Have you ever wondered why your voice sounds different depending on what note you’re singing? Perhaps you’ve heard the term “vocal break” and you wonder exactly what it means. In my video, How to understand your three main vocal registers, I explain these important concepts for all singers, speakers and actors to know. But first, here’s a quick…

Overview of what happens in our vocal folds when we sing:

Our vocal cords are fleshy flaps made out of air and muscle which undulate as we sing. As a singer we want to filter the air evenly from low notes to high notes. The faster the vocal folds undulate, the higher the note. They vibrate between 200 to 2,200 times per second depending on the pitch of the note. As notes get higher, the cords start to unzip and you need less air but more support.

VOCAL REGISTERS

In the above video, I share a painting which illustrates the 3 vocal registers through color. The painting blends from red to blue through a section of purple, each color representing a vocal register. Here’s more about each register:

Chest Voice

Vocal cords vibrate along their full length (like the long thick strings of a piano). It feels like it resonates at the top of your chest, and this area can handle more air.

Average Women: F below middle C to about B flat above middle C

Average Man: Low E of F (below low C) up about 2 octaves

Where you feel most Resonance: In the chest

Middle Voice (Mask area)

Dampening occurs where a kind of zipper effect closes off about 50% of one end of the cords. The vibration partially leaves the chest area and moves closer to the area just behind your nose and eyes. This air in the sinus area feels like a buzz, and this area can handle less air.

Average Women: High C to about E or F

Average Man: E or F above middle C to about B flat or natural

Where you feel most Resonance: behind the eyes (mask area)

Head Voice

The zipper now closes, about 1/3 of vocal chords are vibrating, more of a buzz, edge and vibration as chest, middle voice, but you feel it behind your eyes, nose and the highest reaches of your sinuses. This area requires even less air.

Average Woman: above high E or F

Average Man: above high C

Where you feel most Resonance: In the head

A lot of people confuse head voice with falsetto, but they are not the same thing. Falsetto uses just the edge of your vocal cords, whereas head voice uses around 30 percent of the cords.

Why understanding vocal registers is important.

My goal in explaining the three main vocal registers is to give you an awareness of what you’re doing, so you can practice your exercises with right kind of mental attitude.

Are you completely free and present when you sing? Or is there something stopping you? Do you have beliefs or thoughts like “I can’t hit high notes” or “my head voice is wrong”? If so, try practicing while thinking about the energy or feeling you want to convey. This will sharpen your mind while you sing instead of just focusing on the high notes. If you are afraid of hitting high notes, the fear alone could cause your body to become too tense and stop you from hitting the note – even if your cords have the right coordination.

That’s why it’s so important to know that vocal exercises only address one part (a third) of your whole instrument. It’s essential to understand your inner mental dialogue and the feelings that are coming up for you while singing. C.O.R.E. Vocal Power® is a program for vocal mastery which addresses these thoughts and feelings and helps you improve your whole instrument.

Share your experience with us via email or on our Facebook wall. Thank you.

Most singers may want to expand their vocal range, bridge the gap from chest to head, stabilize their larynx and sing with supported, natural power, but what’s important to remember is that none of these things can show up in their voice unless the conditions within them are favorable. In other words, no matter how capable and coordinated your vocal cords are, you’re not going to be able to show the confidence and power you want on the outside, unless you do something inwardly, at a core level, first. This is why many talented singers never find success.

In addition to a pleasing voice, singers need to have enough mental clarity and soul connection in order to tell a story, keep the interest, and move an audience with their presence. This skill doesn’t only come from practicing scale and songs technically–it comes from working with the entire instrument:  The mind, soul and body. That is what CORE Vocal Power, the system I created (after 20 years of performing, teaching and research), is all about.

What’s Scarier…?

Today, I’m asking you these questions: Is it scarier to show up in public with no makeup on? Or is it scarier to get onstage and sing from your CORE, expressing something internal and letting the whole world see that?  How are these two things the same?  How are they different?

What is Vulnerability?

The most powerful and effective artists are able to share and show their flaws – and to be “OK” with those flaws.  Experiencing this vulnerability explains why we love and connect with other people, because we are all human. What I’ve l learned from working with hundreds of students, is that we’re all the same inside.  We all have the basic need for people to like us and to like what we have to express.  But it takes a special quality to let go of wanting to be perfect.  And, we must be willing to let go. 

How to Access Your CORE Voice

Over the past several years, I’ve developed tools that make it so much easier for you to let go and sing with your CORE Voice.  Your CORE Voice is the sound of the true, authentic, powerful you.  It’s the voice you hear when you sing in the shower or when you’re by yourself, or even the way your voice sounds in your mind.  I teach my students how to find their CORE Voice and how to sing with it!

