#6 Sing your Heart out!

What are you passionate about? Pretend you are a child in the playground, and somebody came and took your ball and ran away with it. Call after them "I want my ball back!" You can use that gut response to  being treated unfairly, that passion in your belly like the baby crying for her milk. Use it to express your passion and sing your song! Like Aretha singing "What you want...Baby I got it" in her recording of Otis Redding's song, Respect

Vocalastics Singing Tip #5

 Getting through your transition from chest voice to head voice and back again takes a forward placement. Forward vowels are like ‘oo,’ like in ‘too,’ ‘ih’ like in ‘if,’ and an ‘e’ sound with an ‘oo’ mouth shape. Forward consonants are ‘f’ and ‘v’ and the plosives ‘p’ and ‘b.’ It it easier to make the register change when your placement is more forward in the upper chest range to match the forward placement for your lower head voice range. The yodle sound comes from a more back of the throat placement on the lower note jumping to a higher note in a forward placement. Think of forward placement in your nose or just behind it. If you sound too nasally, back it up a bit, opening your mouth more.

If your voice comes out like Marlena Deitrich or you have a covered, swallowed sound and want a brighter one, place it more forward!

Vocalastics Singer's Tip #4

It's very important to be believable! Is the song saying something you want to say? If not, can you create an imaginary scenario where you would say those words and deliver those sentiments? To deliver the song,  you are the 3 minute Actor! What you are saying is more important that being the greatest singer or even having the best intonation! Make it conversational! Don't be married to someone else's phrasing. How would YOU say it?

#3 Drop it in!

I use two reverse Psychology techniques. I drop in the high notes, almost like putting a little basketball through a little hoop. For low notes I aim them to the balcony. Normally people tend to drop their chin or pull back or go down for low notes, and this can cut off the air. Same for high notes, air can be cut off by reaching, lifting the neck and straining. Try dropping the high notes in! Ideally we want to send our notes straight out, these techniques will counteract the natural tendencies.

Vocalastics Singers Tip #2

#2 Listening

I believe that the number one rule in singing or band or theatre is listening. A singer has to listen to themselves as they are putting out sound, listen to the other singers and blend, listen to the musicians or track and blend with them. Listen for harmonies, harmonics, listen for conversation type interchange....listen to the birds, your heartbeat, your breathing, other people’s breathing, the sounds around you, the car motors, your loved ones words, other people...you get the idea...practice listening

Vocalastics Singer's Tips by Louise Lambert

 #1 Baby Cries

When a baby cries, notice the action in their belly. It is deep and strong and passionate! That intensity is in all of us, to cry out and be heard and not hurt our voices doing it!

Try crying your song. Put that little 'uh huh' cry in it. For an exercise, try crying the whole song, whine it, wail it , sniffle it, and you may find a strong, over the top gut feeling coming out. Then rein it in and just put enough cry in to make your song interesting and passionate. The Baby’s feeling is: “I want my milk, I want it now”... It is so important that they feel that their survival is at stake.

You can use that same passion! Cry it!