I’ve been a trained singer for most of my 33 years of life… but your wah wah pedal analogy has me effed up all sorts of ways. I had never thought of it like that before.
I've said it before but I have to say it again. YOU are amazing! What a great teacher! You are multi-dimensional excellent! You are different and better than all vocal teachers and coaches because your love and caring comes through. Because you tell us to let our voice crack, it will improve. Because you tell us to relax the jaw and let it hang loose, which, when we do that solves a myriad of problems right there. Also your closing remark on this video, which is what precipitated me to write this. You kinda have an approach like, "You're okay -now sing like it." Instead of every other teacher who says, "Do these exercises and maybe, just maybe you'll become okay and you'll be able to sing well. You kind of believe in the innate inner wisdom of the body and the vocal mechanism to do it's thing. Like it wants to do it's thing if we'll just let it. You kinda teach us that humans are meant to sing, designed to sing and that it's kinda weird to hold ourselves back with tension. By focusing on the volume, you teach us to let the body do it's thing. You make everything seem possible - doable. You make singing fun and rewarding. I could name 20 UA-cam vocal teachers I have worked with. Some of them have some good tips, but nobody comes near your level of excellence. Excellence on a thousand different levels. Alright a hundred different levels. Okay, dozens of different levels. Would you believe quite a few levels. But I mean what I say, and judging by other people's comments I'm in good company. Thank you, Mark
Mark, I found it very "reassuring" when you said that singing higher volumes will employ more chest voice...A lot of singers (and teachers) teach you lighten as you go up, which I never bought into. They all talk about pulling chest as well, but the narrower vowel prevents that from happening. Thank you so much for this post. I needed to hear this.
Thank you for your videos! While I sang a lot when young (choirs, musicals, etc), it went by the wayside because "life." At 60 years old, Irecently started learning the ukulele. When I really started Singing (not just along with the car radio), I was really disappointed at how bad my voice was. I realized I had two instruments, and needed remedial training for my voice.These exercises have been very useful, and I'm getting results in just a few weeks. I even have hope that I may someday get rid of (or at least lessen) the register breaks--something I didn't even know had a name, I just thought i was defective. All those years in choirs, and while we did warm ups, no one ever really talked about vocalizing and training our voices.
Great, has really helped me feel where to sing to get a nice sound. Happy Thanksgiving! I am extremely thankful to have found your site, and am benefitting from your teaching talent. :0)
Great video Mark, thanks for posting. Singing songs in different keys is thanks to you exercisess much easier & rather than thinking about if I get the higer note I am able to relax more into the mood of the song & trust my voice. Thanks for the help.
Hey, Mark. I love this one. It immediate brought me back to our sessions during the times when you were building me up again after breaking away my bad habits. At first I found I needed to concentrate quite a bit, as I'm not at 100%,, but the more I did the exercise, the less I had to think and the more I just focussed on breath and consistency. I'm putting this video on my phone so I can use it before gigs. I urge others to do the same. You the man!
First of all thank you mr baxter, I have seen tons of videos on youtube and by far sr your are way more effective and comprehensive than what I found. you really helped me with getting my voice back and I really wish soon I could afford one of your programos available, I encourage anyone who read this to go ahead and look for them there seems pretty good material for the money. I have one question if you would, my main language is Spanish, I tend to sing on both but I wanted to know if this vocal excercises will help me on my native language vocal singuing aswell or should I create specific vocal excersices for any sound I would like to create?. Thanks!
+Fernando Lavado Hi Fernando - great question! Perfectly alright to create an exercise with any sound and still maintain a focus of smoothly changing between registers. Every sound humans produce requires a slight adjustment - so navigating from sound to sound when vocalizing develops coordination and helps deepen your trust of your voice.
Hey Mark, I've been using your videos to help get me back into shape for some upcoming shows, as I've been really inactive in a live capacity while focusing on writing and recording, which I feel are 2 different types of singing for me. I'm really struggling to find fluidity through my registers and I'm also experiencing "frogs" or blockage in my throat when I go for anything requiring increased volume. Any ideas / tips?
Don't know when you need to be back up in action for live gigs but all your symptoms indicate you're rushing the process. Delay jumping into volume and instead gradually raise the level of intensity. The small, intrinsic, muscles of the larynx are not up for an increased load and so the larger, extrinsic, muscles are jumping in to compensate. Sing at the level you're fluid and then "ask" for just a touch more sound. Rinse and repeat.
