Kick Starting Your Singing in 2012

The New Year is the time for reflection and new beginnings! If you’re not where you’d like to be, you have the power to set things in motion. It’s important to take action, and baby steps are the way to progress. The road to success is paved in millions of small actions, and you don’t know where they can lead to. The critical thing is to do it anyway.

Every singer faces crossroads – whether it’s first finding out that you can sing, to a first audition or gig, to choosing a musical direction or partner, and so on… The general public sees a singing star and assumes they have a natural gift – no training required. This is as untrue in singing and performing as it is in any other field. You wouldn’t go to a doctor devoid of training with a “natural healing gift”. Michael Jackson trained professionally since he was 5, only to fully realize his success at 25.

Yet, talent is an intangible and it needs to be nurtured. The major record labels, back in the day, would develop talent, but now it is too time consuming and expensive for them to do that. Now, it is up to you to do the work it takes to get to that level.

Tips for Kick Starting Your Singing and Career

• Practice – You can’t get good at something if you only do it once in a while. Singers need discipline to keep their instrument in shape.
• Warm-up – I know I mention this every time, but it’s true. Singing cold can hurt your voice, on top of not allowing you to sing freely.
• Create a plan to move forward. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You can always modify it. Maybe you go to an open mic, join a musician’s group, take a class, study with a new coach, book a gig – you get the idea.
• Get a vocal coach. No one does this alone. Rhianna has a coach; Michael Jackson brought his into the studio during the recording of Thriller; you need one, too! Budget for this as part of your development.
• Pick something you can get excited about -Enthusiasm speaks volumes. There are no “shoulds”. If it’s exciting for you to record, then record. If performing with certain people or at a certain event or venue sounds good, do that. Whatever you choose will become part of your learning and path towards mastery.
• Value your intuition. If a song doesn’t feel right or someone is pressuring you into a project, etc…, trust your gut. You can ask for input from trusted sources, but bottom line, as an artist, you need to stand behind what you do.
• Be true to your own Muse -What works for someone else may not work for you. Even if dance music is hot this year, it may not be best choice for your voice or talent. When music mogul Clive Davis debuted Alicia Keyes, he set up an intimate club environment to showcase her talent – breaking from traditional type showcases – and it worked!

For more tips, see my book, Vocal Essentials for the Pop Singer on Amazon or halleaonard.com

Top 10 Live Performance Survival Tips

As singers, there is a road that each of us must travel – the road to a great performance. On that road, there are many obstacles, no matter how trained or confident or developed you are. Here are some roadmap strategies to get you through it.

1. Remain calm and keep going. No matter what – you’re off pitch, the monitors go off, you can’t hear yourself or the band, you came in wrong, etc…, keep going and don’t panic. Act as if everything is fine.
2. Warm up, warm up, warm up. If you’re not warmed up, yes -you can still sing – but sing well – that’s another story. Warm up at home, in the car, and if you’re waiting an hour or more to get onstage, warm up again (I like lip rolls for this).
3. Don’t worry about what others think while you’re onstage. Focus on the song and what you’re communicating. Yes, there are ways to get your audience involved, but trying to please everyone (does everyone like Madonna?) doesn’t work, and you throw your integrity away.
3. Adjust onstage in the moment. Learn to roll with the punches. Be flexible and open. If your voice is shaky or strained for any reason, think ahead. Maybe doing that demanding song right now is not such a good idea. Make the course correction as you go and trust that it will be the right decision. Get your musicians or band onboard with this as well.
4. If you can’t breathe, stop and regroup. Breathing is an essential part of your vocal performance. If you are out of breath and continue, it can start to spiral. Catching up is difficult so if you run out of breath, stop moving and regroup asap.
5. Keep your cool with bar managers, bookers, other musicians, the audience, etc… If you scream, act out, etc… they will remember you, but not in a good way.
6. Do talk to your audience and connect with them – Tell them about the inspiration for each song and where you’re coming from as an artist. Lady Gaga does this all the time. On Good Morning America, for example, she spent a good 4 or 5 minutes telling the audience about growing up near Central Park and what it means to her to be able to play there.
7. Don’t tell your audience what to do or not do-unless it is to participate in your performance (clap your hands, sing, etc…) or some clubtype thing like tip your bartender. You can inspire them to participate – there are techniques for that, and even then, especially in LA, they may not. There is a fine line. **True story – we played a gig where the guy who came after us did a solo acoustic set and was doing pretty well. When an audience member went to go outside, he said onstage “don’t leave, I have another song.” She said, “I’m going outside to smoke.” He then said, “you don’t need to smoke.” And her son way back in the club, started yelling at him, defending her. As you can imagine, it was downhill from there. Ouch!
9. Make each and every performance something you can be proud of – There are lots of things you can’t control when you perform, but you can control your voice, how you sing, and your presentation. It doesn’t matter if there are two people in the house or two thousand. Give it your all.
10. Assess, adjust, and keep moving forward. Learn from your experiences and adjust when something’s not working. Don’t give up – you never know what can happen!

NAMM 2010 Show Highlights

The NAMM Show (www.namm.org) roared into town this year, reporting a 2% increase in registrations (87,569 registrants strong) and a record number of exhibitors despite the challenging economic times. NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) is the trade association of the international music products industry, and it’s Winter Show was held in Anaheim, CA from Jan 14-17. NAMM is the place for vendors to announce their innovations and new products. It is also the place to be for amazing artist performances (and introductions of artist driven product) as well as the opportunity to forward music projects in schools and get involved through community awareness.

“This year’s NAMM Show marks a critical turning point for the international music products industry,” said NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond. “A strong NAMM Show signals the beginning of a comeback with buyers returning to their hometowns with renewed energy, passion and hope for a strong 2010.”

