The Intelligent Vocalist

It can be difficult to know what to practice, especially if you are having a bad vocal day. In this episode, John breaks down a recent practice session and how he analyzed and corrected his vocal issues

A full, rich-sounding voice is highly sought after by singers. But what if you find your voice to be thin or nasal? In this episode, John explains what causes a thin tone and his best tips to make your voice fuller and richer.

Almost every creative endeavor carries the question, "am I good enough? Do I have talent?" This feeling of not being good enough has caused many worthy voices to stumble and go quiet. In this episode, John discusses the role of talent in singing and why your fear of not being talented enough should never stop you from expressing yourself.

Our minds can be a terrible place to live. Constant chatter, worry, and criticism are the opposite of what we need to practice and create music with our voice. In this episode, John discusses how to calm the mind and find a state of flow to help you practice and sing at your best.

Getting stuck in chest voice or the lower register is a common problem for developing singers. Much work is devoted to lightening this part of the voice to reduce yelling and strain on higher notes. But many singers develop a fear of their chest voice and avoid its full power for fear of overloading and straining their voice. In this episode, John discusses the need to initially get the chest voice under control and then bring it back in for vocal richness and power.

Interruption has been the theme of this past year. The lack of performances and general uncertainties has led to many of us taking a break from our singing. In this episode, John discusses how to carefully and properly return your voice to peak shape and performance.

Vocal tension is one of the top issues singers deal with. However, not all tension is bad. We need a certain amount of tension to produce sound. Knowing good from bad tension is essential for singers. In this episode, John discusses how to identify and correct tension to sing at your best.

We all have likes and dislikes; however, we need to keep our musical minds and options open. Every song is a form of art created by talented people who wish to express themselves in a unique way. In this episode, John discusses the importance of learning from a variety of music and singers and why criticism is a negative force best avoided.

Mix singing is one of the most sought after singing skills, but there is much confusion about the topic. In this episode, John answers your top questions about mixed voice and how to find and develop your mix.

Although most people are uncomfortable listening to their recorded voice, singers need to constantly listen to and analyze their singing. In this episode, John discusses how to incorporate self-recordings into your practice and how to analyze the results for continuous improvement.