The Best Conditions for Acting, Singing, & Speaking

Most singers try to sing from the outside in: “I will be satisfied when I can get my voice to sound great!”  That’s like saying to your best friend, “I will only be satisfied with you when you’re perfect.”  But most of us know that nobody is perfect, so we’re willing to take people as they are and focus on what we like about them. Interestingly, we seem to have a much harder time doing this for ourselves. Yet it is our relationship to ourselves that has a direct affect on our vocal confidence.

What most people don’t realize is that your voice responds to the way you feel about it and the way you treat it. If you abuse your voice and secretly tell yourself, “You idiot, you did that wrong! Don’t screw this up!” then that will be the underlying theme of your message as you are singing, and you will likely create unnecessary tension and blocks in your instrument. Most people can’t hide their thoughts while they’re singing because our voice is an emotional vehicle (energy in motion), and singers need to take responsibility for all parts of it – not just the physical.

As human beings – and especially as singers, we all want to be liked and accepted, but it takes a special quality to let go of wanting to be perfect as you desire to share your message with the world. That process can be scary for many people. However, the most powerful and effective artists are able to share and show their flaws – and to be “OK” with those flaws.  Experiencing this vulnerability in front of others while we sing, and still being able to shine takes COURAGE. This is the quality that opens the door for our CORE VOICE to unfold, and that is what people fall in love with, because it’s real and authentic.

As a Vocal Empowerment Coach, I’ve created CORE Vocal Power, which helps performers to develop the courage, presence and trust, to surpass all of that negative inner dialogue and sing from that free, open place that emerges when you’re in alignment with who you really are. That might start when you’re alone in your room, or singing in the car or shower, but pretty soon, it becomes the consistent you, wherever you are. I’m teaching people how to tap into that place, how to find your CORE Voice and take it to a whole new level.

No one can give you the instant courage or confidence to be vulnerable when you perform. However, I’m teaching you how to access that part of yourself where courage and confidence live. From that solid foundation, you approach the vocal exercises and drills, the songs and the performance that will move you first and then your audience.

Singers!

Here is one of my biggest vocal training secrets for singing success that I have been using to keep my singers in shape for over three years! It’s the hula hoop, and recently 64 year old Grace Jones displayed exactly what I’m talking about live in concert.

Using the hula hoop, you can burn up to 100 calories in only 8 minutes and on top of that, you’re gaining other very important benefits as a singer. In 2008, after using this on myself to heal an 8″ scar along my CORE and re-build my diaphragmatic muscles, I realized this valuable tool that costs as little as $7.00 could help singers tremendously – not just physically, but in two more very important levels.

1. The MIND

The hula hoop teaches you how to get out of your head and stop trying to micro-manage yourself, but trust your body and rely on your muscle memory to kick in. This is important because as a singer, you don’t want to be concentrating on what note to hit, but instead, align with your Musical Intelligence. Doing the hula hoop gets you more focused and present, a key quality that pro’s need to deliver their peak performance.

2. The SOUL

Doing the hula hoop gets you to connect to where you sing from. It’s the Solar Plexus area, or what I call, CORE. As you feel the hoop stimulate this area and the 2nd Chakra, you literally put attention into your creative center and your power center, or the place that holds your self esteem. These areas are important to have in check as a singer, and the good news is, learning to hula hoop can actually help you feel better about yourself and awaken creativity.

The hula hoop teaches you how to treat yourself as a singer. You are developing the same “soul muscles” you use for singing when you use the hula hoop. For example, if you get upset for dropping it, you know you’re being too hard on yourself. Similarly, if you hit the wrong note, you stay in the game and Honor the Process. You learn how to get out of your own way and surrender to the flow of the song and “align” with the rhythm, melody and flow of the song. At times, this can take practice, patience and persistence. These three soul qualities are developed while  hula hooping. Lastly, it is said that hula hooping can lift the spirit.

3. The BODY

– gets you in your body, and out of your head. (More present=stage presence.)

– tones the body

– builds coordination

– builds stamina

– improved joint health

– burns calories

– improves flexibility of your spine

– builds aerobic ability

I’ve had singers who were too “in their head” when they sing, felt uncomfortable in their body, or just want to get in better shape or prep for a concert do the hula hoop, and I’ve had amazing results. Right away, it brings up their issues, if they have any. If they take themselves too seriously, they’ll find out pretty fast, and have an opportunity to work through it. Before you know it, they’re smiling, laughing and enjoying their instrument while they hula hoop! Next think you know, singing just got a whole lot easier.  Yes, I have different tricks I do with the hoop to work out the voice as well, but that’s something you need to come into the studio for and discover yourself! In the meantime, get a hula hoop and just have fun!

