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Ashleigh made it to (so far) the 3^rd round of the X-Factor Auditions

ROUND THREE  (ding ding)

ASHLEIGH   

So I went up there to the next round. There I had this questionnaire to fill out which had these HARD questions, so it took forever to fill out. But I came up with some good answers, so that was a good thing.
    Any way’s the 3rd round is when you have to sing for the executives. That round didn’t go very well. In that round, they don’t really care to be fun with you. I was trying to be “Me” and add my personality in there but they were just very straightforward. I had changed my song at this point (In this situation, this was a smart move) because obviously if I forget my words, its done, and I forget my words in the beginning so they aren’t even going to listen to the chorus which is the good part. Also they tape it.
    I figured, whatever I’ll just pick another song. I’m not going to do “Love Song” because I’ll just start that too high again. So I picked “Turning Tables” by Adele.
    
    So I go in front of them. It was freezing cold so that didn’t help. I had changed my song, so I was nervous. And I’m in front of executive producers, so I’m even more nervous. My voice starts getting shaky (This happens to even experienced singers at auditions like this- Plan for it) which it really doesn’t do very often and it just kind of went down hill from there.

KIM

It’s tough, it’s really tough when you get to that level. Especially when they are all business and they could care less. They don’t know you from the thousands of other people who come in front of them. Sometimes you get the feeling they would rather be home.
    Once you get to executive producers, they really don’t care. But even though they look like they don’t care you still have to show off your best asset, whether it’s something in your range, your bubbly personality, or your witty sarcasm. Whatever it is, you still need to show the best of who you are whether they respond to that or not. As you said your being videotaped and other people are going to be viewing those videotapes. There is always a checklist of what they are looking for. That list changes as you go. I mean they have a generic list, but it gets a little more detailed as you get through the different levels. You want to make sure that those things that got you through the first couple levels, whether they look like they hate your personality, by the time you get to that level, or not, you want to make sure your showing them. Its on camera to be judged by other people too.

ASHLEIGH

I’ve never actually sang in front of judges before, or anyone who had specifically tried to judge me besides my worship pastor and some people who were already friends.

KIM

So this was your first contest outside of like auditioning for musical theater and stuff, but this was your first “Regular Singing” contest and you made it to the third level?

ASHLEIGH

Well they don’t give you a no or a yes until June, SO I didn’t really get a no.

AUDITIONING ONLINE   

(While waiting for the answer on round 3)

ASHLEIGH

So there are online auditions, video auditions, like Youtube style. I’m trying to figure out if it’s against the rules for me to audition online and in person, but I don’t think that it is. I have been reading the regulations because you’re allowed to audition at different cities and stuff.

KIM

It’s not against the rules, unless they have changed the rules this year.

ASHLEIGH

Well I want to do that too. I’m really glad I learned what I did, so even if I don’t make it that way I don’t really care. I feel like next year I can make it a lot better just knowing what I do now. Also my dad says at this point I’m better at doing the hopeful good songs rather than the sad songs. You really have to make them want to cry, other wise they aren’t going to let you through on sad songs. “Bubbly” is not even half as hard.

KIM

You can’t pull off a really sad song either when you are in those curtain booths where people are screaming at the top of their lungs, because you can’t be heard, they can’t get in the emotion of the song because people are screaming and yelling all over the place. It’s just impossible. (A Power Ballad can be big- but stick to the big parts!) You have to have something upbeat, bubbly, or big.

ASHLEIGH

It was just bad. I was just not as prepared as I should have been.

KIM

It’s hard when you change your song last minute. That’s why you should always have a go to song and a back up song. Both that you have fully prepared. Especially since you can get sick one day before, you can get sick standing out in the cold or the heat, you know going between air conditioning and heat waiting and by the time you sing, eight hours later you could have allergy problems or congested or dehydrated.

ASHLEIGH

The other thing is they don’t let you warm up.

(…. A fix for THAT and more vocal training for the online audition coming in the next blog post!)

See what happens NEXT right here in the blog!

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(This is part one of 3 – to get the rest, sign up under “FREE INSIDER TIPS” at the bottom!)

