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Elvis

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Elvis Robert is so right. You have to learn it, practice it, and overtime forget it (a bit lol)  these adjustments will indeed become automatic and a matter of artistic and emotional choice. My old teacher would tell me just keep doing it and doing it and doing and and then DO IT SOME MORE, just like practicing a tennis serve etc. and these movements and coordinations along with the muscle strength you have achieved these things will start to creep into your everyday singing with no effort on your part (just like magic, lol) So just keep up the great work and when you sing songs be aware but not TOO aware of all the things you are working on. My teacher usually kept vocal exercise and singing songs separate for quite awhile for me. Fantastic work again my friend, I smell some hard work ahead, BUT not without some FUN and REWARD with your attitude.

I hope I am not being too long winded but I am chatty haha. I just want to clarify you should always be singing songs while training just don't be overly concerned with whether you feel this or that etc. 

 

 

 

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So much of this has to do with these hybrid vowel concoctions that have a lot to do with knowing and accepting your own voice.  You dial in on a vowel

(a throat shape) that works on your own voice.

Yes Bob.... key to your post is "concoctions"... as I teach with TVS, the singing vowels exist in a spectrum. They are not linear like language vowels. Therefore, what that means is.... singing vowels exist in a chemistry or blend with each other. Although we speak about singing vowels on this forum typically in the context as if they are 1 vowel at a time... it is hard not to when your medium of communication is... the written language that linear vowels are used in. It is kind of like, trying to define the meaning of "time", without using the word "time" in your definition. Trying to speak about singing vowels, inside of a medium of linear language vowels (speaking & writing on this forum), is tricky... but it can be done.

Back to my point... keeping in mind what I just pointed out above... we should remember that singing vowels are NOT linear. For example, on this popular vowel modification formula: 

"eh" < > "uh" 

Even though I do my best to describe the singing vowel modification experience with this formula convention I invented, it still falls short of totally describing the true experience of hearing the singing vowels and their sound colors. This formula would seem to imply that the singing vowels exist in a 1 to 1 relationship to each other. This is the perspective that many people are going to take away from reading discussions about singing vowels... but, the reality of singing vowels and how they relate to each other and exist, is that they exist as gradients, or "shades"... like colors of rainbow. Colors of a rainbow, just like sound colors are never 100% pure, linear. You don't look at a rainbow and see stripes. You see gradients of different colors blending in and out of each other in the reality of the light wave spectrum. THIS IS EXACTLY HOW SINGING VOWELS OR SOUND COLORS ALSO EXIST IN REALITY... AND THIS IS A POINT THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE FAILING TO UNDERSTAND IN REGARDS TO SINGING VOWELS AND MODIFYING SINGING VOWELS.

Thus, I give you Bob's "Concoction". This is what Bob is trying to communicate with this word. So in summary of my lesson here... at any point in time, when singing (not speaking)... a singer will actually be singing more then one singing vowel at one time. When you train to hear formants in this way... and you will with TVS training, you begin to hear 2-3 sound colors blended at the same time... when you develop that skill, you then begin to tune your formants and thus configure your physiology a lot more efficiently and intelligently. 

Bob is also right, everyone has a different vocal tract (resonant space)... therefore, the shaping of the vocal tract for the singing vowels need to be slightly different for every singer. The PERFECT singing vowel/formant tuning for this lyric (see underlined lyrics), "... When The Lights, Go Down In The City... and The Sun Shines On The Bay"... will be slightly different for every singer. Granted, very similar perhaps, and yet, never identical. You have to find your own formant tunings for the songs your singing and the only way you can do that is with practice of vowels in your training and in your singing. It doesn't matter if me, Daniel or Ken help you to sing the song... and that may be very helpful... it like is... but you still have to find your OWN tunings to make the lyric (vowels) work IN YOUR VOCAL TRACT.

A new video I published this morning... that is relevant. In an effort to make the topic of singing vowels easier to grasp for students and TVS clients, I invented, "The Sound Colors of Singing". This is now part of the TVS Training Method. TVS students learn to see the singing vowels. They learn to see the gradients. Singing Vowels for TVS students, are as easy and beautiful to sing as the colors of a rainbow. Now understanding and tuning your singing vowels will be that much easier. Consequently, "The Four Pillars of Singing" is now full of graphic illustrations that show singing vowels as colors and this has blown open a whole new world of understanding regarding the acoustics of singing!  Its exciting...

