February 1st, 2010
Hi Ariella,
I’m working through a music theory course and was looking for interval training when I came across your Web site. My question regards possibly damaged vocal chords and what exercises might be helpful for healing. Although not professionally trained, I’ve sung all my life, mostly in choirs but also as a church cantor for the past decade. I’m 63 now and hope to continue singing until my last breath. As a middle-range lyric soprano and I have been able to sing up to a high A. During recent abdominal surgery, they put a beathing tube down my throat. I didn’t try to sing for quite awhile. Now at C above middle C, my voice often breaks into harmonics - but never in the lower range. I’m surprised and dismayed to have trouble in what has always been a really comfortable singing range. These things help: 1) long, slow warm-ups, 2) well supported breath, and 3) open throat singing. Are there vocal exercises that will strengthen and retrain the vocal chords? Is any particular vocalese beneficial? Do I need a consultation? Thanks for your help! –Lois
Lois,
Poor thing. Sounds like you did get some vocal damage from that abdominal tube. I have heard of that happening before. For the most part those things usually heal- but you need to be careful with what you do in the healing process.. How long ago was the surgery? Also, are you experiencing any side affects from it such as gastric reflux? This can be hard on the chords as well. Yours is a complicated question since I haven’t heard you and we are talking about possible vocal damage. If it has been a while since the surgery you may want to see a larygologist and have them look at your chords to see if there are noduals or any other type of damage.
In the meanwhile, or you may want to try this for a while first, I would suggest that you sing only what is comfortable. But if it is comfortable then sing it. Humming and simple vocalizes is where you should start. Do not try and challenge you range at this point. Only sing what is very easy. Hopefully each week more tone, range, etc.. will present itself in a healthy voice. I can give you more specific advice if I hear you of course. You can sign up for a vocal assessment on my site. You don’t have to send me anything special. Just sing some vocalizes where it is working for your voice and then show me some that are in the problem areas so I can hear it for a further assessment. if you are looking for interval training, that would be specific to my second volume Do Re Mi Ear and Pitch training,. For simple exercises for the voice I would start with v.1 and take it easy. Let me know how it comes along.- Ariella
Tags: Vocal damage
Posted in Vocal damage | No Comments »
February 1st, 2010
Hey always loved singing and i am looking for a vocal coach maybe we can use skype- ShemHi Shem,
Hi Shem,
Thank you for thinking of me for your Vocal Coach.
If you want to study with me there a re a few ways to do it.
1. optimum- if you live in L.A. you could come to my studio for lessons
2. Through my Vocal Assessment program- where you send me recordings of your voice via mp3s or links with questions and I get back to you with my feedback.
3. Skype- We could set up a lesson time and try that.
Let me know what your interested in trying.
Take Care!
Ariella
Tags: Skyping Voice Lessons, Voice Lessons with Ariella Vaccarino
Posted in Skyping Voice Lessons, Voice Lessons with Ariella Vaccarino | No Comments »
February 1st, 2010
I’m judit i come from holland and i wanted to ask you a question. I want to audition to enter this special school. My best friend already goes to that school so I went there with here and sang a song for her teacher. She told me that when I sing my breath escapes so at the end of the sentence I don’t have any air left so I wanted to ask you how can I sing without doing that. Yours faithfully– Judit
Hi Judit,
Sorry to hear that you did not make the audition you wanted. Regarding running out of air: I could be happening to you for a variety of reasons. I haven’t heard you sing but a few things to look for are:
1. Remembering to breath. Make sure you mark through your music where you are going to take your breaths, and take them. We need air to sing. Sometimes when we are nervous we forget to breath so it could be that simple.
2. You are singing with a breathy tone, not phonating properly with your vocal chords (making a pure sound), and air is escaping as you sing. This would cause you to run out of air sooner then some one who is singing with a pure tone. You would need to do special vocal exercises help bring your chords together to create a purer tone for this one.
3. You may need to build up your air support by doing breathing exercises like the ones on my 1st CD (I don’t know if you have them). Daily breathing exercises and physical exercise such as swimming are great for building your breath support and stamina. This will help you to sing longer phrases, take deeper more productive breaths, and less of them.
I hope this helps a little. I can give you much better feedback if I hear you sing. If you are interested in that. You can sign up for a vocal assessment on my site www.voicelessonstogo.com. -Send me your voice and I will get you the appropriate feedback.
Goodluck!