Mr. Baxter, is vowel modification included in your vocal program "How to sing like an Idol" ? or can you recommend me a book that written specifically about vowel modification? Thank you.
It's best to internalize singing behaviors when vocalizing in order to provide the most options later when singing. If you program your mouth to aid in the production of certain vowels or pitch areas your tone will be limited to what that position provides. It's no different then always smiling when acting - that would not be appropriate for certain roles or moments. Even over the phone - you can tell when someone is smiling. There's nothing wrong with allowing your face to animate the sound once singing - but those actions should be inspired by the sentiment of the song - not the default of a compensating technique.
This exercise is very helpful. It helped me sing softer and at a sweeter tone. But im kinda confused at why my speaking voice is low for a girl but when you said "start at a comfortable starting point" i immediately keep starting from a higher note that could be a mix or just head voice. When i tried starting from a speaking level note, i felt a bit uncomfortable and kept making facial expressions and tensed up my shoulders. Do you know what's going on here? XD
light bulb moment...the register change happens at different pitch depending on volume... now I see why it often feel like my chest voice wants to give out at b or middle c, but I can potentially actually get it up to E4 or even F sometimes
Mark my problem is changing registers, I crack, it happens more in the middle register maybe going between head and chest. I was a singer for many years and never had this problem. I took a long hiatus. Now I am singing again, I'm older. I want to know if its possible to capture that smooth clarity I once had..my voice is good but the cracking is my fear. I m afraid to let go because the cracking happens so unexpectedly. Will this go away eventually and how long will it take? Thank you so much Mark
+T Phil Yes - you can achieve the coordination you once had - if you think of it as a coordination issue and not a curse of age. The first step is to let it crack. Tensing in anticipation will only compound the problem. Start at a low volume where the crack is more manageable - work up in volume very gradually.
Hi Mr Baxter, I've encountered a problem lately, it is singing low notes. Is it natural to feel like something blocking in the throat when trying to hit really low notes? I'm aware of throat tension and all that and I am always trying to sing without recruiting any throat tension but I'm facing it when trying to hit really low notes. My vocal teacher asked me to "let it go" but I simply can't, because I feel that it is not that kind of tension that I can let go of like the ones when singing high notes, it is more of a natural occurrence in the throat.(At least thats what I think) So is it natural that really low notes are harder to project or even produced and also is it me or it is also natural to feel something in the throat blocking when singing really low notes, even when at a really soft volume? One more thing, I also feel it a lot more in my throat when my teacher asks me to drop my jaw but not ridiculously a lot during really low notes.
It's not natural to feel something blocking your low notes - but perfectly normal. Use the vocal frye as a way of accessing your low notes without engaging external throat muscles.
Ahh I see. Thank you! Just one more question if you don't mind, I am taught how to place my voice in a 'forward' position and to create resonance but one thing I don't know how is regulating the air flow. How do I not overblow or force too much air through my vocal cords even when trying to increase volume? Do you have any exercise for that? Thank you very much, Mr Baxter.
This would be a very appropriate question to ask whomever is teacher you. I prefer to have singers focus on the sound they are producing rather than their behavior. That would mean you ask for a clear sound at any volume and then focus on keeping it clear as you slowly increase volume. You are assuming more volume takes more effort so you are focusing on more effort. Ask for the sound you want - not the behavior you think is necessary.
Hi Mark, I need your advice. As I am busking to make a living, I am continuously looking for new songs to sing. I really like "Silly Games" by Janet Kay. As you have probably guessed, I need advice on how to sing those high notes, as a male. What should I do? Peace.
Hi Mr Baxter! Thanks for the videos, but I really need help, I cant seem to bridge from chest chest to mix voice I have tried so many exercises but can't seem to get it, my voice always crack or goes into falsetto , I really need help :(
You can do it Lucas - in fact I'm sure you already have! Sometimes, by accident, I'm sure your voice travels into mix while talking. I'm also sure you can get into mix when vocalizing very softly. Use these two successes as evidence that it's just a matter of patients. It's okay if your voice breaks and cracks as you try to learn new behaviors. As long as you stay focused on your goal of singing smoothly - letting the voice crack does not hurt you or set you back. Keep the volume low and play with different tones and you'll find the one that works.
