Pitch problems? This will help.

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There are several reasons you might find yourself singing off-pitch.

If you sing flat...

It might be because you are using too much weight in your vocal fold coordination. In other words, you’re using too much chest voice, and it’s weighing your voice down and making it difficult to go up in pitch.

If you sing sharp...

You may not be using enough chest voice, and too much head voice, so your voice is thinning out and stretching too much. This is causing you to sing above the pitch.

The Brain/Body Connection

When neither of these is the issue, it can be a brain/body disconnection. You might need to work on your ability to audiate, meaning you need to be able to hear the pitch in your head. This is how the brain tells the vocal folds what pitch to sing.

Auditation can be improved with ear training practice and by changing the way we listen.

How do you listen to music?

Singers often just listen to the vocal melody and lyrics.

If you play an instrument, you’re more likely to listen to the layers below the lyrics and melody.  You can bet a drummer is listening to the beat and rhythm before they listen to anything else!

Separate the Layers of Song

Try separating the layers in your mind and hearing them individually.  Then specifically listen to the rhythm layer and the harmony layer, one at a time.

Lyrics

Lyrics are the icing on the cake. They tell the story in words, and they allow the singer to play with different vowels and consonants. While the lyrics are an integral part of the song, they are not going to help you stay on pitch.

Melody

The melody lies on top of the harmony.  If you can hear the bass line and start to follow along with that, you’ll hear how the melody “fits” on top of it. The harmony supports the melody. This is what the singer sings, but other instruments also get a chance to have the melody when there is an instrumental solo.

Harmony

The harmony is the instrumental layer beneath the melody.  There might be a piano, guitar, keyboard, or other instruments, but I want you to listen for the bass, which is usually the lowest note you’ll hear.  The bass is most often playing the root, also known as the tonic. This helps you hear the overall chord structure of the song, which repeats throughout the song.  You’ll likely hear the same order of chords for the verses.  The chorus or other sections will have different chords, but they will also repeat throughout the song.  They also usually stay in the same key signature unless the songwriter really wants a section to stand out from the rest of the song. 

Rhythm

The rhythm layer is the feel of the song. For example, the rhythm is what gives it a feel like a swinging jazz beat or a rock beat.

Beat 

The beat is just the basic rhythmic unit of each measure.  A song in 4/4 would have a beat like 1 - 2 - 3 - 4.  

The Layers as a Whole

Each layer of the song needs to be strong individually as well as fitting together as a whole. All of the layers of a song support one another in the communication of the song’s message.  

Practice Listening

When you exercise your brain to hear music this way, you’ll get better at being able to hear where the melody fits in and your pitch will improve!

If hearing the layers separately is too much of a challenge to do on your own, find a teacher or musician friend to listen with you and help point each layer out.  

Practice listening like this for 10 minutes a few times a week, and you’ll hear your pitch improve!  

The other benefit to listening in this way is that riffing will be easier!  To be able to riff or improvise, you have to be able to always know what the harmony is doing.

Give it a try!

Let me know if you found this helpful, or if you have any questions.

When Should a Singer Go to an ENT?

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First, a little back story...

For two weeks in 2018, I lost the use of my right arm and was in the most acute pain I’d ever experienced. Two herniated discs in my neck severely impinged my nerves. 

I'll spare you all the details, but ultimately, I had double-disc replacement surgery on my cervical spine to avoid any permanent nerve damage.

The surgery was successful, but if I don't stay on top of my stress and exercise, I get a tight neck, shoulders, and tension headaches.

During a particularly stressful time, as in... my dad died, COVID numbers were super high, and I had a weeklong online vocal conference I was performing at in front of all my peers, I started experiencing some persistent vocal tension and fatigue. 

It scared me.  My voice felt really tight.  It was uncomfortable to sing or speak.  It was cracking, and it wasn't seeming to improve very quickly.

It occurred to me that it was coming from extrinsic muscle tension in my neck and shoulders.

Or, was it? 

I wondered if I possibly had an issue with my vocal folds that could be causing it.

So, I visited my own ENT for a vocal scope and examination.⁠

I wanted to know for certain the cause so that I could choose the best treatment plan and get feeling better again.

Vocal health is not something to be taken lightly. But when should a singer see an ENT?

ENT vs Otolaryngologist vs Laryngologist

First, let’s clarify what an ENT is.

An ENT, or an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor, is also called an otolaryngologist. They are one and the same.

A laryngologist is an ENT doctor who subspecializes in laryngology. They deal with the voice.

So if you are a singer, or generally a voice user, you would want to see a board-certified laryngologist.

Reasons to See an ENT

If you’re having any of these symptoms, be PROACTIVE and go see an ENT as soon as you can:

1. Changes in the voice or hoarseness that persist more than 2 weeks.

2. Sudden loss of voice or other change, especially during a performance or voice use

3. Pain with voice use

4. Something just doesn’t feel right.

But don’t just wait for the injury to happen!

