Feedback on sliders to build head voice

ClearwaterBeach53

First time posting a recording of me doing an exercise. I've been taking Ken's course 3.0 for about 2 years, with some time off here and there after damaging my voice by pushing things too far. But I usually practice 5 days a week for about an hour, trying to do a nice mixture of head and chest practice. I took this up as a challenge for myself at the age of 52 to see if I could sing like the guys who have been my favorites going back 40 years: Joe Elliott, Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, Ronnie James Dio, etc.

My chest voice has come along pretty nicely. No complaints. I can hit C#5 when I'm all warmed up. And I have pretty good endurance although my tone and pitch are still works in progress.

But head voice is another story. I seem to have maxed out at about F#5 for EE/OO. And E5 for AA/AH. But this is a bit irrelevant because I can't seem to access head voice that well for singing anyway. Plus, I'm not sure my head voice technique has progressed that much anyway as far as being clean. It's like I can sing songs in head voice. I can sing songs in head voice (although it doesn't sound that great). But I can't do the combo.

So, I'm going back to basics a bit by doing sliders but only up to C5, which should be like nothing for head voice. I'm trying to be patient with it but at this point I feel like I won't develop a good reliable, high quality head voice until I'm 65.

Looking for insight, suggestions and critique by posting the recording.

https://soundcloud.com/edward-dentzel/slidersmarch112025/s-TdEfzRq0xcI?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing&si=3f2ef740a8f541f991eea2f46e39b7db

Terence

I listened to your entire sample twice but will comment specifically on the first 30 seconds and then in general.
In the first 30-seconds you are singing the silders passively. It's as if you've worked on your chest and head to the extent that they should now connect themselves in the exercise. That is not the case. You have the ingredients to create the mix but still must actively perform the mix.

Connecting chest and head with octave sliders is not a passive exercise. They are among the most demanding exercises in the course and Ken has put vol. 5 last, for good reasons.

Let's say you've developed your chest voice and head voice well and thoroughly over some years. Even then we have to be actively thinking and adjusting pitch, volume, and intensity in the sliders. One of the many things I enjoy about the course is that Ken has left some of his "carbunkles" in the recordings. They are rare, but even with Ken you can hear what happens when he loses the mental connection to the tone he's after for the exercise.

In the first 30 seconds, you're not optimally setup in chest prior to attempting the bridge. A better vowel, more ping, and a more open-throated posture must be in place from the beginning and then maintained all throughout.

In general, there are times when your connection is very smooth which seems to happen when you are bridging higher in chest. Are you being more intentional on those or are you forced to be more intentional just to get to that higher chest note which in turn makes the bridge more smooth?

Regarding your head voice development, focus on building strength and ease on every vowel from D5 down to as low as you can go in head only. Every other day when you do head exercises, try to stretch and only touch very briefly beyond your current max. On most days, you'll merely be touching on your current max (or just below) but that keeps your head in shape. Then, occasionally, you'll be able to very briefly go a bit higher. On those days, hit that note maybe three times and try to back off on the air when you do. Then quit for the day and warm down. This is the long process of stretching head voice.

Regarding your comment about C5 in head being "nothing" it's unwise to think everything is smooth sailing because you're in head. Somewhere in the area of B4 to D5 it's time for me to be aware of vowel mods (yes, even in head voice only.) Where that may be for you, I don't know, but it's a phenomenon to bear in mind so you're not splatting head voice while trying to stretch it. You should be closer to an OOh vowel at the top of head voice.

Terence

@ClearwaterBeach53 You have access to the course so can hear Ken and others perform all the exercises. For that reason, it's not necessary to have another example. However, for some reason, I recorded myself doing sliders in 2022, having been on the course a little over nine months. I'm not holding these up as ideal, but they were the best I could do at that time. As you listen know that I'm very actively trying to do them correctly, as a baritone.

https://soundcloud.com/user-263378844/mv-sliders-6-30-23?si=fe40a485d55a4becbb671276a5a5a6f4&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing