A Voice Apart

What are the benefits you may ask? I will try to specify it for you and just will name a few.  Let’s suppose that you know a lot about computers, but do you know how to fix it if something goes wrong? Let’s say you’re a good driver, but if you break down in the middle of the trip, will you be able to fix your car and continue your road adventure? The majority of people will not be able to do that and they will rely on professional help.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, as nobody could be good and knowledgeable at everything. However, some people do not admit it and try to rectify all the problems themselves and quite often fail to do so and do rather more damage than good. If to refer to the music business, I can forever elaborate about my experience (vocal consultant expert in studio) working with music producers who were claiming and posing for the great wizards in vocals. I can assure you, being working in studio productions for over 35 years that in 99 and a half per c

Psychology of Performance - Pavlovian Conditioning : In this column, I would like to talk about something human psychology-related. When I speak at Music Conferences, I often make the statement that vocal coaching is not really about working on the voice, it is about working on the mind. I like to think that one reason that I have been successful over the years is that while I did receive a very comprehensive musical education, I have also tried to learn things from other scientific and artistic disciplines and use them to enhance my capabilities as a Vocal Coach/Consultant. One field that has bearing on pretty much every human endeavour, including singing, is Behavioral Psychology. In 1891, the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov conducted a series of experiments using dogs to prove that behaviours are conditioned over time via repetition. In essence, he programmed the dog's brains so that they would react in the exact manner in which he wanted them to. For example, if he w

The Voice. What is the purpose of the show? Are the judges looking for the next Susan Boyle or Paul Potts for that matter? And if they are, it is not such a bad thing, provided that the contestants remain to keep the quality of the voices that they originally came with. Due to my trade, watching every singing contest /competition under the sun, it seems to be that they have the same pattern where the judges pick, in most contests, the top of the top, cream of the crop singers to start with and then, for some very strange and mysterious reason, the contestants begin to deteriorate by each consecutive episode. The reason is unknown...? My guess would be that either the contestants are trying too hard to win (nevertheless, "to help their families") and/or the so called coaches (i.e. actual singers and producers and not exactly coaches), are not really helping them to achieve the "absolute heights" with their voices. This remains to be a riddle, but since these auditi

What's that you may ask? That is my definition of so called wannabe singers who are claiming that they want to be singers and performers, but not willing to open up their heart and open up their soul. The singing performance is next intimate to sex and the singer/performer should be willing to stand, so to speak, naked, in front of the absolute strangers, i.e. the audience. Meanwhile, the people who have desire to sing and perform in a lot of cases are completely "locked in", which also affects the sound of the voice, which comes out very tight, constricted and strained. The voice is a reflection of the state of being and an identification of the actual personality. In a lot of cases, when I free up the voice, I will get my up and coming singer/performer to "spread their wings" and finally start flying. I would say I succeed 98% of the time, but in some cases, the "blueprint" is so embedded in the person via upbringing, lifestyle, religion and false

Rhianna video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbpJQhowiyo Is she the "only girl in the world" who cannot sing live in tune?  EVIDENTLY NOT!!! Yesterday, I happened to catch a kids show called "Next Star". It is formatted the same way as the Canadian Idol used to be, or for that matter, American Idol is. There are judges and there are young kids voting for other supposedly vocally sound young kids who are taking the stage. Pretty innocent concept, but not only kids for the kids show and adults for the adult show cannot differentiate good notes from bad notes, in tune or off tune singing, but judges are definitely getting more deaf than ever.  Maybe that happened because for all of these years, they've been listening to bad singing and partially (hopefully not yet completely) lost their hearing. Or maybe they gave up on the idea that somebody actually can sing in tune and remotely resemble what once was called music and singing in particular. This is a big r

Nowadays, almost every artist and especially 'so called' artist in the recording studio using auto-tune and, or a more modern version of it,  Melodine. What's that, the not so musically experienced reader may ask? That is the computer software which is designed to correct pitch for semi tone-deaf "artists". Many years ago, I received a call from one of the recording studios pleading for help. The person who called me was almost screaming over and over "Please help, our bands are breaking auto-tune"! How so, I exclaimed! Is it even possible? Apparently, IT WAS!   Next, When I went to a prominent recording studio with my client, I asked a well known engineer/producer if it is actually possible to "break" an auto-tune? He said "absolutely"! He explained that it meant that the singer of the band was so far off in pitch, that even auto-tune was unable to correct it. Those days, the melodine software was not available yet. (It probably

“The voice” is a new television show which at a glance has a very commendable purpose. The Judges are trying to find the true vocal talent independently of age, looks, and even performance skills. WOW! I first exclaimed! “My prayers were answered” I thought. The whole thing is about the voice and the voice only! I have to admit that so far out of all the vocal competitions we have seen, the contestants chosen during the “blind auditions” are the strongest ever!  The beauty of this show is that all the contestants are definitely vocally sound, but in my opinion, it is a little hard at times to accept their appearance. Some of them are middle-aged and appear to be quite “un-groomed.” And some of them are even somewhat scruffy looking. But that is not the end of the world. The peculiar thing is that not one of them during their interviews and off stage appearances said that they are participating in the show for the love of music and singing in particular! In fact, practically all of