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Learning Head Voice

danhurleydanhurley Pro Posts: 8
in GENERAL SINGING - Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy Forum
I hope I am in the correct place to ask this question.
I have just started the Academy Discs a week ago and am in Vol 2. It seems I am heading to far into the program for my skills so far. I am lost when it comes to Head Voice. I have not developed it at all and cant even access it. I have a ceiling that shuts me off completely. I am able to go real high in Chest Voice but then its a slam down on the ceiling.
What did I miss? I must have gone past the Head Voice training and cant seem to find it. I don't want to go further into the 3rd volume before developing the proper head voice. Its very frustrating to be able to do most of the program but the top 4 to 6 levels ( like doing scales the top part is beyond my range, chest voice only).
Can anyone point me to the disc that pertains to Developing Head Voice?
Thank You.

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Comments

  • rcrosierrcrosier Pro Posts: 275
    Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but I'm reading that you started the program a week ago, and are already onto Volume 2?  That doesn't seem to be nearly enough time to be on Volume 1 to me.  Am I misunderstanding what you said?

    If I'm not, then I'd suggest that you spend more time on Volume 1, and work on the "very light" scales/exercises.  That might shed some light on your problem.

    I'm sure that Bob or Ken would recommend that you post some sample scales/workouts, so they can see/hear what you're doing, too.  I could be way off base here, but some samples would most certainly help, I'm sure.

    Hope this helps.
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  • danhurleydanhurley Pro Posts: 8
    I will start the course over again. I must have missed something along the way.
    About 2 years ago I started singing lessons to relearn how to speak correctly after a head injury in 2001. It took me that long to recover. The lessons helped me speak correctly again and got rid of my stutter I developed and also helped me slow down my speech to normal (most of the time).
    Before that I had never even sang Happy Birthday all the way through. Never attempted to sing due to a cruel group of people when I was real young. Played Guitar and loved it but would not open my mouth at all.
    Now I have fallen in love with Vocals. Not my own but with singing now that I understand lots of the mechanics and have had a little success in learning the very basics.
    I did end the Professional Lessons due to stress and the lack of money to continue but mostly the stress. I found that I needed to relearn the same things over and over and I had days when I could not even do the Basic  Exercises.
    I love to exercise and since I can never exercise my body again (real bad industrial injury, wiped out my whole body and gave me a dual brain injury) I found the same kind of relief you get after a hard workout when I can do the exercises correctly and open up a little bit of the voice.
    My big problem is Stress. I cant seem to overcome lots of it and I know that is the thing holding that ceiling over my head.
    I know I am babbling and getting way off subject but I want you to know were I am going. I need to find that area that deals with breaking through to the head voice or creating or finding it to be able to move on.
    Maybe I just need to stay on Vol 1 for a month or so and hope it will come to me. I have only done the exercises and have no singing experience at all. I am hooked on the exercises and love to do them but the frustration of not having that release up top is killing the experience.

    Sorry to go into so much personal batteling stuff but I think it may help you understand that I am my own enemy here and am looking for tools to destroy and recreate myself.

    Thank You for all our help.

    I have the complete Pro Pack on Disc.
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  • rcrosierrcrosier Pro Posts: 275
    I'm so sorry to hear about your accident.  It helps to know where you're coming from.  I'm no expert, but it seems that many, if not most, people need to stay on volume #1 for a while in reality.  I personally started it back in August of 2014, and don't feel that I'm ready to move out of it yet.  I was close, but had a setback about a month or so ago with a back chest cold.  Now I figure I'll be back on volume #1 for another month or two when I can practice again.  LOL
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  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,384
    edited April 2015

    Hi, @danhurley,

    Most students spend AT LEAST 6 to 12 weeks on Volume One.  You have to give your voice some time to grow while doing the exercises.  It's not like someone can just tell you how it's done and you do it.  You have to grow your voice, and that takes time, just like growing from a boy or girl into a man or a woman. 

    Many, as @rcrosier said, take much longer than 3 months to move from Volume 1 to Volume 2.  I know of many that have taken over a year.  It won't help to get frustrated that this won't happen instantly. Dig in and prepare to grow over the long run and you will have good results, and you can enjoy the journey instead of hating it.  Getting there is half the fun, unless you are too impatient.

    Ken really wants the students to begin by stretching the chest voice, which means that you won't be going into head voice at all in the beginning.  I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's in your best interest as a singer.  If you go ahead and start bridging into head voice now, your chest voice won't grow in range.  In the long run, if you grow your chest voice and THEN from that extended point learn to bridge into head voice, you will have a lot more options available to you when it comes to vocal versatility.

    So Ken recommends that the first few months of Volume One you focus on stretching chest voice BEFORE working on bridging into head voice. You can do the burble exercises and the tongue exercises all you want, and on those you DO bridge into head voice. 

    After your Chest voice is stretched up a few notes, then you start doing the same Volume 1 exercises that you stretched chest voice on, and then you go ahead and start working on bridging into head voice, at a very light volume.  Because you have already stretched your chest voice, where you begin bridging into chest voice will now be at a higher point in the scales.  If you don't do the chest voice stretching in the beginning, you will never be able to have an extended, robust chest voice, and your head voice will be weaker. 

    You should send an email to ktvaforums@gmail.com and copy and paste into that email a copy of your KTVA purchase receipt.  Request a Forums Upgrade.  You will be able to see a lot more information here in the forums if you get your forums status upgraded.  It will be helpful to you.

    This is not a course that you can succeed at by spending only one week on each Volume.  You will need to spend considerable time practicing and getting each step of the way completed as you go along.  Your voice will grow and you will be very satisfied with the results if you do it right.  If you rush through, you will not be able to accomplish the goals you have set for yourself.

    We're all in this together.  Join us on our journey.  We're all at our own point along the way, and we can help one another to get further down the road.  We're glad to have you here.  Dig in, and let's watch and listen as your voice begins to grow!

    All the Best!

    Bob

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  • danhurleydanhurley Pro Posts: 8
    Thank You for the information.
    I know I tend to push to hard in everything I do.
    So far the chest voice is growing good but I do battle the stress. I find that Vibrato is a key to my stress level. Once in a while I will have free and easy vibrato without any effort then when the stress is up, I cant produce any natural vibrato at all. I had the very same problem the first 3 or 4 months of starting the Private lessons. I had to relax to get the LipBubbles going. I did use the cheek pinch to get it started and it actually helped me to relax the mouth and jaw and in the same time I was able to learn the scales and get a little progress. It was more a mental relief then anything else. Even using that method was better than just fighting the stress alone, I would have gave up without that crutch.
    Now I have effortless lip bubbles but the new tong thing I am learning now is helping me with my new discovery. I found that i have a real bad Gag Reflex when I stick my tong out...... Never knew.. Is that strange? I will keep it up and relax and I am sure it will go away and I will master that little problem just like the lipbubble thing.
    I went over the first volume again and yes, I can see lots of room for improvement there. I will continue to study that volume and do the exercises on the MP3 disc every day if possible.
    I guess I will need to just stop at the level that the head voice cuts in on the exercise and wait until it goes back down to the chest level only part of the scale. It is frustrating to not break that barrier. But I will try to relax and wait it out.
    All the information Ken gives is so helpful. I am the type that cant get enough information. I love it.

    Thank You for your help

    Dan
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