VOCAL TIPS:

Do vocal exercises and sing your song and hula at the same time. Then sing your song without the hula hoop and watch how much more natural you become as a singer.

Smaller, lightweight hoops are best to use for aerobic exercise, since they require more energy to keep the hoop rotating.

Valentine’s Day is a day when we’re expected to express our love and appreciation towards others, but when it comes to singing, it goes much deeper than that. Now is the perfect time of year to talk about something all singers struggle with: How to love their voice without looking conceited.

Most singers tell me, “Dot, I don’t want people to think I’m conceited.”  What happens over time, is that because the singer is afraid of looking conceited, she adopts a negative inner dialogue in her mind and eventually begins to believe the lies, resulting in a lower perception about herself that is not true.

The main problem with creating a reality like this, is that once we do so, we are no longer objective. (the “O” in CORE).  In most instances, we then become self-sabotaging. We begin to tap into negative emotions like doubt, fear, impatience and discouragement, all in the name of not wanting to be labeled conceited!  As a result, even if we are able to hit many notes and sing well, we don’t feel good about it and we’re not empowered as singers because we are creating and reinforcing dis-empowering neural-pathways in our brain. In simple terms, we can think of neural-pathways as “muscle memory” between the brain and nervous system.  In order for us to be empowered it is important for us to create positive muscle memory in our physical body, and our minds when we sing.

YOUR CONFIDENCE DEPENDS ON YOUR INNER DIALOGUE

Surprisingly, over the past 24 years of working in the music industry, I have noticed one thing in common with more than 90% of singers: None of them are OBJECTIVE. In other words, they’re not able to observe themselves without judgement or bias.  This is because science shows our brains are naturally wired to notice the negative. Notice how you think after you sing. Do you usually think, “Oh, that was amazing. My pitch was on, and I felt like I was just great!” Or do you usually say, “Dang. I could have done that better. I forgot the lyrics on that part and…”

You know the story. Unfortunately, this lack of “objectivity” and only focusing on the negative leads to a stream of problems along the road of dis-empowerment. Unlike playing a sport, singing is directly connected to your emotions, so if you tell yourselves you’re terrible, it will affect the underlying current of how you sound. On the other hand, if you really are a struggling singer, you want a truthful idea of where you stand.

The question is: how do you become objective?

3 WAYS TO BECOME an OBJECTIVE SINGER

1.  Record yourself singing.

If you’re the kind of person who usually listens to and belittles yourself while singing, let the recorder be your ears, and when you listen back, notice what you LIKE ABOUT YOUR VOICE. Chances are, you’ve already tried noticing what you don’t like. Is that working for you? When you hear what you don’t like, don’t judge it. Just notice it and trust that it will get better with your practice, practice and positive persistence.

Adopt this empowering behavior during your vocal practice and always balance your practice in two ways:

a) Get the vocal technique correct (left brain – physical muscle memory)
b) Surrender to the feeling and message (right brain – mental/emotional muscle memory)

2.  Seek advice from an non-relative expert .

Getting advice from a family member doesn’t always cut it.  In most cases, they will either rip you to shreds because they know you, or tell you that you are incredible, because they know you. Either way, it’s best to go to someone who does NOT know you, but knows how to recognize your talent in an objective way. From this expert, you can learn how to KNOW your voice and become objective.

3.  Practice Authentic Self Love.

This is the key ingredient to empowered singing, and the hardest for most people to do. If you can give yourself “permission to be who I am NOW” (Dot’s Peaceful Agreement #1) and simply love who you presently are, then you will feel safe enough to face the parts of your voice that are great, AND the parts that are not so great. From this OBJECTIVE space, you can build your voice without falling into the self-sabotaging traps that many singers do fall into. If you are truly confident, people will not accuse you of being conceited, because you are authentically aligned with who you really are. A person who is authentic is respected.

Most of us have to work hard to get to the place where we feel that authentic self love on the inside. Once we feel this, we create positive neural-pathways in our brain that support empowered vocal practice and a powerful performance.

