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Just taking lessons with Ken Tamplin bi weekly instead of doing the corse.

Can I just take skype lessons with Ken Tamplin instead of buying and doing his singing corse. I'm already a singer and tried singing success which sucked I even took lesssons for 5 months from a Brett Manning vocal coach via skype and not much improvement in my mid voice only my high notes are done with way more ease like the saprano rock high notes. I really don't want to spend money on his corse only for his one on one skype lessons. I need someone to personally help me that sings amazing them self.

Comments

  • ragnarragnar Pro Posts: 410
    You probably can, but that would be a ridiculous waste of money since Ken would surely spend the first 5-10 lessons just on getting you introduced to the concepts that are in the course.
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354

    I fully support you taking Skype lessons from Ken, but I feel that your progress would be much more efficient if you also had his course. 

    That would allow you to learn many of the concepts you need to learn, and you would have the proper workouts to use to build your voice.

    By far, you will benefit the most from choosing both. 

    One of the most important "Secrets" of voice training is that nobody can tell you a "Secret" that will give you instant range and power.  You are going to have to learn the proper techniques and train on them.  And Train and Train and Train.  The real secret is that there is no secret.  There are, however a lot of incorrect training methods out there, and you've already spent a lot of time and money on some of them.

    Cinema is correct that there is possibility for misinterpretation of lesson material simply by way of each person's individual ways of learning.  Having Ken explain directly to you every question you have would be a fantastic way to cut to the chase.  Ken does a great job of covering tons of material in his lesson packages, as well as in his Skype lessons. 

    You can't go wrong by booking lessons with Ken.

    You also can't go wrong by purchasing his How to Sing programs. 

    You can't go wrong by buying both, and you'll have tons of study material to apply to the things he teaches you.

     

    Choose Wisely!

     

    Bob

  • Asim_HussainAsim_Hussain Pro Posts: 27
    edited March 2014
    I also went through the familiar route of training with SLS to no avail, and then buying the KTVA course. If I had your inclination to take lessons, I'd probably just buy the gold bundle, which gives you the course with 3 lessons. I needed more than that to do volume two, but you'll find that Ken has the same criteria for each lesson, i.e., support, breath, brightness, vowels, etc. It's not like other coaches where they're luring you on with some new vocal bauble each week.

    Sorry, but I had to thumb down Cinema's post. To skip the course in favor of lessons is both a waste of money - as ragnar said - and a pitiful thing to do. One Skype lesson costs more than the whole course, and he'd have to take many lessons before he knows as much about the exercises and basics as the average course-taker.

    e: Derrick, a year ago you wrote on your profile that you were practicing with volumes 1 and 2. I'm confused.
  • ragnarragnar Pro Posts: 410
    @Derrick Schneider

    Better if you upload one without Ken singing along. Very difficult to know exactly what sounds are you and what's Ken.
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354

    Where it gets too high for you and you frown at 1:02, Ken is in head voice and you are in chest.  That's why you are not doing it with the same ease that Ken is.  That's a B4, by the way.  There's no shame in having at least some difficulties in singing a full chest B4.  Not that you can't eventually sing a B4 in full, pared-down chest, but don't get ahead of yourself.

    You DO need to do a smooth bridge and blend cleanly into head.

    Volume One is for BOTH: Chest Stretching AND Smooth Bridging into Head Voice.  Stretching chest can be very daunting and may take students longer than you might imagine to get as high as you may eventually want to achieve.  If you take your time and approach the process properly, you WILL make considerable progress in this realm.  HOW MUCH progress you make is an individual thing.  How much correct practice you put in, how long you properly persist in these efforts, what your physical potential is.... all of these things will come into play. 

    Ragnar's comment is valid.  We need to be able to clearly discern your voice from Ken's on your demo recordings.  Maybe you can locate yourself closer to the webcam mic and perhaps move your playback speaker a little farther away, or point it away from the mic.  Please experiment with this and we will be able to give you better feedback.  We need to hear just enough of the original workout recording to be able to hear if you are on proper pitch.

    All the Best!