Ashleigh made it to (so far) the 3^rd round of the X-Factor Auditions

 …here’s the transcript of her story above….

Round one- (ding ding)

Ashleigh- “We went inside and I was already sick but because I was sick my song, Skyscraper, sounded worse, so Skyscraper didn’t work anymore. I decided that I HAD to change my song. 

(It’s always best to practice a “incase I get sick backup song)

So I changed it at midnight, the day of the auditions, which was ok because the chorus I knew back and forth, it’s been my favorite song for a long time…”

Kim-“ Which song was it?”

Ashleigh-“ Freckles by Natasha Beninginfield. But I had to learn the verse while I was there waiting. I was trying really hard to do it, now I have the whole thing, but under the stress of everything it just kept going right out of my mind.

(not ideal-but not uncommon- but NOT Ideal!)

So Friday, I kind of muddled my way through the whole thing. I was with the judges, but not singing yet. We were just kind of hanging out and talking and pretty much the only way they let me through was because of my personality. So I was like, Got by from my personality, doesn’t matter how I sounded like. I sounded good enough to get through but not great.

(Always show your personality…. Its counts for more than you think)

But I got through; I got the little yellow pass. They wanted us to come back the next day.

Round Two- (ding ding)

Ashleigh – “Well I got the 6:30am walk. So we got there at 5:30, the parking lot wasn’t even open so we had to wait an hour for it to get open. Then we went inside. By the way that the seating was, I should have gone a lot earlier than I did. So basically they filled up three stadiums and split us up in three groups. I was at the top of the first one so they should have just taken care of the first one, then gone on the second one, then gone on to the third, not at all.

 I waited 8 hours to get my audition.

(THIS DOES HAPPEN!!! Clear your schedule)

  So I got there at 6:30 am and didn’t get to audition till four something. They don’t allow you to bring food and none of the food there is going to be good for you at all.”

Kim-“ No, its horrible. The worst thing for your voice, all that fried and greasy food.”

(Salty, sugary, fried foods gunk the throat and speed dehydration)

Ashleigh- I decided that I wasn’t going to eat so I didn’t eat for 14 hours that day. My sister had bought me a vegan doughnut that day but I only ate part of it because I was so nervous I wanted to throw it back up. So that’s all I ate and that was at 5:30am and then I didn’t get to eat till 8.

         So I finally got to audition.

(Your judges can make all the difference, that’s why most people who make it have auditioned several times)

One of the judges I had the day before so I was like, ok this is good, and the other was like this cool young guy. They seemed like easy judges. When I was about to go, they took me and the group in front of me to a different place with different judges so it would “Go Faster”.

Well it went faster but I got an old fart. (She means this respectfully) So I’m with this old guy, this other guy that I don’t even know and this other guy that looked like one of those really flamboyant guys. There was about 4 people in front me, so it was all of the sudden, I was at the front and I just had to go, when I thought that I had like 15 people in front of me. So three people didn’t make it, I think one maybe did, and I started to think, oh shoot they’re hard. One of the girls was really good and she didn’t make it and usually I could tell when they were pretty good.

(This ALSO happens all the time, DON’T BE CRUSHED- AUDITION AGAIN)

So the judges and I talked a little bit and I started singing my song. I was really messing up at the beginning but I finally got to the chorus and I was ready to sing it when this guy next to me (because you can hear everyone around you) starts wailing, just wailing. The judge, the old fart, stops me. He tells me, “You have to stop, I can’t pay attention with this, its nothing against you, nothing against your song. This guy is just…” then he talked about glass breaking and whatever else.

(There are usually dozens of singers auditioning next to you at a time)

Kim- “well, that he did that for you though.”

Ashleigh- so we waited for him to stop. I asked if I could just start over from the chorus, but he wanted me to start from the beginning. I was like, “shoot, they know that I messed up and they want to see if I can fix it.” Nope, I screwed up just as much the second time. So I sang that, I sang the chorus and they asked me to sing a second song. My second was still Love Song. I was planning on starting it in a lower key than it is. That didn’t happen for whatever reason.