It’s easy to talk about how we “should” be, but it’s a whole new thing to put to practice.  My challenge to you, in order to help you have a more objective perspective about your voice and fall in love with it, is that beginning NOW, write down three things you love an appreciate about yourself every morning for the next 30 days in your CORE Vocal Power Journal.  Learn to make friends with the parts of yourself that aren’t perfect, and watch what happens the next time you need to perform!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

My Mind in Life vs My Mind in My Song

Committing to the Song’s Message
Have you ever felt like you weren’t in control when you were singing?
In Part 1 of this video series, I gave you an assignment: Write down your daily tasks. Next to your tasks, write down the feeling you’d like to have (examples: patient, kind, loving).  We called this your Intention, or “feeling/tone” of your day.
Today we’ll call this “feeling/tone” your “Emotional Objective.”
At the end of the day, you were to review the tasks you completed, and make sure to notice whether or not you honored (or were aligned with) your emotional objective.
The point of this assignment was to make you more aware.  I’d like you to be aware of not just WHAT you do, but HOW you do it.  During your day, you can practice becoming more committed to how you would like to feel. This skill will help you sing better and get out of your head and into the heart and soul of the message!  If you’re an actor, or speaker can you also see how this will help you be more authentic in your delivery?

How Do You Want To Feel When You Sing?

It’s very important to practice your song and know it so well that you can sing it in your sleep – forwards and backwards! To name a few basics, you need to be comfortable with the lyrics, key of song, phrasing, melody, and know how to make it your own.  Many people do these things very well, but still doubt themselves and as a result, appear as mechanical singers, even though they are completely capable of singing. This is because their INTENTION is not an Emotional objective, but one of trying to control, manage or fix how their voice sounds. When one only focuses on a Physical Objective, they are fighting a losing battle.

Rather than feeling worried about being perfect or trying to control your voice, simply set an Emotional Objective or intention before you sing a song.  Ask yourself, “How do I want to feel as I sing this song?”
It doesn’t matter what your answer is, just COMMIT to it, and TRUST that you’ll convey it. The audience will receive it however they like, that part is beyond your control.  When you focus on a message or idea while singing the song, the delivery will be much more powerful. That is why some of our favorite singers are not “pitch perfect,” but we love them anyway, because they are real, authentic, committed singers, and we FEEL them.

Now, I did not say “In addition to focusing on getting all the right pitches and having a physical objective, you should also have an emotional objective.” That is way too much micromanaging of your voice, which is prone to overwhelming you.  What I did say was to do the following:

1.  Let go of wanting to manage, fix or control your voice.

2.  Learn your song inside and out.

3.  Think about what the song means to you

4.  Choose an emotional  objective

5.  Commit to the emotional objective while singing the song.

#1 Vocal Tip: Be Present When You Sing!

Being completely PRESENT is the BEST way to deliver a song!  If it’s hard for you to be present, be sure to have an emotional objective. Train your brain to be focused and present, and your message will always be clear and powerful!

One of the most popular questions my students ask me, is how to warm up their voice so they do not hurt themselves. There are many techniques a person can do, including the exercises in my CORE Vocal Power Bundle, but if you want to get the most out of your vocal warm ups, the location of where you sing is also an important factor to consider.  Oftentimes, singers are afraid that other people will hear them when they practice. If you think about it, that kind of fear is ironic, because eventually, you want people to hear you sing – right?  Being outside is great because most people won’t be paying much attention to you but they will still be in your vicinity.

When it comes to warming up your voice, it’s important to consider your whole instrument [MIND, SOUL, BODY] which means your vocal technique, and also what your MIND is thinking and how comfortable you feel in your SOUL.  Most people don’t practice the latter two, yet when it boils down to it – you could learn the best vocal exercises the world has to offer and practice them daily with diligence, but if you are not comfortable in the present moment with yourself, feel too sensitive around other people’s energy, or are afraid to come out of your shell, then it won’t matter.

I’d like to share 3 unique tips with you that will help you warm up in the most beneficial ways, which will build your stage presence, power and stamina.

1. HAVE FUN WHEN YOU PRACTICE AND DON’T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY!

In the video above, I’ve got a scarf around my head and I’m doing something I enjoy – riding a bicycle!  Even though there are people around me, I don’t care because I’m having fun, and allowing myself to just be me while I do my favorite goofy looking vocal exercise – LIP TRILLS! I’m actually practicing feeling comfortable in a public setting, and guess what – it’s building my confidence and helping me to realize we’re all in it together as we all ride down the same path. What a great low-risk healthy way to practice building stage presence!  I’m not just visualizing performing, or thinking about it, I’m out and about with people, doing it in public. Yep.