All exercises that you vocalize right through the passagio are the best exercises to learn to navigate that area. In other words - it's not the exercise that develops your skill - it's the desire.
What's going on is you just discovered that you trained yourself to speak too low. All those unnecessary muscles that make you uncomfortable when trying to sing low are what you use to speak everyday. People often view their speech as natural but it often isn't. Where you feel light and free when singing is a good area to use as a guide for your speech. The goal is to make singing and speaking become one.
You are right.When I started to Practise I had a low Voice.Bu somehow I knew that I could Sing high as a Baritone. I Practise alot and it is a surprise every day with new sounding.
Wonder if you could elaborate on "making singing and speaking becoming one" - pls, thanks Reminds me of a SciFi story where the characters would "speak" via singing..!!
@@TJ-cg8mq It's exactly like that SciFi movie! Talk like you're in a musical or sing like you're talking to someone (just more animated). the difference between speech and singing is in the brain. The same muscles are used in both but the intention is much different. Often - it's people's speech habits that are much worse on the voice than their singing behavior. Speak with more melody!
I’ve been a trained singer for most of my 33 years of life… but your wah wah pedal analogy has me effed up all sorts of ways. I had never thought of it like that before.
I'm surprised your classical teachers didn't describe the voice as a source/filter relationship. All singing is just different shapes of sound.
I've said it before but I have to say it again. YOU are amazing! What a great teacher! You are multi-dimensional excellent! You are different and better than all vocal teachers and coaches because your love and caring comes through. Because you tell us to let our voice crack, it will improve. Because you tell us to relax the jaw and let it hang loose, which, when we do that solves a myriad of problems right there. Also your closing remark on this video, which is what precipitated me to write this. You kinda have an approach like, "You're okay -now sing like it." Instead of every other teacher who says, "Do these exercises and maybe, just maybe you'll become okay and you'll be able to sing well. You kind of believe in the innate inner wisdom of the body and the vocal mechanism to do it's thing. Like it wants to do it's thing if we'll just let it. You kinda teach us that humans are meant to sing, designed to sing and that it's kinda weird to hold ourselves back with tension. By focusing on the volume, you teach us to let the body do it's thing. You make everything seem possible - doable. You make singing fun and rewarding. I could name 20 UA-cam vocal teachers I have worked with. Some of them have some good tips, but nobody comes near your level of excellence. Excellence on a thousand different levels. Alright a hundred different levels. Okay, dozens of different levels. Would you believe quite a few levels. But I mean what I say, and judging by other people's comments I'm in good company. Thank you, Mark
Hey thanks a million Flint! I mean thanks a thousand. No, wait - thanks a hundred? A dozen? How about just one big thank you - I'm glad to help! :)
Once again, can’t thank you enough for your help.
You're very welcome! I'm really glad you're using these videos.
I am totally thrilled with this great vocal education. Have been for two years now!
Glad to be on the journey with you Flint!
Mark, I found it very "reassuring" when you said that singing higher volumes will employ more chest voice...A lot of singers (and teachers) teach you lighten as you go up, which I never bought into. They all talk about pulling chest as well, but the narrower vowel prevents that from happening. Thank you so much for this post. I needed to hear this.
I'm trying to sing again after many years. Your tutorials are an amazing help. Thanks so much..
You are a legend. On with your hundred day commitment. So far so good!
Just wanted to say thanks for all the effort!
+Viraat Soni Glad to help!
Thank you for your videos! While I sang a lot when young (choirs, musicals, etc), it went by the wayside because "life." At 60 years old, Irecently started learning the ukulele. When I really started Singing (not just along with the car radio), I was really disappointed at how bad my voice was. I realized I had two instruments, and needed remedial training for my voice.These exercises have been very useful, and I'm getting results in just a few weeks. I even have hope that I may someday get rid of (or at least lessen) the register breaks--something I didn't even know had a name, I just thought i was defective. All those years in choirs, and while we did warm ups, no one ever really talked about vocalizing and training our voices.
Welcome back!
Great, has really helped me feel where to sing to get a nice sound. Happy Thanksgiving!
I am extremely thankful to have found your site, and am benefitting from your teaching talent. :0)
Great video Mark, thanks for posting. Singing songs in different keys is thanks to you exercisess much easier & rather than thinking about if I get the higer note I am able to relax more into the mood of the song & trust my voice. Thanks for the help.
thx Mark - I appreciate your help man
Your videos are always great.
