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When and how will I be able to start singing?

Hi everyone, thanks for all the amazing support I've been given so far.
Been doing KTVA for about three weeks.
First of all, this is an amazing course; and before this every time I sang or even did a scale, I ended up hoarse, with pain, voice loss, etc. So I understand that the voice is delicate, and because of this I understand that it is better to be patient.

However, I remain curious on the next few things:
1.- I've been doing warmups and exercises, but, when it comes to singing, I don't know what would be a good warmup for singing?
2.- I think I understand that vowels stem from LAH AH, and you should always have open throat technique; and when singing, introducing consonants little by litte. My mother tongue is Spanish so I shouldn't have that much trouble because we only have 5 vowels haha.
Anyway, for singing, should I do warmups with all the vowels? Like AH, AA, AYE, OH, OOH?
I also have "30 minute singer", but haven't looked at the entirety of it; however, I feel like I get a lot of doubts as I progress on that course.
so
3.- When will I have a "green light" for singing? Not that I don't improve and practice anymore, but, well... when? :)

So far anyway, and I thought this was kinda funny, I've found that if I sing only with the AH vowel and no other vowel nor consonant, I'm ok singing for a litle while haha, kind of a sweet spot.

I really love this course and I have been improving A LOT and experimenting on what works and what doesn't, within the guidelines Ken gives; and in combination with what I've read on posts and comments.
It's specially been a lot of fun the last couple days because there are some times when "everything seems to click" and it is really cool. Like, it is bright, open, supported, and as light of a sound as it can be. And imo it just starts to sound all the more beautiful because of the technique and the improvement of training.

Thanks a lot, God bless you all, keep on singing!
-Steve

Comments

  • Klaus_TKlaus_T Moderator, 2.0 PRO Posts: 2,431
    great that you enjoy the course. the full volume one is your warmup for singing. as will be vol 2 and 3, once you get there. current volume your on = your warmup before singing/performing. not all the volumes have all the vowels but that's fine. there should be a PDF that explains which exercises are part of the current vol. i have the downlaod course where there is a folder per volume.

    you can sing anytime, however, it is recommended to give singing a break in the first 4 weeks or so of the course. the idea is to forget old bad habits and let the new techniques take hold first. if you really feel like it, no one can stop you from singing though :) you can decide that yourself. eventually, you will adopt the new techniques either way.

    as far as your doubts go for the 30 min singer, can you describe these a bit? i don't have the course but maybe someone else does
  • TerenceTerence Moderator, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 466
    Klaus_T said:

    ...as far as your doubts go for the 30 min singer, can you describe these a bit? i don't have the course but maybe someone else does

    "30-minute singer" draws directly from Ktva 3.0 and are Ken's recommendations for those short on time and lacking access to the full course. Let me know if you have specific questions about it, @Esteban22 .
  • Esteban22Esteban22 3.0 Streaming Posts: 41
    Hey, guys, thanks a lot for replying

    Well, so if I understand correctly, all of the exercises on volume 1 are a warmup? Including the tongue exercise?

    Which then again is correlated to "30 minute singer"; are all of those exercises one warmup to be ready to sing?



    And some doubts I have on both courses:

    Vowel modification
    From what I get, there are 2 sorts of vowel modifications
    1,. Instead of singing the vowel as you normally would, you do it with open throat technique, all steming from "it's the LAH-AH"

    2,. As you go higher on a scale, the vowel modifies so that it is "singable" without choking you.

    So the doubts would be (All on the #2 type of mod mentioned above):
    -The modifications, they happen only at the throat, not the mouth, right? But if they happen at the throat, why not changing the mouth too?


    -Would these just happen naturally if I listen to my body, or should I also pay a bit of attention and go to a specific vowel mod? Could it work either way? As in, if I know I should change from "AYE" to "O" as in "love", that's cool; but if I don't know, or don't remember? Does my body ask me for the modification I need either way?

    -Does "LAH AH" ever get modified? Because I don't quite remember hearing about it on the "I'ts the LAH AH" videos, although I may have miseed it

    -What are the exact mods on "AA"? I know it is on different notes for each person; but, AA goes what vowel sound? and after that one?

    -And the mods on "AYE"?

    -When I hear the audio workouts for "AA", Ken sounds like "AA" as in "Laugh" at the begining, then like "eh" as in "lay" (without the "eeh / y"). Should I copy him? which takes me to

    -Should I do what my vocal tract asks from me? Like, if I feel taht "tug" going up, do I modify the vowel?

    -Am I supposed to remember exactly on what notes do I modify? Or does it happen more naturally?

    Thanks a lot!!!
    Oh boy I got so many questions, and I also have more coming as I progress through the course for sure!

    But then again thanks a lot, without this forum the course doesn't feel complete for me, as too many doubts can arise.


