SOUND OFF
Welcome to The Voice Connection Sound Off; a forum for users of books like Raise Your Voice, Melody to Madness, The Ultimate Breathing Workout, and Unleash Your Creative Mindset, as well as a place for Vendera Vocal Academy members to interact.
This message board was created so that singers could come together and "sound off" to help support each other during vocal development and the creative process of unleashing the creative spark that occurs when writing and producing music. Currently, myself and vocal coaches Ben Valen, Ray West, and Ryan Wall are here to respond periodicially to your questions, with new vocal coaches coming soon. But, feel free to help each other too:)
This board is here for you to ask questions about my and my fellow coach's books, videos, and MP3 programs, as well as offer others help with our vocal techniques. You may also post videos of yourself and your band to share your music and ask for critiques.
Please refrain from negative comments, profanities, spamming, and inappropriate criticisms of vocal methodologies, vocal coaches, and singers. All negative posts will be deleted and subject to banning without question. I will not respond to negative posts, because, as Mark Twain once said, “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” With that said, positive criticism is welcome because that is how you'll grow as a singer during the training process.
Hey Jaime and the rest of you guys,
Right, i only started feeling better at the start of the week because i have had some sort of virus and a chest infection, so i havent been doing the RYV exercises for that time, but i started again this week.
They re going pretty well, theyre harder than i thought...lol...and the first thing i noticed was that i have problems sustaining straight notes. I have never noticed before because i always use vibrato, but without it, the notes are a bit jumpy... For some reason, my mouth shape and tongue start moving without me wanting to move them...lol...and thats making the pitch a bit jumpy, whats going on there? im trying to release as much tension in my face and throat as i can, but its not working.
Second of all, before i was ill,my voice was fairly comfortably hitting a tenor C in chest voice, and i zip into head voice on the C#, but since my voice has gone weak over the past few weeks, i was struggling a bit to hold it....but i noticed this thing that happens and i would like to control it so it happens on the tenor c everytime i hit it. I start singing the C in chest and after about 2 seconds i blend it into head voice a bit....its neither chest or head, its both? but i cant just hit the C like it straight off, i have to hit it with the chest C first....
its this normal? and should i try and develop this for that note...it still has the slight pull and tone of the chest, but it has the ease of hitting the C in head voice....
And now the last thing, i was singing along to some DT as usual, and i was really trying and testing the power push as opposed to the stomach in techinque that im being taught.
I think im starting to get the power push better, because when i was doing it, it was so much easier to hit the high chest notes like a#4 b4 and c5...the only thing is, i felt that bridging my passagio and just using head voice in general was a bit harder when using the power push, but im sure ill get used to it.
Its just a bit uncomfortable to start doing at first i think thats why i didnt like it....i mean i have to go to the toilet before i start using the technique...lol...does that mean im doing it right? cos im just tensing as if i am trying to go to the toilet??
I cant really see or feel any downwards motion of the stomach, just the muscles tense around it, but i assume it is actually going down but i cant see it? If not, then im doing it wrong.
Anyway, i think i have decided to use both techniques...
Im gonna start using the power push for all the hard and loud full voice stuff, and i find that the stomach inwards technique makes SLS and quieter singing alot easier to perform....it just helps higher notes hover up...
ooo one last thing 
I can hit a soprano c in full voice now, but its very strained... i can only hold it for 2 or 3 seconds
i have tried the usual ways to eliminate strain when im up that high, but its not working. My neck muscles tense like hell and my larynx pops up so much i feel it click every now and then in the top of my throat.
Any ideas or exercises for using my range up there without straining?
Sorry for all the questions
Thanks
Lee
Holy shit, man! C6 in full voice? I can't imagine how that must sound! Could you post a clip of you doing it? (yes Jaime, I KNOW you can do it too, but I'm sure you don't have time to record a clip)
I'm afraid I can't answer your questions...better let the master take care of that. 
