Cruise ship cabaret singer-in-training

gem

Hi all!

I invested in the KTVA training program a couple of months ago but have only just found the time to dedicate to starting it. I have it admit - it's hard work!!!!

I'm a classically trained singer but I've never put much work into a fairly natural gift. I'm 'good' but have never been great and live in a small city in Australia where my only real performance opportunities have been local amatuer musical theatre. I am currently putting together a showreel to send away to cruise ships and am desperately looking to increase my chest voice range about one three more notes - I can belt to about a G above middle C but need to demonstrate a strong C5 belt to meet the criteria.

I know it will all take time but I think the critical thing is that I learn to take better care of my voice - I always end up hoarse after too much singing and I push my voice too hard. 

So many of these concepts are difficult and I'm never sure if I'm doing the right thing.  I've watched all of the recommended clips/webinars etc but I'm still not sure that I'm doing the breathing/support thing right.  I also can't seem to raise my uvula into my head like Ken does. In saying this, I'm easily reaching notes in the scales in my chest voice which I've never come close to before after only a couple of days training, focusing on the breath support and lifting the soft palatte. 

I know it's not much to go on but any assistance would be appreciated! It seems to be a great community.  Also, does anyone know how much a web-lesson with Ken is? 

Ken Tamplin

Can you post or send a sample of your sinigng so I can hear what you are doing? Either post it in the forums or send it to ktvainfo@gmail.com and remind me of this post

highmtn

Gem,

Look up at the top border of the page on this forum.  There you will see a black border that reads from left to right "Home.  Singing Lessons. Reviews.  The Blog.  Resources. About KTVA."  Click on Singing Lessons. 

I highly recommend considering one-on-one lessons with Ken if you are struggling as you say.  It sounds like you are wanting to dive into a competitive market, and if so, you will want to give yourself every advantage you can.  He has phenomenal ears and a lightning-quick analytical mind that will immediately zero in on what you need to do to start  making serious progress with your voice.  He will amaze you! 

Also, if you bought a "bundle" from KTVA, have you gone through the "bonus" files?  Included is a very comprehensive list of music business contacts, including quite a bit of info on Cruise Ship lines.  You should definitely check this info out if you have not already done so.

Yes.  It IS hard work, but a joy nonetheless!  You will get out of this program in direct proportion to the effort you invest in it.  Make it your own!

Best of luck to you.  KTVA could be the start of something really good for you.  

Bob

Kokonuht

Hello gem! A lesson with Ken is about $190 by July. After July the price will be raised higher.. not sure of the exact price though. So yeah. Welcome aboard!

So the problems you're facing are :-

1. Ending up hoarse after singing

2. Not sure of breath support

3. Unable to raise uvula into head

Well, here's a quick diagnosis I guess :P.

1. Ending up hoarse could be because of too much stress on the chords. Which would most of the time mean not having proper support. Though there could also be other factors like, pronouncing consonant sounds too hard, too much jaw movement, tongue doesn't stay at base of jaw, raised larynx and flexed digastric muscle (muscle under the chin). A raised larynx and flexing of digastric muscle is usually because of lack of support. So yeah. Support is REALLY REALLY important for belting! As you learn with KTVA, you'll learn how consonant sounds kill you. We sing with vowel sounds and not consonants. We sustain an "AHH" not a "KKKKKK". 

2. For breath support, if you bought the bundle, like Bob said, try looking into the bonus materials. There's a .doc about breath support. Oh and try googling belly breathing. Also, another tip would be to download the latest webinar on the "Support Mechanism" here :-

http://kentamplinvocalacademy.vanillaforums.com/discussion/507/download-previous-webinars#latest

3. Learning to raise the Uvula was pretty tricky for me as well. Try looking in a mirror and yawning. If your uvula is rising then you're on the right track. Now just try to reproduce this feeling in the back of the throat when you're yawning and do your vocal workouts. You might yawn quite a few times but once you get the hang of it, the uvula will go up naturally. Took me about a week to get this into muscle memory!

If you'd like a more accurate diagnosis, send a demo of you singing to ken at ktvainfo@gmail.com

Cheers

Rayhan

gem

Thanks you guys, that's so helpful! I'm pretty excited that Ken himself responded  

I'll definately upload a clip for you to listen to.  I think I have a better understanding of what diaphramatic breathing should look like so I'm hoping that will make more of a difference.  I'll do a little bit more work on technique, then upload something.  

Thanks again!

gem

p.s. I did purchase the bundle and I've just looked at the bonus 2 file which is empty? any thoughts?

highmtn

Gem,

Stage Two should have a Volume Two Main ipod which is the How to Sing Better Than Anyone Else version of Stage Two. 

There should also be a Stage Two Bonus Movies folder, which contains complete Stage Two videos from the two previous versions of KTVA Stage Two video information.  The Main ipod version is the most recent version of the KTVA series of videos.  The older versions contain much of the same information, but you hear just a slightly different twist, that may be just what you need to understand or have a slightly different perspective on the Stage Two information.  One of the files is named Stage Two Original DIVAS and one is Stage Two Original DUDES.  If you haven't yet watched all of these videos, I highly recommend that you do.  There's nothing like a refresher course to drive home basic concepts that are essential to your understanding of the KTVA principles.

If you've looked in The Stage Two Bonus folder and can't see anything, you may need to unzip or extract the files in order to see them.  You may also need to select "All Files" from the dropdown list, as I believe the ORIGINAL files are not DVD files, but rather data files, and your file browser may not display them in the mode you are exploring from.

Bob

Kokonuht

if the folder is completely empty, it could be that your download was corrupted as well. So you should send an e-mail to ktvainfo@gmail.com if you confirm there's nothing in that folder haha!