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First Voice lesson-We Tackle The First Brake Head On!

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So I had my first voice lesson with Eric Arceneaux. Cool guy, has mad vocals.

First we started off really basic, ah on a major triad. Everything went well until we reached e above middle C, yeah, my first bridge.

Right hear the squeeking, sqwocking, pulling chest and braking in to falceto broke loose.

We spent the rest of the half an hour trying to get me to relax around this area.

His words in a nutshell: “you have a heady mix.” Ok, I didn’t know that (I told him I used a little SLS so we were speaking that language”

“Stop anticipating the mix, your voice can mix but you have to relax. Just let it happen, don’t try to make it. Let the mix surprise you.”

How did this guy know what I was thinking and doing? He was dead on. From using Seth’s and Brett’s programs I took a really light, almost wimpy approatch to chest voice. No joke, I was so lite on my chest voice it actually lost strength.

Most helpful thing he told me “you’re trying to make your voice do things. Your voice is smarter than you, just think the note you want to hit and let your voice do it. Don’t make your voice do it.”

How’s this for an introductory lesson?

What was your first lesson like?

@Voice teachers: What are your intro lessons like?

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The classical coach who helped me said something profound. First, he said, don't worry about being a rock singer or any "kind" of singer. Just be a singer. Your voice will teach you as much as lessons.

Your soundcheck is if the voice sounds strong and full, whether low volume or high volume.

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"don't worry about being a rock singer or any "kind" of singer. Just be a singer. Your voice will teach you as much as lessons." Your teacher sounds like a wise man.

at full volume I could pull chest just fine and pull off a somewhat good sound. However, when I tried the same notes quietly I completely fell apart.

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Darion its all based on your own experience and how you perceive his competence, if you trust him, go for it. I have seen videos of Eric and he does look very competent in there.

I think that introductory lessons are meant to spot problems, program, ask questions, ask for demonstration, and so on. Not really a planned thing, if the person is already singing, having the person sing something of the repertoire as it usually gets the real problems to appear, rather the things that the person believe to be important.

Anyways, it sounds good, go for it :).

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Good post, Felipe, in my opinion.

And Darion, if you find that Eric's lessons are helping you, stick with that.

Often is the advice here to get a coach. And you are wise to get one. Let me add to that, if your coach is getting you where you want to go and you are singing well and not getting tired and are improving, stick with that and ignore what us armchair experts, including myself, might say.

Especially if you share a sound file with us. And we will enjoy them. I will. Ask anyone, I am the king of "good job." In fact, we had a 3 page thread about me and "good job." :lol:

So, spend time with your coach and let us enjoy the results, once in a while. Go out and be awesome.

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@FelipeCarvalho

I chose him because I trusted him.:)

After randomly doing his vocal warm ups just to see what they were about, I realised that this guy was on to something.

@ronws

Hear's how it happened.

I was curius about singing so I googled "how to sing".

I found this guy's warm ups.

I did them.

After doing them I realised that I could sing.

Next thing I realised was that their was a limit to how high I could go so again I went to google. I quickly found Brett Manning and downloaded Singing Success.

I thought "yeah, relax my larinx, and my range problems would be solved."

It didn't really get better, as a matter of fact I got worse.

I tried SS, Mastering Mix, Rodjer Love, Seth Riggs and others but Eric was always the guy to get me in order.

So late last year I decided "4get these diy programs cause everyone has a something to say but noone's really helping me."

"Good Job"... Hmm:)

I'll be posting audios!

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darion, it has a lot to do with how you onset...how you begin the note..or let's call it the intensity level at onset

if you onset light, stay light (and connected). keep the volume consistant from beginning to end.

if you onset strong, stay strong (and connected).

remember, a powerful note requires a certain degree of breath pressure and support..if you don't maintain and sustain the breath tension, the note falls apart.

this is why i say don't be afraid of using the voice.

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You say you were 13 going on 14 when you recorded that clip. If I may ask, how old are you, now?

