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One Year Anniversary with KTVA - No Previous Experience

Year 1 KTVA Review

This is a chronicle of my amazing first year as a member of the Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy. I hope this encourages anyone reading this, whether you are brand new to singing or have been doing this for a long time. I look forward to what year 2 (and beyond) looks like.

Starting out, I had absolutely no previous experience singing, unless you count singing in the car and shower. I really enjoyed singing and, when I got the nerve, even liked singing karaoke. I bought the KTVA course in Jan. 2017. Thanks to the progress made in this course, my first live performance with a well-established cover band in town is Jan 27, 2018! Below are some notes taken from various stages of my first year journey on the KTVA program.

Jan 15, 2017 – First Time Volume 1 (recording) – You can view this on SoundCloud under the Scott Redwing Project (Lah Exercises 1 Hour).

Volume 1 (January to March - 3 months- approximately 60 hours of practice)

- I didn’t know how to burble. This was initially really awkward, but was encouraged to stick with it from both the KTVA videos and singers forum, and that it would come with time. It “clicked” around the 10-15th time through Volume 1. I stopped getting dizzy during this exercise around the 20th time, when I began concentrating on better support.

- The “pulling chest” exercises sounded really strange. My entire family cringed and ran to the opposite corner of the house whenever I get would get to the vowel modification exercises on Volume 1.

- My wife found a vowel modification “cheat sheet” downstairs. During this period, my entire family thought I was crazy for singing on my own down in the basement 5-6 times per week.

- I’ve now looked inside my mouth and the back of my throat more than I ever thought I’d do in a lifetime as I worked on my tongue placement. A large mirror was installed in my practice space in the basement. Keeping my tongue down was the most challenging part of this beginning phase, but is also the most important part. Around the 30-40 hour mark, it started to stay flat without a ton of effort. Unsurprisingly, as soon as this happened, my voice suddenly would not get sore after a long day of exercises or a night of singing karaoke! Go figure:).

- I posted on the forum my “lah” exercises at about the 50 hour mark (also posted on SoundCloud). The feedback says it was ok, so I practiced about 10 more hours (20 times through the exercises) just to be sure before moving to Volume 2.

Volume 2 - (April to June - 3 months – approximately 100 total hours of practice)

- I was on a roll with doing exercises at this point. The results were starting to really show now! My voice was getting much better. I could now sing songs that I could not previously sing. My chest voice range was growing by the week. My voice didn’t get sore anymore after long days of singing.

- My family stopped complaining about my bad voice. Even the kids started to do the lessons with me!

- I was so excited about all of this progress that I tried to do volume 3 too early. I would have been less fatigued running 40 miles that day. I took the next day off to rest my tired voice.

- I listened to audio and videos of the advanced level KTVA students for motivation to continue on. I was getting better, but they reminded me there’s a lot more to go.

Volume 3 Part 1 – (July to October - 4 months – approximately 220 total hours of practice)

- After volume 2 started to get easier, I eased myself into Volume 3 exercises. After a few times through, I could finally do all of the exercises to the end. Initially, I felt like I’d ran a half marathon after completing the volume 3 exercises.

- I quickly learned that cutting back the air helps this process tremendously. I don’t smoke or do drugs, but the example of holding your breath like smoking resonated with me and suddenly volume 3 became less of a mountain to climb.

- The greatest part of sticking with these challenging exercises in Volume 3 was the “exponential” voice growth experienced these first few weeks of Volume 3 exercises.

- After 3 months of these exercises, I was able to sing even more songs that I could not previously sing. Even better, I could do a lot of songs in chest voice. By this point, karaoke had become so much fun! An entire karaoke set up was installed in the basement.

- Speaking of karaoke, I’d been going out to sing karaoke quite frequently all year. Performing in front of people has become addicting, and getting better at singing only adds to this positive experience! I’ve played sports all my life (even played professional basketball in Europe) and singing live provides a rush that is better than any sports event I’ve participated in!

Volume 3 Part 2 – (November to January - 3 months – approximately 300 total hours of practice)

- I started to look for a cover band to join. I made some videos of me singing and posted them on Youtube (Scott Redwing Project). I live in a fairly large Midwest city in the US, but apparently there aren’t many lead singers out there looking for a cover band, because I quickly got an audition.

- Remarkably, I was invited to join a well-established cover band that I auditioned for. We have 20 gigs booked for 2018 (the first performance is January 27th). The other band members have been in a band for many years each. I do my best to pretend that I am a veteran, but am quickly exposed when I have to ask how to put in my in-ear monitors correctly.

- Now that I have a weekly band rehearsal, I’ve become quite sensitive about using my voice at my job (I’m a finance Professor). I actually bought a mic and mini speaker to assist my voice when teaching classes all day.

- I’ve also noticed that drinking alcohol dramatically decreases my voice quality. In addition to cutting alcohol way back, I’ve started to drink tea now instead of coffee, which is something I thought I would never type. This is hugely beneficial!

- I have also started to buy a lot of equipment. Now that actual gigs are looming on the horizon, I suddenly have an accumulation of lots and lots of cords!

