Hey everybody,
I've had the pleasure of browsing some interesting topics over the last few days here. I have a question for all those experienced vocalists.
Has self-learning made you into the singer you wanted to be? Ebooks and DVDs...have they made you improve rapidly and to an impressive point?
I am all about self-help. I have invested in lots of marketing, photography, weightlifting, and tons of topics about becoming a better person...but all those had a visual measurable result. Am I getting more sales? Is my photographic process becoming tighter? Am I getting stronger and larger? It's very easy to look and see.
I totally believe in the process but I'm wondering if it's the right solution for me as everyone knows what you hear in your head isn't really the best judge of vocal talent. How do self-help enthusiasts get around this...do you record your voice a lot? I think even with recordings of my own voice, I don't think I'd be able to properly judge the pitfalls and successes of it.
I thought lessons would be the answer but I've had a really hard time finding a teacher who understood my goals and could help me. The best teacher I had was teaching SLS, and after reading here, it seems like it especially does not fit my goals. The best thing I've seen so far was Ken Tamplin DVDs which I'm highly considering purchasing.
For those in Toronto who have a teacher they'd like to recommend, I'm all ears.
Where I'm at is: I'm trying to develop my middle voice (in SLS terms? Or is it commonplace?) because if I understand correctly, I need to be able to hit the notes I want without strain before I can add heat to it to keep it in key? I'm coming out of a hardcore/metalcore background so protecting my voice is now very easy to me and I just want to back off the scream and into heat but keep those notes in key. Think Jonny Craig from Emarosa, Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters, or Chester Bennington from Linkin Park.