The Vocal Journey: never forget the basics

The only way to progress your vocal learning healthily is to maintain a consistent gentle warm-up routine, covering basic and essential vocal technique tools such as posture, breathing/airflow, onset, lip trills, and sirening.  The magic 5, learning by repeatedly doing. Neuroplasticity working its magic.

This video-share is #4 in a playlist on my YouTube channel.  It's taken from my singers' mentoring group 2020 teaching archive. Most weeks throughout the year I lead members online in a Saturday Morning Vocal Technique LIVE where we explore exercises and enjoy a lively discussion as we work.

Learning about #vocalnutsandbolts is not a sprint - and we should never assume we’ve reached the journey’s end. Our destination is always there, just on the horizon.

A fascinating journey which still holds my attention after all these years of teaching and learning. 

We classical singers...

Did you know?

What if I told you that there are only a few very basic vocal ‘tools’ that you need to know about which will serve you well in every singing situation? Would you believe me? A good vocal sound is nearly always reliant on a firm grasp and knowledge of the basics. Simply explained in my free PDF companion guide to this article: Need Help with Singing Basics.

A simple fact

Getting to grips with or making improvements to your singing and the methods to achieve progress are all far easier and more accessible than you think.

Consider this: we all have a speaking voice and we utilise our vocal folds every single day, so you’re actually already familiar with how powering your voice from the inside out feels.

Learning to use your singing voice is just an extension of that same vocal process, using the same equipment. 

The best way to ease your voice along healthily is to maintain a consistent gentle warm-up routine, covering the basic and...

 In 2020, I bought a new and interesting book, the delights of which I hardly had time to delve into amid all the extra online Virtual Studio classes and other activities, created by COVID-19 and the human desire for people, singers, to seek to connect.

The book had been sitting on my desk in the study since mid-June that year. Seeing it still there one day, I thought to remind myself why I bought it in the first place. Glancing at the back cover told me everything I needed to know.

"Somatic learning ... through the practice of these methods, a person can become more sensitive to the quality of his or her movement and more integrated in their co-ordination."

Ah - of course! It had to do with POSTURE and more importantly the habits (good and bad) which underpin everything we try to achieve as singers. Vocal Technique-wise, posture is the first of the 3 essential pillars that I talk about in my YouTube technique tutorials, particularly the Vocal Warm-ups.

(The book has a...