Elizabeth Hall9
Newcomer
4 messages
joined Oct 2009
Hey there, fellow singers. I’ve been at this since I was 16, and thank God, my voice is still intact—even though I smoke, deal with allergies, and have zero discipline when it comes to food and drink. I’ve let things slide a bit lately since I don’t perform publicly much anymore, but I’ve picked up some things along the way that I wanted to share, especially building on those solid tips from Dennis Davis10.
You own your voice; don't let it become your master!
Sure, you need to look after it and baby it, but if you want to actually be a *good* singer, you have to live a little. You need life experience—that’s a massive part of delivering a soulful performance.
I’ve met plenty of people who have gorgeous voices and perfect technique, yet they just can't connect with an audience. They fail to hit that sweet spot of emotional and intellectual resonance because they’re missing "that certain something." It’s impossible to share a feeling with someone if you don't even know what it is yourself, let alone convey it if you haven't lived through it.
I knew some singers who would walk around wearing a scarf in the middle of a humid July. Not only did they look sickly, they felt chronically ill, and—surprise, surprise—they sounded like it too. They’d blame a lack of skill or confidence on a "cold," which eventually spiraled into a full-blown hypochondriac complex.
Dennis Davis10 hits the nail on the head: "There is no singing without singing." Either you can do it, or you can't.
We can pamper our vocal cords all we want, but without consistent, proper daily practice, we aren't going anywhere.
Rest and sleep.
Proper technique across all registers.
Daily, disciplined practice.
A normal social life.
No smoking, if you can manage it (and trust me, I’m a terrible example).
Developing musical taste and theory.
Building your own personality.
There is no magic potion!
That old saying still holds true: "No pain, no gain."