(Nerves tend to make us start an acapella song in a higher key than we think we’re in)

 I started it too high and the rest was just off because the chorus goes way up. So that just screwed up. I was just like, “Sorry, I started that too high and that’s why it sounded like I should really never sing that song.” They said it was ok and if I could step outside of the booth because they needed to talk.

(This is an indication that you fit something others don’t- like a certain look or personality)

This had not happened one single time in the 8 hours I had been there and I had full view of 6 booths. None of the 6 booths had to do this. I was the only person that entire day.

(That’s because most people are trying to be “copies” of the singers instead of an original)

So I stepped out of the booth. I was with my dad and I had this little deliberation. I was thinking, “There is NO way they are going to let me through. They are just going to give me some advice about how I need to come back next year and try harder.” I knew that they knew that I didn’t practice very hard.

I go back inside and they hand me the pink slip. I was super surprised. They said, “ You did not practice enough you need to practice more next time. It was obvious that you didn’t practice enough but we like you so we will put you through. I didn’t tell them about being sick or changing my song or anything because they don’t care.”

(NEVER make excuses- even if they’re true. Smile, Nod, MOVE ON- Trust Me)

See what happens NEXT right here in the blog!

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Singing in a group, ensemble or choir can be challenging. How do you make the group sound great without losing your own identity of a singer? How can you use it to improve your own skills? You’ll be surprised at the answers in this episode of The Voice Club’s Sing Out Proud Podcast

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

I finally succeeded a few years ago when I built my DIY Recording Studio.  I did a blind sound study for the networks chief audio engineer of the same script recorded at my network studio and in my DIY home studio.  He was shocked when I told him the sample he thought came from the network was from my studio instead.  They spent somewhere around $20k for each of those recording suites.  I built mine for under $300.  He swore me to secrecy.  I never told the network but now I’m telling you.

When most people build DIY studios they make the mistake thinking only about how to do it cheaply without knowing the goal of every material they buy. That’s why they tend to spend more and end up with a room that records barely better than a garage with moving blankets on the walls.

So what are the three things you have to build into your room to make it work like the big guys’ do?

1. Sound Proofing

This is the recording concept we hear everyone talk about the most. 

Sound proofing is the process of minimizing outside noise from getting into your recording environment. 

Studios pay big bucks for sound proofing, but you don’t have to.  If you don’t have much outside noise coming in, just doing #2 and #3 may be all you need.  In most of my home studios I didn’t need anything extra because I did the other two really well.  But if you can hear people walking, doors closing, cars outside and your mic isn’t even turned on yet,  soundproofing should not be ignored.

It’s important to realize that the goal of sound proofing is not to remove all of the outside noise.  Short of working in a concrete bunker or spending $$$, it’s just not gonna happen.  But even in a noisy space (and I now live in the noisiest space I ever have, so I’m telling you from experience), you can minimize enough noise that you can get a good recording with little $ spent.  In fact, the only soundproofing I have in my current space are some heavy drapes on the sliding glass doors and surrounding the area near the door.  My DIY recording booth and acoustic panels take care of the rest for me.

I can honestly tell you the only really effective sound proofing is built in: extra insulation in the  walls, staggered studs (where insulation can be woven back and forth instead of set between) and/or adding a second layer of sheetrock (even 1/4″ sheets will do).  If you own your space, it’s definitely worth the investment.  If you don’t want to insulate, add another layer of sheetrock.  If you’re still building, drop the ceiling or raise the floor a few inches.

In one house where I took the time to raise the floor, drop the ceiling add an extra interior door and angle all of the walls it was so quiet that I accidentally fell asleep while working with my four kids running around and my dishwasher running over my head.  And that kind of experience can not be reduced to a price tag!

But what if you rent your space?  Been there too (am there now).  People tend to add rugs, hang moving blankets or add carpet to the walls in rental spaces; all of which are both ugly and only minimally effective. 

In a rental space your best option is to double down on #2……..

2.  Sound Absorption

Sound waves bounce.  And if they hit a flat surface they bounce right back, creating a tiny echo that causes all sorts of frequency problems for recording.  That’s where sound absorption comes in.