This one is so good!
2:58
The best way to contact me about lessons is via email: mbaxter@voicelesson - dot - com
i send u an email from gmail but u dont reply
Hey, Mark. I love this one. It immediate brought me back to our sessions during the times when you were building me up again after breaking away my bad habits. At first I found I needed to concentrate quite a bit, as I'm not at 100%,, but the more I did the exercise, the less I had to think and the more I just focussed on breath and consistency. I'm putting this video on my phone so I can use it before gigs.
I urge others to do the same.
You the man!
great Mark!
Thank you for your advice ,it is quite useful!
I'm happy to help!
Thank you.
Thumbs up, practice done.
Great!
First of all thank you mr baxter, I have seen tons of videos on youtube and by far sr your are way more effective and comprehensive than what I found. you really helped me with getting my voice back and I really wish soon I could afford one of your programos available, I encourage anyone who read this to go ahead and look for them there seems pretty good material for the money. I have one question if you would, my main language is Spanish, I tend to sing on both but I wanted to know if this vocal excercises will help me on my native language vocal singuing aswell or should I create specific vocal excersices for any sound I would like to create?. Thanks!
+Fernando Lavado Hi Fernando - great question! Perfectly alright to create an exercise with any sound and still maintain a focus of smoothly changing between registers. Every sound humans produce requires a slight adjustment - so navigating from sound to sound when vocalizing develops coordination and helps deepen your trust of your voice.
Note to self: 3:00. Thanks Mark!
I'm so grateful for your videos
Glad they're helping!
I think what teachers are trying to tell you is to not get louder as you sing higher... which is good and what Mark is teaching in this video.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome!
Hey Mark, I've been using your videos to help get me back into shape for some upcoming shows, as I've been really inactive in a live capacity while focusing on writing and recording, which I feel are 2 different types of singing for me. I'm really struggling to find fluidity through my registers and I'm also experiencing "frogs" or blockage in my throat when I go for anything requiring increased volume. Any ideas / tips?
Don't know when you need to be back up in action for live gigs but all your symptoms indicate you're rushing the process. Delay jumping into volume and instead gradually raise the level of intensity. The small, intrinsic, muscles of the larynx are not up for an increased load and so the larger, extrinsic, muscles are jumping in to compensate. Sing at the level you're fluid and then "ask" for just a touch more sound. Rinse and repeat.
Nice Explanation
I hope it helps!
Mr. Baxter, is vowel modification included in your vocal program "How to sing like an Idol" ? or can you recommend me a book that written specifically about vowel modification? Thank you.
I try to learn to sing Ave Maria. The start, aaaaAAAAAaaaveee MaaariiiiiIIIIiiiiiaaaaaAAaaaa is painfully hard. I study your videos with grate care !
Hey Mark, why do you say avoid smiling or spreading?...I've been taught that for years. Just a question, love your vids.
It's best to internalize singing behaviors when vocalizing in order to provide the most options later when singing. If you program your mouth to aid in the production of certain vowels or pitch areas your tone will be limited to what that position provides. It's no different then always smiling when acting - that would not be appropriate for certain roles or moments. Even over the phone - you can tell when someone is smiling. There's nothing wrong with allowing your face to animate the sound once singing - but those actions should be inspired by the sentiment of the song - not the default of a compensating technique.
This exercise is very helpful. It helped me sing softer and at a sweeter tone. But im kinda confused at why my speaking voice is low for a girl but when you said "start at a comfortable starting point" i immediately keep starting from a higher note that could be a mix or just head voice. When i tried starting from a speaking level note, i felt a bit uncomfortable and kept making facial expressions and tensed up my shoulders. Do you know what's going on here? XD
light bulb moment...the register change happens at different pitch depending on volume... now I see why it often feel like my chest voice wants to give out at b or middle c, but I can potentially actually get it up to E4 or even F sometimes
Yup - not only volume but also the vowel sound determines the pitch of the transition. Each vowel has its own point..