2. SING OUTSIDE AND ENJOY NATURE

Have you ever been to a concert outside, or performed outside? It’s much different from singing inside, isn’t it? You can’t hear yourself as well and there is so much more stimuli to distract you.  That means, if you practice outside, you have to show up more in your own energy, embody your tone more [which means you may need to be more grounded and sing louder] and develop better focus.  In addition, if it’s sunny you can increase your endorphins and serotonin in the brain while getting some awesome physical exercise. [Fair ones, remember your sunscreen].  Performing indoors on a stage is like a piece of cake once you overcome the challenges of practicing outside, and grow from the benefits.

3. MULTI-TASKING SINGING WITH A GENTLE PHYSICAL EXERCISE CAN HELP YOU TRUST YOUR VOICE MORE AND GET YOU OUT OF YOUR SHELL

You may have seen my hula hoop video in the past, encouraging singers to burn calories while they sing.  Hula hooping for 8 minutes allows you to burn the same amount of calories as running or walking 1 mile.  Riding a bicycle is also great because it builds muscle tone and stamina. It also reduces stress. I don’t think I know of a performer who doesn’t need more stamina and less stress!  And when you sing at the same time as you gently work out, you’re not so focused on your voice, and being perfect, which actually allows more freedom in your instrument, less tension, and more of a chance to do it right!  You’re naturally developing the wiring you need to become a confident performer.

Putting it to practice:  In a perfect world, I would recommend you warm up and/or practice for precision and use a mirror when needed about half of the time, until you know you are doing the exercises safely. Then, I would recommend you spend the other half of the time singing outside, enjoying your connection to yourself, nature and other people.  Once you become masterful at warming up, you can spend more time outside in the sun!  Remember, a minimum of 15 minutes per day for a vocal warm up. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Below is a brief summary about how to warm up for an audition, or any performance.

Of course you want to make sure you:

• know your material like the back of your hand 
• get enough rest the evening before
• hydrate yourself with room temperature water 
• avoid dairy products, alcohol, caffeine, chocolate and any refined sugars
• wear clothes that look good and that you can actually move comfortably in (always practice wearing the clothes you plan on wearing for your audition) 
• visualize yourself going through the motions of singing powerfully in front of your audience.  
  
  

Now that we've gone over these basic things, watch the video to learn a warm up routine for your entire Vocal Instrument (Mind, Soul and Body) and have amazing confidence, presence and power while you sing. 

If you struggle with feeling like:

• your voice isn’t strong enough,
• you don’t have enough breath support
• your voice sounds too thin
• you wish your voice was more magnetizing
• you simply want to get to know your voice better and find the sweet spot…
…then RESONATING, (the “R” in my winning C.O.R.E. formula) is a key component to add to your practice regimen that most singers overlook.  After six years of training in higher education, I still hadn’t learned how to resonate and really get to the most powerful places in my voice. It wasn’t until I came out of the hospital and had to heal an 8 inch scar along my CORE, that I learned this technique, which expedited my healing and built my voice to what it is today. I now teach this powerful tool to my students. Below are the basics. Once you learn how to do this exercise with sustained tone and focus, you can expand into toning, which means to sustain a note that doesn’t have lyrics or melody. Of course the position of your lips, tongue and cheeks, as well as your placement can affect the kind of tone you make.  However, this video is all about connecting to your unique tone and enjoying it. After breathing, this is the first and most essential element to help you mentally and emotionally connect to your voice and song.

Singers need to remember, it’s not just about what you do, but how you do it.  In other words – you might practice your vocal exercises and do well– even sing a song and hit all of the right notes, but find your vocal performance didn’t move anybody – including you!

BUILDING VOCAL POWER THROUGH TONING

As you get deeper into toning, you will learn how to sing through the chakras (vowels that activate points along the spine), which can rejuvenate your body, expedite healing and build a more powerful, resonant voice.  Today, we will be doing the basics.

Note: If you pay attention to your thoughts and feelings behind your vocal expression, you can be an empowered singer.

Follow these steps as you watch the video

1. Do Dot’s CORE Breathing by taking in a silent, loving breath.

2. Say “mmm” with lips that barely touch and notice how it feels along the spine

3. Notice what thoughts and feelings came up while you were singing the “mmm” sound.

4. Were you enjoying the feeling of the vibration, or judging it?  Practice enjoying your  supported vibration

5. Do the exercise with me, noticing different parts of your body as you hum.

Be sure to resonate every day as part of your practice before you sing your song.

Resonating Benefits:

• voice becomes more balanced in tone
• allows you to release any stuck energy or nervous energy before you sing
• voice becomes more powerful and connected to body
• voice becomes more connected to your soul
• vocal range may expand
• vocal flexibility and freedom
• resonating may result in physical relief of headaches and more energy
• promotes healing
• lowers blood pressure (5 minutes of humming can reduce your blood pressure between 10-20 mmHg)
• shifts and clears pathways and blockages, improving sinusitis
• actives the parasympathetic nervous systems, therefore calms nervous system

Get CORE RESONATING POWER – an Interactive Warm up that builds vocal power, stamina and presence!

If you missed the previous articles check out Part 1 and Part 2

THE TOP 3 REASONS SINGERS MISS THE NOTE…

I mentioned in Part 1 that if you think it’s simply the fact that you’re not supporting your airflow correctly, or your ear is “bad”, you may only be partially correct, and that physical issues are the least common reason for being “pitchy.”

Reason #3 - Trying to control your voice, thus taking you out of the present moment.

Reason #2 - Not knowing the song as well as you thought.

This reason for being off pitch is more common than most people would imagine.  I’m not just advising you to learn the notes of the song, I’m saying you need to KNOW it. That means you need to memorize it so well, you’d be able to sing it in your sleep!  It means you could listen back to the instrumental  track and know exactly where you are in the song at any given moment. When you sing something over and over again, you get the muscle memory of that song imprinted not only in your voice, but in your MIND!

Oftentimes, singers think they know a song because they listened to the singer sing it over and over again. This alone doesn’t work for most people if they want solid memorization. Listening to a singer and being able to sing it without their voice underneath yours is a whole different story.  You not only need to memorize the words and melody, but you need to be able to recall every note in the song perfectly, as it was written.

10 Steps  for learning and knowing a song:

1. Print the lyrics
2. Listen to it entirely several times and sing it along with the artist while looking at the lyrics
3. Listen to the first verse and sing along with it while looking at the lyrics over and over until it is perfected.
4. Sing the verse to an instrumental track without looking at the lyrics and record it on a device such as your phone
5. Listen back on your phone to ensure it is correct
6. Repeat several times any specific problem areas you are singing wrong. If it is one line, repeat this over and over until it is perfected. First use the lyrics, then do it without so your brain can have a mental image of the lyrics
7. Repeat step 3-6 for rest of each song section [chorus, bridge, etc]
8. Once you have memorized each section, start singing verse one and add verse two… and so on, until the whole song is memorized.
9. Sing the entire song with an instrumental track and record.
10. Listen to the recording and make necessary changes.

As you learn more songs, the process gets easier to memorize them because you build new neural pathways in your brain to support memorization. [At least, that’s my oversimplified way of explaining it.] You may need to literally sing a song 100 times or more to get it into your muscle memory at first.

Professionals are required to learn songs very quickly – sometimes in less than 24 hours depending on the job, so your ability to repeat and let your Musical Intelligence do it’s thing, is very important. That is why Part 1 and 2 of this article are so important, because they explain the “how” behind the “what” of singing.

Reason #1 - Listening to Yourself While You Sing

This might come as a surprise to many. Most people think they need to listen to themselves to monitor how they sound.  However, nine times out of ten, the reason people sing the wrong note isn’t because they can’t hear themselves, it’s because they are listening to themselves!  Be mindful that there is a huge difference between listening to yourself, and hearing yourself.  Of course when you sing, you’re going to hear what you are doing, but a very large percentage of people who make an effort to listen intently to themselves when they sing, will go off pitch. This is for many reasons. The main reason is because they are not letting the voice align naturally to the correct vibration of the sound. Believe it or not, it’s actually harder to sing it wrong than it is to sing it right. Science has proven this–even with tuning forks. When we strike a tuning fork, another tuning fork of the same pitch will begin to vibrate with the first fork. This is because of sympathetic resonance. If a piece of steel naturally follows these universal laws, you had better bet, you are capable of this as well.

If you are trying to listen to yourself while you sing, you’ve got it all wrong. Imagine if while you were talking, you paid attention to the actual pitch [how high or how low] each note was that you spoke and analyzed your voice while you were talking.  Do you think it would sound natural? Do you think it would drive you crazy? It sounds absurd when we relate it to speaking, but this is the silly game many people play with themselves for a number of reasons described previously in this article-mainly in Part 2, when they sing.  Are you beginning to see how much your mind and soul influence the sound of your voice?

The good news is, if you can get your mind to be clear and present while you sing, you feel  enough peace inside to have a free open voice, then with this sort of energy, you will be able to achieve just about anything vocally. Yes you will need to practice, yes, you will need to learn proper technique, etc, but what I’m sharing here is what so many people overlook – it’s the “how” under the “what” of singing. If it’s hard to understand, or you struggle with getting a mind that is clear, you can read my book, Breathe into Your Power, and also do my CORE Breathing Exercises which will give you the clarity and presence you need to stay on pitch!