Tags: auditioning, breath support, breathy singing
Posted in auditioning, beginning singer, breath support, breathing exercises for singers, singing technique | No Comments »
November 5th, 2009
please check out my videos and give comment and please give me advice on how to improve my singing..and do you think you can give me a free voice lesson via yahoo messenger?? we are going to do video call or maybe voice call..can you..please,,i beg you..i really love singing so please help me……we are just the same…we are music lover so please help me improve my singing..thanks.. Elaine
Elaine, I watched your video. Thanks for contacting me. I offer a service through my website called your vocal assessment. It is a paid service where you pay between 9.99-39.99 for vocal evaluations and assessments from me. If you are interested I would love to give you feed back on your singing. I think I could give you some strong tips. I apoligize for not offering this as a free service, but I sell my cds of voice lessons to thousands of people and am contacted regularly for this so I need to sell my time since I am a professional voice teacher etc… No matter what, it is clear that you love to sing. I think you could use some professional assistance for some improvemnets whether it be me or another teacher. Good luck! www.voicelessonstogo.com that is the site where you can sign up for vocal assessments. I do them immediately.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
June 15th, 2009
Hi, I’m Jezreel, and I’m 13 years old. I really enjoy singing and that’s why i am applying for DSA(Direct School Admition) in Sinagpore, School Of The Arts. DSA is where I go on a audition. I am really nervous about it and I already watched your tips on youtube, my audition si on 26th of June 2009. Is there any other tips you can give me before the audition like eating/drinking habbits and so. I’m really looking forward on hearing your reply. Thank you for setting aside your time to read my message. Thanks!
keep singing,
Jezreel Castro
Hi Jezreel,
I am glad to hear that you are getting ready to do such a great audition, I love working with young singers. Other then the 10 tips you heard on my little video clip for your best aution, I would say to be safe- don’t drink orange juice or have dairy products, peanut butter or chocolate- these can make you feel a bit flemmy.
Also to the other extreme- don’t have anything to drying like menthol cough drops, or regular tea (herbal tea is great- but regular tea can dry you out.)
Make sure you warm up your voice slowly and well, but don’t over sing before the audition.
Take a long shower and start with humms and yawn sighs in a nice humid environment- a great wake up to the voice. Also, if you did a little bit of a body exercises and a breathing warm up that will help to get everything really going as well.
Enjoy the experience- try and remember the auditioners ant you to be good- they are pulling for you. They want to find talent. So be yourself, have a great easy to work with attitude and be professional!
If you want an ear before the audition- you can sign up for a Vocal Assessment from me- send me audio or video clips with questions and I can give you a proper evaluation and tips specific to your performance.
Good luck and sing well!
Ariella Vaccarino
Tags: auditioning
Posted in Uncategorized, auditioning | No Comments »
June 4th, 2009
Hi Ariella,
I am very new at this. I do not have a good singing voice at this time. I am not one of those American Idols that cannot sing, but thinks he/she can. I do know that some people are born with the talent to sing, and some people have just been lucky enought to have parents with money that put them in vocal training since they were children so they learned how to sing good. I have never been trained at all, so I do not even know if I could ever have a good singing voice, but I want to try and see where my voice could go.! I want to order vocal training CDs, but I do not know where to start. Should I only get the first CD or get the bundle? Or do something else? Thanks you for taking your time to read this and respond. Dee
Hi Dee,
I think that it is awesome that you are looking to try something new and expand yourself. I know it is frustrating that you may not have been trained as a kid. Usually, if someone has an interest in singing it is for a reason. They have a talent, or a musicality about them- some just have a strong appreciation for the craft. However it translates for you is great.
If you have zero training I would start off with v.1 and v.2 The first one is beginner vocal warm ups, breathing exercises and tips on singing.
The second gives you some musical education while training your voice. You will sing vocal warm ups while you learn about scales and chords etc… If you become comfortable with those two then start adding the other two cds. Good luck.
Please start off slow. Just like starting any exercise program. You don’t want to push the muscles that get you to sing to fast. Ease into it- never strain, and always stop when you feel tired. Your stamina will build daily.
www.voicelessonstogo.com
Ariella Vaccarino
Posted in Uncategorized, beginning singer | No Comments »
April 21st, 2009
|
|
|
- Hi Ariella my
name is Mioschi (Mee-O-Shee) -I know it doesn’t look like the easiest
name to pronounce, and I’ve been singing ever since I was five. I am an
R&B/soul singer; some of the artists that I practice are, Regina
Belle, Phyllis Hyman, Anita Baker, Minnie Riperton, etc. Any who, I’ve
been practicing your first CD consistently for about thirteen days, and
I do feel pretty good about it. Although I’ve been singing since I was
five, I still have some questions regarding my head and chest voice.
