is it okay to make up your own vocal exercises?

[VideoHere]

may i direct this question to the contributing vocal teachers?

in my quest to reach higher notes as in "waiting for a girl like you" is it okay (or better yet) can it be beneficial to make an exercise for improving a particular trouble spot, i.e. try singing "waiting for" in the lower part of my range and ascend up the scale like a typical vocal exercise? my goal is to reach the notes with clarity and ring, and to do it consistently...so i would start on middle c for "waiting" working up to where it actually is, which is c5 sharp then back again? i would just vocalize on "waiting for"...waiting for"...up and down the scale. is "waiting for" sufficient or is there a better note pattern or word grouping? i pretty much have the i've been...as in "avvvvv behnnnnn."

much thanks in advance for your valued expertise.

[ronws]

Jonpall linked in a recording he made of doing exercises with part of a lyric from a song. I think it's neat way to develope something. Yes, you get the exercise but you are also applying it to an actual song.

Edited to add: Sorry, I'm not a vocal teacher, I just thought it was a neat idea.

[kalapoka]

I agree with Ron. What you described sounds like a neat idea to me. If I had problematic areas, I would do the same for myself too!

[jonpall]

Not only do I think it's helpful but I think some vocal coaches actually recommend doing something like this.

[Martin H]

In my opinion it's the best approach. It's all about creating the right muscle-memory, and the best way to do this is to sing the actual words from the song. It's actually quite logical, I've said it many times: You have to practice what you want to learn. :)

[Steven Fraser]

In my opinion it's the best approach. It's all about creating the right muscle-memory, and the best way to do this is to sing the actual words from the song. It's actually quite logical, I've said it many times: You have to practice what you want to learn.

Martin H: I sure agree with you there.

[VideoHere]

In my opinion it's the best approach. It's all about creating the right muscle-memory, and the best way to do this is to sing the actual words from the song. It's actually quite logical, I've said it many times: You have to practice what you want to learn.

martin and steve,

do you see my strategy as sound per my specific example?

[Steven Fraser]

VIDEO: Gee. What part of Martin's comment ( "In my opinion, its the best approach" ) do you think is not encouraging of your strategy? Eh?

Undergirding the truth of Martin's response is a very solid, well-proven approach: You get better at what you practice. So, just do it. Be critical in your self-analysis (be patient of yourself, but be picky as to your aim) and set progressive goals for the incorporation of text and pitches.

This approach has a time-honored name: ''Working the song into your voice'.

Its a Nike world.... just do it.

[VideoHere]

okay, i just thought perhaps there might have been incremental benefit with more or less notes that's all.....i'm a perfectionist. thanks guys allllllways appreciated.

[Steven Fraser]

okay, i just thought perhaps there might have been incremental benefit with more or less notes that's all.....i'm a perfectionist. thanks guys allllllways appreciated.

I used to be a perfectionist, until I realized that my conception of perfection was imperfect. The pursuit of perfection requires emotional maturity and a great deal of self-acceptance.

These days, I am an incremental 'betterist'. From wherever I am, I look to the very next step I need to take along the road to where I am going. Much more fun than saying every day 'I was not perfect today'.

There is a concept in software development called 'sufficient quality'. It means that acceptible, successful software does not have to be perfect. It just has to be good enough. In every sport, in every art... we simply surrender to the best we can do each time, releasing it. Then, we move on to the next step of development and of expression, and let those be what they are going to be as well.

I am not denegrating perfectionism. Just that it needs to be admixed with a perseverance that springs from self-acceptance as a growing, developing person. We all find our own way of doing the balancing act.

[ronws]

Steve, you have some well turned phrases. "Nike world." That was a piquant bon mot, in some ways.

And "incremental betterist." I thnk that describes us all.

[VideoHere]

words of wisdom steve and i thank you.

i'm at a spot now (which i've never been before) where i'm comng to terms with my age 56, is going to impinge on my vocal progress, and i harbor a fantasy that some person may hear me one day even at 56 and take me to a place (small scale or large) where i can do this for a living again. i'm not letting go of the fantasy or the dream, (i missed a chance at a rec. contract once before). but the advancing age, the reflux, and all, have their way with me sometimes.

maybe it's not perfection i'm seeking, it's consistency...as i get older, it's harder to be consistent.

funny thing, i did "waiting for a girl like you" last night in karaoke, strained through a few "i've been waitings" but the crowd (a new venue i had never sang at before) loved it. you never know. lol!!!

[analog]

maybe it's not perfection i'm seeking, it's consistency...as i get older, it's harder to be consistent.

Consistency is the holy grail for a lot of us.

[Robert Lunte]

I think its a great idea, so long as your onsets are healthy, that is to say that your onsets have "top down" resonant tracking on the front end, good placements, maybe some cricoid tilt for twang... and not doing shouty, chokey, glottal attacks on a belty G4... LOL... then its probably fine. The most critical thing about vocal training is not the notes you sing, but the onsets, resonant placements, vocal modes, timing and such... that you do inside the intervals.

Maestro David Kyle used to say, "You can train a voice on 5 workouts". He's right... you dont need 33 vocal workouts, if you have it, its a luxury, but not necessary... this is another way of saying, its not about the scale and intervals as much the techniques you use and how your phonating.

That being said, anytime your being inventive and creative in your singing... more power to ya brother. You might want to upload a file of you doing your vocal workout for our moderators to listen to just to make sure its ok or run it past your voice teacher/coach if you have one.

Hope this helps...

[joshual]

I used to be a perfectionist, until I realized that my conception of perfection was imperfect.

I just love this sentence. Perfect description of a perfectionist lol.

[VideoHere]

You might want to upload a file of you doing your vocal workout for our moderators to listen to just to make sure its ok or run it past your voice teacher/coach if you have one.

hi rob,

as i had mentioned before, i'm not financially able to do vocal lessons. i'm just reading and practicing dilligently.

sending you folks a file of my homemade vocal exercises...hymm......let me see what i can do.