A Voice Apart

One of my friends likes to use this expression; “There is no change without change”. Usually, it’s very much so true. Lately, it’s been no secret that quite a few well-known singers have acquired a lot of vocal problems; bleeding vocal cords , polyps, nodules , dysphonia and other nasty vocal disorders. Why is that... and what is the cause, you, my reader, may ask? We often hear people saying: “We love the voice, we love his or her songs, we love the emotions, we love the performance…” So, what is the problem then? The problem is that nobody knows (let alone singers themselves) or pays attention to the voice application and how exactly that voice is being used by the performers. And yes, the industry usually picks up a good-looking person, quite often with good songwriting skills and with the potential of that person becoming a worldwide recording artist and performer. And yes, when it comes to recording, the best producers and engineers will be producing their ...

In all honestly, I think the answer is - both. Granted, I am an old school. My teaching experience is on its 38th year, so you can do simple math and conclude that I'm in my mid-50s. No, I do not have a mid-life crisis, but what I do have is a regret that the best times of our lives are gone and never will be back. Let's look at the music of 50s and 60s: Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Roy Orbison, Platters and many, many more. Those were the true musicians, true singers and true performers. Came the 70s and 80s and in those times, we had the best bands: White Snake, Skid Row, The Doors, The Eagles, to name a few. Great music, great performance-ship, exceptional singing... And in the past decade...? - No singing by definition - Some bands, e.g. Simple Plan, can not play their records live, let alone sing it - Vocal troubles and operations galore... Where do I begin? The question is why? The answer - it became "too easy". The technology along with...

X Factor just had an interesting couple of weeks. First, the Michael Jackson tribute was offered to them, which I found was quite difficult for the contestants to keep up with. In my opinion, it was one of the least successful performances on the show. However, as usual, it was very entertaining. This past week, it was contestant's choice, which I find very beneficial for the contestants themselves. I do not believe that any singer could be thrown into any style of music. It's obviously good to be versatile, but every human being has their own emotional and physical make up and nevertheless, their own biological DNA. All of that dictates the disposition, the character, the behaviour and the vocal expression of that person ( speaking or singing for that matter). In my opinion, the voice is definitely an expression of who this artist as a person is, and also a quite precise identification of the state of their being. And if their inner selves suggest to them that they ...

What is Dysphonia, you may ask? Definition of Dysphonia: Voice disorders characterized by hoarseness, weakness or even complete loss of voice are called dysphonia.  There are a few kinds, known to man, of dysphonia... Muscle Tension Dysphonia (MTD) and two kinds of Spasmodic Dysphonia (SD).  The above-described voice disorders are quite serious (potentially dangerous) voice conditions, which possibly may be related to some underlying health conditions and therefore, those disorders have to be minded and managed with absolute seriousness.  The loss of voice is only a symptom (a printout of, so to speak, "disturbed software" containing a "virus"). The cause of it is much more complex and needs to be addressed in full detail. Through my experience, the majority of the clients, especially non-singers, came to my studio to get help with some emotional trauma that happened to them sometime in the past and even in the distant past... Throughout my many years ...