From new products to events and music causes to celebrity performances, here are the some of the NAMM Highlights you wish had seen, tried out, or attended:

NAMM Supports Music Education:
Hoping to inspire the next generation of musicians, Red Hot Chili Peppers Drummer Chad Smith has teamed up with The Percussion Marketing Council to announce the 2010 Percussion in the Schools (PITS) Dealer Program.

A very lucky school district will receive and host a Chad Smith all-school percussion assembly; nominated by NAMM retail music dealers. This program expansion is targeted to junior high and high school audiences in the dealer’s local market. www.playdrums.com

Special Awards & Appearances
The 2010 International Bassist Award was given to Nathan Watts (Stevie Wonder) at an event on Friday night presented by Samson, Zoom & Hartke.

This was not just an event – it was a rare moment. Thinking that it was going to be Watts performing with Wonder’s band, no one expected Stevie himself to show up (much less perform), and it set the tone for an amazing evening. Wonder addressed his years with Watt (and his amazing career as a bassist) as well as the significance of Martin Luther King Day for joining together. Then he kicked off the evening singing with the band and energizing the audience. This was a special fitting tribute to a distinguished performer.

And more…

Other NAMM performances included Jason Mraz in the Taylor Booth and Ted Nugent; and there were celebrity appearances by Slash, Eddie Van Halen, Orianthi, and Gene Simmons of KISS and hundreds of touring artists and band members.

For complete article and vocal tips -Subscribe to The Singer’s newsletter: email vocalcoach@teridanz.com

***This is an excerpt from Teri Danz’s upcoming book Nail It Every Time: The Pro Singer’s Guide to Everything Vocal with singing tips and more. Reprinted only with permission. All rights are reserved. More vocal tips are published on http://www.a2z-singing-tips.com.

INDUSTRY INSIDER SOCIAL Networking Party

Our cool INDUSTRY INSIDER SOCIAL is back by popular demand! So come on down and meet other accomplished industry professionals working in film, music, fashion, TV, multi-media & more!
xoxo
teri

Hosted by:
Teri Danz, One World Music- Groove Goddess, Chanteuse & Vocal Guru, www.teridanz.com

When: Wed, Dec 2nd at 6pm
Location: WOKANO Asian Restaurant & Lounge
phone: 310 458 3080 url: www.wokcanorestauran­t.­com,
1413 5th Street
Santa Monica, CA US

Happy Hour is from 4-7:30pm, 1/2 off selected drinks, special menu

Vocal Tips: Getting the Groove into Your Body and Your Sound

 

www.teridanz.com. Email vocalcoach@teridanz.com.

In past articles, I’ve stressed how groove is expressed differently in singers than for instrumentalists. For example, drummers express the rhythm outside their bodies (although they can feel it inside). Great singing necessitates internalizing the groove into your body. Yes, counting is a good way to start. A singer must “know” where the beat is — this is the only way to truly be in control of your performance. You can direct musicians, sing a cappella, lead other singers and vary the phrasing — all through groove.   If you sing from your head (i.e. thoughts) rather than get it into your body, you still can count the beats in the measure, land on the downbeat, come into the song on the right beat, etc.. but you lose feel. Feel is what moves people; makes you sound passionate; and allows you to interpret the lyrics differently (phrasing-wise). Some Tips for Getting the Groove into Your Body and into Your Sound: Learn the correct rhythm and feel of the song. This means, what is the timing – is it 4/4, 2/4, 6/8? Is it an upbeat feel, a swing feel, etc…? Work out the timing. Practice each phrase line by line if you need to - so that you learn how the lines fit with the rhythm. Learn the phrasing by heart groove-wise. Guessing where the groove is or where you come in does not work – ever! Lean into the groove. Leaning into the groove is definitely a learned singing technique. It is used in gospel and R&B, but rockers like Bono use it, too. Leaning means that you lean your body slightly forward (from your back, not your head). as you sing through the vowel. This allows the sound to bend a bit (not the pitch). Lyrics & melodies need fit into a phrase rhythmically. If you have too many words in a phrase or you are rushing to get everything in or the timing is off, it may be that you are fighting the groove. I once had a student who couldn’t figure out the beats in a traditional song or how to fit the words, even though he knew the song well. Once he used his body to lean into the downbeat and pull up on the upbeat, the lines fell into place. Tapping the beat – A DJ I worked with on my dance hit taught me to beat my palm (or hand) on my chest so I could get the beat in my body. He would line up turntables this way and it totally works! You can tap your foot or  thigh, but I like the idea of getting it into the center of your body. Slow down to speed up -You can’t express the song fully unless the groove is integrated into your body. See this as the important aspect of the song that it is. If you’re having trouble, you can slow down a song at first. Once you get the groove mastered, then take the song up to speed. Listen to artists who are skilled with groove – like Adam in Maroon 5 or Brian McKnight. Practice their songs to “cop” their type of rhythmic styling… and add it to your own “groove” toolbox.  ***This is an excerpt from Teri Danz’s upcoming book Nail It Every Time: The Pro Singer’s Guide to Everything Vocal with singing tips and more. Reprinted only with permission. All rights are reserved. More vocal tips are published on http://www.a2z-singing-tips.com.

 

Vocal Tip of the Day – Correct Body Stance

Body stance is very important in singing. Holding up is a term I use for a stance that includes: having your back straight, chest up, feet planted, and head looking forward. In this stance, singing becomes more effortless. You use less energy to get more sound. For more: please feel free to email me at vocalcoach@teridanz.com and sign up for The Singer’s Newsletter.

New Audition Tips article

Hey all,

If you’re a singer, auditioning is part of  being in the game. Check out my new article in the Tip Jar section of  the April Music Connection Magazine and get tips to nailing it every time. Questions? www.teridanz.com, or email vocalcoach@teridanz.com.

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