The purpose of sound absorption is to smooth sound that comes from inside your recording space.

Having a soft surface on the surfaces around you when you record provides a a place to capture the brightest frequencies of sound waves resulting in a more ‘well rounded’ sound hitting your microphone.

To get the biggest bang out of your sound absorption dollars your surface should have at least 2″ of depth and should be within a few feet of you while you record.

So why do you see big acoustic panels all over the walls in big studios?  In the engineering space, acoustic panels absorb the sounds of chatty clients and producers from leaking into the recording booths. 

If you have a particularly bright space (flat walls, wood floors, untreated/flat ceilings) these all need some form of sound absorption even if you’re the only one in the room.  Why?  Because if you’re recording into a corner treated with sound absorption in front of you only, some of the sound waves will bounce around the flat surfaces behind and around you resulting in a recording that is almost impossible to accurately EQ. 

In my studio I’ve treated the corners the the ceiling above my recording spaces with my DIY Acoustic Panels and close in the space behind the talent with my DIY Recording Booth.  The result is a totally isolated space with just enough…..

3. Sound Reflection

THIS IS THE BIGGEST THING MOST DIY STUDIOS COMPLETELY OVERLOOK.

Reflection is the process of bouncing sound waves off in a different direction.  Refraction is the process of splitting the sound waves into many different directions.  Since the result is the same for recording, let’s just call them both sound reflection.

Reflection is actually just as important as sound absorption.  Without reflection all of the timber of the sounds your voice or instruments make will sound ‘flat’, not in tone but in texture because you’ve basically sponged up the sharper textures of the sound waves that house the bling for your sounds.

To get good reflection in a studio environment you need anything but 45 or 90 degree angles (which bounce sound waves directly back at you and create a mixing nightmare.) 

If you visit a professionally designed studio you’ll usually see angled walls.  A more current sound reflection design implementation is the use of 3-d panels build to break up the sound waves in a certain way.  They can set you back as much (and sometimes more) than just building an angle into your walls.

But for renters building into the structure is just not an option.  And why would you when there’s a MUCH cheaper way to get excellent sound reflection/refraction for pennies on the dollar.   Yes I am going to tell you what it is.

I’ve only found these panels ONE PLACE on the internet, and I’ve searched quite extensively.  I’m sure they have to exist somewhere else at or near this price point but I haven’t found anything that touches these 3-d 12×12″ panels made out of pressed cardboard.  You can get 12 for under $40, spray paint them any color you want and use double stick foam squares or trim nails to mount to any wall.  They look great and work JUST like the plastic 3-d panels sold at ten times as much. 

How much sound reflection you need depends on your room.  If it’s starting to sound pretty dead (like you plugged your ears) sound reflection is your answer. 

Important side note for voiceover talent: I know you’ve all probably been told to create a totally dead space to record in, like a closet full of clothes or an airtight room filled to the brim with acoustic foam. 

People will take your recordings if you record them that way, I know. 

But from years on the other side of the board I can promise you that studio engineers prefer and recommend long distant talent who have rooms that are not void of reflection.  It makes their job easier and makes your final project sound much better….which makes them look better….which gets you more work!

How Do I Put it All Together?

You don’t have to hire a sound engineer to help you build a home studio. Just start by asking these questions:

• Can I hear outside noises a lot without my mic on?  Think sound proofing
• Does it sound ‘tinny’ or echoey when I play back my recording?  Think sound absorption
• Does my recording sound ‘muffled’?  Add sound reflection

In response to an overwhelming amount of interest, I finally made a step by step, 3-d illustrated plan for both my DIY Recording Booth and my DIY Acoustic Panels. 

Both have a complete materials list with extra information to consider when building the perfect home studio including special modifications on my DIY Recording Booth for noisy spaces that require no structural changes at all!

Wanna share what you did, right or wrong, in your recording space?  Have a questions?  Post it below.

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

Wanna know if you’re really a good singer?  Wanna know if your voice itself (the technique that makes all of your styling work) is really strong?  Are you willing to look under the hood and see if all your bells and whistles are hiding gaps and weakness that are putting your voice at risk for vocal damage?