Anyway, I liked your voice though I think, from my personal preference, that you should drop some of that through-the-nose nasal sound, though I understand it is part of the r&b genre. And, like Bob said, watch your onset. Onset is how you start the note. If they all start from a full stop, that can lead to habits that will hinder you later on. Yes, you did a good job. And R&B can be hard to do a capella, like you did. There can be trills and triplets that throw you off and you can get lost, easily, without a backing track.

I think your voice is better than mine was when I was your age, a few lifetimes ago. Then, again, I was coming from a different perspective, then. Anyway, continue your lessons and you will go far. I expect you to knock Justin Timberlake off his perch. In fact, I think you have the voice can do a big band thing like he did at the awards show, though I realize that your current vocalizing style is closer to that of Michael Jackson.

In my opinion, which you may easily discard, it's okay to be influenced by these guys, but make it your own sound. I expect, in a few years, to hear about the superstar, Darion, and not in comparison to anyone else.

Notice how there are no comparisons for Adele, for example. Or even, JT. or MJ. Be that guy. Be the one everyone else tries to copy because you have your own sound, even if it is inspired by others.

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@VIDEOHERE: Onset. I actually had a pretty balanced onset naturally then I experimented with what I now realise is a glottal onset. (It can be tiring on my voice)

"remember, a powerful note requires a certain degree of breath pressure and support..if you don't maintain and sustain the breath tension, the note falls apart."

That's exactly what my teacher told me. Again, coming from SLS, I thought feeling tention in your lower body was bad and trying to support was a waste of time and could be damaging. Boy was I confused! I litterally tried to keep everything like talking. Rightnow, when I feel my lower body working for me I automatically hold back. Guess that's a habbit I'l just have to unlearn.;

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@ronws 13-14Ish at the time (I'm 18 now)

There's three against the nasality now!:) (you, the head music teacher at my school and me! I’m working on getting rid of it. Any suggestions guys? (Got in to nasality I believe from the “nasty nays”

“Anyway, continue your lessons and you will go far. I expect you to knock Justin Timberlake off his perch. In fact, I think you have the voice can do a big band thing like he did at the awards show, though I realize that your current vocalizing style is closer to that of Michael Jackson.”

Dood! You have no idea how much that ment to to me to hear from a fellow singer! Everyone says I’m good but cmon mum and dad aren’t going to tell you you’re sounding like an old squeaky engine running on the last drop of gas even if they want to.

My vocalising stile is closer to MJ? Really? How? Please explain (not sure what you mean).

Nah, u n I are on the same page Re: your opinion. Draw from them but don’t become them. Take the best of them all and make something that’s gunna rock the world!

BTW. What do you think my voice type is?

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Well, Darion, I say what I say because I believe it, not just to prop you up. You've got an excellent voice to work with. You've got good pitch. And like I said, singing R&B a capella is not as easy as some might think.

You just have some things to work on and I think you will do well as it seems, with you getting a coach and still working on your singing over a few years that you have the work ethic to see it through. 3 to 4 years already? That means something.

I have been singing for a long time. And I also have done some things wrong for a long time. So, we all learn.

And you will feel like you are never finished with your voice. And that is normal. The day you think you are finished, is the day that you start deteriorating. I don't say that to frighten you. You will reach a level of skill that allows you to perform publically, even make a career out of it, if you desire. But you will always be learning, I think.

Though that could be a result of my own feelings. My voice feels new to me, each day. A different feeling in my mind than my guitar playing. My guitar playing, to me, stagnates, reaches a plateau that is comfortable to accompany singing. But singing, that is new and exciting every day.

And I think it will be, for you. So, good luck with your coach and record something new for us, when you feel ready.

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Ok. I tried the ka scale yesterday, it worked nicely for the nazality. Why wasn't this in the SS program!

Personally, I find that if my inhales are scilant i can get rid of alot of the nazality and throat tention.

4 Pillers...

What is the 4P program like? I've herd amazing stuff about Rob's lessons.