In summary, hitting the right notes is mostly a MIND issue that can be improved through proper training, but as a singer, your first responsibility is to know yourself, develop a positive relationship with your voice by realizing you are not a victim of what it does, but that your voice is responsive to what you think and feel.  Please tell me about your experiences with these suggestions via email or on our Facebook wall. Thank you.

OVERCOMING “EMOTIONAL” PITCH ISSUES

Click Here to Read Part 1

Click Here to Read Part 3

Now that we have discussed the physical reasons why people sing off pitch, I’d like to address something even more common. The EMOTIONAL ones. If you’ve read my book, “Finding Your CORE Voice“, or used my Practicing CORE Vocal Power CD. then you’re already aware that your whole instrument is your MIND, SOUL and BODY. If you want to progress as an artist, it’s important to look at your strengths and weaknesses with these three parts in mind – not just the physical.

Now we’re going to talk about the more common reasons why people sing off key, and what to do about it. This is where I get much deeper than the surface level. As I mentioned before, it’s easy to notice someone is off key – but if you can pinpoint WHY, you can change it forever, because you get to the CORE of the problem.

My Relationship to my Voice affects how I hit notes

I tell every singer that comes into my studio, “The relationship you have with your voice is directly related to your performance.” Sometimes they don’t really understand the depth of what I’m saying initially. Pitch issues are the perfect example to demonstrate this point. You will see how a person relates to themselves can either make or break their performance. There is a good chance you may relate to more than one of these–even all of them – but there might be one that you emotionally gravitate towards more than others. This is the one you want to start with, and get to the CORE of. Once you do that, you can correct the issue and you will notice, it has nothing to do with your vocal chords.  Each of the following issues are rooted in one thing: FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real). I decided to go a few layers deeper and discuss the kind of FEAR behind each issue. Now of course, if you experience all of these issues at once (which is completely possible), singing might be a terrifying experience for you. I encourage you to be patient with yourself and know that you are not alone. We all struggle with these issues – even if you don’t have pitch issues!  Some people are better at hiding them than others–but would you rather hide them, or heal them?

Reason #7 – Feeling Helpless

If you feel helpless, there is a very good chance that you will be “pitchy.” Many people who like to sing fall into the mistake of feeling like they don’t know how to sing. Maybe they feel this way because they haven’t had any formal or professional training and this leads to them feeling unsure and helpless. This feeling may have also developed over time because someone may have told them that they couldn’t sing, didn’t sound good or they hit the wrong note.  Oftentimes, it happened when they were young and still has left an emotional scar or vocal wound that needs to be healed.

If you connect or relate to what was mentioned above and feel helpless when you sing, you need to remember one thing…Knowing how to sing is a natural gift we all have. You were born knowing this. Yes – it’s true that some remember how with more coordination and power than others, but when you let go and just sing, you can indeed open the door to finding your CORE voice: that authentic voice inside you that just knows .

The kind of FEAR you are subscribing to most if you relate to this category, is the FEAR of being Judged.
To overcome this fear, you have to decide that you will still be ok – even if people judge you wrongly. I know – it’s a biggie, but you can do it! Do you want to be free, or do you want to let what others might do, control you? Clear your mind, relax your soul and Just sing!  Still having a hard time? Click here for more support.

Reason #6 – Being afraid to “show up fully” in the notes of the song.

Ever heard someone sing before, and they seem to be doing well but then suddenly, the end of the phrase falls, or just sounds really off?  The singer doesn’t show up.  When I say “show up” I mean sing a note with your fullest potential in the present moment.  That is required for the most part, if you want to be in tune, but can you think of reasons why someone wouldn’t want to?

These singers have decided to hold back because of the FEAR of  commitment.  Yes. I said it – commitment! You don’t really want to sing out fully because… what if you sound weak? So – as a defense mechanism, you sound weak.  You give up before you start. Seems like an oxymoron, but you know what I’m talking about if you do this.

Maybe you showed up fully once and were criticized, so now you carry this little bit of trauma deeply imbedded in your psyche that shows up every now and then, just enough to make you think you are “weak” or “not powerful enough.”  So because of your temperament, as a defense mechanism you sing through it, but at certain points, it just goes off key. Has NOTHING to do with your ear, and likely you do it much better when you’re alone – but even then, if you’re really feeling bad about the past criticism or looking weak, then yes, you’ll probably go off key alone as well. Overall, when you are deeply emotionally invested in the results, this creates more nerves, which show up as “pitchiness.”

