Build
a Successful Singing
Sound
-by Brett
Manning
Creating
Your Own Sound
The
following article presents the
very latest information on
singing. If you have a particular
interest in singing, then this
informative article is required
reading.
Dear
Music Lover,
Three years
ago, I signed a distribution deal
with Media Products in Barcelona,
Spain, for the translating and
marketing of the Singing
Success
Program,
thanks to a man named Paul Zamek.
Paul is
responsible for the overseas
licensing of many major American
recording artists. (His largest
client, Kenny Rogers, has sold
over 100 million albums
worldwide!)
I met Paul
on a flight to Club Med, and he
became intrigued with my approach
to teaching the human voice. He
wanted to know how I'd advise an
amateur singer looking to become
a commercial success.
If you
don't have accurate details
regarding singing, then you might
make a bad choice on the subject.
Don't let that happen: keep
reading.
Training
Your Voice
First,
train the voice as you would
train your body. Understand that
you have muscles that can be
developed in the same way
athletes train their muscles.
Singing is
fairly easy, with tiny muscles
involved in coordinating the
voice and subtle exercises
required to develop their
coordination.
I have
taught thousands of girls to sing
as high as Mariah Carey and have
safely developed a convincing
commercial sound with even the
most rigidly trained classical
singers.
Just
remember that correct technique
is necessary before moving toward
a record deal, because you will
need consistency and longevity if
you really want to make
it.
Second,
develop your "style ear" and your
vocal coordinations to sing the
rapid licks, trills, and runs
consistent with today's
pop-singing styles.
You must
also develop your unique version
of a commercial sound. A straight
purist voice (one dominated by a
heady/classical sound) has little
chance of competing with Jewel,
Christina, Mariah, or Celine.
Third, do
your own thing after you've
learned everyone else's tricks.
You have to get as close as
possible to your natural talking
voice and make your singing more
like speech on pitch.
If you
change your tone quality so that
you are talking in one voice and
singing in another, you've lost
the very qualities that make your
voice distinctive. You'll also
have a harder time sustaining
your vocal health.
When I
first explained this ideology to
Paul, he freaked out, then drew a
big smiley face on a yellow legal
pad and said, "Your voice is as
distinctive as your face." How
many times do you answer the
phone and hear, "Hey girl," and
know exactly who it is without
hearing another word?
We are
sometimes still amazed at this,
because most of us don't have
voices as recognizable as Fran
Drescher (The Nanny), Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Jennifer Tilly,
James Earl Jones, Bill Clinton,
George W. Bush, or the late
sports announcer Howard Cosell.
You don't
need a "character" voice like
these people to be distinctive;
God already took care of that
when he created the equivalent to
a thumbprint in your voice.
The U.S.
government has spent millions of
dollars to develop technology
that can recognize a particular
voice.
The
multiple frequencies produced by
your unique voice are your ticket
into the recording industry, and
making the most of them is what
I've spent the last 15 years of
my life teaching people to do.
People
e-mail me with career questions
from all over the world, and many
of them ask the same thing: What
do I have to do to get a record
deal?
Here's the
answer you usually hear:
"Headshot, bio, and demo." And
yes, those items certainly have
helped many people get started in
the recording industry.
Some have
even added a video or showcase to
the requirement, because singers
also have to be performers.
But other
than preparing all of these
self-promotions and throwing
yourself into the brutally
competitive music industry, what
else can you do to increase your
likelihood of landing that record
deal you've dreamed about since
you were barely old enough to
sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little
Star?"
Here are
three other important goals to
reach for:
First,
increase your vocal range. The
greater your range, the more
exciting and confident your
singing will be. Find a coach who
can teach you how to mix your
chest voice (speaking voice) with
your head voice (your softer,
lighter, classical-sounding
voice).
This "mixed
voice" is much thicker than pure
head voice, but has more
frequencies than a belted chest
voice (which is also the leading
cause of vocal nodules).
The "mixed
voice" has the best of both
worlds, which is why so many top
Grammy winners sing in this vocal
register. You must learn the
"mix" if you want a commercial
sound, effortless vocalizing, and
a healthy voice. (The
Singing
Success
Program
can help you with
this.)
Second,
find as many influences as
possible. Influences are
inescapable. The real question
is, do you have enough of them to
keep you from sounding exactly
like your favorite artist?
We don't
need another Celine Dion. I have
coached dozens of young women who
can now sing almost exactly like
Celine; but who wants a
counterfeit when the real thing
is already available?
If you have
enough diverse vocal influences,
you will find a little piece of
yourself in each one of
them.
Third, make
a decision to find your unique
voice and spend the rest of your
life devoted to developing it.
Don't quit
your day job until your career
takes off, and your office gig
can be replaced with a Broadway
contract or record deal. But give
every extra buck, hour, and
emotion to this endeavor. You
don't want to look back and say,
"If only." You are unique and you
have dreams.
Dreams are
visions wearing work clothes. The
world advances, not through those
who give up on their visions, but
through those who stand until
their labor and talent takes
form.
The day
will come when you can use
something you read about voice
lessons here to have a beneficial
impact. Then you'll be glad you
took the time to learn more about
singing.
-Brett
Manning
Are you
ready to kick-start your vocal
career?
Check
out
our complete line of
artist
development
packages.
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More
Singing
Advice
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Voice
Training to Improve
Singing
-
Don't
make the mistake of
trying to emulate other
vocalists. Think
differently about your
career in singing. Yes,
your sound might be
similar to a famous
singer, but do you
really think the general
public wants a
counterfeit?
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