Well, then.  Read on.

What is Vocal Styling?

Styling is anything we use to dress up a song; slides, dynamics, laying back or pushing a note, trills, etc.  Think of styling as a huge palate made for dozens of colors we use to paint a picture with our voice.

Styling should be a conscious decision, not an accidental habit.  You wouldn’t paint a landscape with only two colors and make all the shapes the same size.  You’d think about what colors are appropriate for different parts and you’d be careful not to paint over important details.  That’s the way to approach vocal styling.

One of the biggest downfalls found in styling come when we learn by copying what we hear other singers do.  We think that if we can copy what they do we will be good singers just like them.  But what they do, where and how they do it in a song, may cause problems when you try it on.

Some Styling is Hiding a Weak Voice

Copying another singers styling would work perfectly if we all had exactly the same type of voice, the same range and the same vocal tendencies.   But….we don’t.  

Our voices are as different as snowflakes.  So when we copy what another singer does we could be, and most often are, shoving a square peg in a round hole.  

That means we’re asking our voice to naturally do what it just can’t naturally do.  End result; vocal strain, weakness in parts of your range, a limited range, damage….the list goes on and on.

Some Styling is Sticking You in a Vocal Rut

Some of your styling may not be causing any vocal problems but instead may be such a habit that your voice literally can’t style a song any other way.  That means you’re painting the exact same picture with every song and that gets old to listen to.

To develop as an artist you need to know where those ruts are so that every song doesn’t sound exactly the same.

Some Styling is Over Done

Bling is a good thing.  But just like jewelry on a little black dress, restraint draws attention to you, not your bling.  That’s what we want as artists.  

Why is over styling a bad thing?  Because styling, just like color, can be used by anyone.  People won’t keep coming back to listen to you because you can do a mad trill.  They will come back because you let them connect with who you are, your songs and give them an experience they can’t get from every other singer that can do a mad trill.

Don’t let styling take a more important place than it deserves.

How to Test Your Styling

Remember when you just sang songs straight; no fancy stuff?  Yes, the good old boring days.  Well, I’ll bet you can’t do it now.  Don’t believe me?  Try it!

When you sing a song with NO styling, it’s really easy to hear weak places your styling has been hiding.  You can hear if your real voice is strong and fluid or if there are weird spots or limits to your ranges you didn’t really notice before.

Removing styling lets you to hear how good, or not, your vocal technique (the engine that runs everything) really is.

Fixing problems in your voice always begins with getting solid technique training.  Our tendency to style over unsure spots will only lead to more vocal problems.  

Build a stronger voice and learn the basics of styling and you can create any picture you want and paint beautiful songs like a pro with ease.

If you’d like to understand the basic types of vocal styling so you can start mixing and matching and creating your own unique vocal style, check out the video how to;  7 Steps to Successful Styling.

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

So what makes you any different from any other singer?  What leaves some singers with the same five fans forever and a feeling like they’re always at the bottom of the singer pool when others become fast fan favorites and contest winners?

1) Focus Only on the Notes

Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but the actual singing has less to do with being a successful performer that you’d think.

Most singers spend most of their attention focused on reaching the right notes at the right time.  Granted, notes are important, but if you stop at notes, tempo and pitch you’ve barely scratched the surface of a song.

If you were to take two equally good singers there is one thing that would set them apart: how well they communicate when they sing. Because it’s not the notes that sell a song, it’s the story.

Are you a good story teller?  Do you make people feel what you feel in a song?  Back it up even more: do you feel the message of song yourself?  If you’ve said no to one or more of these questions it’s time to rethink how you view singing.

2) Get Lost in Your Own Little World

The surest way to let people know they’re not invited to be your fan or get into your music is to always be singing to yourself.  

You’ve seen them; singers with their eyes closed for a whole song or looking anywhere but at the audience.  They’re so captivated with their own performance that the audience gets the message to not disturb them.