So – how is this corrected?  Take smaller risks first. Sing songs that are easier for you in front of others where you can feel safe showing up in each note, like the Beatles or something melodic.  Don’t try to do a 12 point vocal run–it will backfire!  Once you’ve learned the basics and can sing fully, then move to the harder stuff.

Pitch Correction Suggestions:

1. Start with just singing notes and sustaining them to their fullest, or doing my CORE Resonating Program
2. Memorize and sing one melody line to it’s fullest. (Example: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. How I wonder what you are.”)
3. Sing the melody line to it’s fullest while looking into your eyes in the mirror. This will help you to feel more open and get over your walls when you’re singing
4. Learn and sing a verse and chorus of a song while looking into your eyes in the mirror. Do not make embellishments, but practice being happy with how singing feels in the present moment. Don’t listen to yourself, but hear yourself. Record your voice so you can listen back to the reality of it.
5. Now you can practice adding different stylistic choices to the song like dynamics, runs, trills, etc.

Reason #5 – Going into “Singing Mode”

Many singers seem to think that when they sing, they need to become something they are not. They feel they need to “pretend” to be  the next American Idol, and exhort a huge amount of effort in the process.  As a result, they “over-sing,” or over dramatize their performance, and this can result in going waaaaay SHARP!  When people go into “singing mode” what they are really feeling on an emotional level is, “I have to try hard. I’m not good enough as is. I need to do something really big and important when I sing, so that people like me.”

The Fear for this group is FEAR of being really seen. (Am I getting too deep here?)

Pitch Correction Suggestions:

If you have this problem, how about subscribing to the following ideas?

• singing doesn’t have to be hard – it is EASY.
• I am enough as soon as I open my mouth
• singing is as natural as speaking
• it’s ok if people see who I really am.

Even if you can take one of these suggestions and work on it every day for a week, along with doing your physical exercises and warm ups,  I guarantee you that you can correct this issue. But you have to have the courage to stop subscribing to the old wounds that brought you to this point.  One last very good suggestion for this issue is to look at yourself in the mirror while you sing, while making eye-contact.

Reason #4 – Being afraid of actually hitting the wrong note

This cause is very similar to the prior one, only this time, the FEAR is actually “hitting the wrong note.” So now, the singer is preoccupied with the actual notes in the song, and obsessed with the idea that they are all going to be wrong.

It doesn’t matter how loud or soft or weak or strong their voice sounds – they just don’t want it to be wrong, so because of their temperament, they are unable to let go of this attachment.  Of course, what we hold on to can hurt us – so they hit the wrong note! This goes along with the saying, “What we resist persists.”

This is an emotional need of wanting to look good, which is accompanied by a belief that hitting notes wrong is a huge deal that must be avoided or you will look like a complete idiot.  It has nothing to do with  how your vocal chords are working, or how amazing your ear is. If you have the best ear on the planet, but you have this emotional need to “look good” – or “to be perfect”, then there is a pretty good chance you’re going to have pitch issues.  I will say that many people have these issues and still sing each note perfectly, but there is always an underlying dis-harmony and uneasiness when they sing, that sometimes audiences can’t peg. However, for the most part, these needs manifest as pitch issues in many people.

Pitch Correction Suggestions:

• I am brave enough to decide that the world will go on spinning- even if I do it wrong,
• I am OK No matter what!

Example of Emotional Pitch Issues: I taught a young lady once – we’ll call her Mary, who was unable to authentically speak her truth, (a 5th Chakra Issue).  At the same time, she suffered from random pitch issues that were very unpredictable.  Once she was able to come to terms with expressing how she really felt to others on a daily basis, her pitch miraculously became more accurate!  As she cared less about what others thought, released her victim mentality and gained the courage to know she’d be okay–even if it wasn’t perfect, she could get through a whole song without having any pitch problems!  Interestingly, Mary had been to several coaches and never made growth. After only two sessions with me and practicing some of the tools in this article, her whole life changed and her CORE Voice emerged!  I will say that for most, it takes a little longer than two lessons. It just depends on you, and how easily you can embrace the courage to just be your FABULOUS SELF!

I know, I make it sound easy, but it can be if you let it.  It’s up to you to decide how much you want to cooperate with yourself enough to work through any of these issues. Remember, your relationship to yourself is a key factor to having an empowered voice.  Every day I see this issue and more often than less, I have found that pitch issues are related to unresolved psychological and emotional issues.

So, those are the four main emotional reasons why people sing off key.  Do you experience any of these issues? Share your experience with us via email or on our Facebook wall. Thank you.