In a perfect world, singers would get an annual exam from a laryngologist, even when they feel totally healthy. Visit your ENT for PREVENTIVE reasons so that you can:

1. Establish a relationship with an ENT before the problems happen (You don’t want to have to scramble to find an ENT when you are in a vocal crisis!)

2. Identify issues that may put you more at risk for vocal injury

3. Discuss mild symptoms that you might be overlooking, but could be signs of early injury

4. Learn more about your own instrument so you can be better at identifying your own problems

As for my own recent experience, I was happy to learn that my vocal folds looked healthy. No sign of injury.

My doctor recommended trying body work to help release some of the tension.

I took her advice. Even after one session of structural alignment work, I feel a difference.

I was better equipped to make a decision about what treatment to follow after seeing my ENT. Otherwise, I’d still be worrying about it, and I wouldn’t be getting anywhere but worse.

Going to an ENT to get a vocal exam might seem a little scary, especially if you’ve never done it.

But, it’s important to conquer that fear.

I hope you found this helpful. Please share your questions or comments below!

Classical VS Contemporary Singing: What’s the difference?

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I was a trained classical singer. The thing was, I didn’t want to only sing classical music. I wanted to sing Pop, Blues, Folk, Jazz, Musical Theater, and all kinds of contemporary music. So, I started singing Sarah McLauchlin, Tori Amos, Alannis Morrisette, and Fiona Apple. Yup, it was the 90’s.

As hard as I tried, I couldn’t seem to sound like them with their strong, warm lower voices and their belty middle voices. In fact, my voice would crack quite a lot, I strained on the middle-high notes, and I had NO IDEA how to fix any of it.

But, I didn’t give up. I found the right training, and I reconditioned my voice.

Turns out, now, I help a lot of singers who had classical training. Whether they started in choir, majored in classical voice, or legit musical theater.

If this is you, you can do it. You can learn how to sing in other styles. You can uncover your natural, authentic voice.

Start by learning both the mechanical and stylistic differences.

Classical vs Contemporary: Mechanical and Stylistic Differences

CHEST VOICE 

In classical singing, it’s considered garish to use a heavy chest voice in the lower range. This is especially true for sopranos.

This avoidance of being too heavy can lead classical singers to have a tendency to be too light in their chest voice. In other words, they bring too much head voice down into the bottom of their range.

The production of chest voice in contemporary singing is more balanced. It doesn't have too much head voice in it, and it's very much like the speaking voice.

Tip: Try speaking the words first, and then speaking them on the pitch. This will help you find a natural sound that isn’t too different from your speaking voice.

Check out my VoiceTalk blog on chest voice to learn more on how chest voice works.

HEAD VOICE

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I often see classical singers reject their head voice when they begin learning to belt. They think that using their head voice is bad because it doesn't sound strong enough. Head voice is NOT bad. If you have a developed head voice, you’re already halfway there.

We need both chest voice and head voice to blend together to produce MIX voice! Check out my blog on Mix Voice HERE!

VIBRATO

Think of vibrato like a texture. It occurs when the voice is in balance.

Classical singers use vibrato on almost every note. In musical theatre, you’ll hear it used in a variety of ways depending on the style and era of the musical. In musical theatre, a sustained note often starts out on a straight tone and then the vibrato comes in at the end of the note.

Pop and contemporary singers use a lot less vibrato than classical styles.

If you use a lot of vibrato, experiment with using no vibrato at all and then add it back sparingly. Listen to other pop and contemporary singers. Notice how much vibrato they are using to give you some inspiration.

ONSETS

The onset is how the vocal cords come together at the initiation of the sound.

Contemporary styles tend to have more edgy onsets. You might hear a pop singer use vocal fry as they begin a note or use a bit more attack at the beginning of the notes.

Classical onsets are very balanced.

A balanced onset is when there is a balance of airflow and muscle when the sound begins. Try saying UH-OH with a very easy spoken way, and see if you can do it with a balanced onset.

A soft onset is when the vocal cords do not have complete closure at the beginning of the onset. This results in a breathy sound like hhhhhhhheeeeeee.

A hard onset (or glottal onset) is when there is when there is an over-compressing of the vocal cords as the sound is initiated. When there is too much muscle and not enough airflow this can cause a pressed phonation. There are varying degrees of this. If the onset is very hard and there is too much attack, over time this can be damaging to the delicate vocal cord tissue.

RESONANCE STRATEGies: CONVERGENT VS DIVERGENT

The vocal tract (the space from the vocal folds to the tip of the lips) is a resonating tube. It refines, shapes, and reinforces the sound wave produced by the vibrating vocal cords.

The vocal tract can have a convergent or divergent shape. This shape is primarily influenced by the way you form your vowels.

Convergent is when there is more space at the back of the throat and less at the opening of the mouth. A classical sound resonates more in the back of the throat versus in the mouth. When that space is bigger, it will boost more of the lower frequencies and less of the upper ones. This gives us that warm round classical sound.

Divergent is when there is less space at the back of the throat and more at the opening of the mouth. A pop or contemporary sound uses a divergent shaped vocal tract. This boosts more of the higher frequencies, producing a more bright, “in your face” kind of sound.

