MORE INFO

WHAT IS THIS PROGRAM?

You’ll get the basic idea from the home page and the samples. The site is split into Free and Full (paid) membership sections. With free membership , you get access to the blogs and forums. You’ll have access to the breathing section of the spoken vocal lessons and a few others.

As a Full (paid) member you get access to 41 online Video Singing Lessons, Full daily vocal exercises, comment on articles, and post in the Forum,  you get access to the online vocal lessons (Samples), split up into 41 chapters. You also have full access to the online community, consisting of a Members Area, Articles, Forums.

For the ideas behind this program, and how it came about, click here.

We created the vocal lessons with an online community, because no two singers, no two voices are alike. The voice is an instrument that needs to be developed and strengthened over time to have true mastery. And one week we may be experiencing a lot more mastery than another. It might take an experienced singer, for example, a matter of weeks to feel that they ‘get it’ and that it feels right, it might another two years. You can’t make it happen, and your progress is up to you. And it’s different for everyone. So it helps to have support, your questions answered, and this in turn helps you focus and develop your vocal skills and, in fact, the mastery of your craft.

This is also why we decided not to charge an arm and a leg for the Full (paid) membership, plus we’re building a community. As a Free Membership you get a ton of cool stuff, access to the blogs and forum and film clips.

HOW DO I USE IT?

As A Full Member:

If you’re a beginner, or have never had formal training, as a rule of thumb first:

Watch the Full Program then:

Read the manual for further clarification. Or watch the lessons until you feel you ‘get it’, i.e. get the idea. Then: Start to practice with the Vocal Exercises. If you’re starting from scratch, start with practicing maybe 10 – 20 minutes every day, or every other day, or whenever you can snatch the time, or however much feels right. The main thing is not to force the voice, or the whole experience, and to try to always enjoy it. If you’re not enjoying it, then see what part of the body you’re tensing, and if that links to your posture, vocal cords and diaphragm. Print our the check list (link and see below), and make sure you’re getting the ‘path’ right. Starting with posture right up to creating and then controlling the pure note.

Get used to singing as much as you can. If you can’t practice at home or make much noise, try to sing in the shower. Hum as much as you can to develop resonance. Burn the Vocal Exercises onto a CD and practice in the car. Get used to thinking of yourself as a singer.

Find a simple song you love that’s in your key (link to vocal ranges) and that you connect with. Sing along with the original singer initially. If it feels right, i.e. in the middle of your voice, that’s a good place to start. You can often find many karaoke songs (link to karaoke sites article) that sound pretty much like the real thing. Apply the rules from the vocal chapter ‘Putting It All Together: Singing A Song’ (link), and/or read the same chapter of the Manual (link). Get to know that song inside and out. Although every song is different and has it’s own particular challenges, learn one song really, really well, and you can apply the same rules to pretty much everything you sing from then on.

If you come up against a brick wall, search the articles and Forums, or start a Forum.  It’s also worth mentioning that the purpose of this facility isn’t the perfect opportunity for judgment or snide comments. Any such shenanigans will be removed from the site. This is a place to learn where you feel safe and supported, so let’s try and keep it that way.

If you’re already an experienced singer, then you will no doubt take what you need from the program, and hopefully find something that will help you have an ‘Aha’ moment. Singing is very Zen. We all know that getting there can take a long time. And you might have a lot of stuff together but that one thing has been bugging you for years. And I hope that you’ll be able to resolve it here. And if you’re an experienced singer, you’ll know that it usually comes down to a few things, often undoing bad habits. Like raising your head or tensing up somewhere or not breathing properly. How you think about that bad habit, and how you visualize your instrument when you’re singing and/or more especially, preparing to sing, is what really makes the difference.

And practice is still the key, while keeping it groovy and fun. Singing has to be fun, no matter the genre, otherwise we tense up the body and thus the vocal cords. Initially, I recommend printing out the ‘Check list’ and putting it in a place of prominence when practicing. This helps a lot with re-programming the emotion memory of the body. Singing is an emotional thing, so it helps to do it in a clinical environment, away from the emotional content of a song. The two have to meet in the middle, once again everything balanced, for it to work.

HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE ME TO LEARN?

The whole process will take as long as it needs to take. I’ve had students who never practice but who, just from one lesson a week, have learnt to sing. Some learnt quickly, with others it was a matter of years. When you do it right even only once, you start to know how it feels when you get it right, so you learn to go back there again and again until that is your new technique. And that gives you confidence, and getting to the truth of a song is easier.

Once you get it, it’s quite simple. Its doing it all at the same time which creates the challenge. Which is where the wonderful subconscious comes in. I think, bottom line, this works because our bodies want to find the easiest way to a thing. Show it a way that works better than before, and the subconscious changes the path for you. And this is done by you tapping into ‘the feeling’, how it feels when you get it right. This is why singing can be so challenging at first, because you’re intellectually trying to do something that is instinctual. Keep practicing. Look in the mirror when you’re singing, initially. Sing whenever and wherever you can. Get used to the feeling of singing, of thinking of yourself as a singer, especially if you’re a beginner. As you start to get the right feeling, you’ll hear it in your voice. You’ll start to get positive feedback, a sign that you’re getting it right. Now might be a good time to record your self in some way, so you can check your reality.

Which brings us to a basic that is absolutely essential: like your voice. And try not to judge yourself. The more positive you feel about your singing, the more relaxed your body will be, the better the note will sound, the more relaxed and therefore the more powerful your performance is ‘Learning to like your voice’.

If you haven’t the time, or find practice too boring, then here’s a good tip to get you started. Invented by the same student who coined the ‘Deadmouth Technique’ Saying or singing the words of the song with purely the tongue, not using the jaw or lips, I put this little trick that I put in the blog: ‘Finding The Pure Note’. Basically, you sing all of the checklist to yourself, thus helping to program the emotion memory of the body. For example: ‘I’m standing relaxed under the string, weight slightly over the balls of my feet. I relax the diaphragm and take in a relaxed breath with the energy centered on the solar plexus. I relax the back, I relax the knees. I’m looking straight ahead, head balanced on the spine. The back of my neck feels elongated, which has the effect of relaxing my jaw, which is slightly tucked in.’ Etc etc. You can get as broad or specific you want. It’s a great trick, and really works.

So, I hope you enjoy this site. Feedback is gratefully appreciated, especially during these the early days. You’re comments are always welcome. If you need a question answered, there’s a good chance that it’s already been answered in the articles. If you’re still at a loss, then maybe start a forum and/or upload a clip and I’ll do my best to help you.

And I look forward to working with you in the future in the spirit of shared knowledge and mutual inspiration.