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Are You Singing Too Loudly?
Acoustic Reflex How do you go with your singing output levels? Are you like me, needing to always manage and measure the tendency to over sing? The acoustic reflex might be to blame. Here on the Voice Essentials channel, I’m often asked, “Dr Dan, how can I learn to sing louder?” For some, that’s an…
View PostThree Day Vocal Recovery Plan
Vocal Recovery Dealing with cold and flu as a singer can be somewhat stressful. Singers are their instrument, and so when the body is sick, the instrument is sick. Fortunately, there are some tried and true things that every singer can do for vocal recovery to get the voice back up and running after it’s…
View PostFive Things You Should Never Say to a Singer
Things Said to Singers Over the years I’ve heard some doozy’s when it comes to things said to singers. More often than not people are trying to be nice, but even the best of intentions can be easily misinterpreted by the vulnerable singer who may be insecure about their singing voice. You may have heard…
View PostFive Common Singer Mistakes
Common Singer Mistakes I’ve been teaching voice for over twenty years now, and in that time, I’ve noticed a variety of common singer mistakes, especially when they’re just starting out. So, in this video, we’re going to look at five of the most common singer mistakes as the all-important keys to unlocking your full vocal…
View PostSingers: BE KIND TO YOURSELF!
Self-Care Many singers don’t self-care very well. It has been my observation over the past twenty years of teaching voice that singers can be really tough on themselves. And I understand why. We want to sound our best. But honestly, I don’t think we need to beat ourselves up in order to get the best out…
View PostVocal Harmonics and Formants
Harmonics and Formants Harmonics and Formants drive your singing. Formants are the resulting resonances of the vocal tract between the glottis and the lips and nostrils. When we group the fundamental frequency together with its overtones we collectively call them a harmonic series. Essentially, there is an interaction between the source and the tube that…
View PostSteal Like an Artist: Top 5 Quotes
Steal Like an Artist I have a small inspirational book that sits on my shelves here in the studio called ‘Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative.” This New York Times bestseller was written by Austin Kleon and is a short, sit and read in one sitting kind of book….
View PostVocal fold cyst treatment for Singers
Vocal Fold Cyst Many vocal pathologies develop because the singer is using their voice in a less than optimal way, but a vocal fold cyst typically eventuates for all manner of reasons; not necessarily because of anything the singer did or didn’t do. Vocal fold cysts fall into the organic grouping of voice disorders. A…
View PostSinging with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis & Singing Many things can place hurdles in front of our vocal development. Some of these challenges, such as feeling discouraged or feeling complacent, can be overcome with a little bit of determination and grit. There are some hurdles however that can prove to be somewhat more challenging than most. Rheumatoid Arthritis is…
View PostShould singers workout at the Gym?
Gym and Singing Do the gym and singing mix? I’m in the habit of saying that singers are ‘Vocal Athletes.’ Singing and performance are high-energy tasks that require the voice user to be fit and healthy. And when we add the modern expectation to ‘look good’ as well it’s not surprising that many singers find…
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