The Intelligent Vocalist

Stability is something that's missing in all our lives right now, but we can still find stability in our voice. Having a stable voice across your range is not the product of one aspect of singing, but a blending of optimal balance in breath, phonation, and resonance. In this episode, John discusses how all parts of the voice need to come together to create the ultimate singing goal of rock-solid stability

Singers tend to focus on the money notes, the big, high notes usually found in the chorus of a song. But there is a world of musical expression to be found in the verses. Although the verse tends to be lower and less vocally exciting, there is much of a song's story to be found there. In this episode, John discusses how to inject more color and musical contrast into the verse of a song, to help your performances reach new artistic heights.

Phonation is the act of creating sound waves from the vocal folds. While we phonate naturally in speech, singing requires a higher level of awareness and control. In this episode, John discusses the three main types of phonation and the elements you need to be aware of for healthy singing.

We often like to think of our musical heroes as being more than human, imbued with supernatural talent. This belief is unfair to both our heroes and ourselves, as it ignores a great deal of the hard work and constant learning all singers and musicians must go through. In this episode, John discusses the myth of pure talent and why education and practice is a vital part of the process.

No matter where you live, you have likely heard Gerald White sing. Gerald is a first-call session singer in Los Angeles, whose voice has appeared on numerous TV shows and major motion pictures. Gerald is also a highly skilled voice teacher, and sight-singing instructor. In this episode, Gerald discusses the demanding world of session work and how he keeps his voice in top shape. EPISODE LINKS Gerald's Website Sight Singing Online Course

It's the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, and social distancing has already begun in earnest. In this episode, John discusses online voice lessons and how to get the most from your remote study.

Sam Johnson is a leading online voice teacher whose YouTube Videos have garnered tens of millions of views. John talks with Sam about his journey to teaching voice, the current state of pop singing, the role of voice science in his teaching, and much more. EPISODE LINKS: Sam's Website Sam's YouTube Channel

We spend so much time depressed about the past or anxious about the future that we often miss the miracle of the present. Every moment you get to spend with your voice should be treasured and experienced fully. In this episode, John discusses the mindset of gratitude and awareness that will bring a new sense of joy to your singing and practicing.

When you get serious about singing, it's not uncommon to go through periods of feeling like you are getting worse instead of improving. The path of learning to sing is not a straight one, and we often need to take detours that can lead to frustration. In this episode, John discusses why we may need to take a step back in our singing before we get better, but also how not to get stuck there.

Body acceptance is a growing trend, freeing us from attempting to fit into narrowly defined concepts of attractiveness. Yet this often doesn't happen with the voice. Singers struggle to make their voice some it's not, often to frustrating results. In this episode, John discusses the concept of vocal acceptance, and why your natural voice is more than good enough.