Mark my problem is changing registers, I crack, it happens more in the middle register maybe going between head and chest. I was a singer for many years and never had this problem. I took a long hiatus. Now I am singing again, I'm older. I want to know if its possible to capture that smooth clarity I once had..my voice is good but the cracking is my fear. I m afraid to let go because the cracking happens so unexpectedly. Will this go away eventually and how long will it take? Thank you so much Mark
+T Phil Yes - you can achieve the coordination you once had - if you think of it as a coordination issue and not a curse of age. The first step is to let it crack. Tensing in anticipation will only compound the problem. Start at a low volume where the crack is more manageable - work up in volume very gradually.
Hi Mr Baxter,
I've encountered a problem lately, it is singing low notes.
Is it natural to feel like something blocking in the throat when trying to hit really low notes?
I'm aware of throat tension and all that and I am always trying to sing without recruiting any throat tension but I'm facing it when trying to hit really low notes.
My vocal teacher asked me to "let it go" but I simply can't, because I feel that it is not that kind of tension that I can let go of like the ones when singing high notes, it is more of a natural occurrence in the throat.(At least thats what I think)
So is it natural that really low notes are harder to project or even produced and also is it me or it is also natural to feel something in the throat blocking when singing really low notes, even when at a really soft volume? One more thing, I also feel it a lot more in my throat when my teacher asks me to drop my jaw but not ridiculously a lot during really low notes.
It's not natural to feel something blocking your low notes - but perfectly normal. Use the vocal frye as a way of accessing your low notes without engaging external throat muscles.
Ahh I see. Thank you!
Just one more question if you don't mind, I am taught how to place my voice in a 'forward' position and to create resonance but one thing I don't know how is regulating the air flow. How do I not overblow or force too much air through my vocal cords even when trying to increase volume?
Do you have any exercise for that?
Thank you very much, Mr Baxter.
This would be a very appropriate question to ask whomever is teacher you. I prefer to have singers focus on the sound they are producing rather than their behavior. That would mean you ask for a clear sound at any volume and then focus on keeping it clear as you slowly increase volume. You are assuming more volume takes more effort so you are focusing on more effort. Ask for the sound you want - not the behavior you think is necessary.
Hi Mark,
I need your advice. As I am busking to make a living, I am continuously looking for new songs to sing. I really like "Silly Games" by Janet Kay. As you have probably guessed, I need advice on how to sing those high notes, as a male. What should I do?
Peace.
Seems like a perfect candidate for leaving it in the same key but sing it an octave lower than her.
@@voicelessondotcom Thank you, brother!
Hi Mr Baxter! Thanks for the videos, but I really need help, I cant seem to bridge from chest chest to mix voice I have tried so many exercises but can't seem to get it, my voice always crack or goes into falsetto , I really need help :(
You can do it Lucas - in fact I'm sure you already have! Sometimes, by accident, I'm sure your voice travels into mix while talking. I'm also sure you can get into mix when vocalizing very softly. Use these two successes as evidence that it's just a matter of patients. It's okay if your voice breaks and cracks as you try to learn new behaviors. As long as you stay focused on your goal of singing smoothly - letting the voice crack does not hurt you or set you back. Keep the volume low and play with different tones and you'll find the one that works.
2:25
3:00
I know this not important but do you play guitar ?
+Nicholas DiPasqua I think every musician on earth does somehow :P
no chanche my voice breaks down, high or low...
is this the best exercise to learn to navigate through the passagio?
All exercises that you vocalize right through the passagio are the best exercises to learn to navigate that area. In other words - it's not the exercise that develops your skill - it's the desire.
What's going on is you just discovered that you trained yourself to speak too low. All those unnecessary muscles that make you uncomfortable when trying to sing low are what you use to speak everyday. People often view their speech as natural but it often isn't. Where you feel light and free when singing is a good area to use as a guide for your speech. The goal is to make singing and speaking become one.
You are right.When I started to Practise I had a low Voice.Bu somehow I knew that I could Sing high as a Baritone. I Practise alot and it is a surprise every day with new sounding.
Wonder if you could elaborate on "making singing and speaking becoming one" - pls, thanks Reminds me of a SciFi story where the characters would "speak" via singing..!!
@@TJ-cg8mq It's exactly like that SciFi movie! Talk like you're in a musical or sing like you're talking to someone (just more animated). the difference between speech and singing is in the brain. The same muscles are used in both but the intention is much different. Often - it's people's speech habits that are much worse on the voice than their singing behavior. Speak with more melody!
2:21