THE LARYNX

The larynx is where the vocal folds reside. If you put your hand on the front of your throat where you feel a small lump, sometimes called the Adam’s Apple. If you swallow, you’ll feel it go up and then back down. If you yawn, you’ll feel it go down.

We want the position of the larynx to be free and neutral so we have a natural sound. We don’t want to purposely depress it or allow it to raise up too much, especially when singing high notes.

The larynx will naturally move up and down depending on where we are in our range and how intensely we are singing.

The larynx usually sits lower in classical singing than it does in contemporary.

Some classical singers overly depress the larynx which darkens the sound. This can make their voice sound manipulated when they go to sing contemporary.

In contemporary styles, you’ll notice the larynx is more neutral or even slightly raised. A raised larynx will shorten the back of the vocal tract. This gives it a more divergent shape and boosts the upper frequencies.

THE SOFT PALATE

The soft palate is the muscular part of the roof of your mouth, behind the hard palate, between the top back teeth. When you yawn, you’ll feel it lift.

Classical singers might lift the soft palate as a resonant strategy to create more space in the back. This gives the vocal tract that more convergent vocal tract shape.

When the soft palate is in an optimal position, it keeps the sound from going nasal. Raising it a lot can move you towards sounding like an opera singer. The shape of your vowels will affect how much the palate raises!

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Whichever style you prefer, remember that the end goal is the same for whatever style you choose to sing.

WE WANT:

Communication of emotion and story

Style that feels appropriate for the song

Even tone throughout the range

Healthy technique that allows for vocal longevity

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Aaand that’s all for now! Watch me demonstrate these techniques with one of my students, Lisa, an opera singer for 20 years. Check it out here!

Did you learn something new? Let me know in the comments!

WANT TO FIND YOUR CONTEMPORARY SINGING VOICE? BOOK YOUR INTRO LESSON WITH EXPERT VOICE TEACHER ANNIE

Johnny Cash Mash-Up with Carisa Brown

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/ˈmaSHˌəp/

nounINFORMAL

noun: mashup

1. a mixture or fusion of disparate elements.

   • a recording created by digitally combining and synchronizing instrumental tracks with vocal tracks from two or more different songs.

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Mashups have become increasingly popular in music since the 90’s.

You've been on the dance floor when the DJ combined two familiar songs in a way that surprisingly worked!

YouTube artists and music makers are now sharing their masterful creations, marrying songs in ways never imagined by the original songwriters. The result is a new species of music where the best elements of original songs we already love multiply into works of art. 

My client Carisa Brown loves creating song mash-ups, though she came to me having never before made one. With an open mind and a willingness to try, it didn’t take long for Carisa’s vision of a mashup with two Johnny Cash songs to take form.

“Hurt”, was originally written and recorded by the rock band Nine Inch Nails and recorded by Johnny Cash in 2003.  The other song, "God's Gonna Cut You Down" is a traditional American folk song recorded by Cash in 2006. 

Where did the idea come from? What was the process? Here are Carisa’s thoughts in her own words. 

What was the inspiration for this mash-up? 

The mashup started because I wanted to combine two Johnny Cash songs. I love his voice! It's so deep and powerful, I always think I want to sing like that. After trying to learn "Never Enough" originally sung by Loren Aldrich, I thought okay, now let's see how low I can go.

What was the creative process like?

I started playing around with the story first. How can you combine these two songs together to form a logical storyline, and we'll deal with the musicality of it later (sorry Annie). I had a rough outline and presented it to Annie, and then we moved some pieces around to make it fit the piano arrangement. 

It came from story first, musicality second, and deciding how to sing it third. 

Playing over the Hurt chords, you could just feel the emotion, so deciding how to make it my own and unique was the easy part. We knew the story and let the piano lead the rest. 

Annie, on Creating the Piano Arrangement

I did some research by listening to mashups, so that I could get a feel for how they made them work. 

Carisa led the way vocally, while I played around on the piano.  We tried a few different iterations and eventually came up with an arrangement we liked.  After that, I called composer and arranger Lynn Hutchinson, to take my piano idea and make it even better.  Lynn did just that.  Sending me sheet music with a dynamic piano part, which still left room for Carisa’s voice to soar.

We spent an afternoon at my home with videographer Stephanie James and created the video you’re about to see.

My husband Marcus Ashley, shared his expertise mixing and mastering the final track. Annette Betting-Fuentes did our video editing.

Check out the full video here! 

Carisa, what are you working on now? 

I am currently recording some mashups and covers my friend and I made in his living room in Echo Park. It's not professional by any means, but it's by far the best part of my week. I think we have  five mashups at this point and we're finally starting to record them. 

It's mostly duets of the songs that got us in our feels in middle school: Neyo, Usher,  Omarion ect. We just covered a Billie Ellish and Khalid song that is incredibly beautiful and chilling. It's been stuck in my head for months. 

Learning how to sing with another person, knowing when to let them shine, when to harmonize, when to breakout and do your own thing has been a really fun challenge.