    Welp, those are the specific doubts on 30 minute singer/ How to sing better than anyone else

    God bless y'all
  • Klaus_TKlaus_T Moderator, 2.0 PRO Posts: 2,431
    edited December 2023
    i am not sure i understand your vowel mod type 1 and 2 concept.

    the point of the mod is to keep the throat open at a given pressure and manage the airflow (search this forum for "splat" and "splatting" to get an idea)

    the mods are natural and you will feel a tug, yes, but it makes sense to learn them systematically. your body won't go to the right mod in a fast song with lots of notes, so you will need the muscle memory from the exercises to make it automatic, even though they are built in and natural (albeit, not directly accessible; think of a golf swing, it is a natural movement, the body is capable of all the necessary movements and details, but you need the coordination and muscle memory to perfect it). over time, you can modify later and higher up, keeping the base vowel for a wider pitch range. you should modify in the same place both ways up and down the scales, and there will be an ideal place to do it at any given level of proficiency. there is a vowel modification chart for vol 1. i recommend you print it and hang it next to your singing mirror. the vowel mods are a big thing and not easy and quick to learn, i would focus on LAH first (which is also modified as you will see in the lessons and vowel mod chart), and only focus on the first mod. take your time, make sure you really understand the concept. don't think you need to get it within hours or days, it will take weeks and months to fully grasp it. read as much as you can on the topic here, and it will become much clearer
  • TerenceTerence Moderator, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 466
    edited December 2023
    Esteban22 said:


    Which then again is correlated to "30 minute singer"; are all of those exercises one warmup to be ready to sing?

    "30 Min" is more than a warmup. It could be your entire workout routine for quite a while.

    You ask a lot of questions about what vowel modifies to what. They're all in the pdfs embedded in the course.

    https://join.kentamplinvocalacademy.com/products/how-to-sing-better-than-anyone-else-version-3-0-volume-1/categories/2148241693/posts/2150735698

    https://join.kentamplinvocalacademy.com/products/how-to-sing-better-than-anyone-else-version-3-0-volume-1/categories/2148245720/posts/2150735713

    Esteban22 said:


    So the doubts would be (All on the #2 type of mod mentioned above):
    -The modifications, they happen only at the throat, not the mouth, right? But if they happen at the throat, why not changing the mouth too?

    They all happen in the throat. EE and OO involve opening the lips slightly in some areas.
    Esteban22 said:


    -Would these just happen naturally if I listen to my body, or should I also pay a bit of attention and go to a specific vowel mod? Could it work either way? As in, if I know I should change from "AYE" to "O" as in "love", that's cool; but if I don't know, or don't remember? Does my body ask me for the modification I need either way?

    -Am I supposed to remember exactly on what notes do I modify? Or does it happen more naturally?

    Both. They happen naturally and your awareness of them keeps you from getting in the way by knowing what to expect.

  • Esteban22Esteban22 3.0 Streaming Posts: 41
    Wow these two replies were thorough
    yeah... I guess I do want to grasp it quickly, so it is good that you tell me to be patient about it.

    And also wow, I saw the first chart, but didn't really understand it back then, and basically forgot about it. It really was all that important.

    Yeah I was wondering because well, I also felt that tug on AH and thought it made sense to modify it too.
    Thanks a lot for the links to the charts, and yeah, it will be a great idea to print them.


    Also, don't worry if you don't understand my concepts of what "modifying" a vowel are. The questions were all about the modifying that is spoken about on KTVA. Guess writing it down helped me to clear my thoughts. Just don't mind it.


    Thanks a lot. I guess this should be good for now. I got a lot to think about either way.
    Keep on singing and learning, God bless you all and again thanks a lot Klaus and Terrence.

  • Klaus_TKlaus_T Moderator, 2.0 PRO Posts: 2,431
    great that we could help you. and keep asking questions, this is the way to really learn this. just thinking about some things and visualizing them can make a big difference.
  • NeilKenSingerNeilKenSinger 2.0 PRO Posts: 125
    How often should you practice / do the KTVA workouts if you've been singing and doing the course for many years? I've been on KTVA since 2018 but of course I still do the workouts regularly, especially vol 3, and usually as a warm up before I sing. But do I really need to be doing them 5 to 6 days a week at this stage?

    Of course I need to do them regularly in order to keep my voice strong, but is 5 to 6 days a week necessary? And is there something we can do that's a bit shorter than the full workout? I'm on KTVA version 2.0 btw, I didn't upgrade to his 3.0 course yet. I don't know if there are any shorter workouts on this? I'm not at the stage where I'm learning how to sing....it's more about maintaining and using what I've learned at this stage.
  • Klaus_TKlaus_T Moderator, 2.0 PRO Posts: 2,431
    @NeilKenSinger , i also started in 2018 :) good question, i am not sure but would err on the side of thinking of it as a muscle. would an athlete stop doing bench presses once they are good at it, and stay good, i.e. lift the same weight without the full workout that got him to lift whichever weight he stopped at?

    i think unless you have for some health reason issues with recovery, 5-6 times seems a good number when you compare it with other exercise or skill training. you do need some rest, but mainly you need a good amount of stimulation for best results.

    whatever is the most you can do at a given time, is good. we all know sometimes you don't have the time. so i would look at 5-6 times 1h as the goal, but with some leeway to not make it stressful. whenever you do less, do less, and skip where necessary, if you have other duties/priorities. if you did the course for that long you surely have high priorities on the course anyway. also best not to stress out over missing some practice. no need for negativity, stress is bad for a lot of things, and won' help a all. i guess at the end of the day, if you are happy with your singing, it was enough :)

    what i do in these cases, is starters, or even shorter versions of starters (skipping some vowels), or vol 1 or only parts of it, or sometimes vol 2, whenever i don't do vol 3 (which is where i am).

    i'd rather skip a day or be a bit lazy with the scope when it doesn't fit than force it. i think forcing it might be bad for long term motivation and turn it into stress.
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