Getting Used To The Sound of Your Voice

It’s funny how a person can have the technical ability to land a new kind of vocal endeavor but won’t accept what they’re doing as right or “good” if they aren’t used to how it sounds. Whether you’re a lyrical singer who typically sings soft but wants to belt or a higher voice type who wants to strengthen their lower register or a lower voice type who wants to strengthen their mix or upper register, change can take some getting used to.

I have a private student who is a tenor. He has a great voice, good pitch, nice tone, can sing lots of riffs, etc. He’s had a fair amount of voice training and now is really starting to step into the role of songwriter and performer. For a while I couldn’t sense too many areas that needed major strengthening besides some breath work. Then we started working on chest register, more specifically belting, and they freaked out. It was genuine. Even though this student is totally capable they always feel terrified before belting and even somewhat after. 

So I first had to find a way to help my student feel some kind of safety when making loud sounds. I related the experience of belting to speaking to a friend or across the street. “Just think of talking loud” I told them. (Make sure to breathe beforehand:). Once my student got more accustomed to the feeling of belting being something they can do and maybe even do in ordinary life, it started to feel a little less scary. But we often have to play a song multiple times before they feel ready to jump. Yet when they go for “speaking loud” pretty much everything works out.

My point is even with the technical knowhow my intermediate/advanced student is put off by their voice belting yet they want it in their music.

This is why I had to write a book about the voice and my journey studying it. Learning to love and accept your voice can take time and there are often many twists and turns in the road. To learn more about this mysterious process, come to my first live show featuring new music and words from Lost and Found, the audiobook, this Saturday, Feb 22nd at ShapeShifter Lab. Positive change is often easier to integrate in community:)

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