@ronws

To nail the pitch just litterally listen to the song all day for a few days that usually does the trick.

Re: thinking you have mastered the voice

That is so true. Not only in vocals but in all parts of life.

Something's comming I just need a good mic (no gear right now)

Any suggestions for good interfaces/mics/gear guys?

I wana start a personal home studio

I'm looking at SM58.

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I had thought of getting a Rode M-1, considered the next gen similar to the SM-58. And I was talking to a sales clerk at Guitar Center, of all places. And explained to him my problem. I am a high, bright tenor and I crush most mics. So, he suggested what he most often sells, enough to keep re-ordering stock, which was the Sennheiser e835. So, I went home and found a new one on ebay for half of retail. So, it cost me 75 dollars. And it puts up with my abuse. However, it does have a tight pick-up pattern. So, I've had to learn about mic placement, less forgiving than with a condenser mic.

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And I was referring to Felipe's excellent point that most of the work of recording is in polishing the actual performance. Trying to fix a broken song in recording is at best, difficult, worst, doomed to failure.

If you have the performance nailed down, then recording is just a matter of pushing a button, with whatever equipment you think you have.

Others here have claimed that the sound quality of my recordings improved once I got a real mic instead of using the office depot desk mic that I had before.

I don't know, I'm just a caveman. When I was young, we'd bang on stones with sticks and that was "rock" music.

:D

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Ok. I tried the ka scale yesterday, it worked nicely for the nazality. Why wasn't this in the SS program!

Personally, I find that if my inhales are scilant i can get rid of alot of the nazality and throat tention.

4 Pillers...

What is the 4P program like? I've herd amazing stuff about Rob's lessons.

@ronws

To nail the pitch just litterally listen to the song all day for a few days that usually does the trick.

Re: thinking you have mastered the voice

That is so true. Not only in vocals but in all parts of life.

Something's comming I just need a good mic (no gear right now)

Any suggestions for good interfaces/mics/gear guys?

I wana start a personal home studio

I'm looking at SM58.

HELLO Darion,

I am about to go into a 10 hour day of teaching so I can't elaborate much... Owen can tell you a lot about what TVS and "The Four Pillars of Singing" is about as can many other members of this forum.

Because I don't have much time, I have to do a skype lesson with a client in the uk in 15 minutes... I leave you with some links that will explain more about TVS and the "Pillars" product.

Tour of TVS Services:

The Four Pillars of Singing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6BrUHKfFRk

The Training Media Interface:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUVo9IYF6Z0&feature=youtu.be

Free TVS Lessons:

http://tinyurl.com/TheFourPillarsOfSinging

READ THE TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR "THE FOUR PILLARS OF SINGING"

http://tinyurl.com/4PillarsTableofContents

HERE IS MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL. GO CHECK IT OUT AND PLEASE SUBSCRIBE! WATCH THE LECTURES AND DEMONSTRATIONS.

http://www.youtube.com/user/roblunte?feature=mhee

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  • Administrator

HELLO Darion,

I am about to go into a 10 hour day of teaching so I can't elaborate much... Owen can tell you a lot about what TVS and "The Four Pillars of Singing" is about as can many other members of this forum.

Because I don't have much time, I have to do a skype lesson with a client in the uk in 15 minutes... I leave you with some links that will explain more about TVS and the "Pillars" product.

Tour of TVS Services:

The Four Pillars of Singing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6BrUHKfFRk

The Training Media Interface:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUVo9IYF6Z0&feature=youtu.be

A Vocal Demonstration: Melodic 5th Sirens from "The Four Pillars of Singing"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21DzKQo0f68

Free TVS Lessons:

http://tinyurl.com/TheFourPillarsOfSinging

READ THE TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR "THE FOUR PILLARS OF SINGING"

http://tinyurl.com/4PillarsTableofContents

HERE IS MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL. GO CHECK IT OUT AND PLEASE SUBSCRIBE! WATCH THE LECTURES AND DEMONSTRATIONS.

http://www.youtube.com/user/roblunte?feature=mhee

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