 

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I really enjoyed the new video Robert. Such a great point and hearing it demonstrated along with audio is invaluable. Vowel modification seems to involve a bit of "Voodoo" lol for newer singers but some of these combinations of forward and back resonance vowel seems super interesting to me and it was fascinating to listen to that movement. I can't think of any other teacher out there putting the kind of R&D into NEW methods of teaching these esoteric areas of voice, well done brother.

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I really enjoyed the new video Robert. Such a great point and hearing it demonstrated along with audio is invaluable. Vowel modification seems to involve a bit of "Voodoo" lol for newer singers but some of these combinations of forward and back resonance vowel seems super interesting to me and it was fascinating to listen to that movement. I can't think of any other teacher out there putting the kind of R&D into NEW methods of teaching these esoteric areas of voice, well done brother.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Musikman,

What a coincidence.... I just complimented Robert on his new video in a private message (PM).

As for your comments on "on other teachers" : I don't know of ANY OTHER coach who is putting out such content. Not to mention updating his program, "The Four Pillars of Singing" several times over the past few years !

I would also like to take this opportunity to Sincerely Thank YOU for your dedication and commitment to this forum and sharing YOUR Expertise with our members !!!

Respectfully,

Adolph

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I really enjoyed the new video Robert. Such a great point and hearing it demonstrated along with audio is invaluable. Vowel modification seems to involve a bit of "Voodoo" lol for newer singers but some of these combinations of forward and back resonance vowel seems super interesting to me and it was fascinating to listen to that movement. I can't think of any other teacher out there putting the kind of R&D into NEW methods of teaching these esoteric areas of voice, well done brother.

Thanks George... I try hard.  Lol... 

Singing Vowels? VERY abstract... my approach here by giving them a visual color, allows me to produce teaching tools and visuals that explain what we do with these singing vowels. As I pointed out early in the video... the 1st that has to be clarified is... that we are not talking about language vowels that come with their language vowel acoustic and physiological properties... Most singing students think that is what we are talking about when we are discussing vowels in the context of singing. If that is the misunderstanding and perception of "vowels" they think we are talking about, they'll never get it. And when they try to train vowel modifications or work on ideas, they will be trying to do all this in... choked up, language vowels and it will never work. 

Glad you like it, thanks... there are a lot of illustrations in "The Four Pillars of Singing" that utilize these visual colors for all discussions regarding vowels. Its all over the book. 

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I would also like to take this opportunity to Sincerely Thank YOU for your dedication and commitment to this forum and sharing YOUR Expertise with our members !!! 

Respectfully,

Adolph

Absolutely... I whole heartedly agree.... its great to have you here George. 

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Thank you both Adolph and Robert. I love to help people in general and whether it be helping my nephew with guitar and keys or somebody wanting to sing better I can identify. I remember listening to The Warning by Queensryche for the first time and just thinking OMG, how is this guy singing like this?!? When new singers with desire are starting out its so important NOT to go down the wrong path, it can save you so much time and frustration. Great technique is just that a great set of tools to tackle ANY kind of singing. To have control over your instrument (Voice) allows you the maximum amount of freedom and creativity when you sing your own songs or try new covers etc. A lot of singers are like "I don't want to sing like an Opera singer" but great technique applies whether you are Crooning or Screaming lol.

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  Great video Robert, I also like Videoheres' explanation of Vowels being  throat shapes.......Another point is that if you keep your tongue Flat, your lips tall and narrow and your Jaw relaxed you cannot create some "Speaking vowels" without them being modified.........in other words if your Embrasure, tongue placement and Resonance/harmonic tuning is in place the vowels will modify  by letting your voice do what it needs to do instead of leading it by manipulation.

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btw sry guys if i nitpick but i wanted to know how those new 3 clips sound...

Do they sound Full? if i used that similar sound in a song would it be ok or should i avoid it for now? 

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Way to go E.

Do you feel more of a sense that you are descending down onto the note?

Don't perceive a note like C5 as an ascent.  Learn to view it as more as a slot.  Also, do your scales up to and down to burn in muscle memory.  You will find there's a certain finesse that's needed as you move between B4 and C5. 

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Way to go E.

Do you feel more of a sense that you are descending down onto the note?

Don't perceive a note like C5 as an ascent.  Learn to view it as more as a slot.  Also, do your scales up to and down to burn in muscle memory.  You will find there's a certain finesse that's needed as you move between B4 and C5. 

.... or "behind" you or "deeper" or "formant/resonant shifting".... Anything other thine "up / down , low / high".

