5 Essential Belting Secrets for Singers

Monday, May 27, 2024 by Alyssa Martin | Vocal Technique

Looking to empower your singing with greater volume, all while maintaining a healthy approach? Mastering the art of belting isn't just about volume—it's about technique. Here are the essential belting secrets for singers that will help you unleash the true power of your voice with confidence and control. 

Inhale Deeply

Take a big breath! Right before the phrase you need to belt out make sure to take in a lot of air.

Use Your Belly Power

Tug in your core, your center! When it’s time to belt, tighten your upper abdominal muscles - the area above your navel.

Place the Note - Don’t Squeeze Your Throat!

Placement is about mentally focusing your voice into a certain space in your head, mouth or chest. These are called “resonators” and are the places in your body that vibrate with your voice. For high notes, feel the notes resonate in your mask (face, mouth, nose, sinus). For low notes, the resonance can be felt in your chest and upper body.

Stay on the Vowel

When holding out a belting note for a long time, hold out the vowel. This is a must. Instead of “She used to be minnnne” sing “She used to be mahhhne.”

Open the Vowel

Change the vowel  - instead of “bleed” say “blayd” - instead of “love,” sing “lahve.” This isn’t always necessary, but if you are struggling with belting out a line and holding the note smoothly then try this tip!

#vocalempowerment #belting #projecting #vocalcoach #sing

The Singer's Mindset: Vocal Power Affirmations

Sunday, May 26, 2024 by Alyssa Martin | Mindset

In the journey of self-discovery as a singer, embracing your unique voice is a superpower. These affirmations will help you love your voice, find your sound, and express yourself freely amidst self-doubt.

• I am ready to share my voice.
• I enjoy the sound of my voice. I am willing to learn to love my voice. 
• The more I am myself, the more people love and respect me, and the more I love and respect myself.  
• Every day I do my best knowing that “my best” may be different on any given day.
• In every moment I create something new. 
• I have fun when I let go and enjoy the moment. 
• I now move beyond my fear and limitations into unexplored territory knowing I am safe. 
• It’s safe for me to express myself.
• I’m having so much fun learning to support my voice.
• I’m having so much fun finding my voice.
• I use my voice lovingly and with confidence.
• I’m having so much fun singing. 
• I love that I get to choose how I want to use my voice.  
• I quickly pick up new concepts.
• I feel good about my voice. I keep getting better. 
• I love to sing. I love what it does for me. I love what it does for others.

#vocalempowerment #affirmations #affirmationsforsingers #sing #vocalcoach

9 Effective Strategies to Help You Write Your First Song

Saturday, May 25, 2024 by Alyssa Martin | Writing

In the world of songwriting, expressing yourself is key. Whether you're a seasoned songwriter or just starting out, these tips will help you channel your creativity into crafting meaningful songs. Dive into the art of songwriting as a way to share your thoughts and feelings with others.

Get into a flow

Start by writing 5-10 minutes daily of whatever is on your mind. It could be a literal brain dump. Start from a place of what's real for you. Eventually the lyrics and poetic verses will come on their own without forcing.

Write for yourself, without judgment

If you are thinking, “I’m going to show this to later.” or “What if finds this and reads it?,” the inner critic takes over and detracts from the freedom of self-expression.

Use literary devices like alliteration, allusion, metaphor, simile and imagery

Alliteration is when you repeat the same letter or sound such as “And, baby, now we’ve got bad blood” in Bad Blood by Taylor Swift. Another example is, “Whisper words of wisdom” in Let It Be by The Beatles. It sounds good to the ear and the brain, and it’s fun to sing. Check out this article on popular literary devices in songs.

Choosing a genre

Some genres don’t have a lot of lyrics required - you can repeat one line over and over with varying intensity. Techno, trip-hop, chill-out, ambient and electronica are some examples. There are few lyrics in some Rock/Pop songs too… Check out “We Found Love” by Rhianna and "Is There Anybody Out There?" by Pink Floyd, 

Song meaning can guide your writing 

Do you want the song to make a statement about something you’re passionate about? Do you want to just express your emotions? Are you going to tell a story with the lyrics?

Try improvisation

Get comfortable with creating in the moment. Improv is a practiced skill. Sometimes, at first, self-judgment and criticism prevents us from letting any ideas out. Just a little improv practice goes a long way though, and we soon find our brain coming up with whole sentences. Allow yourself to be the instrument, and let the words and music flow through you.

If you know how to play piano or guitar, pick 3 notes or chords and keep repeating them - then let yourself riff out loud or write/type while you listen.

If you want to practice writing lyrics and melody, you can get a backing track that a musician already wrote! Search YouTube for “Write your own song” or “Songwriters backing track.” You can add search terms like guitar, piano, slow, rock, etc. 

Coming up with the melody

Pick out a few chords and play them over and over, recording yourself. Then play it back over and over as you play around with singing different melodies, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

Pick a song format

The basic sections of a song are verse, chorus (refrain) and bridge. Some songwriters assign these section letters to make it easier to organize. You can choose the format at any stage in the song-writing process. Some artists like to write out a bunch of lyrics first and then break it up into parts that make sense. Whereas other artists like to choose a format first, and then write lyrics to fill the empty spaces.

Always record!

Record yourself during the melody writing process using an app on your phone such as "voice memo" (Apple) or "voice recorder" (Android). This ensures you will remember all the great ideas you come up with.

#vocalempowerment #songwriting #singwithconfidence #writeyoursong