- In this stage, the new challenge is to try to maintain the Volume 3 exercises and, at the same time, try to practice and rehearse songs for the band. I’m currently trying to figure out how much to warm up before rehearsals and gigs.

Moving Forward (Year 2)

- I am really excited to perform live. I’m sure I’ll lay some eggs on stage, but I look forward to getting better at performing live.

- At the same time, I look forward to the continued progress of building my voice through the KTVA program. Hopefully, my Year 2 in review will be just as interesting as this first year.

Comments

  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @scottredwingproject,

    You will be pleased to know that this path you are on of gradual, but continual improvement, will continue for as long as you continue to work Ken's program and exercises. The voice continues to grow, into those nooks and crannies that you never thought you would be capable of achieving. You only have to stay with it, and the voice will come along for the ride.

    I'm several years into the program, and never cease to be amazed when I find myself able to do yet another thing that used to be far beyond my capabilities. There is always more to learn.

    I tried several vocal courses before finding Ken's, and NONE of them worked anything like this, even after spending thousands of dollars and years of time. I would never go back to the useless exercises those other courses had. They did nothing. Ken's program actually works and is worth whatever he wants to charge for it, if singing means anything to you.
  • Claude77Claude77 Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 213
    Wow, I had a look at your YouTube page. That’s pretty amazing result just for 1 year in the course.
    Congratulations and keep the good work.

    KTVA is just unique!
  • ovenwolvovenwolv Enrolled Posts: 38
    @scottredwingproject Very cool to read, and you sound great! Thanks for posting!
  • RokkittRokkitt Member Posts: 4
    Hey man! You really sound Good! For everyone else if you didn't watch the you tube vids of this guy...you can really see progress... like from the 100hr to the 180 hr spot. Defe a difference.

    Questions...

    How did the gig go?

    Any you tube of the band...name of the band? And where ru guys located?

    What program level are you using here with KTVA?

    And thanks! When you say 100 hits. 180 hours. 200 plus hours...it's seems like a lot

    But 5 hours per week is do able! Thank you for renewing my idea (selfish self promo here) to be a lead singer just as you did!

    Thanks man. Big Al aka ROKKITT aka RokkittBass
  • scottredwingprojectscottredwingproject Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 19
    Thanks for the encouraging words @highmtn, @Claude77, and @ovenwolv ! I'm excited that this program allows us to continue to get better in year 2 and beyond.

    @Rokkitt - Thanks for the follow up. I'm glad to hear about your renewed excitement about being a lead singer. With this program, anything is possible.

    The first performance went really well! We played a 3 hour set with no breaks, which was my biggest challenge/concern going into the show. We played 45 songs in total (I sang backing VOX on about 10). Thank goodness for glottal compression. My voice was fine after the show. I hope to post some Youtube videos soon. The band is called Through Being Cool. We're located in Indy.

    I did 5 hours per week. That's 250 hours per year (two vacation weeks included). Hours 100 to 180 were spent on Volume 3 exercises. This was definitely where I saw the most improvement.

    I still do Volume 3 exercises each week. I'm incorporating the head voice exercises every other day as I'd really like to improve in this area.
  • rar10rar10 Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 6
    @scottredwingproject what type of equipment and recording software have you purchased over the last year?
  • rickyogimarickyogima 2.0 ENROLLED Posts: 69
    Thanks for the breakdown on practice details - it's nice to see what other's do to get ahead. That's for sharing you story @scottredwingproject and keep up the great work at becoming a singer.
  • rickyogimarickyogima 2.0 ENROLLED Posts: 69
    I see you @scottredwingproject did Summer of 69 Cover which must have took a lot of practice. I can't to be able sing that song.
  • scottredwingprojectscottredwingproject Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 19
    Thanks @rickyogima! I couldn't sing Summer of 69 at first either. I came back to it after a few months and suddenly it was within range!

    @rar10 - Overall, I've tried to stay basic with my purchases. I realize that buying equipment can be a slippery slope...there's always something better/more expensive out there.
    I bought the classic Shure SM58 microphone first. I've used that for all recordings (via Garageband). I use a simple Focuslite Solo audio interface for recordings as well. Recently, I splurged and bought a cordless Sennheiser 835 and in-ear bodypack transmitter for live performances. I can definitely tell the difference in quality.
  • AlyonaAlyona Member, Moderator, Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 288
    Sounds great! Yes Bob is right, just continue working, the voice changes every day. I can notice changes sometimes in one day I sing a new song.
  • GoldtaffGoldtaff Pro Posts: 93
    What a brilliant read and very inspiring to others. I'm 4 months in I'm working hard at it and with my covers band too so I completely relate to this read.
  • Reuben03Reuben03 2.0 PRO Posts: 183
    In singing, there is areas you can improve in. Even if you're a pro there is still areas to improve in. That's why I like kens course.
  • BarbieLynnBarbieLynn 2.0 PRO Posts: 56
    Wow, Scott. I'm new here and just discovered this post of yours. I'm glad I did!
    I left comments on a couple of your YouTube Videos (BarbieDoll2006T1), and hope to check out more of them very soon. What a difference! I love to hear the confidence in your more recent performances. That's where I want to be! I'm inspired by your work. Keep going! You're doing great :-)
  • WendyJaneWendyJane 2.0 PRO Posts: 100
    @scottredwingproject thankyou so much for sharing your KTVA experience so far, it's really inspiring and is a great example of just how great this course is! Good luck with the next chapter of your singing story. :)
  • simi4212simi4212 2.0 PRO Posts: 17
    Good to hear your progress. As for me I feel like I am stuck in this singing journey. I have been singing for a long time but have taken it seriously in the last few years. I have bought a lot of programs, exercised them rigorously and taken in person trainings but I don't know if I will ever feel like I have made a lot of progress. I have made some improvements but I don't know if I will ever make a significant improvement. The first week of doing KTVA exercises I think kinda pushed it too much and made my voice hoarse so I stopped. Anybody has any idea how to get the best value out of this course?
  • doc_ramadanidoc_ramadani Administrator, 2.0 PRO, Facility Management Posts: 3,978
    Hi @simi4212,

