Thursday, April 7, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
This art of singing, what's it all about?
This art of singing, what's it all about? It has meant different things to me over the last 30 years or so. In the very beginning, it was just fun mimicking my favorite singers in the mirror with a hairbrush in my hand pretending it was my microphone. It soon became an obsession, and I'm sure my folks thought I was nuts! I sang in my room for hours on end for YEARS trying to sound like my heroes. I sang everything. The Rolling Stones, KISS, Deep Purple, Humble Pie...I loved everything that rocked.
At 15 years old, it became my sole reason to live, my destiny. I joined a working cover band and lied about my age so I could play in the bars. Now it was a JOB. People started relying on me to sing 4 sets a night. It was hard I suppose, but at that time all I knew was that it was FUN, and someone was paying to hear me sing, something I would've done for free. How cool is that?
Then I got a lucky break when I was 23 years old and joined The Atlanta Rhythm Section. This was one of my favorite bands, and I was scared to death. I wasn't playing clubs anymore. I was playing in front of very large crowds. I also had a lot to live up to. They had millions of fans that loved the bands records, and the voice that was on those records. Talk about pressure! Vocalist RONNIE HAMMOND (R.I.P) had a magnificent, warm tone to his voice. He was a real crooner, and had a very smooth delivery. Somehow I prevailed and had a great experience for awhile as the singer for ARS. It was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life.
Up to that point, I never had vocal lessons. Not one. Everything I knew up to that point was self-taught...trial by fire. I didn't get serious about learning about the voice until other singers started asking me how I did this, and how I did that and wanted to give me money to show them. I thought it might be a good idea to start figuring out SCIENTIFICALLY how. So over the last 10 years I have been learning the how and why's. It finally all came together for me when I met TVS founder ROBERT LUNTE. His knowledge of the voice is amazing. As an associate instructor of TVS his method is the method that I teach.
At TVS we teach you all of the how's and why's of the voice, and singing. If you want to know more about TVS you can go to our websites...we'd love to have you train with us!
The point of this entry is only this...If you want to sing, REALLY sing, you have to be PASSIONATE about it. All of the technical things about singing are extremely important, but it's all just a means to an end. That end is to FREELY express yourself in a musical way using your voice. The rest is all mental, spiritual, etc... the ART. Where you take it from there is totally up to you.
Keep Singing! \m/\m/
SHAUN
At 15 years old, it became my sole reason to live, my destiny. I joined a working cover band and lied about my age so I could play in the bars. Now it was a JOB. People started relying on me to sing 4 sets a night. It was hard I suppose, but at that time all I knew was that it was FUN, and someone was paying to hear me sing, something I would've done for free. How cool is that?
Then I got a lucky break when I was 23 years old and joined The Atlanta Rhythm Section. This was one of my favorite bands, and I was scared to death. I wasn't playing clubs anymore. I was playing in front of very large crowds. I also had a lot to live up to. They had millions of fans that loved the bands records, and the voice that was on those records. Talk about pressure! Vocalist RONNIE HAMMOND (R.I.P) had a magnificent, warm tone to his voice. He was a real crooner, and had a very smooth delivery. Somehow I prevailed and had a great experience for awhile as the singer for ARS. It was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life.
Up to that point, I never had vocal lessons. Not one. Everything I knew up to that point was self-taught...trial by fire. I didn't get serious about learning about the voice until other singers started asking me how I did this, and how I did that and wanted to give me money to show them. I thought it might be a good idea to start figuring out SCIENTIFICALLY how. So over the last 10 years I have been learning the how and why's. It finally all came together for me when I met TVS founder ROBERT LUNTE. His knowledge of the voice is amazing. As an associate instructor of TVS his method is the method that I teach.
At TVS we teach you all of the how's and why's of the voice, and singing. If you want to know more about TVS you can go to our websites...we'd love to have you train with us!
The point of this entry is only this...If you want to sing, REALLY sing, you have to be PASSIONATE about it. All of the technical things about singing are extremely important, but it's all just a means to an end. That end is to FREELY express yourself in a musical way using your voice. The rest is all mental, spiritual, etc... the ART. Where you take it from there is totally up to you.
Keep Singing! \m/\m/
SHAUN
Monday, March 21, 2011
What to look for in a Vocal instructor
Los Angeles has literally hundreds of people professing to be "Singing teachers", or "Vocal Coaches". The methods of these teachers vary as much as the prices they charge. Is a person that charges $125 an hour better than one that only charges $50, or $100? A person that charges $200 an hour has got to be the best, right?( I would run for the hills...) How does a person who wants to learn to sing go about finding the right one? It can be quite a daunting task if you aren't sure what to look for.
If you are a beginner, I believe it's very important to start with the basics, like learning how the voice actually works. What is your Diaphragm? Where is the Larynx? Are the Vocal Cords actually cords? Having a basic understanding of these things should be obvious, but most of the time it isn't. Teaching voice can be a very lucrative business, so naturally there are unscrupulous "Teachers" out there that will take advantage of the naive newcomer. They might start the new person singing random scales on a piano for weeks, or even months without really explaining in detail why. Keeping the student in the dark, while draining the person's bank account is the modus operandi. This is of course a "worst case scenario" however I've known this to happen. More often, it's just someone with little scientific knowledge of the voice passing on bad, or outdated technique. I see this VERY often.
If you are searching for someone to teach you how to sing, do some research on the person first before handing over your hard earned cash. Don't be fooled by pictures of these people with well known celebrities, especially in Los Angeles, as celebrities are fairly easy to get a pic with most of the time. Just because they have a picture with Stevie Wonder doesn't mean they actually WORKED with him. Ask for solid references, and follow-up on them. Do they have a degree from an accredited music school, or University? Have they trained within a legitimate Pedagogy? Who was their teacher?
Here's my favorite... Can your prospective teacher actually sing? If they can't actually do the things they say they can teach others to do, then head for the door. Just do some research on your own. Knowledge is power.
Here's a great place to start.
Good luck!
Shaun Williamson
If you are a beginner, I believe it's very important to start with the basics, like learning how the voice actually works. What is your Diaphragm? Where is the Larynx? Are the Vocal Cords actually cords? Having a basic understanding of these things should be obvious, but most of the time it isn't. Teaching voice can be a very lucrative business, so naturally there are unscrupulous "Teachers" out there that will take advantage of the naive newcomer. They might start the new person singing random scales on a piano for weeks, or even months without really explaining in detail why. Keeping the student in the dark, while draining the person's bank account is the modus operandi. This is of course a "worst case scenario" however I've known this to happen. More often, it's just someone with little scientific knowledge of the voice passing on bad, or outdated technique. I see this VERY often.
If you are searching for someone to teach you how to sing, do some research on the person first before handing over your hard earned cash. Don't be fooled by pictures of these people with well known celebrities, especially in Los Angeles, as celebrities are fairly easy to get a pic with most of the time. Just because they have a picture with Stevie Wonder doesn't mean they actually WORKED with him. Ask for solid references, and follow-up on them. Do they have a degree from an accredited music school, or University? Have they trained within a legitimate Pedagogy? Who was their teacher?
Here's my favorite... Can your prospective teacher actually sing? If they can't actually do the things they say they can teach others to do, then head for the door. Just do some research on your own. Knowledge is power.
Here's a great place to start.
Good luck!
Shaun Williamson
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