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.
Welcome here; I'm new here too void(0);
void(0);;
void(0);. I'm gonna answer your questions to the best of my ability. I may get some things wrong so please don't be mad at me:
1. The first one is definitely falsetto.
2. As far as I know it's not really dangerous to bring your larynx down. In fact, it can be useful at times. It just sounds cartoonish and unpleasant to the audience if you do it too often. You seem to be trying a little too hard on the "mum" scale. Try to relax. I know the hardest thing to do is to relax when you're trying to get those higher notes. Try of thinking of your voice as horizontal, like a piano. There are no high and notes; some are to the right some are to the left. I know it's a lot to ask, but this will help you I'm sure of it. BTW this advice comes from "Raise your voice."
3. That note is pretty high; however, not impossibly high. If you wanna get there practice, practice, practice. That is after raise your voice comes.
Concerning Opera teachers. I came to dislike them for many reasons. The major one is that they classify your voice and tell you what you can do or cannot do. Just trust in yourself it will be good. Just make sure that you voice doesn't hurt after singing; if does you're damaging your vocal cords.
Stan H.
1) Sounded like head and falsetto...remember you can vary the degrees of both. The breathy sound indicates there was falsetto though, but it sounded heady.
2) The scale was good for a beginner. It sounds like you're tensing as you go up the scale, which is pretty standard for a noobie. The last set of mums I really didn't like, but maybe it's because you had opera training I wouldn't know. It sounded to me like you were just pulling up chest, with no mixed or head voice. Remember as you go up the scales to RELAX and let your voice do what it wants and sort've change gears. It might help to say "Mwuahm". You will be able to go (a little or a lot) higher with (a little or a lot) more practice.
3) Umm...gonna link some youtube vids for comparison.
4) You asked this question in the video...lowering your larynx is okay but try not to overdo it and don't force it or you'll sound like the village idiot. If you meant you wanted to get a raspier sound...I'd wait a bit.
5) As for the question about the soft palette...it sounds like you're getting there but not quite there yet. It didn't sound like you were straining either, except on the high notes.
6) lol, yeah that was a high note.
P.S. What sort've accent is that? Your regular speech sounds a bit odd, but it might just be your accent. Regardless your new mission is to start projecting when you talk in real life and to start enunciating your words more. Let the sound just bounce off your lips.
P.P.S. is that a synth organ sound?
Haha I walk round in public places singing as loud as I can sometimes. Just keep smiling, even if you're bad. Girls love it.
(As a side note, some public places are more acceptable then others...the bus would be a bad idea, and so would the church 
. Use your discretion.)
The feeling is: Freedom! Free your voice 
When it is properly placed in its natural resonators, it will vibrate freely and it will seem to be floating. You don't need more support to do this. You just need to move around your focus. Make your sound travel from your nose to between your eyes.
Oh my god man. You have been misled by classical voice teachers. You have to keep posture that way, you have to stand that way, you have to breathe that way, you have to give more support. I never really figured out what support here means. Does it mean pushing harder? If that's the case, don't do it. Just relax and let your body do the job. Don't think about those things. They will develop naturally. When you're thinking too much about things like these, they are gonna cause you to TENSE UP. This is gonna prevent the easy airflow, and then you're gonna be told to do more of those things. It will create an infinite loop, where your problems are cause by the "solutions" provided by your teacher. OK, I admit that you have to breathe properly; just practice inhalation sensation breathing. Soon enough it will become like second nature to you. Other than that just concentrate on getting pitch right and getting resonance going. Honestly, ask your classical voice teacher to get acquainted with "Raise your Voice" and work with you on Jaime's method. If he refuses, find another teacher.
Hey oiselle; great job here. Love your helpful comments. You're proly the greatest person on this board after Jaime. All Canadians are great, so are you, and so am I . LOL.
Stan H.
Shrybouski,thanks for your feedback! Just keep in mind that I'm classically trained though! Just to show that not all classical teachers are bad... It just depends on their teaching style and your learning style that may or may not be compatible. And there also are just plain bad voice teachers too... Classical, jazz or pop... you get the point!
Thanks for Jaime's article... I missed that one for some reason... I'll read it later 
I am a woman and French canadian as mentioned above
And I agree with Stan. The teaching approach and philosophy are more important. The instrument works the same for both gender; it's the thickness and the length of the cords that determine the range.