If you want to sing for your own enjoyment do it when you’re alone.  Everyone who loves to sing probably already does.  But when you’re singing for people, look at them, invite them to participate and let them know it’s for them.

3) Don’t Listen to What Others Think of Your Singing

No, you can’t please everyone, but if the only opinion of your singing you’re open to is your own you’re missing important information that will boost you from ‘just another singer’ to a singer people can’t wait to hear from.

Keep a running tally of the kinds of comments you hear most.  What are people noticing first about your singing?  Is it how energetic you are?  Do they feel a connection with they way you sing ballads?  Do they feel like you’re singing just to them?  These are great indicators that you’re connecting to your audience in a way that will result in product and ticket sales and a fast growing fan base.

If the bulk of your comments are all along the line of ‘you have a nice voice’ or ‘I liked that song’  you know that while you may be entertaining or impressing people, you’re not necessarily making fans that will buy your music and attend your shows over any other singer.

Make this the year that you take a serious look at how you can jump out of the pool full of singers and make your music something greater than ever.

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

The brain has an amazing way of trying anything to help you avoid embarrassment.  And when it comes to singing difficult notes (that would be the ones you are not ‘mixing’ or vocally balancing on) your brain will pull out all the stops.

The Yank and Pull

Sometimes our brain will convince us that if we just pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and take a good running start we’ll eventually hit that note.  And it works sometimes.  but it also engages muscles that aren’t meant for singing that can cause anywhere from vocal strain to outright vocal damage requiring surgery if you do this over time.  That’s no good.

The Slide

Similar to the ‘running start’ train of thought, sometimes your brain will tell you to slide up to the note.  This is actually a smarter move  (thanks, brain!) but depending on how your voice is balancing on the notes in the slide, it can be unreliable at best; sometimes resulting in a flat top note or a sharp one.  Close, but no cigar.

Picture Courtesy of Snooperz

The Air Blast

God bless our brains.  They mean well.  Sometimes they want so desperately for us to hit that hard note that they’ll just ask us to airlift ourselves right on top of it.  You’ll know if you’re doing this is every hard word/note has a little…or big ‘H’ at the front of it and/or it feels a bit gutless. 

Can this get you there?  Again, sometimes it can.  But the problem is that without a balanced mixed voice

1. you won’t be able to go anywhere with that note dynamically
2. it will be incredibly hard to hold out for any impact and,
3. sandblasting your tiny vocal folds (cords – same thing) has actually proven medically to be more damaging to your voice that screaming like a rocker. 

So…..back to square one.

The Answer

So how DO we get to the hard-to-sing notes without killing ourselves or our voices?  The answer is with a balanced, mixed voice.

A healthy balanced voice that mixes proportions of both chest voice and head voice allows you to easily navigate through the vocal bridges (‘passagios’ for my jargon happy friends). 

That means that you’ll sail by those notes that felt high or impossible as easy as a sailboat with a good breeze. 

It really can happen – in ANY voice!  Does it take time?  Yes.  How much?  As much time as it takes you to learn anything; time to untrain the things you’ve believed that don’t work, time to build the muscle coordination to balance the voice and time to test drive it until it feels like your new normal.  And that all just depends on two things, 1) good instruction, and 2) you!

If you’re ready to make the hard notes easy, click here.

Already working on it?  In the next post, I’m going to give you some great tips on some very practical things you can do to make those hard notes easier as you’re developing your mix voice.

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

Hitting Bottom

Where is the bottom of your range?  Well, it can vary slightly depending on what time of day it is, how warmed up your voice is and other factors.  But there’s a simple way to give it a test run:  just sing one note at a time down to where you can’t clearly go any further.  Now, for the magic ‘expand-o-range’ trick:

Starting anywhere you like, say “Ahhhh” and slide gently down as low as you can comfortably go. 

“Ahhh” should feel like your sinking into a comfy chair at the end of a long day.  Try it again and try sliding gently lower. 

Do this a couple of times a day and you’ll actually start to expand your usable bottom notes (as long as you are accessing them the same way when you sing and not ‘shoving your voice down’ to them).

Singing Low Notes in a High Song

When the melody of a song only briefly dips into the bottom end of your range before sailing back to the top your brain only wants to think about the high notes.  It thinks the low notes are easy and need no help but the truth is that if your bottom end isn’t warmed up on a song like this your voice just ain’t going low without a fight.

Many songs start low in the verses and fly high in the chorus, so it’s extra important to prepare your voice to relax to the very bottom before you sing them.  Check out the video below and see how I helped a student prepare for just such an occasion:

Give your low notes the credit they deserve.  Warm them up, continually expand them and they will thank you with an overall increased vocal range and a comfort starting in almost any key that you never knew was there!

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

Don’t think so?  Just consider that happens to the rest of you the first day you run out of the house without a jacket forgetting the seasons have changed; your body tenses, your muscles shrink back in protest and even your brain looks for the quickest escape.

Your voice is no different.  Just like the rest of your body, your vocal cords are dependent on groups of muscles, skin and tissues to stay relaxed, warm and pliable so they can do their job.  So what are the best ways to keep that hot voice when singing in the cold?

Warm Your Cords

You warm up every time you sing.  Right?  RIGHT?!  Good.  Well, that vocal warmup becomes THREE TIMES more important when you’re singing in the cold.  The muscles responsible for zipping your vocal folds/cords up and down are going to need some extra prompting.  If you lied about warming up, this is the time to fess up and start warming up!

Warm Your Throat

Just like a hot bubble bath has the feel good factor after a long trek in the snow, a nice warm beverage will have your throat relaxed in no

time.  Us vocal teacher types are known for telling you to lay off the lattes and hot chocolate.  It’s the milk factor.  But if you’re going to throw that rule out the window there is no better time than when you’re about to sing outside in the cold.  If you’re a purest, go for some hot tea. Honey has good properties too.  Just skip the lemon; it will speed dehydration and you don’t need any help with that!

Warm Your Neck

Now that you’ve warmed your vocal cords and the tissues around them, wrap a nice big blanket around them to lock it all in.  Well, a blanket might look a bit odd, so maybe a nice big scarf.  Whenever you sing in the cold, wearing a warm scarf will preserve both the warmed up muscle and tissues but also help to keep your voice from dehydrating so fast in the cold air.  Make your own stylistic choices, just make sure it includes a scarf that covers from chin to coat.

Follow these three steps and you’ll help your voice make it through one of the most difficult situations to sing in. 

Have a story of singing in the cold?  SHARE IT BELOW!

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

How vibrato works

• Your vocal cords are moved by groups of muscles that surround them
• Vibrato happens when the muscles pulse; think of a baby bouncing on a mother’s knee
• Any sound that does that is a vibrato.  But who wants to sound like that?

The Secret Behind a Beautiful Vibrato

• To take a vibrato from ugly to nice requires vocal fitness; it takes the ability to control the muscle coordination.
• People who are born with a natural vibrato usually lack the ability to control it.  But gaining control will allow you to really color songs with your vibrato like a true artist.
• People who don’t have a natural vibrato are honestly no further away from discovering a beautiful vibrato than those who are born with it.  When you develop the coordination to control the muscles that make vibrato you will have just as beautiful a vibrato as anyone who’s been doing it their whole lives.
• What determines how fast you can develop a beautiful, controlled vibrato?  The right instruction and you!

How to Control a Warbly Vibrato

• A warbly sound is not the vibrato that most of us want.
• Just like a singer without a natural vibrato and weak muscle coordination will sound a bit ugly when they try a note with vibrato, a singer WITH a natural vibrato who lacks muscle coordination will also sound less than lovely.
• If you’ve got an over active vibrato it just means that the muscles that control your voice are wimpy; kind of like your stomach muscles after having a baby.  For you, building muscle coordination and a balanced voice will tighten those muscles and give you greater control over them.  THEN your vibrato will be a slow, fast, narrow or wide as you choose EVERY TIME.

Feel vibrato today!

• [Audio exercise]

 Want to see a student discovering her vibrato for the 1st time?  Check out this video Lesson Sneak Peak!

Have a question/comment about vibrato?  Type it in below!

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy