Vocal Training – Four Steps to Your Best and Healthiest Voice
Many people want to know what vocal training can do for the voice. A quality program for improvement will immediately make a difference in singing and speaking vocal ability of the student. It should also, if continued, keep improving the voice, building on previous progress. Here are the four steps of vocal training I use as a professional vocal coach:
1. ACCESS THE VOICE
It’s important to discover your vocal strengths and weaknesses because only by becoming aware can you change or keep doing things on purpose that work. As part of an assessment, you should also explore your vocal goals and what it may take to accomplish them.
2. REPAIR and HEAL VOCAL DAMAGE
If you have damaged your voice, you need to know it for two reasons:
You may need to go to a doctor or clinic specializing in the voice to see if the damage is so pronounced that medical intervention might be necessary or voice rest prescribed before trying to build a damaged voice back to health in vocal training. Some of these problems can be vocal nodes, polyps, paralysis or partial paralysis of the vocal folds (cords). You also need to gain assurance if there is no physical damage, or if corrective vocal training will allow your voice to heal from any damage they find.
Damaging habits can and must be overcome by re-training in correct vocal technique. Here’s a wake up- screaming for 20 minutes can cause blood blisters on the edges of vocal cords…the beginning of dreaded vocal “nodes”.
3. IMPROVE and MAXIMIZE VOCAL ABILITY
There are all kinds of muscles which can be strengthened and others which can be relaxed, and body movements that can become much more coordinated for optimal operations of the voice.
Breath problems can be overcome; the truth is, it doesn’t take nearly as much breath as you may think to sing or speak, if the breath technique is correct. A weak, thin, edgy or hollow voice can, with right vocal training, become richly resonant. Often the person feels they have gained a voice they never knew they had! Clarity, or articulation of lyrics, can be better matched to the musical genre the student wishes to work in. Vocal style can be learned or changed if the student wishes to do so. The psychological and spiritual components that go into effective performance that moves the heart can be drawn out and focused.
Vocal training should enable steady progress in vocal improvement, until the person’s vocal goals are reached.
4. PROTECT AND MAINTAIN THE WHOLENESS OF THE VOICE
Vocal warm-ups and warm-downs as well as longer vocal exercise routines should be learned and practiced in an ongoing program. They will support and protect the voice physically by maintaining correct co-ordination between the voice and the body. Anyone who is seriously singing or speaking should contact their vocal coach from time to time to assess the voice and correct any sneaky bad vocal habits the vocalist is sliding into. Touring artists can come in between tours, or call for phone lessons from the road if they suspect problems.
As with any serious athlete, vocal training should be an ongoing thing, stopped only if the singing or speaking voice is no longer needed at optimal capacity.
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Deep Voice Training That Works Fast!
There are several approaches to deep voice training. Millions of American men suffer from a squeaky, high pitched voice. The condition is often quite an impediment to leading a successful balanced life. Many try and fail to create a deep resonant voice that they seek.
Some go the avenue of taking singing lessons. The belief is if they can learn to sing, they will learn to control their voice and therefore control how their voice sounds on a consistent basis.
Some people who want a deeper voice take lessons from a coach. The idea behind this type of deep voice training, is the use of inflection and other concepts to develop a deeper voice over time.
Both of these approaches take years and also require diligent practice and commitment. It can get frustrating applying yourself for a whole year or more and see absolutely no or little difference.
Some people become quite resolved about getting a deeper voice and see their doctor regarding getting HRT or hormone treatment therapy. This avenue does work but the drugs often have undesirable side effects.
Essentially, the cause of a high pitched voice is caused by a strained and tense set of vocal chords. Many people with a squeaky voice may notice sometimes when they wake up, they discover they have that nice deep voice. This is not uncommon, however as the day wears on, their voice quickly reverts back to the high pitch. This can be frustrating indeed. There is other avenues you may take, but the above 3 are the usual way people try and resolve this issue for themselves.
Vocal Training CD – Do They Help You Improve Singing?
Can a vocal training CD really help you get better at singing? Well, that depends on which CD you get and how you choose to follow along with the program. I’ll discuss the pros and cons of these singing programs below.
- One of the drawbacks to using a CD for singing practice is that you don’t have a second set of ears. In other words, many times there’s nothing better than having an experienced coach who can guide you along in the moment when things are rough.
In addition, you may not hear certain things in your voice that another person can hear. These people can often point things out, which you were not aware of when singing normally.
- A major benefit of using a vocal training CD is that you can practice anytime during the day no matter your location. For example, I’ve improved my singing greatly by doing some exercises driving in my car. This has been a really good method for me to improve my singing.
A CD is also a lot less expensive than private singing lessons with a vocal coach. So once you buy the CD, you’re ready to improve. If you have just a little discipline to practice on your own, then you could progress nicely at home with your personal training program.
A Vocal CD Not Worth the Money?
I’d say they’re definitely worth the money if you have a little discipline and time to put into your singing improvement. Of course some programs are better than others and you can find out with a little more research which one is for you.
For some reason, many people just cannot practice on their own and they require a coach to push them along in all of their endeavors. If this isn’t your case, then a vocal training cd could benefit you and really help you improve singing.