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Kevin Ashe

TMV World Legacy Member
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Everything posted by Kevin Ashe

  1. Hi Studiousstudent, I replied to a similar post on this subject. thought you might want to check it out. good luck!
  2. Vatnsturn, I'm surprised more replies have not been posted for your inquiry. You have written a few comments that give evidence that you may have a misguided notion about what mixed voice actually is. This is very common. I'll link the excellent video by Robert Lunte that sets the record straight on exactly what about "mixed voice" has been misconstrued or misunderstood by so many students (and some teachers believe it or not). I'd have to write way too much here on this reply to give you a complete overview, yet here are some thoughts to consider: - "Bridging and mixed voice are related but NOT the same thing. The ability to bridge well really only occurs on the notes which are in your specific "Passaggio" range of notes. Different between most men and women, and slightly different between say a Baritone and a tenor. i.e. - I'm a Baritone and I would not sing "higher" than an A3 in my chest voice (V1) without bridging. That is technically where my passaggio begins. Even when you are singing a siren from as low as say a G2 (M1) all the way up to say, an E4 (M2), bridging still only occurs at the "break," you know, where the voice wants to flip to head voice (M2). Mastering that bridging transition is a prerequisite to THEN begin to work on the muscular configurations that are sometimes referred to as "mixed voice." This is because the notes that are near the beginning of your passagio have the greatest potential to "mix" in some of that "chesty" (M1) sound color via (at first) a "light mass phonation." Lots of training (vocal exercises) aimed at strengthening that light mass phonation into a "beefier" sound color will (over time with training), increase the sound color's strength & power. - Bringing more "chest-like" sound color to "high" head voice notes (M2) is another training process. A good introduction to this was also posted on video by Robert Lunte (see below). I want to encourage you to get Robert Lunte's training system. It will teach you everything you could possibly want to know and more. As far as my credentials go; I am 59, trained with 3 of the best vocal coaches in Los Angeles (who have trained the biggest names in lead vocalists), in my twenties. I have sung professionally (many studio hours). I discovered Robert Lunte's training system (The Four Pillars of Singing) around 10+ years ago and found it to be superior to all three of my teachers in terms of it's overall insight and innovated training techniques. Robert Lunte's methodology brings you a much deeper intuition on what's going on in your voice so you can physically feel whats happening while you sing, as well as the knowledge of the physiology! You won't regret buying it! I hope this helps!
  3. https://www.npr.org/2021/01/25/960299623/voice-author-explores-accents-language-and-what-makes-a-tone-sexy
  4. ok Felipe, I'm a tad confused. just for clarity; even though Johnson has got to be one of the most distorted high range voice (maybe the acdc main melodies don't require multiple high notes yet, I know he gets deeper than I can on the head voice pinnacle. I can't sing notes above D5 with good closure). . . . maybe G's&R's songs have more deep head voice main melody notes (?) not to mention the grit/distortion switch doesn't have an off position for Brian! So I would guess you are referring to "overall" vocal demand being more "aggressive" as in, more upper connected head voice, more grit and distortion effects. (?) Like I mentioned, I don't listen to G's&R's and would not go binge listening to discover these facts. peace, k
  5. really? hmmm. Everything I heard (video) of his acdc performances I thought were pretty good. Maybe I just missed the footage you've seen. I don't follow G's&R's so.... anyway, the weak falsettoish singing is just lame.
  6. He's been called the "greatest rock and roll singer of all time!" Some people agree, some don't. What's' new right? Personally he's not in my fav singer list. What I will say about Axl is, he has seemingly done very well maintaining his vocal health for the extreme style singing he does. His stint with AC/DC was impressive for sure! This is why I found this video interesting. Axl is not singing in full voice on all the high notes in this performance. He's using a semi-falsetto tone. Singers might do this for 2 reasons (I can think of), 1- They lost that region of their voice from screaming, coughing, nodules, or alcohol. OR 2- They may be on the edge of losing their voice from fatigue from excessive performances and/or singing improperly so, now he's trying to preserve his voice by being selective about what parts of the song he's willing to sing full voice (what he appears to be doing in this song). If he allows himself to heal (does some healing therapy vocalize), he should be able to sing full voice in the higher notes again. I guess I'm more of a purist on this, I'd say, "cancel the concert rather than sing like that, it sounds like shit!" I have found that any time I'm singing in the "high performance" realm of the vocal spectrum, I can be singing properly in every other way yet, if I don't engage solid appoggio (strong diaphragmatic support), my voice will still fatigue relatively rapidly! It is (in my experience) the number one defense (out of many) against vocal fatigue and damage!