     

    Bob 

  • Derrick SchneiderDerrick Schneider Member Posts: 71
    So In volume one I should Just work on connecting the Bridge in headvoice lightly first and when I comfortable with that move on to adding some more weight into the tone? Because in the Audio Workout Ken doesn't work on chest voice and says to do the exercises lightly. How long should I do it lightly before starting to add weight into that tone and slowly get more chestier?
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    edited April 2014

    @Derrick Schneider,

    Actually you need to do both, concurrently.  You can't do both simultaneously, because stretching chest causes you to bridge as late as possible.  When doing that, you may experience speed bumps.  That's OK when working on stretching chest, because at that point extending your bridge to the highest possible note is the goal.

    Likewise, you have another first priorty: learning to bridge smoothly, which is kind of the opposite of bridging late.  When practicing this, your goal is to bridge where your voice wants to bridge, and to do it smoothly and without a yodel.  Do it as lightly as you have to in order to eliminate the yodel.  Practice again and again, until you can begin to add a little more weight and air pressure without the yodel.

    BOTH of these tasks (stretching chest and smooth bridging) are things you should start working on NOW.  Many people do the Volume One workout first in chest only and then again while practicing bridging. Both skills will take some time to master.  It may be years before you are done stretching chest voice.  It all depends on your skills, physical makeup, and determination, as well as how far you want to take your voice.

    These tasks can't be forced, and you need to avoid strain.  It takes a lot of practice and focus. 

    Take your time and pay attention to the feelings when you get it right.

     

    Bob

  • Derrick SchneiderDerrick Schneider Member Posts: 71
    When I was doing SLS for two years It made me able to bridge smoothly from chest to head but my problem is a weak and strained chest voice. So your saying I can first practice the audio workout in chest voice and then again in the same day working on smoothing out the bridge more? That's all I need to do in volume one? Can't wait to improve on this and I'm defiantly going to buy a lesson with Ken via Skype when I feel I'm ready to move on. Also I can get through my bridge on the La exercises smooth without a yodel but when I go and try to sing a light R&B tune my voice isn't fully connected. Eventually will it just know what to do when I practice singing? Thanks so much Bob for your time it's really helpful man!
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    edited April 2014

    You have to teach yourself the feelings of bridging smoothly.  This is something that can be shown to you through exercises, but explaining the exact mechanical methods just defies language.

    Doing the burbles is probably THE most helpful way to learn to bridge smoothly, because the air pressure factor is almost perfect when doing lip bubbles.  SS and KTVA AND many other methods DO share the burbles.  Ken, however, encourages doing them WITHOUT holding your cheeks with your fingers.

    Some people just CAN'T burble.  That's OK, they just don't get to enjoy the benefits of feeling the voice almost automatically shifting from chest to head.  If you just stick with the burbles, eventually can do them right.

    Also, Ken's Tongue Exercise is a good one for learning to bridge and to do so while maintaining the Open Throat.

    When you make it through your bridge correctly, you need to STOP and repeat it again and again and embed that feeling into your memory.  You will need to recall all of the elements: the amount of air pressure before, during, and after you move through the bridge when it works right.  Normally when you do this (in the beginning) you will have to really reduce the air pressure and sing very lightly through the bridge.

    As you begin to have more easy access to these feelings, and the ability to recall how correct bridging feels and sounds, you will be able to carefully add a little more air pressure and a little more volume and a little more tone, until you can do it without even thinking about it anymore, any time you want to. 

    It's a little like learning to drive a stick-shift automobile that requires using a clutch pedal. You have to coordinate different muscle movements and time them to work together smoothly as you go from one air pressure to another and one light tension to another without the snap of the yodel.  You slowly and smoothly exchange control of your voice from one set of muscles to another.  From Thyroarytenoid to Cricothryroid. 

    Telling someone exactly how to do this is kind of like trying to tell someone how to get on a bicycle and ride it.  It looks easy.  Once you know how, it IS really easy, and once you learn how, you can get on a bike and ride it after years of not riding one.  But you will have to learn for yourself what it FEELS LIKE (and nobody can explain it to you as well as you can teach yourself through trial and error).  Then you will have it down for good!

     

    Bob

  • Derrick SchneiderDerrick Schneider Member Posts: 71
    So if I only have time to run through the Audio workout once a day can I just do it softly and when I get more comfortable start adding weight into the tone to build the middle mixed voice?
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