-Although I do kn! ow the difference between the two and can also
somewhat blend them as well, I was wondering when or if I should allow
the head voice to just naturally come in…? Sometimes when I am
singing and going through the voice lessons on your first CD I can just
sort of wait and let it take, in a sense, thus more anticipated (hope
that makes sense) -while other times I can actually belt all the way
through an excercise, like the wees and hweets without even allowing
the head voice to come through. -Well, do you think that maybe I should
just stick to my first idea or the second? Also, the last thing I want
to do is scream, however, throughout some of the excercises it seems
that going high (but not falsetto) in head voice is comfortable,
however a part of me feels that maybe it could or should be
strengthened. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to
answer this email; it means more than you know. Another concern of mine
is my breathing. I have been doing the breath excercises every single
day along with holding my breath as well (I’m at a minute and 18 sec)
however when I am singing, should my stomach be in the same position as
the ‘dyaphramatic breathing’ that you explain in the first cd, and
should my throat remain open (Surprise Party Breath) all throughout my
singing? -Also, how do you know when your vocal muscles are
strengthening? Thank you so much for answering. P.S. I’m going to
purchase the second CD today!
|
Hi Mioschi,
I was glad to hear that you are working with my CDs. It sounds like
you very serious about singing which is great. You asked a lot
questions, and I’ll do my best.
First of all, Never Scream. Singing should only and always feel
comfortable. You are more then welcomed to take your chest voice as
high as is comfortable and then use head voice for the rest. You have
just started with the cds, after time, I think the head or chest issue
will reveal itself to you. For now, do what is comfortable and try not
to think about it to much. Use your vocal warm-ups as your “healthy
singing time”.
Regarding your breathing: the surprise breath position in your upper
palette is great to start off every phrase. It is for your breathing
in general. I am not sure what you mean by the position of your
stomach. Just know that your stomach needs to be active in supporting
your voice so that the muscles in your throat are not being strained.
Put the tension/support in your body into your stomach back and legs-
not the throat. Don’t think to hard about the process. Just continue
working through the CDs and your body will start to memorize the
correct connections in time.
Regarding knowing when the vocal muscles are strengthening: Just like
in any sport, you will improve your strength a little bit daily. You
should find you can sing longer without getting tired.
I would be happy to go into detail regarding your voice through my
Vocal Assessment program. You can purchase whichever plan works for
you on my site. Then you can send me your voice and questions, and I
can answer more specifically to what I hear you doing.
Sing well!
Ariella
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
April 7th, 2009
I am in the baritone/bass range and it appears that your CD’s are geared more for the soprano range. Will I be able to sing along with the CD’s and hear the differences in tonality?
Michael
Thank you for your inquiry regarding my CDs. I have kept the range on the CDs fairly generic to deal with this exact issue. All the exercises start on middle C and go up between E & F, on the way down I take them to the A below middle C which is too low for me but perfect for you. You would be singing the whole thing one octave below me, so you should be fine. I encourage regularly on on the CDs for you to drop out whenever you feel the notes are too low or too high.
Thanks
Ariella
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
March 17th, 2009
I was wondering whether or not my vocal timbre will change over time. I’m 19 now and I don’t really like the sound of my voice. It isn’t falsetto, pitchy, nasally or anything like that and I’m not singing out of pitch or range either, but it kind of sounds like I’m trying to sing in an older voice even though I’m still young. I also had a small chest cold a few months back and I still have a little bit of it in my system and I’m wondering if that’s affecting the sound of my voice. Thank You for taking the time to read this message and I hope to hear from you soon.- Sean
Hi Sean,
Thank you for your email. You know it is hard to give a person evaluation of your timbre and voice since I have not heard you. Every voice is different, and timbre can be effected and manipulated or undone by many things. The best thing you can do is get to a good voice teacher and have them evaluate you. If that is not an option I offer Vocal Assessments on my site where you can submit your voice with questions and I will listen and act as your “virtual voice teacher”.
Check my blog out on my site. I did a whole blog on vocal timbre that might offer some help
As far as your cold, your chords could still be a little swollen which could cause some short lasting changes.
Thank you for your question.
Ariella Vaccarino
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
November 21st, 2008
I have a trained voice. I have sung in large choirs and chamber choirs. I want to record a CD of religious music (hymns) I want to know for sure which of your products would be more adecuate to meet my needs.
Silvia
Hi Sylvia,
I see that you ordered my box set. That should be a great choice for you. It will give you a lot of variety in your vocal warm-ups and further your training. For more independence you may want to consider purchasing my book Vocalize! which is the compilation of all four CDs into sheet music. This way you can sit at the piano and flip through and play the vocalizes that call to you at your own speed. Good luck with your CD. Please feel free to send any questions you may have along the way. I will send your CDs right out to you.
Ariella Vaccarino
www.voicelessonstogo.com
Tags: trained singers, voice lesons to go products
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
