. Getting back to the present: I happened to take a ride in a parking business limo to the airport on this trip. While I was in there I had a brief surge of unexpected sadness... I was remembering when I used to spend a lot of time in limos. Then the antidote to this silliness was sent to my heart: Jesus never rode in a limo.

Hmmm. So I'm already more blessed in this life than Jesus was? If I am really a follower (as I want to be) of Jesus, why is the limo important? Here's the thing: it's really, really true that it is better serve than to be served. I will always enjoy a limo ride, an audience cheering, a thank you from someone I can help... but motivation is everything. When I do what I do out of the sheer joy of performing the act... and out of a desire to truly serve someone with my best ability... that's when I really win.

Fans must always be important to an artist. Without them, you won't have much of a career. In Power, Path & Performance parlance, the audience is the endpoint of your performance, after all. For your voice to work best, your motivation should be to make the listener feel something. But paradoxically, the safest way to have a public career is to be careful how much importance you are attaching to public fame. A good way to check yourself is to ponder if you'd still want to sing if you fell several rungs down the ladder. George Strait says he'd go back to singing in Texas bars.

That's what I took away from Vegas, and it felt good. I had a ball... and the truth is, I would have had a ball just feeling my voice sound with a full band and horns and Ron Oates playing piano behind me... even if there were only one person in the audience to listen, and that was just God clapping.

Singing In Heels (not just for the girls)

2009-10-08T22:40:00.004-05:00

I had to wear heels last week to sing in Vegas and I have to tell you that I don't spend nearly as much time in those pedi-torture devices as I used to. It was actually fun to be back in 'em, but I had to use my secret to make it work for me instead of against me. Dear beloved readers, I shall share it with you. Ready?

Balance yourself on your HEELS when you sing, instead of the BALLS of your feet. Press down on your heels for the hard stuff.

Everything should line up nicely, and it's easy to lean back a bit for the high long notes or the tricky vocal licks (those of you who train with Power, Path & Performance know what that's about). Your heels go right up your spine to your neck and your skull. Balancing your body weight on your heels like this will help you open your chest for both breath support and control, and open your throat as well.

Guys, the truth is, we all need to sing from our heels no matter how high they are. Plant those heels firmly into the floor and you'll feel the difference.

Feedback anyone?

Problems Singing Phrases: Uncontrolled Beginnings and Dropped Ends

2009-09-29T05:18:00.002-05:00

We all too often focus on the high or long or otherwise difficult notes of a phrase. But the secret to getting the hard stuff right is often how we begin and end the whole phrase containing the hard stuff.

Without getting the beginnings and ends right, we will not communicate the message within the phrase, either. So we miss engaging the heart of the listener.

Beginnings:

We must prepare... intend... to sing the very first syllable of the very first word. Furthermore, we must prepare and intend to sing that beginning syllable on the right pitch with the right emotion. Making the communication of this beginning word and note important will cause us to breathe in such a way as to accomplish the note. It will also cause us to position ourselves without thinking much about it to open our throats, if we have trained our voices with correct muscle memory .

I had the great pleasure, thanks to the generosity of my vocal client Jim Wilkes, to see Glen Campbell and Jimmy Web in concert with the Nashville Symphony this week. While Jimmy is a magical and master music creator (and oh my gosh did I and all present just melt in the symphonic arrangements he brought to his legendary hits), Glen is the master singer. In his 70s, I've never known him to sing better. I watched his posture change, his spine elongate, moving his head back and his chest open when he was getting ready to sing more difficult phrases... and this happened BEFORE he began the phrase. It works, folks. In fact the only note in a phrase he didn't get was a pesky "ee" vowel for which he DIDN'T prepare adequately. He sang everything else so well it didn't matter... not even to the musicians among us!

Endings:

I don't know about you but when I hear a phrase delivered almost to the end, and dropped to a disappearing act before I understand the last word, I feel cheated. Not supporting the ends of phrases will also sabotage the hard notes in the middle. And again... the intention to communicate the last word will usually cause a singer to take, support and control enough breath to do so. This is partly because when it truly is our intention to communicate, we will create a more confident, resonant tone instead of leaky, breathy sound. Amazing how the mind works for or against the voice. A master performer like Glen Campbell will not stop til he's done with a phrase.

Try it next time you sing: make the beginnings and endings of phrases the most important notes and lyrics to communicate. I think you'll like it:)

And by the way, if you haven't heard the Nashville Symphony lately... you are missing an experience that will leave you truly breathless, but in a very good way!

Singing With Headphones: Pitch Issues

2009-09-26T06:15:00.000-05:00

OK, another question and answer... this time about singing with headphones.

Question:
I usually don't have pitch issues when recording, but on occasion I do. I've tried using just one ear piece on the headphones, but on this particular song, still had trouble. Can you explain the science behind finding pitch when using headphones?
Thanks!

Answer:
First of all, I hope you mean you just took 1/2 of that one ear off when using headphones. I do not find that taking a whole ear off will not help you. To clarify, take one closed headphone (not "open" headphones... ones used in the studio are usually closed to avoid feedback) and slide it half off your ear. It should cling to your head in such a way as to avoid feeding back to the mic.

Rarely, I will come upon a singer who does better with both "cans" on, but by far most singers do best with one earpiece half off. You'll also find that you'll favor one ear over the other for this maneuver. Experiment to see what works best for you. Try the left ear, then the right ear half off.

Lastly... DO NOT hold your cans with your hands. This will cause your arms to weigh down your ribcage. Instead, raise your hands above your waist and either "talk with them" or press fingertips into each other to open your chest, stay tall and flexible.

For the best discussion on the "science" of headphones and hearing pitch, see this link. You'll see I've contributed my two cents to the discussion, too.

Power, Path and Performance... the difference is real.

Voice-Over Career: How to get started

2009-09-23T06:02:00.002-05:00

I get questions from time to time about a specialty vocal career: Voice-Over. If you work in this area, you are known as "voice-over talent". It entails speaking over multimedia platforms like radio, TV, movies, Internet. It includes such things as commercials, news casting, narrating documentaries, reading books-on-tape, and even voices over animated movies. To be successful in this business, you need vocal ability to do as many things as possible. You can also specialize in niches like foreign language copy, cartoon voices, tone of voice (Tony the Tiger low voice, car-salesman type fast talk, etc).

Getting work in voice-over requires three main things:

expert ability and training to expand your vocal tone and timing choices,
a working knowledge of the business practices in this field
a great voice-over demo (which is a specialized demo and needs to conform to what will instantly tell producers you are professional-grade talent),
smart networking and the energy to do it. This includes systematically researching and getting your professionally created demo out to potential clients/producers every week; the audition process never stops for this career.

And here's a beautiful thought... one of the things that makes this a great career is that neither age nor looks matter! Only ability and professional knowledge.

I do use Power, Path & Performance to train voice-over and public speakers' voices; here is what I can help with:

I can increase your tone color choices so you can choose and change the applicable tone quality that would best communicate specific copy
I can coach you to choose the right timing ... how fast you speak, where and how long you should pause, etc.
I can show you how to protect your voice... your most important career asset.

Here are a couple of other interesting links for expert advice and training... there are many others but these stand out:

http://www.greatvoice.com/
http://www.voiceacting.com/index.html

Taming Tongue Tension

2009-09-20T12:30:00.004-05:00

A question about tongue tension was asked at The Modern Vocalist this month. I thought I'd share my answer and elaborate it with you, dear reader of this blog, because it is a very common problem. Tongue tension equals soft palate tension, equals... throat tension!!

Tongue tension happens when you use the wrong end of the tongue too much! The tongue is said by some to be the strongest muscle in the body for it's size. It is literally connected by the hyoid bone to the top of your larynx. Tensing the root of your tongue raises the larynx uncomfortably. NOT GOOD. You need to be able to keep the mighty base (or root) of the tongue relaxed while you use the tip and front sides of the tongue to articulate.

Some things I suggest that have helped my students loosen tongue tension:

1. Wake up the face and do tongue tanglers, trying for clarity and not allowing the voice to "fall into the gravel" at the ends of phrases. Act like you are speaking to deaf people... make your lyric show in your face. This gets it out of the back of the throat and stiff jaw.

2. Speak or sing with the jaw moving in sort of a slight chewing motion. Tongue tension and jaw stiffness go together.

3. Put your knuckle inbetween your molars (not the front of your mouth) and sing. It will sound weird, like trying to speak with the dentist's hand in your mouth, but your jaw and tongue will experience having to relax.

4. Sing only on the vowels for a while, again allowing the back of the mouth and throat to fall open. This is harder than you think, you have to concentrate on NOT forming consonants. Then allow yourself to slightly let the consonants sneak back in, but keeping the back of the tongue feeling the same and letting the jaw relax flexibly.

5. Put two fingers under your chin. You are feeling the base of your tongue. Speak or sing, telling yourself not to tense there (bunch the muscle up).

6. DO NOT OVER-WORK the tongue in specific vocal exercises. Sometimes I find that exercises designed to stretch out and loosen the tongue can have the opposite effect. If you do these, be sure and note how they actually affect your tongue root's ability to relax.

By the way... some people can do tongue trills and some people can do lip trills and some people can do both. Just like rolling the tongue, forming French or German syllables, for some people it is easy and some hard, because there is a learning curve that makes it easier in childhood, and I believe, subtle muscle coordination differences in people. It doesn't matter if you can do these things or not. The main thing is to get your articulation out of the back of your throat, and there is more than one way to accomplish this goal.

Let me know what works for you!

Power, Path & Performance vocal training: The difference is real.

Vocal Control For Studio Singing

2009-09-16T07:40:00.000-05:00

A large part of vocal training involves learning vocal control. Without vocal control, any vocal recording will suffer dreadfully. With it, you can do things you can only dream about without it.

Another problem with lack of control is that if you are singing with any degree of power, you are going to experience a lot more vocal fatigue and risk damage to your instrument if you sing too long. With it, you can sing all day and not experience vocal strain. Yes, it's true! And a lack of control will cause you and your recording team frustration -- or you'll just give up and settle for the best you and they think you can do. Usually, it's a huge waste of time and resources.

So what am I talking about? For a great recording, you need vocal technique skills that will enable you to:

Control volume. (Without it, your engineer will have to use excessive compression to even out volume, control distortion and bring soft sounds up so they can be heard. Some degree of "riding the faders" and compression is normal and usual, but the less the better ...and the richer the resulting sound of your less compressed recorded vocal.)

Control vocal lics and embellishments. (Without it, you will not be able to sing some vocal lics you attempt; "scats" or phrasing nuances will not "turn" well or flow evenly.)

Control vibrato. (Without it, your vibrato will be too much, too little, uneven or inappropriately applied.)

Control tone color. (Without it, the tone color of your voice will be too "covered", "hooty", "edgy", harsh, numb and boring or just plain wrong for the message. Your choices of tone of voice will be seriously limited, and your voice will sound small and/or unpleasant.)

Control articulation. (Without it, you will over- or more usually under- pronounce the lyrics. There are differing degrees of articulation appropriate for different genres and tempos and types of lyrics, and singers must be able to know and apply the proper way to form words for their songs. For instance, blues music is pronounced more slurry, hip hop generally has sharper attacks, pop is usually articulated clearer. Musical theater diction usually needs to be very crisp, but if you try to use this kind of diction in a pop song you will sound fake. But ALL songs should be understood, or the connection to the audience is not going to be made well.)

Control sibilance. (Without this, recording your vocal can be a nightmare because too much sibilance hurts the listener's ears! And fixing excessive "s" sounds with de-"ss'ers always limits the quality of sound. A related problem is the popping of "p"s and other consonants. You must be able to control your consonants even while you clearly form them.)

Control dynamic expression. (Without it, you will over-express and sound fake, under-express and bore the listener out of their minds, or bring too many changing emotional levels to the song to sound authentic and really move the heart of your listener. You have to know how to express the emotion of the lyric like a great actor delivering lines that invite an emotional response to the message.)

Control the beginnings and ends of each phrases. (Without it, you will have trouble getting the beginning of the line right. You will drop off the ends of your sentences, robbing the listener of the complete thought. You will also find yourself with a lack of other kinds of control of initiating and ending lines, because you didn't set yourself up properly before entering the phrase or you've dropped your controlling support too early.)

Control rhythm. (Without it, you will not be singing with the groove. You will be too early, too late or have inappropriate placement of lyrics via the beat. Again, different genres ask for different places the lyric should fit with the beat, but you have to know what your genre norms are and have the ability to sing with the beat that way. For instance, hip hop usually has the lyric slightly behind the beat, pop usually right on top of it, gospel and big band "Sinatra" types are flexibly in and around the beat, but you really have to sing with a lot of the masters to get this authentically right.)

Control pitch. (Without it, your engineer will have to tune the vocal too much, resulting in a machinistic, artificial sound. You may be so inconsistent and inaccurate that tuning becomes almost impossible, because the tuner "grabs" the wrong pitch or can't draw the lic well enough to sound natural. Your bended notes may be so far off there is no way to make them sound in tune. Fact: The less you have to tune a vocal, the better. Don't get complacent here and think you can just have your engineer fix it in the mix. You'll be unpleasantly surprised.)

Can you think of other types of control issues you've found in the studio? Which of these would you like most to know more about?

Vocal Health: The Most Important Nutrient For Your Voice

2009-09-11T08:31:00.005-05:00

As singers, we can buy throat sprays, suck on lozenges, drink special teas that are supposed to coat the throat. We can drink peppermint to calm jittery stomachs, or have a beer because we think it will relax our throats. We take vitamin and mineral suppliments and avoid dairy to keep from coating our throats. But do you know the most important (and most neglected) nutrient we need for our voices?

WATER!

I know, you've heard this before. However, we all need a reminder to not just KNOW something, but to DO it. So here's your water pep talk:

Water is what over 2/3rds of our body consists of. I could be thought of a sack of water with some extra stuff in it! Water affects some things not readily apparent, like headaches and tendencies to overeat. Sometimes we think we are hungry when we are actually thirsty, but the body gets the signals mixed up. Paradoxically, water is a natural diuretic; if you don't drink enough you will retain excess fluid and become edemic. Water, like most everything, has a dark side. You have to take in enough so you don't retain too much.

According to Free Drinking Water website,

"The human brain is made up of 95% water, blood is 82% and lungs 90%. A mere 2% drop in our body's water supply can trigger signs of dehydration: fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a computer screen. (Are you having trouble reading this? Drink up!) Mild dehydration is also one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. An estimated seventy-five percent of Americans have mild, chronic dehydration."

(Read more facts about the importance of water to the body by clicking on their website link above.)

The human voice is very dependent upon water. Dehydrated vocal cords (folds) are not as flexible and able to thin as hydrated ones. These folds are so small and their operation so exact (or not), a little dehydration can result in a large dent in your vocal ability in any given performance. And the very use of the vocal cords causes them to lose moisture to the air.

As an extreme example of the vocal cord-water connection, I had a very bad case of laryngitis and a very important gig. I literally could not talk but had to lead a background vocal group in two days of sessions. I discovered that if I drank huge glasses of water with a little pineapple juice added, I could sing, even in my head voice. I ended up drinking about 18 mega glasses of water a day, and really didn't pee more than usual. The moisture was being used and evaporated from my vocal cords into the air.

So how much is enough?
I recommend following advice I was given by medical professionals: Take your body weight and half it. That's the number of ounces you should drink a day. So if a person weighs 120 lb, they would drink 60 oz of water, which comes out to 7.5 8-oz glasses a day. If you are particularly active or out in the heat, use common sense and drink a little more.

Do other drinks count?
My nutritionist advised me that if you drink 75% water and no more than 25% unsweetened natural juice, it counts as water. If it makes you drink more water, I say add that orange, pineapple, apple, tomato or other 100% juice.

Herbal teas count. Coffee and caffeine in general are less healthy, but there is a lot of controversy about their addition to necessary water intake. The dehydration effect seems to be a diuretic effect. Possibly you pee out more than you take in? Caffeine has other detrimental effects, though, from jittery nerves (affecting pitch and vocal control), stomach problems (affecting breath support and control), and sometimes affecting other health problems present. It's best to at least limit caffeine. Be wise and notice how caffeine affects you before drinking it when you need to sing.

Freshly juiced vegetable juice counts. It also ensures mineral additions to your water, and balances overly-acid ph levels in our bodies. I try to juice every morning.

Sugary drinks, artificially sweetened or flavored chemical-laden drinks and alcoholic drinks most definitely do NOT count. These are poisons to be diluted by... you guessed it... drinking more water.

Especially great additions to water:
ceyenne pepper and lemon juice
ceyenne, lemon and honey
throat coat tea

Bottled, tap or what?
I highly recommend getting a good water filter for your tap... I use and love Aquasana filters...and filling your own glass or stainless steel jugs. Plastic leaches into our bodies easily, and of course pollutes the environment. Only drink from plastic if there is no alternative available, such as in the airport where you are not allowed to carry your own.

What temperature should water be?
Most experts I've talked to say it's best at room temperature. They also concur that in the end, if it's hot or iced, the most important thing is that you get it down the guzzle! Sometimes iced water causes throats to tighten a bit in some people, but again, notice how it affects YOU.

How can you make yourself drink enough?
I like to decide how much I'm going to drink and measure it out. That helps me when I get sidetracked to actually get enough in. Some people set a timer to periodically go off and remind them. This post will hopefully give you the will to go to the trouble to find out what will work for you.

So go fill up a glass and actually drink it. That "action" step is the all-important one:)

Vocal Training: Should We Train the Intellect or the Senses?

2009-09-07T14:25:00.012-05:00

There is a point and counterpoint dancing among teachers of voice. Some say it's best to teach the intellect, using facts, logic, the left brain, so to speak. Others say the way to go is to teach the sensory system... with imagery and subjective "feeling" of concepts. Like many, I think the answer lies in the mix. Teaching is always a team sport, and needs the input and energy of both teacher and student to really make a lesson come alive. This becomes especially true in the art and science of teaching voice. Observation of the student as he or she tries to apply teacher's suggestions, insight and creative approaches to problem-solving are vital as factual knowlege of anatomy and effective, healthy and proven effective vocal technique.

I believe it is healthy, protective and empowering at vocal lessons to train on two fronts: Intellectual and sensational.

Intellectual vocal training deals with our thinking brain...the hemisphere commonly referred to as "left brain" ... which uses a mathematical and analytical processes to learn a technique such as vocal support.
Sensory vocal training deals with more abstract "right brain"... more visual and artistic in it's processes... which considers feelings and sensations that go along with ways to do something. Paradox: The sensations our nerves present us with often do not correlate with anatomical movements, i.e. a vocal break is "felt" in the back of the soft palate, but is happening in the larynx. The power of breath, when properly applied, should be "felt" as coming from the pelvic floor instead of the diaphragm or lungs. Consider the phantom limb syndrome, when a felt body part is not really there.

Some reasons both intellectual and sensational training is needed (and I speak from experiential success with my students and clients and my own professional vocal experience) is that both hemispheres are necessary for working the voice. In fact, according to Natasha Mitchell's webpage;

Every single cognitive function has right hemisphere and left hemisphere components. - neuropsychologist Associate Professor Michael Saling

When you use the intellect to understand how your anatomy is supposed to function, you can use the imagery that goes along with sensation to much better effect. You can protect yourself from what your intellect knows is damaging, even if you sense no damage (pushing when you're so used to it you don't even feel it).

But intellectually studying and understanding anatomy is not enough. Case in point: A math geek who understands the science behind throwing a ball might make a poor baseball player due to limited muscle coordination and under-rehearsed (or wrongly repeated) muscle memory.

For sensory training I find it often very effective to find out what physical activity is familiar to my client's body. Many times performing an athletic skill can be correlated to a vocal technique. If the singer plays basketball, golf, baseball, does karate, etc, I can suggest that they power their voice from the same center that they do their physical activity. This unlocks the naturalness of good support without eliminating the necessary effort for breath support and control. At the same time, I teach the student what should be going on vocally, and I call attention to a harmful sensation that might be right in a physical skill, such as tightening the neck and shoulders for dance or weight training.

Even though there is tension involved in low abs, butt & back for breath support, I call it a "power center" instead of a tension center. It is also not like a solid foundational stone; the vocal power center has to change shapes to support our voices, because singing is not static. It is a living, moving thing. It should become so natural to power our voices from this center that one is not aware of even using it. It should feel instead that our voices just resonate out of us, even when we up the volume or scream metal.

This dance of teaching both sides of the brain is a tricky and sometimes sneaky thing. Sometimes I still get puzzled as to where the source of the incorrect tension lies in my student. This is where, as a voice teacher, I find concepts and insights from the Alexander Technique, as well as the Feldenkrais Method, highly useful. When mysterious vocal inabilities don't respond to my usual methods, I try to be creative. I constantly study other reputable teachers' techniques. I am always looking for new ways to defeat vocal challenges. Sometimes it can be as simple as addressing the other side of the amazing brain!

Singers: What To Do When The Flu Is After You

2009-09-04T18:08:00.006-05:00

OK, admit it (check title)... I'm a poet!

H1N1, H3H4H5abcdefxy, whatever the name of the dang flu bug trying to jump on you, if you need to use your voice, your fear and justified paranoia is the same. I have it this week; you don't want it. (Don't worry, you can't catch it from a blogpost:) Here are some random thoughts:

The best offense is defense. In public right now, assume everything you touch has just been touched by a virus shedder (how's that for a visual?) If you must touch it, don't touch your face until you wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, or with an alcohol based sanitizer til it dries. In my opinion, grocery store carts would probably be biological wonderlands! I know, ewe.
If anyone sneezes or coughs close to you, assume those tiny little droplets drifted towards your mucous membranes and you've been exposed. That's the hard truth. (Read the next tip)
If you've been exposed to the flu, try Tamiflu prophylactically (which means for prevention). My doctor and brother-in-law Charlie Ferguson says it may prevent you from getting it or shorten it's severity and duration. The drawbacks...it requires a prescription and it's about $100 a package. Of course, Dr. Ferguson and I would both tell you to consult with and follow your own medical professional's advice. All I know is that it's working great for me.
If you get the flu, cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing to protect others. Also, use alchohol wipes on surfaces you touch and wash your own bedding (from all that sweating). I'm in the guest room till I'm bug free :<
If you have the flu, take Tamiflu, use acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever reduction, drink lots of fluids and sleep. Trust me, it's all you'll want to do anyway. Also, my sister Pam Hubbard made me some of her precious tonic which I put in tomato or orange juice and makes my throat feel great. For the recipe, click on "Master Tonic" on this page. Correction... use jalapeno peppers instead of ceyenne, sorry bout the mistake. You have to let it steep for a couple of weeks so you might want to make it NOW.
When can you go back to work? If you have the flu, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Even if you do go out after this, err on the side of caution and continue covering any cough or sneeze, don't touch people or shake anyone's hand, don't breath in anyone's face, wash your hands frequently, especially after you sneeze or cough on them.
And finally...a great site for more information is the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) page here.

The flu. Don't panic, singers. But it's out there waiting to get you!

Vocal Training: Change Habits, Then Strengthen Weaknesses

2009-08-31T03:44:00.002-05:00

It's so much fun - for both of us - when a student comes to me for the first Power, Path & Performance vocal lesson. There is such an amazing leap in vocal ability that can be made by some simple changes I can suggest from watching a student do "their thing".

The first plateau of vocal training is reached by changing some breath, throat and communication habits, both physically and psychologically. I do this by giving some suggestions, then having the person sing again. When the student can feel (and hear) the difference, I show why these suggestions help, by teaching some basic anatomical principles and putting it all together where the training makes immediate sense.

The student's job will then be to practice these new habits. In this first plateau of vocal training, new habits are effected by choosing to do things a different way, and by correctly doing special exercises designed to develop new muscle memory to connect the mind-body-voice.

The next plateau is reached by gaining strength in vocal and breathing muscles, and coordination among the parts of the whole instrument - which really includes the whole body. This strength can increase the vocalist's ability beyond what was possible to improve at the first vocal lessons.

I'm enjoying watching my more regular students bloom with special exercises to strengthen the breath and coordinating and focusing exercises to enable better bridging of the vocal registers. Some of these exercises are the sirens along the right voice path, bouncing belly breathing staccato runs and paradigm shifts in how to make performance more authentic.

People wonder how vocal training works to improve the voice. I hope this illuminates some of my process. If any of you have thoughts from your experiences, please chime in. I would especially like to know of any frustrations you've had with vocal lessons. This is how all vocal coaches can improve their services... by listening to your feedback.

Considering taking vocal lessons? Contact me here.

Vocal Range... What It Is, How Much Of It You Need To Sing Great

2009-08-25T22:48:00.007-05:00

How can you increase your vocal range? It's a question I hear all the time. Many times, this question is uninformed. There's no need to sing in whistle register if you're not doing Maria Carey style vocal runs, or singing the part of "Tony The Tiger" in those commercials. Why people have contests over this eludes me. Here's a more informed question:

How much vocal range do you need?
Answer: You need enough range to sing the songs you want to sing... without straining your voice.

So, if you experience vocal strain or weakness trying to hit the low or high notes in the songs you want to sing, you may indeed need to extend your range. But wait...what does this mean?

Extending vocal range has two meanings, the way I see it.

Extending voice as low and high as you possibly can without strain.

You do this with vocal exercises designed to work your voice lower in chest voice and higher in head voice or falsetto than you would ever really sing in a song. This is very good for working the vocal apparatus out, flexing and strengthening the vocal muscles and adding to their ability to change the thickness and length of the vocal cords to the extreme. The cardinal rule is that this training and exercising must never be undertaken so far or so fast as to cause vocal cord strain. Ever pulled a hamstring? Can you imagine doing that in your throat? If it hurts it's wrong! As in other athletic endeavors, form is everything, and patience is the key to improvement.

Extending your middle, or mixed, voice where you will be singing in practical application.

This involves vocal exercises that enable the coordination of musculature within the vocal apparatus, so that changing the thickness and length of vocal cords is done with great finesse, which involves such things as the tilting of the thyroid cartilage and the balancing of strength in the thyroarytenoid muscles with that of the crycothyroids. It also involves a lifting of your soft palate. These vocal exercises must be designed to carefully go over the "break" point(s) in your vocal range until they erase that break and your voice blends in one seamless register.
A little understood fact: Extend your ability to mix your chest and head voice registers and it will have the practical application of extending your vocal range when you sing. I used to have the worst break of anyone I've ever heard; Power Path & Performance method cured it.

Hope this helps clarify. If you'd like a vocal lesson to learn safe and effective vocal range extending exercises, let me know.

Affirmations For Professional Musician & Songwriter

2009-08-25T22:33:00.005-05:00

This post is a list of wisdom collected by my friend, producer Ron Oates. I wholeheartedly agree that if we practice and act on the following affirmations, we would be miles ahead of most, in fact, there is no telling what will be possible. So here goes... and THANK YOU, RON! How kind you are to share this with us...

Affirmations
For The Professional Musician And Songwriter
From the archives of Ron Oates

I present myself in a positive light and display a professional image with everything that I do.
I respect people’s time by being organized, pleasant, and concise.
Despite anyone else’s disposition, I am likable, friendly, courteous, polite and easy to work with at all times! I treat everyone—regardless of title—professionally.
I treat my music and/or songwriting as a career, even if I’m only doing it part-time for now. I am not in this for a one-time “quick hit.”
I take my music and/or songwriting seriously and treat it as a successful business operation.
I constantly hone not only my music and/or songwriting skills but also my business skills – such as communication, negotiation, and sales skills.
I invest in my own career by making demos, attending workshops, going to Nashville (or other music centers), and buying books, audio, software, etc. to help me advance and grow.
My oral and written communication skills are impeccable! I treat each and every conversation, e-mail, and letter in a business-like manner.
I understand all of the various parts of the music business, even if I am not working in all areas right now. I know how they interrelate so that I can speak intelligently about them.
I stay informed of current music industry affairs through the Internet and various trade publications. I am familiar with the major players in a variety of areas.
I constantly hone my craft through practice, writing, exercises, workshops, books, etc.
I am persistent in my efforts, yet careful not to be pushy or pesky.
I make myself easily accessible through e-mail, fax, voice mail, and/or a cell phone.
I am confident of my abilities, yet remain humble in my approach with people. I let my music and my songs speak for themselves.
I am passionate and enthusiastic, yet careful not to appear overly eager or desperate.
I am flexible and open to suggestions for improvement, new ideas, and feedback.
I listen more than I talk.
I always use my common sense!
I don’t make “contacts.” I build lasting relationships that are mutually beneficial.
I am tremendously appreciative of all who help me in pursuing my dream. While I always express my appreciation verbally, I also show my appreciation through thank-you notes and other small tokens (where appropriate)

Musicians and Depression: Going Deep

2009-08-16T07:15:00.006-05:00

Depression is not something that can be easily summed up and cured. Oh that it could. This short three part series can only stir the conversation, and I'm glad it has. Deep, chronic depression is debilitating life threatening and hope must be found. In this post I'll share some sources that may be of help.

First of all, there are all kinds of different personalities. We don't have to be laughing all the time to be deeply joyful. We can bravely chart our own course with which we are satisfied, and for musicians and other highly creative people, a satisfied life is often one that is lived on the edge, in full color.

My highly creative musician/writer/gardener, etc. sister Pam Hubbard, who has now found her own way to successfully deal with panic attacks and depression, says this about a "creative mind unleashed":

We shouldn't and cannot estimate the depth of creativity by labeling it as such-and-such mental "disorder". The uncreatively focused mind (a very controlled mind having been successfully tamed by society) fears the mind of the untamed. I believe the element of the wild (essence of God) is most evident in a creative mind unleashed. Treatment, yes, for some who would self-destruct...but not capture and taming. I don't understand the self-destruct mechanism other than that it is estimated from time to time in the lives of some of us that it is best to leave here now and go on to what we know is much better out there. Maybe that is more rational than the tame would ever allow themselves to be.

I'm grateful to Pam for pointing me to several of the following websites:

Wings Of Support's website asks...

Is there actually a link between artistic creativity and mental illness? Most artists are not mentally ill, and most mentally ill people are not artists. However, several studies have suggested that artists are more likely than others to suffer from a class of mental illnesses called mood disorders... Some researchers, including Jamison, speculate that mood disorders allow people to think more creatively. In fact, one of the criteria for diagnosing mania reads "sharpened and unusually creative thinking." People with mood disorders also experience a broad range of deep emotions. This combination of symptoms might lend itself to prolific artistic creativity.

I would add that any musician I know would be bored stiff with a leveled out psyche. It's just that we need to figure out how to take the good with the bad.

Stephen L. Bernhardt, at Have A Heart's Depression Resource website suggests a process he calls "emotional thought stopping"... say "STOP IT" whenever the negative thought come.. and do so repeatedly for a concentrated period of time. (Read about the process on his site.) He says further that positive thinking is not the answer to severe depression if it comes from the outside... only if it wells up from the inside after the negative thought is consciously stopped. Stephen says;

It is this internally generated positive thought from the subconscious that you want to seize and to reinforce. Go with it! In other words, do not try to shove positive thought into the subconscious, let them come in response to the renewed hope you gain from emotional thought stopping.

I know one sure-fire way to get a musician depressed... take away his/her music making. That's why I tell people who come to me and wonder if their music is commercially viable that they are asking the wrong question. How badly do they need to make music?

Here's a quote from the webpage "Musicians And The Link To Mental Illness"

We know that there are some for whom music is so compelling and innately powerful, they are unable to contain it within themselves. They can no more seperate themselves form music as they could their own limb.

Indeed, take away the creative effort and you have a sad human being. This webpage also calls into question why we tend to attach the mental illness label to a creative soul. However, there is a certain vulnerability in sensitive creatives... from the same website I quote-

Anyone who knows something of the psychology of creativity, also knows that creative people suffer more severely from social pressures than 'adapted people' because they are more sensitive to them, because their creative drive is emotional in nature, not rational, and they have to rely upon them without the security of rational argument which makes them extra vulnerable to hostility from the environment.

But finally, they quote Sting about the healing powers of the very music we create;

If you play music with passion and love and honesty, then it will nourish your soul, heal your wounds and make your life worth living. Music is it's own reward. ~Sting

To that I would add that music is not enough... we must find a spiritual connection to the master creator who gives us music and "in whom we live and move and have our being". In my life, God has turned my lows turn into depth of understanding... and to trusting that the lows are temporary.

"Weeping may endure through the night, but joy comes in the morning" Ps 30:5.

When the emptiness get particularly deep, do as my wise, creative friend Terry Smith says ... "let God fill the hole". He writes on his poetry blog;

I do know real joy
Along the way I have found it
My greatest treasure
Drink deeply from this great joy
Practice its presence daily

Two other good websites for further reading:

A Book Review of Touched With Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament
Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D

and
Gifted People And Their Problems

Your comments? Please go to the web and post by clicking the comment link. Thanks!

Musicians and Depression: Triggers That Start The Downward Spiral

2009-08-12T09:22:00.003-05:00

Depression, as I said in my first post, can be caused by multiple causes. In this post I'm going to talk about three types of triggers that can begin a downward spiral in the brain.

A high in your musical career.

Strange but true, just on the other side of a significant accomplishment in our musical career (our "baby" is metaphorically finally born) , we can experience a plunge in state of mind. I refer to it as artistic "post partum depression".

Typical scenarios:

A cd project you've been working very hard on is finally finished, to your great satisfaction. The following day you feel strangely let down, tired and even sad.
You win a talent award you've been deeply hoping for that will launch your career to another plateau. Soon after you wonder why you are feeling so down and scared.
You get a deal... on a label, with a publishing company, with a booking agency. You celebrate, then feel empty.
You conquer a difficult vocal issue such as chronic tension in your voice. You are elated at your voice lesson, but soon after become afraid that you can't really do that consistently. It becomes a self-fullfilled prophecy when your voice assumes the old nasty habits next time you sing. You feel like giving up.

How can you deal with a high-low cycle?

Know what it is. Just recognizing a post-high low can keep you from being afraid of it, and can take it's power away to hurt you. It's like a coat hanging on a coathook that looks like a monster in the dark... if you know it's a coat, even though the lights are out you stop being afraid of it. You can even use the lows to rest, reflect, pray and get back to the source of your strength and get ready for what you'll do next. Choose to see low is just a temporary balancing so the highs don't burn you out!

Too Much Sensory Input

Too much to do, too many people to be around, too many promotional events and phone calls, too many things happening at once, too many people talking, too tooo toooooo much! You find yourself on edge, unsatisfied, unhappy no matter what is "going right" and you don't understand it.

This happens a lot to highly creative people. Many times artists fall into the trap of substance abuse just to find some peace. Here's a better way... find some S P A C E! Silence and space can be restoring and healing. You don't have to have money for a big sabbatical, just tell everyone you're taking a break for an evening, day or week and then DO IT. Turn off phone, tv, limit talking, just chill. Ways I do this include my morning meditations and prayer, walks in the woods, time sitting on my deck outside, walks on any ocean shore.

Bitterness and Resentment

OK, if you say you have not fallen victim to these twin mindsets, you are lying, friend... or you are not from this planet! (I, by the way, am also from Earth) And those who don't admit their imperfect attitudes are in the most peril of all... because a stuffed resentment can fester and even create more internal havoc than a confessed one. For instance:

You notice someone's career moving faster than yours. (And there's always someone...)
Someone else wins an award you were competing for. (Competition monster strikes again.)
You think someone has stolen your gig. (A big nasty trigger... especially if it's true.)
Someone diss'ed you (critiqued or assessed your performance negatively).
You got hurt by an unfair music business reality or decision. (Radio won't play you anymore, the label folds, your point man left the organization, the venue gypped you, your songs/music/production are not chosen for ___ project).
You hate yourself for your mistakes, failures and inabilities. This is a big contributor to depression, which is also defined as anger turned inwards.

There are so many reasons a musician lets bitterness and resentment take hold because we as artists are often fragile. This can turn into the end game... unforgiveness, which is truly a happiness, joy and peace killer.

We MUST turn these thoughts around, and the sooner the better. It helps to have a sane circle of friends to whom we can be accountable, so we can say "I am having trouble letting this go. I admit it and I want to stop it." If this friend will help you NOT DIG THE HOLE of resentment deeper, but will instead agree with you that you need to forgive, forget, let go, wish the person well, that's the talk you need to have. Oh yes, and prayer works to. Someone told me one time when I was crying about some unfair insult I'd received that Jesus didn't have a party here, either. That did it for me, I couldn't top that so I was quickly able to let go. I was able to see this person as fearful and sick, and actually began to care about her. I also was able to admit and forgive myself for being foolish and manipulative. Then my own clouds lifted.

Now... here's where I need your help. What other triggers of depression have you experienced, and what did you find useful that you could share?

We'll talk about more severe forms of depression next post.

The Blues: Musicians and Depression

2009-08-08T07:03:00.002-05:00

Being highly creative is a double edged sword. Gifted musicians are prone to periods of depression and "the real blues". In fact, from my experience and observations, I would suggest that many if not most musicians go through a low period of life that they barely survive. We have to take the good with the bad and learn to turn the bad into good.

Good news: with insight comes power. What I mean is that when you become aware of something you can change it. With that in mind, I'm going to write a series of blogposts on the subject of musicians and depression. This first post will shed some light on defining the problem.

When we are depressed, it is most important to get to the source of the problem.
There are many reasons for it, from physical issues like

brain chemistry imbalances
other underlying health disorders and diseases
nutritional deficiencies

to mental and emotional issues like

stinking thinking
dysfunctional coping behavior habits
and real or perceived traumatic life events.

There are many levels of depression. The low feelings can be "acute"- a temporary condition tied to some life event- or "chronic", which is a pernicious, lasting condition that is sometimes triggered by a life event or an underlying physiological problem such as a simple thyroid imbalance. The condition can run from a little moping to clinical depression- a life threatening mental and emotional state. DO NOT IGNORE CLINICAL DEPRESSION. It can become a soul abscess, robbing you of the joy of your music... and of your life. If you think you could have it, get professional help, and don't wait one more day to do it.

On the other hand, learning how to deal with-- and not be afraid of-- temporary, natural mood swings can take their negative power over you away. Much like compost, crappy thoughts can be turned into fertilizer. It is my hope that this series will help people do just that. I look forward to your comments and suggestions along the way.

Singing The Whole Line: The Slinky Principle

2009-08-05T06:54:00.001-05:00

As a vocal coach I use the Slinky in my vocal lessons to demonstrate several things... here's another.

Put a Slinky in your hands and play with it for a moment. Now, think of the left hand as the "set up" of the line. If you don't have that end in your hand, the Slinky doesn't work very well, does it? If you don't set your line up, deliberately singing THAT LYRIC on THAT PITCH, your line is sabotaged.

Think of the right hand as the "follow through". Drop that end of the Slinky. Slinky doesn't work anymore. If you don't communicate and support the end of the line, the audience is left to wonder what you said (drives them crazy and not in a good way). And... your high note in the middle of the phrase is sabatoged.

When you sing or speak, set your lines up and completely follow through. And play with Slinkys a lot. And ask my students about hoola hoops and Martian Popping Things:)