SInging Philosophy

 

 

My philosophy on how to sing and how to teach singing is quite simple..... you want the most sound and the best sound for the least physical effort possible. Does this sound too easy or simple to be true?  Well, the philosophy is simple..... putting it into practice is the hard part.

 

Most of the events that occur in singing (breathing, creating a tone etc.) are all things that the human body does quite naturally and without too much difficulty or interference, as long as we allow things to happen. Learning how to sing for most people is about learning how to get out of your own way. And it is about becoming very familiar with the sound you are actually trying to create.

 

Many voice teachers will tell you that you should not listen to yourself while you sing, as you cannot hear your voice accurately to begin with. While they are correct in their assumption about one's ability to accurately hear one's voice, the assumption that one should not listen is false. What one needs to do is learn what to listen for and use the desire to create a particular tone to guide the body to the correct physical responses. The reason for this is simple - I can tell you how to relax and open your throat, breath low, place the voice etc. (all the things we have all been told before) but they won't make a difference if the sound you are imagining (or hearing in your head) is tight and constricted. Your body will make the sound you told it to make and override the commands to "open the throat", "remain on the gesture of inspiration" and so forth. So it isn't that we shouldn't listen, but rather we need to listen to what we WISH to do, not what we already have done. Your ear needs to stay ahead of your mind and voice to guide from in front. Then you can control the open throat, and all the other body manipulations that we have all been told to perform. And, you may find out that many of these manipulations are completely unnecessary and counter-productive . 

 

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