  7. Hi Mallory, I only listened to the Manson video. First, I would ask you if you know what "Fry" vocal or pulse register is? If not, check out the Draven Grey video I've linked here. First, I would not consider the Manson example "screaming." It's more of a singing with grit. A very scratchy texture with just a bit of true tone underneath. One of several key coordinations you will need to master in this style of singing to avoid vocal damage is, "fry" vocal, or pulse register sounds. You will utilize "fry" vocal to layer over the pitch of your vocalization. It doesn't hurt, and causes no damage as long as you are ALSO correctly supporting the sound with proper diaphragmatic and respiration techniques. Let me know if you have other questions however, I highly recommend enrolling in either Robert Lunte's, or Draven Grey's online vocal course. Too often, singers want to just jump in head first to distortion, rasp, grit, and screaming vocal effects, without mastering the solid fundamentals of healthy singing techniques. Unless you are already an "advanced" skills singer, start at the beginning to strengthen and refine your sining voice THEN, explore the various "special effects" you can expand your abilities with! best, k
  8. Thanks James! It was good to see the Seth Riggs interview! I was coached by two of his teachers right around 8 years prior to when this interview was filmed. Interesting to see how my coaches were even similar in their coaching style/mannerisms. Learned so much from those guys!! Great techniques!
  9. Yes, I recall hearing about that method also. "Association" is the key here as there are likely differences from one system to another as to exactly what those associations are, i.e. this guy with the "tone generator" has one set of color to tone associations, Robert Lunte's system uses another set. I don't recall if he spoke on how the color associations were chosen for the system he's using however, the 4 Pillars is a simple logic of more cutting and edgy suggests warmth, more energy, so red is a "rational" choice, just as blue is for curbing/rounded phonations, yes? So regarding improving pitch, I've never tried it yet, I've got to believe color association with notes has to produce some desired results. We can exploit the association "trick" for all it's worth in numerous aspects of life, not unlike exploiting muscle memory to improve vocal agility, coordination, and control.
  10. I heard this on the radio and thought I should post it here! I really enjoyed them! Both talks touch on related aspects of vocal training, vocal science, and vocal "ideology." Hearing Color https://ideas.ted.com/the-sound-of-color-neil-harbissons-talk-visualized/ Synthetic Voices https://www.ted.com/talks/rupal_patel_synthetic_voices_as_unique_as_fingerprints?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare
  11. Draven, Super insightful instruction! I couldn't help but notice that when he described the "lean" of those he knew who chose the "sternal notch," as a target of their lean, this whole approach to the breath seems like another means to configuring the larynx for cry mode. If I think of a cry mode onset, this workflow he's described is essentially the same yet, he's placed the focus on the breath control for achieving less tension. Seems like a potential double edged sword technique - cry configuration and effective appoggio. If you're configuring for cry mode (when aren't you, right?), you might as well also (since you're more than 75% of the way there with cry config), release any tension from your breath support with the "lean." Do you think I'm confusing anything with this observation?