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Hey guys.. I'm in great frustration. I think I'm a Tenor. When should I fully hand over my chest voice to my head voice? I can do D5, C5, A4, etc. but they'd be in headvoice or a really head dominant mix like this:
A4_B4
C5
D5
Bb5
Is this how you're supposed to hit those notes? Cuz they feel so easy that I believe I'm doing them wrong.

I've trained with Singing Sucess and MAstering Mix only. I also happen to have KTVA and 4 pillars but I've never used them because I didn't wanna mix methodologies.

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Hey guys.. I'm in great frustration. I think I'm a Tenor. When should I fully hand over my chest voice to my head voice? I can do D5, C5, A4, etc. but they'd be in headvoice or a really head dominant mix like this:
A4_B4
C5
D5
Bb5
Is this how you're supposed to hit those notes? Cuz they feel so easy that I believe I'm doing them wrong.

I've trained with Singing Sucess and MAstering Mix only. I also happen to have KTVA and 4 pillars but I've never used them because I didn't wanna mix methodologies.

If you have Four Pillars.......Read the Book! or Pdf....whichever you have ...... Mastering mix will get you connection but Four Pillars will get you power and Beef. Watch the lectures if you have them.....Train accordingly.....

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Wow, I wished I had that kind of strength in my voice :'(  hahah

Well, that IS and ISN'T the way to sing those notes... That depends on what kind of material are you gonna sing, and what kind of timbre you want. The feeling, if it is easy for you, must be the correct one. Now once you have that phonation running you can do a lot of things with your larynx, pharynx, mouth, jaw, etc to give roundness and warmth to the tone, and also play with volumes so dynamics help the interpretation :) 

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@Xamedhi.. Haha dude strength? I'm shocked you said that. I've seen people make fun of SLS for it's lack of strength. However I can do this stuff after A4 and above.. The problem is like many others getting from F#4 to A4, the notes that are the must have for almost any genre.

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Well, you have a LOT more strength than me on your headvoice, and I can manage pretty well to sing high stuff, so I really think it's a matter of coordination :P   Check out my SoundCloud if you want to hear my head voice.

Well, from F4 to A4 or B4, there are a LOT of things happening, so it's natural that it's difficult. If you train with pillars you'll get it in no time. It mostly has to do with vowel modifications and not letting go of the chest musculature while "singing in falsetto" haha 

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Well, you have a LOT more strength than me on your headvoice, and I can manage pretty well to sing high stuff, so I really think it's a matter of coordination :P   Check out my SoundCloud if you want to hear my head voice.

Well, from F4 to A4 or B4, there are a LOT of things happening, so it's natural that it's difficult. If you train with pillars you'll get it in no time. It mostly has to do with vowel modifications and not letting go of the chest musculature while "singing in falsetto" haha 

Cool! I've started 4 pillars. I'm reading the book currently and already it's clearing up confusions. I'm shocked to see how other people are creating confusion. Someone told me that you should be able to sing C5 in full chest. Ridiculous!

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Hey Robert! Well, I still don't have it. I just finished my studies and started to work, so I've had to prioritize other expenses :/  I want to buy the program though, as I really like your way of doing things and all of the options and content that your system offers.

Now, I'm sure that your program has things that would have helped me, though.... I used to sing everything breathy (like James LaBrie does on the breathy parts of the songs, but I ALWAYS did that )  so I didn't know how to actually use my folds, adduct and stuff... the good thing is that I smoothed my bridge very well, even before I started training seriously.
I've been doing a lot of AH resistance training on chest, and also in OO. And headvoice in EE, UH and OO.

I'm looking forward to buying your system soon, as I'm currently forming a new band haha

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You sounded pretty good. You maintained good resonance around 3000 hertz but it would be perfect if you were able to maintain good resonance around 3500 hertz too. 

:) 

(Singer's formant overtones are shown on bright color shaded area)

 

resonance 1.jpg

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You sounded pretty good. You maintained good resonance around 3000 hertz but it would be perfect if you were able to maintain good resonance around 3500 hertz too. 

:) 

(Singer's formant overtones are shown on bright color shaded area)

 

resonance 1.jpg

And it would also be perfect if you were able to find some image, no matter how significant or insignificant to use for an avatar, like it was saying in the intro stuff to get into this forum.

Yes, avatars are a big deal, it's a thing, get over it.

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And it would also be perfect if you were able to find some image, no matter how significant or insignificant to use for an avatar, like it was saying in the intro stuff to get into this forum.

Yes, avatars are a big deal, it's a thing, get over it.

Thanks for reminding me. I am just a newbie here. Sorry :(

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