Deep Breathing-The Miracle Worker

The more I sing and frankly the more I live, the more importance I put on breath.  If you have been singing for a while, you know your breath determines support and how long you can hold notes.   The beautiful thing about breath is that deep breathing, big breaths are amazing for anyone.  It’s just that singers are trained to do it to help their technique, but it has all the other added bonuses...

Challenge of Singing & Playing an Instrument

For most singer/songwriters, there is a definite advantage to being able to play your own songs…not only at open mics, but for friends, for industry people, at gigs when your guitarist cancels last minute.  It is not a must and you can definitely work around it by hiring players and or singing to tracks.  However if you are a career singer/songwriter, just do it.  Start learning. By learning an...

Living Your Dream Right Now

This week I had a really great lesson with a student.  She is a singer/songwriter here in Los Angeles and working really hard to become a better writer, singer, and songwriter. We started the lesson with her dreams.  I said, “Think BIG!”  No limits.  She described a life where she was performing, writing, and assisting other performers with their careers.  The one thing that came out of...

Diaphragm: The Singing Muscle

What is the diaphragm?  The diaphragm is commonly called the “singing muscle” but we use it when we speak as well.  It is a sheet of muscle that extends across the bottom of the rib cage.  When you take a breath, the diaphragm contracts (shrinks and moves downwards), allowing for your lungs to expand and to allow air to flow.  As it contracts, it kind of squishes the intestine and internal...

What Singing Vocal Cords Look Like

VIDEO: This is a video of a laryngoscopy. A laryngoscopy is a medical procedure where a camera is inserted usually through the nose, down the throat to record the vocal chords. The vocal cords come together and vibrate very fast when you sing or speak. They are so fast you can’t see it on a camera. That is why they look like they are moving in slow motion. The higher you sing, the more stretched...