Anthony

I'm back!

Many things meant I couldn't really spend much time around these arts but now I plan to get my head back in the game. One of these things is the amount of gigging I've been doing as a solo singer.

I've been singing a lot but I haven't really been "training" my voice. I came back to my progress thread to watch a couple of my videos and it seems I was just on the brink of discovering and maintaining notes at F4 and beyond. I have another gig this Sunday so will be preparing for that but as soon as it's out of the way I will return to my vocal training!

In the meantime here's a montage clip of one of my gigs.

Hi all!

I'm back in my thread to post a big update.

Basically I went to a UK metal festival back in August and loved every minute. However, when I got home I felt very rough (too much partying to excess I fear! ) so my singing training was on hiatus for a while.

Then I got offered my first gig as my newly launched solo acoustic act! Needless to say, I spent most of my time gathering a set together and rehearsing them to death. So really, even though I haven't necessarily "trained" over the last few weeks I've certainly spent a LOT of my time singing full songs, memorising lyrics, trying songs out in different keys, working on diction/lyrical interpretation and attending open mic night performances.

The gig went really well and I have been invited back to play again.

I'm starting to get a real buzz out of performing in front of people and feel like I'm learning something new each time I go out to play.

In terms of vocal progress, some of the songs I performed included notes previously way out my comfortable range, namely a lot of F4s and even an F#4 reached with confidence. (Previous range was a struggled D4).

Thanks for taking the time to watch my video diary Ronws! It means a lot that people are following my progress!

(This post was saved in the reply box below from many weeks ago! I mustn't have clicked "reply"   )

:-) My confidence in my voice has improved greatly throughout my time at TMVW.

Video Eleven

Very brief video of me sirening right over my bridge. Even though these are meant to be resistance training onsets I hope I'm OK practising them as lightly as I am. It all falls apart as soon as I add any kind of mass.

I didn't forget those head shakes to keep me relaxed and not so "head titly"!

I woke up this morning feeling very positive. I'm singing the chorus to "My Hero" by Foo Fighters with no breaks in my voice. The vocal range of the chorus is D#4 - G#4. I can manage it if I sing it really small. I find I really have to relax and let my voice change gears to the head register. It's a very vulnerable thing to do and very counter intuitive as my mind is trying to tell me "Hey! you have to really push for those high notes!" but if I switch that off and let my voice relax I can manage it. Again, it's all very quiet at the moment but there is definitely vocal fold contact throughout the whole thing.

I'm still intending on mastering Smoke on the Water though as I stated in my last video update!

Yesterday I did a little bit of contract and release (not too much as Robert advises) and some dampen and release and attack and release.

My primary aim right now is to work on resistance training in my head voice. I'm going to apply the above onsets to ascending and descending sirens.

Wow quick respnse Robert, I'll read it properly later, don't have time to take it all in right now!!...

Here's the video!!

Video Ten

Hi Elvis, that sounds like a great idea! Although I've never used Skype before, I'd have to set up an account and presumably search for your username on it?

Thanks again Robert! I feel like I can confidently navigate through my passagio with full vocal cord connection now (video coming very shortly) and can sing some head tones without slipping into falsetto. It's a bit of a breakthrough for me as I used to only be able to siren through my bridge in falsetto mode. I'm going to apply it to my sirens during workouts.

Here's a little un-planned video. I was so excited I had to get it on film.

Video Nine

It's not perfect, but bear in mind when I started I was struggling to get past D4. There is no straining at all in the video, the higher notes feel like they come from my head.

Hi Jabroni, I'm really not qualified to make any kind of constructive comment on your vocals but I can wish you good luck on your singing journey!

What are your long term singing goals?

OK, I've been feeling really positive about my singing recently and am going out regularly to perform at open mic nights. My eventual aim is to gig as a solo musician supporting local unsigned acts. After a few more open mics to increase my repertoire, confidence and performance and I think I'm in with a chance of getting out there as a singer!

I even now have a Facebook page (in very early stages) with a few live videos already added!

https://www.facebook.com/anthonyjamesacoustic

This doesn't mean I've forgotten all about my vocal training.

In terms of vocal progress I'm feeling very good. When I first got the program I was trying songs previously way out of my range. Even though I was still straining and not sounding very good, I felt I had the ability to at least try some higher notes and noticed they were achievable if I adapted some TFPOS technique to my previous "wrong way" of doing things. I was really excited to push myself and tried a lot of songs I previously couldn't begin to sing.

It's safe to say I've calmed that down now and am more focused on singing the right way with as little tension as possible. This has taken the form of changing key of songs to accommodate my current range and randomly singercising during the day. I also sing a LOT in the car to music that is way out of my range and have applied the top-down mentality to those high belt notes. Things are waking up in my head resonances, twangs, vibrations. I'm just hoping that it gets stronger with use. I feel like doing sirens with this new feeling will be increasing my range in the proper manner without flipping to falsetto.

As always thanks for all the input and tips you give me it helps a LOT!

Video Eight

Thanks everyone!

Update and video tomorrow!

Ronws, firstly thanks for the compliments on the cover, I'm heading out to perform that very song (among others) tonight and needed the confidence boost!

It's comforting to learn that other singers choose to change key to suit their voices as for a very long time I believed that changing key to suit your voice meant you weren't "good enough" and your range wasn't fully developed. I'll definitely continuously attempt songs in their original key to keep myself focusing on my original goal of extending my range.

Robert, thanks for popping in, I'll keep updating this thread as much as possible. I see that others started similar threads but don't seem to have continued for whatever reasons, so I'm taking it upon myself to not let this thread die and keep documenting my progress so others can follow the journey of a fellow TFPOS student!