  12. I decided to run a little experiment and (for the first time in my life) analyze exactly what notes comprise the M1, M2, and what I'll call M3 regions of my vocal track. Just for fun, and to share with some of my fellow voice geeks here. Even though I received effective vocal coaching, it was a long time ago when popular vocal teachers did not bother explaining or analyzing anything unless you were willing to sit there and pay $80/hr. to chat (never happened for me). As a result, I never paid too much attention to notes and my "range." I would always reference songs my vocal hero's were singing, and I could tell my M2 notes were getting beefier from the vocal instruction / training. It is interesting to note that, after so many years of singing without strain in M2, I actually forgot how to pull chest voice. I discovered this one day when someone asked me to explain to them how I was able to sing "tenor notes" when they knew I was a baritone. I started to explain the difference between M1 & M2, I wanted to sing an example of straining to sing a high C. We all had a laugh as I struggled to remember how to pull M1 that high without singing in M2. So, lately I've been contemplating expanding my range a tad higher than I've been satisfied with for so many years. The pdf illustrates what I found out about my "instrument." I thought it was interesting to see how much more agile my M2 is than my M1! The overlaps are also interesting for me to see correlated with the notes. I'd like to start training those weaker M2 notes. I'd like to see if I can change the pink D#5, and A5, to red! Only two notes yet, I know it will take a lot of effort, those notes are not easy to make beefy. MY VOCAL TRACK ILLUSTRATED.pdf
  13. I like Mdew's observation because this is a challenge that is potentially compounded by subtle, often overlooked issues. As Mdew suggests, as long as the speed of the articulation and scale are not increasing your student's "work load," in singing in pitch, then you can continue with the checklist of troubleshooting. I do agree, a slower speed always increases confidence for more rapid, and difficult performance standards. True with any other musical instrument as well of course. Vowel Modification: Further discussion regarding vowels being sung becomes relevant by virtue of the fact that (as you know), even a singer with perfect pitch will go flat or sharp on a note with the wrong vowel modification (it's physics). So, you might break down exactly what the vowels are being utilized in the vocalize. The aim would be to craft a more customized sequence of vowel modifications that best accommodates a more accurate note placement for him. Have you ever analyzed the scale being sung in this manner? It's a first sweep at eliminating pitch bending configurations. Ear Training: A vocalize with more complex note arrangements, be it complex in the run of notes, or in the note selection, i.e. a minor-centric line with a high number of notes both close together, and disparate in scale position. again, slow at first to condition those muscles to retain the memory. This addresses the "ear" issue. Placement: I don't mind the term "placement" as some do. I acknowledge it's a term that does have some ethereal tendencies however, I accept it for the purpose of associating a sensation with notes in the head voice. This is a concept that solidified in my own mind thanks to insights innovated by Robert Lunte in the pedagogy that he created (The Four Pillars of Singing). - eliminate terminology that subliminally intimidates the student in pursuit of mastery of the minute intrinsic musculature. i.e. "Hitting" notes. The energy implied by the mere word will translate into tension and constriction. Here's a video by Robert Lunte that speaks to this notion and encourages a different mental focus that is actually in alignment with what is happening in a singer's formants! Singing "deeper" not higher. I hope this helps! peace, k
  14. The lift up pull back exercise described in this video will train the constricting muscles causing her "abrupt" transition to relax, then more strength can gradually be added in until the transition is seamless. This process for most people, requires weeks of training to tame the constrictors. Then adding in more connection would be "strength training exercises, a sample of which the last video illustrates. This summarizes a potentially more customized approach you might advise for her. I curious, what is your vocal coaching experience ? Did you study voice in college or through a mentorship/apprentice training?
  15. hey sp3c....., I forgot that the review my singing cost's like $10 in here. Either Draven or Robert (there may even be others now - coaches) will review your material and refute or confirm the advice I gave you. Plus answer any further questions you may have.
