Ep. 1: Pulling Chest vs Belting vs Mixing Explained -- The Path to Vocal Mastery

[@nmbokn8593]

Hey Phil and Marnel....you guys are to be congratulated. I am a 66 yr old classical bass, studied at Manhattan School of Music, have had 12 top flight voice teachers, from Julliard, Manhattan School, singers from the Met, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and NONE of them speaks honestly and insightfully as you two are doing right here. The tilt of larynx is SO important to any style of music but especially in opera. It's a crime that singers try to sing with pure force while young, knowing nothing of the tilt, and ruin their voices that takes away from their careers. You are providing this golden information which is right on target for all serious performers. GREAT JOB!!!

[@VocalLiberation]

Wow! Thank you so much. I really appreciate such honest, heartfelt feedback. Thanks for taking the time out to comment!

[@deborahbarry8458]

As a student learning to sing pop I really appreciate seeing this insightful comment from someone (very well!) trained classically!

[@wandajames143]

Where do they talk about the tilt?

[@godkingdomfirst]

(I’m a female btw) I honestly just want to thank you Marnell.. wow I have been struggling for YEARS with my voice straining, unable to sing with chest voice past a G4... it would cut and I would have to sing from head voice with much much less power. And mind that I have been SEARCHING desperately through the internet, ASKING for help on that, but NONE of what they suggested fixed my issue. BUT THEN you come around speaking casually about vowel modification, AND NOW I CAN SING FROM C4 ALLLLL THE WAY TO B5 with CHEST VOICE!!!! Like what ????? It did not even take me 10mins!!!! The moment you said change the vowel and I tried it, I was able to do it and I couldn’t believe it... it was that simple? Still have much to learn but that’s a BIG one out of the way! Thank you sooo much! And I’m subscribing and hopefully soon will take some classes with you!

[@VocalLiberation]

That's excellent. You must have had a lot of things already going well for you, and you just needed one little piece to help everything else settle into place correctly. Congratulations. Vowel shifts are something either a lot of singers are unaware of or just overlook. But becoming sensitive to this is the key to learning to control your voice. When you really start listening for it, you'll realize all of your favorite singers are doing it to some degree or another.

[@VocalLiberation]

Episode 2, "Why you don't sound good when singing", can be found here on Phil's channel! kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2Otm5mXf8Z7Zrc

[@haj5776]

I wish this had more views! This video has helped me belt and likely a lot of throat pain. Thank you!

[@daleorvis4588]

This helped me sooooo much. I only watched 15 minutes because it had the last piece of the puzzle I needed and then I sang for 6 hours. Not even sore.

[@Heartbeatzofficial]

This helped a LOT! It was very cool to see two vocal coaches exchanging experiences like that!

[@VocalLiberation]

+Heartbeatzofficial Good to hear! :-)

[@legendofthestrings1]

+Heartbeatzofficial My words exactly. Thanks guys this is one of the best videos I've seen covering all of this information in one setting.

[@VocalLiberation]

Legend of the strings You're welcome!

[@MultiComputerScience]

You guys deserve more views. Really appreciate your video. A lot of my misconceptions got fixed. Keep on doing the awesome videos :)

[@VocalLiberation]

+Rene Reede Thanks for watching! It's good to know it's clearing up misconceptions for you. That's exactly what we were aiming for! What was the biggest misconception it cleared up for you? Also, feel free to share the video to spread the word. :)

[@philmoufarrege]

+Rene Reede That's fantastic to hear!

[@callmedeno]

Glad I found this I was just about to make the exact same error focusing on very quiet notes thinking if I can keep the pinpoint pitch and feeling of resonance at a low volume, it would be a matter of course for me to just take that and make it louder. But hearing both you saying it was a bad path has really saved me a year or two!

[@legendofthestrings1]

You guys have covered so much information in these two videos alone. I have watched 100's of youtube tutorials on singing. I have singing success, master mix, Ken tamplens vocal acadamy, Jamie Vendera's course's and serveral others. But there is a lot unsaid in them and you guys have filled in a lot of blanks, confirmed my suspicions as well as new ground with your comments. I have downloaded these videos to keep on hand as I develop. SO many of the pros hid this information it seems. I look forward to seeing my development in the coming weeks as I continue better informed. Thanks again for sharing the news.

[@VocalLiberation]

+Legend of the strings Glad this information has shed new light on the topic for you. That was a large part of our original goal - to provide singers with the real information they needed to know that no one else was saying. By the way, in case you missed it, there are actually 3 parts to this series. The third one is one Phil's channel. You also see it in the playlist here: kzbin.info/aero/PLE6sSBqFLoyaKhCnKApYuT9wlg4D71t4u

[@legendofthestrings1]

There is a lot to understand about singing and These videos where a lot of help to me.

[@deborahbarry8458]

Thanks also for the link to the other stuff.

[@ericholman2340]

Beautiful tip Marnell the musical intent resonated with me. Audition for America got talent Saturday wish me luck

[@VocalLiberation]

+Eric Holman Thanks! And good luck with your audition! What will you be singing?

[@marka2773]

I'm guessing that didn't go very well.

[@vocalnerd]

Thanks for this great video, you two! Ever since I started learning from +Marnell Sample, I was always struck by how subtle some forms of constriction can sound to laypeople; people often mistake rigid, under-supported notes as being "free and effortless" because if a skilled singer is doing it, the tone can still "ring out" and sound seemingly resonant. Some helpful demonstrations for me were the following: (1) 24:40 vs 25:17. This is such a great demo because that first sound is so common, but your note at 25:17 really showed that stark contrast between a properly supported sound and one that's not. By the way, I keep replaying 25:17. Love that note! (2) 43:44. I liked this demonstration of a gentle onset vs Phil's demonstration of too hard of an attack. Again, the latter is very common because people think, "Oh, this is the right way of making sure my cords are approximated," but they end up getting that cord closure by closing the throat and tensing. (Phil talked elsewhere about how people's attempts to create a bright sound often involve incorrect tensions; it reminds me of that.) (3) 52:31 (right) vs 52:40 (wrong) vs 52:48 (right). This example of the "'Cause I'm" phrase sung in a flexible/supple way vs a rigid one was also very helpful. 52:40 doesn't immediately sound terrible to my ear because we've become conditioned to hearing many singers attempt to belt this way, but again, the released version is SO much better. To answer Phil's concluding question, some topics that could be interesting for future in-depth videos are: (1) a guide to how the jaw opening is supposed to change depending on the desired coordination, vowel, and pitch. Not every note requires a full jaw opening, but some most definitely do. (2) a guide to vowel modification. I know this is a huge topic, but I find it particularly fascinating how vowel modifications in one's first "bridge" directly affect how heavy or light the resulting mix is, and for singers who get stuck only being able to sing in one type of mix, I think it'd be eye-opening to them to learn how making the vowel more "open" or "closed" can make all the difference. Many blessings to you both! :)

[@VocalLiberation]

+Jen V Hey, thanks so, so much for the detailed feedback. This is awesome!!! And I know what you mean by a rigid, under-supported note as seeming "free and effortless". A good performer will make anything seem effortless - that's part of the illusion they have to create. Even if they're having a bad day and their voice is performing horribly, you have to make it seem like it's a walk in the park. By the way, if you watch Whitney when she sings "I'm Every Woman" live, you'll see just how free she keeps everything. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aanZnmmFbLNnhZY At 0:24, look at how she's rolling her shoulders and neck around when she says "cause I'm" -- it's really a very free production. And then she just stays there as she goes higher and higher into the song, such as from 1:11-1:15 (AND it's done on an OO), or "all in me" at 2:59, and then everything from 4:02 thru the end of the song. The other proposed topics you mentioned, we will keep in mind. We'll see how to incorporate them into future vids. I think the vowel mod one is a big one, and directly relates to the jaw opening issue.

[@philmoufarrege]

Hi +Jen V thanks for the thoughtful comments I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@VocalLiberation]

+Jen V By the way, a few other great examples from Whitney Houston to study since you're probably interested are these: Didn't We Almost Have It All: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZXclWCHZa9nntk All at Once: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5Sofqurh5x3odU We Didn't Know (with Stevie Wonder) -- textbook perfect: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqvOiKSbjc16h6M

[@vocalnerd]

+Phil Moufarrege You're welcome; I'm looking forward to future videos from both of you. +Marnell Sample You're the best. I have not seen any of those videos yet, and I certainly do appreciate all the great examples you can throw at me. :)

[@TheTruthIsAbsolute]

Marnell Sample I would like if you could expand on the child voice/pharengeal voice topic. btw this video is very effective because we get to here the same advice from two different point of views. if someone doesn't understand one person's advice, they might understand the other persons perspective or explanation. I appreciate you guys doing the video very much!!!!

[@yosto7522]

I feel useless to comment on every video how helpful it is but i'll do it, so, Great video (as always) guys!

[@VocalLiberation]

+Yo Sto Feel free to comment as much as you want. Your gratitude is appreciated. Thanks for commenting!

[@philmoufarrege]

+Yo Sto thanks George!

[@robertmetivier4359]

I just came across your video and found it very helpful. Your examples and explanations are wonderful. I didn't expect to find anything helpful for my situation based on the subject but I was very wrong. You stopped me from heading down the path of softening my voice to smooth out the transition from chest to head voice. Thanks! Often I find I can sing/practice for hours and not feel any strain and feel my voice becoming more and more free but often my voice is hoarse and I can't sing the next day. That's where I'm stuck. I'm anxious to watch this video again to see what else I can learn. It has encouraged me and reinforced a lot of the positive practices I have been doing that I wasn't so sure about thanks to your great teaching technique. I look forward to checking out more of your videos. Thanks again!

[@Timliu92]

OMG I can so relate to this, especially with that misconception of chest pulling and tension! Thank you for making this video Phil and Marnell!

[@VocalLiberation]

You're welcome!

[@giovybrancato2000]

Beautiful video, but, anyway...as an Italian, I would say that your pronunciation at 33:36 is just PERFECT. I've never heard a non-Italian person saying something in Italian so smoothly. It's just... satisfying 🤣

[@VocalLiberation]

Thank you. Italian was my minor in college. I kind of practiced it obsessively, haha :)

[@juliencastle2953]

My 2 favorites vocal coach on KZbin! :D Glad you take the time unlike many youtubers to explain things clearly. :) I'm european so I don't understand when you speak of E2 etc but I know what it is when you do the note on the piano.

[@VocalLiberation]

+Julien Castle You're welcome. For the notes, we generally refer to the American Standard Pitch Notation System. In that system, middle C is C4. The entire scale C major scale from middle C to tenor high C would look like this: C4 - D4 - E4 - F4 - G4 - A4 - B4 - C5 The number of the octave only changes when you get to the next C. Hope this helps. If you want to see more, check out this article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_pitch_notation

[@juliencastle2953]

Marnell Sample It does help thank you very much!

[@pavatirock]

Thank you very much for such an in-depth approach! Got a lot of great ideas from this video!

[@VocalLiberation]

You're welcome

[@owenkorzec]

You guys are on fire in the video! Thank you for posting. I was most intrigued about the visualizations, tricks, and sensations you guys mentioned that help guide singers into correct singing. I would love to learn more about any of those that could be applied while performing to help keep technique under control when the pressure is on!

[@VocalLiberation]

+Owen Korzec You're welcome, Owen. Glad you enjoyed it! In my experiences, I find when you're performing, the first thing to go is the breathing (meaning you begin to overbreathe). This is because you get excited and start getting adrenaline rushing and really getting into the music. And once you start overbreathing, it is a HARD pattern to get out of midsong, and will normally tend to get more exaggerated as you keep singing. So, what I mentioned about breathing in the video has to be done until it becomes a reflex -- until you know no other way to breathe. Also, I find if you can have yourself correctly set up for your approach (including breathing) in the first few lines of a song, you stand a much greater chance of getting through the song well. So, in a sense, you almost get a chance to "reset" yourself in between songs.

[@owenkorzec]

+Marnell Sample Thank you, makes sense. over breathing is definitely a bad habit I need to break. I feel like I do best when I consciously think about not inhaling, or inhaling as little as I can get away with. But as soon as I forget to think about that concept I can mistakenly go back to over breathing so I see why the correct amount needs to become a habit.

[@VocalLiberation]

Owen Korzec You're welcome. When you inhale with little air, pay attention to how it feels in your body -- in your throat and in your torso. It will produce a different sensation in your body compared to breathing in more air. That's the sensation you have to memorize.

[@patodiblasi]

It's encouraging knowing that you too were struggling with belting/mixing/chest/head when you first started, and then you overcame those. I still had some of those misconceptions, so this was very helpful. Just a little critique: I think you should adjust your volume through some compresor/limiter, so there is not a lot of difference in volume between your talking and your singing. I'm watching this in the middle of the night, and my neightbours will surely try to kill me tomorrow! Thanks for the talk, it was great!

[@VocalLiberation]

+patodiblasi You're welcome! And thanks for the comments! Regarding the compressor issue, I've thought about that but intentionally left it out of the video, because I find it helps to clear up the misconceptions people have. It wasn't until I stood in front of teachers singing and hearing the drastic difference between their speaking voice volume and their singing voice volume that I actually got just how intense the voice was supposed to be. Using a compressor, it masks some of that and doesn't give you the full effect -- it makes you think they're singing a bit more held back than they really are. So I do apologize for the volume spikes. :-P

[@patodiblasi]

+Marnell Sample Oh, I haven't thought about it in that way. Good call. So that's one less misconception for me then! Thank you for taking the time to answer.

[@VocalLiberation]

+patodiblasi You're welcome! By the way, what was the biggest misconception(s) this video cleared up for you?

[@Fly_Ry]

I realize this probably won't be a problem for most viewers, but sound mix is kinda off here. You sound fine but the bass on his audio is cranked to the max. Not a huge issue, just thought it might be useful.

[@Thetruth48gh]

this is so awesome. thanks for the info. has been really helpful.

[@VocalLiberation]

+red tim Good to hear it was helpful. You're welcome!!

[@arangor82]

Really awesome video overall, lots of very useful info and very well explained.

[@VocalLiberation]

+arangor82 Thanks so much for taking the time out to leave all of your comments! Which piece of info did you find most useful?

[@VocalLiberation]

+arangor82 If you liked this, you might also want to check out episode 2!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2Otm5mXf8Z7Zrc

[@arangor82]

+Marnell Sample Honestly, I really don't know. The vid is something like a run-through of everything that is important for singing. I think there was hardly anything I didn't knew already because I'm subscribed to both of your channels ;-) Personally, one of my biggest problems is usually the "everyday tension" (neck, jaw, tongue) that comes from sitting in front of a computer 10 hours a day, so I'm really into all of your stuff that has to do with "tension release".

[@arangor82]

+Marnell Sample Very cool, now I know what I'm gonna do in the evening today ;-)

[@VocalLiberation]

arangor82 Ah ok. I will keep that in mind for topics in future videos. I constantly have to stay on my students about how they sit and move around during the day, as that does affect the voice. I just never thought of putting it into a video though. Hmmm. Thanks for being a loyal subscriber. :-)

[@amadeuszczerwinski6689]

Very cool, deep insights, thanks

[@Harmekamu]

Very nice lesson! thanks

[@VocalLiberation]

+HARMEKAMUmusic You're welcome.

[@LaGataSolar]

Very informational! Thank you. What exercises for chord closure do you suggest? 😊

[@VocalLiberation]

Hi Nailah. Thanks for watching. For cord closure, you can start with an exercise here I have on my channel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/imqcqZqBbbKjjq8 That said, people who have issues with cord closure tend to have VERY tricky voices to work with. The voice doesn't always respond the way you expect it to. So you will likely need help from a teacher if that is truly your issue. But try that exercise first and see how far it takes you.

[@FrancesCastleyMusic]

Could you please explain more about Messa Di Voce? Great video btw! So helpful.

[@VocalLiberation]

+Frances Castley Music You're welcome. What exactly do you want to know about the messa di voce? Some people will describe it as going from falsetto to full voice back to falsetto on a single note, but I describe it as going from your pianissimo volume to fortissimo back to pianissimo. You should be in full voice as you do this and not feeling the voice breaking and flipping when going from one volume to the next. That said, when you're first learning the exercise, you WILL break and flip and have a lack of control. This is one of the hardest vocal exercises out there. Also, don't confuse the messa di voce with mezza voce, which is something totally different. Mezza voce refers to "half voice" as opposed to "full voice".

[@zimtot]

this is very good stuff. thank you

[@VocalLiberation]

You're welcome.

[@fernandoherrerabastidas]

thanks to both

[@VocalLiberation]

+Fernando Herrera You're welcome!

[@philmoufarrege]

Thanks +Fernando Herrera

[@stefansalvatore7574]

wow this video has been super helpful,thank you so much to the both of you!! my voice doesn't hurt now after singing high notes with belting so around the range F4-C5 however I noticed that after singing for a while my voice seems to crack a lot when I am just talking in my regular voice , is it because I am belting too much and my muscles are not strong enough yet or am I doing something wrong?

[@VocalLiberation]

+Stefan Salvatore You're welcome. Sometimes after an intense vocal session, the voice is tired, and yes, the speaking voice can crack/flip a little. This especially will happen if your body is not used to more intense vocal sessions and then you suddenly jump into this new routine.

[@stefansalvatore7574]

Marnell Sample I see,I noticed that when I talk my throat hurts a little as well so I think i should take perhaps 2 weeks off completely from singing and then get back to it,btw I have another question, can you guys make a video about grit and distortion?

[@VocalLiberation]

I don't think you would need 2 weeks off. I think 3-7 days would be more than enough. We've had some requests for grit and distortion. I will be honest, though, it's not my area of expertise. But Phil might be making another video on it. By the way, if you haven't already, feel free to sign up for the free singing class I'm giving this weekend. I think you will learn quite a bit: www.vocalliberation.com/articles/live-singing-qa-session/

[@stefansalvatore7574]

Marnell Sample okay bro thanks,I will do that,are you planning to do a live Q&A? if you are then let me know what time :) TIA

[@VocalLiberation]

It's all in the link above. :-) I'm not sure where you are at, but it would be Friday night NYC time and Saturday morning NYC time.

[@into.the.wood.chipper.]

What I'm really curious about is why opera singers make their mouths smaller and rounder for high notes and contemporary music calls for a wide open mouth. Why open the mouth that much if it wasn't done in Opera? I'm looking at a lot of female belters and they're not singing with a wide open mouth- it's two fingers tall, if that. Some people don't even have a large mouth. You could get a whole fist in Steven Tyler's, but another singer might only be able to get it in up to the second knuckle. For me (someone who does not have a large mouth), even two knuckles is uncomfortable. My jaw starts to unhinge. If I bite my fist up to the first knuckle, that's comfortable.

[@VocalLiberation]

+Don Carlson You have to realize what you are looking at. A lot of opera singers (at least more of the really famous ones) are of European ancestry and have smaller jaw structure. So, even when they do open, it doesn't LOOK like they're opening that much. But opera singers definitely open their mouths. They open vertically rather than horizontally. Look at Piotr Beczala. He's a great example of an excellent tenor who has a naturally big mouth. He opens it naturally. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3jRXp-XlpytZ8k All throughout the clip, you see him opening. When he opens, you can probably fit 4 fingers in his mouth, similar to mine. He just has a big mouth. You can see from 0:39-1:00, he open LONG (vertically) even for his OO vowel! From 1:15-1:45 are good close ups. See him open at 1:55? From 2:17-2:24, again, you see him opening, but opening VERTICALLY. _____________________ Fritz Wunderlich had a much smaller mouth, but still opened the EXACT SAME WAY. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqmTeWOoeZd_aKc Look at the phrase at 0:16, 0:31, 0:35, 0:47, 1:05, 1:38, 2:00, 2:18, etc. Look at 3:49 -- he even opens for the EE vowel, which is what you're supposed to do in the upper range! _______________________ You see Nicolai Gedda doing the same thing here. He doesn't have a huge mouth -- it's more naturally wide, but he still opens. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fobOe4mtgrOYfq8 They have good close ups from 2:17-3:03 where you can see it more clearly. I wish they got a closer view of the high C at 3:17, but he definitely opens for that too. _________________________ Then you have Mario Del Monaco who does the exact same thing here. He had a medium sized mouth, but he opened too. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZfYh6OsrNiHh6s From the first few seconds of the clip, you clearly see him opening (vertically). From 2:09-2:20, you can see some of the mouth movements. From 2:36-2:41, it's great because it's a side view, a high note, and you can clearly see him opening, even for his EE!!!! ___________________________ Even females in opera have to open more as they go higher. Look at Aprile Millo here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZbMfXaVd7NlZqM Look from 5:48-6:02, you see her opening more vertically the higher she goes. Again from 6:10-6:18. ____________________________ And then look, you have Dolora Zajick here in a masterclass instructing a student. My teacher teaches with her. And what do you see her telling the student to do? OPEN THE MOUTH MORE! She literally says it a million times. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGTWoKh-ibykm7M Look from 1:07-3:17. When you get to the highest parts of your range, you do have to open a bit more horizontally as she shows, but that's mainly for the upper most part of your range. It's a little more of an advanced thing as it needs to be done a very particular way. But either way, you see her OPENING THE MOUTH. A lot of times, when someone is unable to open the mouth, it's because you're trying to open the mouth wrong and/or you have a lot of jaw tension. You might also have TMJ problems. But for the singing voice to function properly, the mouth needs to be able to open freely.

[@into.the.wood.chipper.]

You are right, about the TMJ. I've had it for years. It especially is bad after chewing gum. Those are great examples of open mouthed opera singers! I can't look at everything right now but will give it an in-depth viewing when I get a chance. I can definitely see that you have a solid foundation for your singing and teaching.

[@VocalLiberation]

Thanks! TMJ is one hell of a problem if you are a singer. You have to stop chewing gum! It just overworks the jaw muscles. You might have to visit a massage therapist that has experience in working with TMJ disorder -- one that knows how to work the soft tissue structures. They would also release the muscles of the larynx too since they tie in with jaw restrictions.

[@deborahbarry8458]

Marnell, I am stunned by your generosity. That reply is so utterly detailed! By the way, (both of you) your descriptions of support are so TANGIBLE!

[@neverbeenfrustrated]

damn you're so serious on these vids:D

[@VocalLiberation]

+Edwin Myers Hahaha. No, not serious, the camera just doesn't manage to catch my good side. :P Hahaha. But, as long as you've found the information useful, then we have done our job. :)

[@neverbeenfrustrated]

+Marnell Sample yeah the video is awesome, I just don't like stating the obvious :D

[@VocalLiberation]

+Edwin Myers Well that just makes me smile. Thanks! :-)

[@chrsp1992]

Ok - I understand that breathing too much for belting is not ideal. However, what do I do if I want to belt out a high note which is 13 seconds long? If I don't take in a huge breath, I can't sustain it :S. Think - the end note in "The Wizard and I"

[@VocalLiberation]

You still don't need a lot of air for that. You need to learn to manage your air better, in the sense of managing your energy and dynamics. If you have a long sustained note, don't hold the note just at one volume -- that will make your throat get rigid and make you run out of breath. Instead, the dynamics have to "move somewhere" as you sustain the note. So you need to go louder, like a long drawn out crescendo, or go softer as you sustain the note, or sometimes even a combination of the two. But either way, the dynamics need to "go somewhere". Then, you also have to make sure you don't expend all your energy in the beginning of the phrase. That means reserving some of your energy and cutting back on some of the volume at the beginning so you have more to give at the end. Not only will this sound better musically speaking, but it will be better for your voice as a whole. You should be thinking of EVERY phrase you sing like this, whether you are just holding a note for 3 seconds or 13 seconds.

[@BIANCA.OFFICIAL]

what do you mean by splatting? thankyou

[@fastandcurious7727]

Thanks for new video :)

[@VocalLiberation]

+fairy tale You're welcome.

[@michaela2776]

You guys are really good teachers. I would like it if you guys do an analysis of someone like Michael Jackson singing technique. I think he’s technique is exceptional given that his voice is a little bit thin. I think Freddy is the greatest voice but his associate with the devil put me off. The thing with Freddy is he was a natural. He I think of head voice more than falsetto because you blend falsetto and it’s too weak, but some guys have great falsettos, MJ, Bee Gees, Earth Wind and Fire and even George Michael. Lastly, I think of singing like changing gears when your driving, you chest voice will take you so far, then it thin out to get to the mix passage when a bit of chest and head is present and pure head. Pure head in my opinion is too girly. I train my voice every morning use Seth Riggs warm ups, it takes you to these passages. Also Phil videos help my to Open up a lot more and Marbella Video also about diaphragm was helpful. So guys keep going.

[@robertozampella1499]

Thank you!!

[@andreastevens9146]

I very loud and strong but tend to lose it. example: when I try to sing Lisa fisha " how can I ease the pain. my high note cuts off and I feel a nervousness in my stomach. 2. why does my head hurt when I'm using a lot of power? thank you.

[@VocalLiberation]

It's hard to tell exactly what you're doing just based on text, as these are things that are best addressed in one-on-one lessons. They are things I can help you out with. www.vocalliberation.com/singing-lessons In regards to the second point, though, my first guess would be that you're lifting up your head/chin as you try to sing with more power. This action puts more pressure on the laryngeal muscles and neck muscles, and can create some of the pressure you're feeling in your head. Make sure you keep your head looking more or less straight forward when trying to sing with power.

[@DenisMorissetteJFK]

Any chance you make a new video together?

[@VocalLiberation]

We have some new ones planned. We just haven't gotten around to it yet.

[@sexybatman9150]

hi marnell in part 2 of how you sound good ...you said there are some songs either accent the two and the four beat and some songs accent the off beats can you give a songs that do off beats plz ?

[@VocalLiberation]

I can't recall exactly the point I was trying to make there. When I was speaking in the video, it was probably based off of examples I came across with students I was working with at the time. I just can't recall the songs we were working on.

[@Rosannasfriend]

Marnell, please watch my rendition of Adele's Hello. Tell me what you think.thanks.

[@ZamzaWhitezIWillAlwaysLoveYou]

Please talk about how soft palate pain is produced.

[@VocalLiberation]

+Zamza Whitez Soft palate pain? I don't hear about that one very often! Do you get it often? Do you ever get it while speaking? Or only when singing? The only time I can say I've ever gotten soft palate pain is either when I had a bad sinus infection or pharyngitis.

[@crimstarg2465]

Yeah but have u tried DMT ?

[@-byko-8423]

The singer of Greta Van Fleet does that vomit thing. His tongue even comes out

[@nicholasflowers6910]

how far can you take your chest voice up to now?

[@VocalLiberation]

+nicholas flowers It just keeps going up into the 5th octave. I can do it up to the Bb5, but I'm normally too lazy to do it that high, haha. That said, I don't think we got around to talking about this in the video, but for men, there IS a change in sensation that occurs at the C5. (In female voices, it occurs on the G5.) So prior to that, the chest voice gradually thins out more and more, but there is the distinct sensation that you can do a B4 with much more meat than you can a C5. If you don't allow this little thinning out to happen, you will reach a cap at a B4, and never find range from C5 and above.

[@nicholasflowers6910]

not fair man.....my vocal range is pathetic compared to yours ): F-2,C4 haha i cant do any normal warm ups =_=

[@philmoufarrege]

+nicholas flowers what will help you most with a range like you are describing is focusing on projecting a very clear volume that also has that child-like quality that we were discussing without tightening the larynx. That is the most important thing for you to start from

[@VocalLiberation]

+nicholas flowers Haha. I had to work for this, though! Remember, I started off with the EXACT same range as you! I could go down to an E2 (without fry) and up to a C#4. That was all the range I had first starting out, aside from falsetto range up to the G#5, but even by the time I got to that note, it was strained.

[@nicholasflowers6910]

O.O wow i didn't know

[@Taichientaoyin]

but you need twang and twang creates a bit of tension

[@VocalLiberation]

Twang is not necessary. Getting the voice clear (meaning non-airy) IS necessary. Twang can help with that. Twang can be done in such a way that it doesn't have to induce tension. It's all in HOW you do things.

[@Taichientaoyin]

Thank you very much. I am still learning. I still belt with a lot of tension.Your videos are very helpful!

[@deegee4041]

41:30 to 41:40 You sound like my Uncle Elmer without his teeth in.

[@garyindiana7593]

How do you develop that Don Henley type of sound (i.e. super bright and speech like in the high range)?

[@VocalLiberation]

+Gary Indiana That depends on quite a few variables, especially the nature of YOUR voice compared to his. The more similar your voice is to his, the more easily you will be able to make that kind of sound without doing something unnatural. Something like this is best addressed in a one-on-one lesson, as it requires delving into the unique features of your voice and how far you can take something without going into dysfunction.

[@TotalSinging]

Phil - for God's sake STOP saying "falsetto without a breathy tone". If it lacks a breathy tone it is NOT falsetto. Period.

[@VocalLiberation]

+Kevin Richards Rock the Stage NYC Thanks for commenting, Kevin. It's fine if you don't agree with the term "falsetto without a breathy tone". It's just a way of thinking about approaching things that people have found helpful. As long as people know what we're talking about, regardless of the term we use for it and it's helping people, then that's all that really matters.

[@philmoufarrege]

+Kevin Richards Rock the Stage NYC I'll call it "bananas" if I find describing it that way helps singers more. I carefully choose what I say based on what I see makes sense to singers I train. See ya.

[@TotalSinging]

Marnell Sample Marnell - terms DO matter - because it gives people visual representations of things that are happening. Saying that perpetuates this idea that connected head resonance is the same as falsetto and that it's only associated with notes outside the modal voice; it's simply not true. That being said - I agreed with 95% of the rest of the discussion. The other 5% I didn't is just because I believe in more direct method of training.

[@VocalLiberation]

Kevin Richards Rock the Stage NYC Well, we do not feel that head resonance is the same as falsetto. Falsetto is just a certain cord structure. They can be in that structure in which the vocalis activity is absent, but the cords are still meeting at the midline. That's a non-breathy falsetto or what I sometimes call an efficient falsetto. Some people also call it pure head voice. It's still disconnected. If the cords don't meet at the midline and are opening up at the arytenoid cartilages, that's a breathy falsetto -- an inefficient falsetto and one that wastes air. But both productions are still falsetto. Falsetto can be produced with resonance or without resonance, just like your modal voice can be made with or without resonance. It's all to do with efficiency. The term you use for something really isn't that important as long as you and the person you are communicating with can understand each other clearly. If you both know what you mean by the term and the characteristics of it, then there is no problem.

[@into.the.wood.chipper.]

+Kevin Richards Rock the Stage NYC I agree. For most of my life, I thought head voice was produced with the highest possible larynx (as in a whisper, but with less airiness). I could not get much power in that, so I looked for exercises to strengthen it. When I started trying to follow vocal instructions on the internet, I was not sure how to approach the exercises- from a high larynx or low larynx. So then I looked up "head voice" for the definition (like any reasonable human being would do when they are trying to learn a new concept) and was dismayed to find that what I thought was head voice was "falsetto". Then I did "falsetto" exercises and made it up to C5 and was shocked to find that the notes that high were incredibly loud. I've never had a loud or high voice since puberty (I'm 38 now). So then I spent literally months trying to navigagate this huge heady sound I could make with a low larynx and got it up to F5, only to be told that this connected sound was "still falsetto". That's enough to make anyone ball up their fists and say "WTF"! Especially after countless hours of training and throwing money at books and DVD's, and taking into account the opinions of self-professed teachers you don't necessarily agree with, hoping for a nugget of information that rings true for you and your own experience. One of the problems with what people can't agree on is that there are different weights to voices. A tenor voice is going to sound thinner and lighter than a baritone. At this very moment, I don't give a free-falling #@$% what anyone is calling this sound. I extended my range, got more power in the top and bottom end, and have more stamina without doing any damage to any part of my vocal mechanism. So, mission accomplished. If I was doing it wrong, I would have lost a great deal of range and would have nodes on my vocal cords. Not only do I NOT have that problem, but people have been responding more to my singing at karoake than they ever have before and I've been able to sing songs I never could in the past. That has a lot more value for me than quibbling over vocal terminology. And at the end of the day, even if it is falsetto- who cares? If no one complains, who really cares if it's not full voice? It's the emotion an audience pays attention to, not the semantics of vocal tonality. Some might care- most don't. They just want to be told an exciting story from someone who feels what they are telling. One last thing: If the voice has been trained properly according to the ancient Italian method, you will be able to sing the same note with a low larynx loudly or quietly. If you can only sing it loudly, then you have overdeveloped your chest voice and have not learned to balance it with the Messa Di Voce. Regardless of the terms we're using here, all of the information in this video appears to be correct and consistent with what I have read.

[@wandajames143]

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[@wandajames143]

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[@wandajames143]

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[@wandajames143]

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[@t.1230]

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[@wandajames143]

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