People ask me how I stay very motivated. Well, the honest answer is this – from time to time I will contemplate my own death. This may sound weird to you or even depressing – but it’s really not. We live in a world where people are obsessed with petty problems, things that […]
Spend time doing lip rolls on a 5 tone scale and you will become an expert at doing lip rolls on a 5 tone scale Spend time thinking about vocal technique and you will become an expert at thinking about vocal technique Spend time performing on stage to a live audience and you […]
When I search your name in Google, what comes up? Anything? When I look through your social media, is it a fair representation of you? Are you on Spotify or Apple Music, as we would expect of successful singers? How many hours of online content do you have which shows your craft? Have you got […]
A few weeks ago I decided to literally bare all and tell the authentic truth about my battle with ulcerative colitis, life saving operations and living with an ileostomy bag. I’m pleased to say it’s now had over 900k views. But why did I do it? After all, I didn’t have to – it […]
Are you ‘good’ at everything, or a master at something? The latter is much better. In this crowded industry of singing, the way to stand out from the crowd is be a master at something. To master a specific area of your industry where no one can touch you. We see evidence of […]
‘The Larynx should be low at all times’ ‘The Larynx should stay in a stable position’ ‘The Larynx should raise with the pitch’ You may have heard one of the above phrases before from a teacher. But they’re not true. (however one of these statements I agree with more than the others, I will explain […]
‘You’ll see it when you believe it’ – Wayne Dyer What’s motivating you? Theres 2 main types of motivation – positive and negative. I want you to be conscious of which one you are using. Negative motivation can really work. For a certain time anyway. Has someone told you that you can’t sing? Someone told […]
There are a lot of singers and actors in London. A lot! But there’s not many ‘Top Agents’ in London. Certainly not compared to the amount of actors writing off to them for representation. So what’s the high level solution to getting a top agent? Well, I could tell you, just hustle away. Day […]
‘Just anchor more. Head anchoring, neck anchoring, torso anchoring, full body anchoring. Pretend like you’re going to the toilet’ – Oh yes, I’ve heard it all before. This is actually what I used to get taught. Let’s discuss why anchoring in singing is generally a bad idea. Firstly, any holding of muscles […]
I remember that throughout Drama School all I was taught was the Estill Model. It was presented like this was THE way. When really there’s so much more out there. The more experience I gain, the more I realise there’s more than one way of doing things. When a friend introduced me to Brett Manning […]
We are living in the best time ever. Period. There’s no point waiting for the ‘next big thing’ it’s here right now. Opportunity is everywhere….but will you take it? Not too long ago you needed ‘permission’ to do something. People used to have the power to declare whether or not you could do what you […]
After seeing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ at the cinema, I was once again reminded just how much of a legend Freddie Mercury is. What made Freddie unique? What made him the remarkable and memorable performer whose music and voice still live on today. Well of course it’s not just one aspect. There are so many factors that […]
We are living in a busy world right now. It’s a noisy world of social media and EVERYONE has an opinion. If we took on the opinions of everyone around us, we would not get very far. You need to be able to stay strong and grounded within yourself. This comes from you discovering your […]
Multiple elements give you the best chance of audition success. Singing is one factor and an important one. However, other factors enter the equation of a successful audition. Song selection, what you wear, your personality in the room, knowing your cast-ability, acting through the song, vocal technique, vocal style, knowing the casting director, confidence in […]
I find that one of the best analogies for singing is going to the gym. Lots of people go to the gym these days. So think of training your voice in a similar way to this. It’s all muscle coordination work in the gym or with your singing voice. The great news about muscles is […]
When going for high notes, a common issue is that you could experience vocal tension. One reason for this can be too much ‘weight’ on the voice. What does this mean? Put your hand on your chest, now say the word ‘Yeah’ (give it your best Shakespearian actor voice) and try and feel some external […]
To be in ‘Head Voice’ you’ve got to feel it in the head… right?! ‘Chest Voice’ ‘Head Voice’… What do these actually mean? Well, these terms are general guidelines for where MOST people experience their resonance. However, everyone is different, with different shaped mouths, heads, throats, facial features that all affect where the singer feels […]
Posture and alignment Does it really matter if my hips, arms, chest, shoulders aren’t properly aligned and free? The vocal folds are within the larynx, FAR AWAY from all those parts of the body? Let’s experiment….. Try clenching your fist, and holding your arm tense. Is it just your arm that’s affected? Or does this […]
You’re progressing well, you’re technique is coming along. The scales are getting easier. You’re hitting all those notes… Now what? Style! Think of any artist – even a painter will do… Picasso, did he have his own unique style? Of course! Although a painter, he was, of course, an artist with unique individual choices. We […]
Once we breathe in (most efficiently with an apoggio breath, with rectus abdominus and the intercostals, WOAH!), then what…?! We have to somehow hold back and resist the air. (Otherwise, if we let it all out too soon, a breath can be gone in a few seconds) We’ve got 2 main options… Option 1. Send […]
More resonance at practically no extra cost! Resonance (in a nutshell) is everything that you can change above the vocal folds. There’s no excess pressure or effort on the vocal folds themselves. You can basically get resonance for free. Want more ‘brightness’ in your voice? Don’t try to over compress the vocal folds to create […]