General FAQ on Singing
You
are so right. Unfortunately, most voice teachers
are still training their students to look and sound
like classical singers, using techniques that have
nothing to do with developing a contemporary
sound. That's why students who don't enjoy
older styles of music often find voice lessons
frustrating and fruitless. Brett Manning will
never stifle your unique sound and style. In
fact, the Singing Success Program provides tools
and techniques that will allow you to sing
with
more style.
Besides, who wants to listen to someone who sounds
like every other "proper" singer?
Can
I improve my tone quality?
Tone
quality improves when the correct musculature is
engaged in the singing process. Feel underneath
your chin with your forefinger and slide it inwards
to the point where your neck meets the muscles
under your chin. Now swallow. Notice
how your larynx (Adam's apple) raises up and the
muscles under your chin tighten up as you
swallow? These muscles that are engaged in
the swallowing process are opposed to those engaged
in the singing process. The use of these
muscles while singing creates a myriad of problems
that can take years to correct if left
unchecked. For good tone quality, you must
learn to sing without the outer muscles of the
larynx. Doing so will set free your natural
voice, drastically improving tone quality and ease
of use. Naturally, the Singing Success
Program contains techniques that will help you do
this.
Is it really possible to teach
style?
Until
now, there really has not been a comprehensive
system of teaching vocal style. There have
been scales played to reflect certain genres, such
as the Blues Scale, but that's really not
enough. Brett Manning worked with hundreds of
brilliant vocal stylists to co-develop training
techniques based on their various skills.
Using these techniques you can develop style skills
so prolific that you'll be able to reinterpret any
song you wish into a unique masterpiece.
Think of it this way: As a singer, you are the
artist and the final "painting" is up to you.
Brett Manning's style training just gives you more
colors to work with.
Falsetto vs Head Voice
Q: Are falsetto
and head voice the same thing?
A:
No. Falsetto is the lightest vocal
production made by the human voice. It is
limited in strength, dynamics and tonal
variation. Usually, there is a considerable
'jump,' 'break' or 'disconnect' between your chest
(speaking) voice and your falsetto. Noted
vocal coach and voice therapist Randy Buescher of
Chicago defines falsetto as:
"a coordination where the outer layer of the vocal
cord (mucosa, i.e. internal skin or muscular
covering) is vibrating, creating sound, but without
engaging the actual musculature of the cord.
Also, there exists no medial compression. In
other words, during the vibratory cycle, the cords
never fully approximate. In head voice, the
cords approximate, but the vibration of the cord
moves away from the full depth of the vocal cord
(chest voice) to a pattern that involves less and
less depth of vocal cord as you ascend toward the
top of your range. The highest notes of your
range involve only the vocal ligament.
However, there is no consensus among experts on the
official definition of vocal registers."