Today's practice session:

Resonant tracking

5th sirens

Bridging and connecting (Video below)

Song rehearsal for evening performance

Video Seven

Getting back on track with actual vocal training today. That's not to say I haven't practised full songs but I specifically made time to run through TFPOS exercises first. I set up the camera and captured some of my bridging and connecting practice. I didn't realise my pitch was quite so all over the place until I watched it back and I am playing with the idea of making things really small when I reach my upper range.

(I apologise for the audio sync problems. It's so annoying!)

Here it is...

Sorry it took so long!

Video Six

Basically the point I'm trying to make at the start of this video is that, as my confidence in my voice has grown recently I have been going out and performing. This means that most of my current vocal practice takes the form of rehearsal.

Thank for checking in, I will upload a proper progress video later today!

Nice atmosphere. Reminded me of something Maynard James Keenan would do.

Just popping my head in to show I've not lost interest in this, it's just the decorating of our new home has taken up most of my free time recently!

I have been keeping up with the earlier stages of the program (establishing resonant track and sirens) but most of my practice has come from rehearsing songs. I have been performing acoustic covers lately at open mic nights so I have temporarily replace training with singing for a while.

Today I'm back on track with the program and am just having a break now before I dive into the bridging and connecting exercises! 

ROCK

RnB

I've been far too busy today to do a proper practice.

I've been singersizing throughout the day with some Ms, Ns and Ngs to song melodies, onsets and sirens.

Tomorrow I WILL make time to get a serious session done!

Earlier I felt some higher notes seemingly resonate in my head in a slightly different way to falsetto. I find at this stage that phonating quietly makes everything much easier.But as soon as my confidence increases I try them at louder volumes and the tension and breaks return.

Elvis, thanks very much there's a lot of information in your post that I found very useful! Mainly, it spurred me on to develop a training regime of my own. (See below)

The amount of advice in here is enough to last a year, I'm re-reading it all the time though and letting it sink in. From now on I am adopting a more refined, structured practice session each day.

Today's practice session

15 Minutes - Establishing the Resonant Track with Robert's guide

15 Minutes - Track and Release with Robert's guide

30 Minutes - 5th Sirens with D&R and A&R onsets (video below)

?? Minutes - Singing along with Extreme (the rock band) while decorating in a low non-tense voice. Aiming to get head voice into muscle memory.

Video Five

I managed to capture part of today's session. Here I'm alternating the dampening and attacking onsets to the 5th sirens. I'm using the guide file and make it to the end without strain. However, I'm not happy with the way the last few sound. I'll let you be the judge of whether they're getting there or not.

(Not sure why it isn't embedded)

https://youtu.be/IB5lpxFImHQ

Very nice.

Although I can't help being reminded of the song Peace by Extreme every time I hear this song. (Perhaps  the fact that Nuno Bettencourt is in both bands has something to do with it!)

Thanks as ever!

I get a good practice session tomorrow. And aim to eradicating falsetto in favour of a head voice I can actually work with,

Meanwhile I am constantly trying to navigate the bridge using various onsets while walking around / driving.

Thanks Khassera, I will fix that immediately. I was trying track and release as demonstrated in the Four Pillars 5ths sirens. I have just quietly sat and tried fry onsets quietly to myself at work. Hopefully they will work for me in a louder setting.

I feel like as soon as I can sing in head register I will have opened the door to hundreds of songs I previously couldn't sing! Expect a video tomorrow.

Again, thanks so much for the comments!

Here are a couple of videos regarding the resonant tracking and siren tips from earlier.

I struggled quite a bit, but I will get better at them. Also, I still feel like I'm getting used to TFPOS. I've barely got my teeth into it all yet!

Video Three & Four

Wow what a response from you both. This thread was already well worth it! Thanks to you both for taking the time to respond.

Khassera, I will bear that in mind. It's just so hard to fight the natural response to push at higher notes! I will try from now on to remove ALL tension from notes. I will post a video of me trying it soon. And no, I'm not an Aussie! Just from the North of England hence my odd accent.

Robert first of all thanks for the encouragement your words meant a lot.

I thought recording videos was going to be the best way to illustrate my progress and it has already proven useful as you were able to point out my head tilt (something impossible to know from an audio recording).

I do have experience using recording software. Examples of this are in the June jazz and country competition thread, I recorded and mixed everything myself.

I will record a video right now of me practising the following:

- Resonant tracking without tension up to where it is comfortable before dropping an octave to navigate the bridge again.

- Slow 5th sirens focusing mainly on D - A and E - B using vowel modification eh to ae with uh-ishness. I'll use T&R on the way up then W&R and A&R for top down.

This video won't be up today, but soon. Probably tomorrow.

In the meantime here is another video of me documenting where I am now in terms of performance..

Video Two

*This was recorded yesterday before any input received so far so expect similar mistakes*

Yes, another Alice in Chains track. This is another case of me surprising myself with what I'm allowing myself to try out. Yes there are BIG notes in the chorus but it's worth pointing out that other, lower notes in this song are coming much easier to me and feel good to be able to try. (Namely the line "Won't you come and save me")

CAUTION - This video contains vocal breaks, straining and the occasional yodel!

Enjoy your coffee, Rob. I look forward to your comments.

Khassera, yes all very valid points. I fear I may have appeared too cocky in my initial post and come across like I've quickly unlocked the key to success. I know I missed a lot of notes in that performance and the ones I did hit were far from beautiful, but it's the fact I felt even able to try that I feel good about!   I'm glad you mentioned the straining in the resonant tracking video because I was meaning to ask about tension. I feel like maybe I push too much during that exercise because I know what the end result will sound like (chesty head tones). It feels like there has to be some pushing in order to eventually strengthen the musculature. But this is not the case? Am I right then in thinking that if I persevere with no tension at all during resonant tracking then it will naturally strengthen by itself?