Make Singing Easier and Get Better Results
LET ME TELL YOU A STORY...
My relationship to my voice has changed form more times than I can count.
In my childhood I loved being praised for how well I could sing, as a teenager it became a pressure. My twenties saw me ebb and flow between owning it and running away from it. Songwriting vs corporate jobs, performing vs hiding.
But every time I was in a space where I wanted to grow as a singer, to develop as a performer, I would push. I would strive and have grand technique-based goals. I would try harder and harder, aiming for a certain sound, a certain colour.
To be honest, I wanted to feel something for it again. Being able to hit X note didn't light me up. Singing a challenging piece didn't bring me joy. It was just something I ticked off my to do list.
That's when I went looking for a better way. Sounds familiar at all? Ringing any bells for you too?
WHY BEGINNERS HAVE IT SUSSED
I adore teaching beginners. People who have never uttered a note, are terrified to sing and would never in a million years call themselves a singer.
The reason I love teaching them is because they see the wonder much more easily than those of us who have slaved over our voices for years.
They soak up the resonance as it flows through their body.
They marvel at how the sound fills out when they let go of muscle tension.
They constantly surprise themselves and can acknowledge their bravery.
Most of us can't remember what it felt like the first time we sang. The first time we realised we could express ourselves through melody and sound.
Most of us just remember the daily battle we go through in our practice sessions where we berate our bodies for doing the wrong things or stopping us from nailing that phrase.
There is a better way.
THE NEW WAY
What absolutely transformed me as a singer was allowing myself to practice in two different ways.
A yin/yang approach.
Sometimes honing in on specific techniques, training my muscles to do something new.
But also having sessions where I gave myself permission to completely let go. To relinquish control and focus on letting my body soften and play.
Doesn't that sound absolutely delicious and kinda the opposite to what we're taught to do sometimes?
I made much more progress in the months that followed for a few reasons.
My passion came back with full force. Allowing myself to concentrate on the flow of my voice and the sensations that brings with it was such a joy.
All of my technical sessions were made easier because of all the work I'd done on my breath, tension release and mindset.
My confidence in my voice skyrocketed because I was seeing more and more evidence that my voice could be trusted and it would continue to sound beautiful if I got out of its way.
SO HOW CAN YOU GET A SLICE OF THIS PIE?
I want you to turn down the analysis just for a few minutes at a time. You'd deserve to sing without judging every note that comes out and start to reconnect with the bliss of the damn thing again.
So, at the very least I'd love for you to add one practice session a week into your schedule where your goal is to let go.
To release your voice in a way that feels natural. Where you get out of your head and into your body.
A session a week where you sing for the pure enjoyment of it. Where you tap into the feeling and abandon the need for "the perfect note."
There are so many different tools you can use to do this, but it starts with a choice.
Body awareness, breath work, meditation, body scanning and talking about your mindset are all included as important parts of my Pimp Your Voice course (because we can’t talk about technique without them).