  16. That siren wasn't horrible. You got a little shaky right at the passaggio. Now I would check with Robert Lunte on this but I would say 1- your right about diaphragmatic support, that will stabilize some on this and is important for most all phonations. 2- It sounds like the shakiness has to do with the weakness in your passaggio, your trying to make a good connected sound when it's not easy for you, and your probably worried (at least subconsciously) about pushing/choking, and that just adds to the tentativeness. I think if you look up the "lift up, pull back" vocal exercise found on Rob Lunte's Youtube channel, that is a passaggio tension releasing exercise that should help you. It allows you to engage the passaggio with zero tension, then add in more connection as you move past the break. It's an easy tension free falsetto phonation that over time, you begin to add in more and more vocal fold connection or mass (within the passaggio). I never had this exercise when I was training for more strength and connection at the break, it's a brilliant innovation that will keep your constrictors at bay, and ultimately leads to more power with no tension as your strength on those passaggio notes grows! good luck Bro! k
  17. spc3c..., Excellent composition! Great style and arrangement, good air play material, catchy hooks, lots of melody! Very good musicianship! Your voice is very marketable as well! Reminds me a little bit of Tyler Joseph (21 Pilots), maybe a dash of Matt Shultz (Cage The Elephant)! I like it a lot! When you sing the lyric, "with no place to go home" - Sounds to me like you're singing with good connection in the lower realm of your head voice! Double check with a coach, but I'm fairly certain. I would predict that with just a couple months of committed training with a good coach and training system, you will sing much higher! You should check out Robert Lunte's Youtube channel and search for lectures on the subject of Baritone's singing high notes. Lot's of good solid facts that will power you up with confidence about the reality of expanding your range to include notes more common to a tenor. The truth is, you'll learn in those videos that vocal "Fach," (Bass, Baritone, Tenor, Alto, Soprano) are essentially a distraction in vocal training. Proper training leads to expansion of range, coordination, strength, respiration, and also, confidence, projection, release of tension, vibrato, distortion, . . . . the list is long! The point is, it takes work in the vocal "gym" so to speak, that being vocal workouts that bring the above mentioned qualities to your singing voice. Are you training? Do you have a vocal training program or a coach you are studying with? It's never been more affordable than today! peace, k
  18. This point Draven has made here, I have learned is a real cool added benefit of good embouchure! Anyone can test this and feel it for themselves! Just sing anything with, and without, good embouchure. I know that in order to achieve muscle memory on proper embouchure one must exaggerate the movement of the lips/mouth (when training) to a point of feeling strange, gradually the habit will establish and won't feel or look strange to the average person.
  19. Lately, I've been pondering this metaphor in an effort to effectively convey some ideas about singing to folks who have had little exposure to good singing pedagogy yet, comprehend guitar amplification and effects. I'd appreciate any input on this, how it hits you, is it effective, improvements, any debate or opinions are welcomed. I often think of the physical vocal modes as similar to the knobs on a guitar amplifier. . . . . . and the acoustic vocal modes & effects as functioning like the e.q. and effects pedals.
  20. Liza, Lot's of good reading and advice here for you i see. It's cool when members here can help give other members deeper insight and practical advice. What I would have given to have this resource when I first started my singing journey many years ago. I feel the same way about Robert Lunte's training course, even though I had received the most excellent vocal coaching available in the 80's (which helped immensely with progress). When I learned of The Four Pillars of Singing, I discovered insights into the anatomy, physics, and vocal training scales, well beyond what my former training had taught me! The knowledge of these aspects produces an intuitive comprehension that channels you to all the right actions to take, which produce the results you are seeking! If you want to feel in control of your progress just pick up the course, the cost is seven times less than I spent more than 30 years ago for the best coaching available! AND, the course is more comprehensive and visually engaging than all the lessons I paid for! best, k
  21. hey ILM, I'm not sure what singing "closer to how we speak" really means. Monks sing chants, Acappella, I can't think of anything about their singing that is "like" speech mode. If we look at the vocal modes we can see that each "type" of vocalization requires a different configuration of the vocal track or formant. Speech- Very limited. not for emphasizing melodies. Sob- A crying sound, more specifically, the sound one makes when they're holding back a full blown fit of weeping, while they are singing. Belt- Yelling, Anger, volume Falsseto- A light airy sound, Feminine, tender. Opera- A full and somewhat "covered" sound, "rounded" and robust. Quack- Increased compression and closure, similar to a cartoon character Twang- Highly compressed, a “witchy,” nasal/mask focused sound Distorton- Anger, angst, violence, gritty/raspy sound. If I were going to try and associate which of these modes most closely represents how monks sing chants, I'd say opera (with no vibrato) in a light mass. So I'd be interested in hearing details of how their singing is more like speech mode. warm ups. Warming up is about blood flow. Just like you stretch prior to playing an athletic sport. Increased blood flow will provide increased coordination, flexibility, consistency, and strength. Warm up exercises/scales are usually designed to maximize or make most efficient, the process of warming up, or increasing blood flow. If you just sing a melody you know, it may not be as effective in taking the voice through the full spectrum of sound that you make when singing and hence, not be as an efficient of a warm up. I hope this helps! peace, k
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