THE VOICE CONNECTION
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.


The Voice Connection - Sound Off
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Vocal Power questions

Hey y'all, anyone experienced with Jim Gillette's Vocal Power? I know that Jamie used/uses it and teaches the scales on the new practice guide. I've got the lesson and have been trying to work with it. When I'm in my lower register, I can definitely tell I have the right tone and placement. Jim doesn't go very high in the video and I have no idea if my tone/placement is right when I get into my middle and upper registers. Jamie or anyone else ever thought to record themselves doing all of these exercises going up higher so we can hear what the transitions are supposed to sound like with a description of the sensations we should be feeling if we are doing it right? I don't wanna be doing it wrong and blow my voice out.

Re: Vocal Power questions

Heya Ben. RYV has a chapter on "Zipping up" the chords as you ascend. It begins on page 59 - this will give a visual idea of how it should feel - chord-wise - as you ascend. That chapter also go into resonance placement and the triangle visualization as you ascent. Re-reading that chapter should help quite a bit! How it sounds is up to your voice. Be sure that you properly preform the exercises (i.e. don't slip into falsetto). If you begin to feel tension as you ascent quickly move your head from side to side - as in saying "no" (chin over shoulder) to help relieve it. If you crack while you're shaking your head, then you do in fact have tension.

Nothing should feel "tight" as you go up in scale - everything should feel as if it's floating up. It helps to think of ascending more as "going forward" than as "going up". Like your chin is resting on the low end of a piano- the lower notes are "close" and the higher notes are "far" and all are felt in the palate. If the note feels like it's "in your throat" then re-adjust your vocal placement.

Re: Vocal Power questions

Thanks very much, Diane. I feel very strong resonance in my head/nasal area until I get into middle/upper register. Then I don't feel it too much. I don't feel like I'm straining. I'm naturally a higher baritone singer, so I have absolutely no problems in my lower register. I just wanna make sure I'm doing these exercises right and not damaging my voice in my quest to expand my range.