The Choral Voice

Finding Your Sound Miniseries - Natural - 010

Today’s episode will be about finding your NATURAL VOICE. Everyone has their own unique sound. It is just the way we are built. No two bodies are shaped exactly the same, and this holds true when you are talking about the vocal tract as well. This might lead one to believe that there is nothing you can do to improve your singing…you are either born with it or not. Well, that could not be farther from the truth. In fact, over the years, I have found 3 key components that are common to all great voices. And the best part is that it doesn’t matter what your voice starts out like…you can be a better singer by focusing on these three ideas. They are summed up in the words NATURAL, FREE, and VIBRANT.

Finding your Health - 009

Let me start off by saying…I believe I am feeling the same way many of you are right now. If you are feeling that your voice is betraying you right now, you are not alone. We are all feeling the same thing in one form or another. Now that we have that out of the way, what can we do about it? I hope you are not satisfied with just accepting the situation. I want to still improve! I have some suggestions…not all of them will work, but you can find the ones that do…and dump the ones that don’t. You are also encouraged to use these suggestions to spark your own individual ideas. Hydrate Voice - https://nicolegillvocalcoach.com/525-2/ Allergies - https://susananders.com/singing-with-colds-and-allergies SOVT’s - https://nicolegillvocalcoach.com/have-you-heard-of-sovt-exercises/ Face Mask - http://shorturl.at/JQRY5 Sight Reading - www.sightreadingfactory.com Music Theory - https://www.musictheory.net/

The Power of Pressure - 008

Today’s episode is all about the magic of Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises and how they have changed my singing for the better. So what are SOVT’s? As the name implies, they are vocal exercises that somehow obstruct the airway. This could be anything from pursing the lips to a short piece of plastic that you hold in your mouth. Obstructing the airway helps to create additional pressure in the mouth. This build up of oral pressure above the vocal cords works to counter the increasing air pressure below the vocal cords. This means that the vocal cords have a helping hand in resisting the air from below, and don’t have to use unnecessary tension to handle the sudden gusts of pressure. iSingMag - https://www.isingmag.com/semi-occluded-vocal-tract-exercises/ CIVC - https://www.chicagovoicecare.com/

Finding Your Reflection - 007

It is time to Take charge of your own learning and work to find your inner teacher by becoming your own student. It is not an easy task, and it requires a good bit of self reflection, but with the right goals in mind you can make progress towards improving your voice, and even get some additional side benefits from the process. As a special bonus, listen all the way to the end of the episode. There are two halves of an audio track. One from 20 years ago, and one more recent. Enjoy comparing the changes...I did!

The Power of Patterns - 006

Warm ups and vocal exercises are not enough. Are you ready to start honing your accuracy and reading abilities? What is the next step? Start practicing scales and triads! If most music is built on these patterns, and you can sing them proficiently and confidently, then you will have a head start on learning almost any song you want to sing. Below are links from the episode. Musika Blog - https://www.musikalessons.com/blog/ Singing Scales - https://www.musikalessons.com/blog/2016/11/singing-scales/ Jazz Scales Series - https://www.musikalessons.com/blog/2016/07/the-altered-scale/