    my name is Marco, I am 49 years old and started the course 15 months ago.

    I would recommend to you that you post a demo (video preferred) of the basic LAH triad scale of Volume 1 in 2 versions:

    - one bridging into head voice
    - one stretching chest voice

    A lot of things can be seen from these scales. Maybe we can give you some advice. You should it post in the respective category: VOLUME 1 -> New students demos.

    Doc
  • simi4212simi4212 2.0 PRO Posts: 17
    Thank you doc_ramadani,

    I will try to post a demo there. Since writing on this thread I found more threads related to exercises so I am gonna check out those as well...

    Simi
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    @simi4212

    If you got hoarse, you probably just tried a little too hard too soon. Some parts of some of the exercises can be a little bit hard. Don't expect to be able to do everything the first time. Your voice will grow if you gently persist. Don't push, just keep moving forward as your vocal growth begins to take place. If you continue the exercises and give yourself enough time, you will be astonished at how much your voice with grow and strengthen. But it's not overnight. And there will be some setbacks if you try to go too far too quickly.

    You'll make it.

    All the Best!

    Bob
  • simi4212simi4212 2.0 PRO Posts: 17
    @highmtn

    Thank you for responding. I resumed my practice again yesterday but this time I wasn't pushing it and making sure that I was using the breath support effectively. Hopefully, it will go better this time.

    Thank you for the encouragement.

    Simi

  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    Keep monitoring yourself. Allow time for your voice to grow. When you think you may be pushing a little too hard, you are probably right.
  • Edukator99Edukator99 2.0 PRO Posts: 57
    DAMN! I just went and listened to you sing "With or Without You." on your YouTube Channel. Nailed it! I started 6 weeks ago and that was the first song I attempted and recorded myself and was...horrified. 6 weeks later I'm much better but you killed it!
  • wojtekwojtek Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 96
    @scottredwingproject that was an awesome read. Now I feel even more comfortable staying on Volume 1 couple more weeks. Really like the idea of tracking the hours, having a plan and tracking progress (like at the gym etc.).
    Do You remember when did You develop a vibratto, at which hour/month/volume?

  • RoyJ2020RoyJ2020 Member Posts: 3
    RoyJ2020

    I have recently purchased Ken's course and really wasn't sure how to begin. After reading scottredwingproject information on his progression has really motivated me to get started now. I have been really wanting to sing in public for sometime. My desire is to eventually sing in an R&B male or mixed singing group. I have sung alone with records playing and haven't sounded too bad. I've had a few compliments but I personally knew something was missing. I wasn't putting in the work. NOW I WILL... Tracking the hours is a great idea. Thanks!
  • scottredwingprojectscottredwingproject Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 19
    Thanks for the nice words, @RoyJ2020 and @wojtek ! I wish you both the best on your singing journey!
    @wojtek , great question regarding the vibrato: I honestly don't know when that actually developed. I went back and listened to old videos on YouTube and it has gradually developed over time. There's a noticeable difference between 100 and 250 hours; and a even more notable difference between 250 hours and now (I've lost track of the hours).
  • djkdjk 2.0 PRO Posts: 18
    Hello Scott,

    In the volume 1, did you just practice the warm up exercises for 3 months i.e. Lip Roll, vowels,Laah, Ee, tongue etc.?

    Thanks
  • JonnyquickJonnyquick Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 202

    Year 1 KTVA Review

    This is a chronicle of my amazing first year as a member of the Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy. I hope this encourages anyone reading this, whether you are brand new to singing or have been doing this for a long time. I look forward to what year 2 (and beyond) looks like.

    Starting out, I had absolutely no previous experience singing, unless you count singing in the car and shower. I really enjoyed singing and, when I got the nerve, even liked singing karaoke. I bought the KTVA course in Jan. 2017. Thanks to the progress made in this course, my first live performance with a well-established cover band in town is Jan 27, 2018! Below are some notes taken from various stages of my first year journey on the KTVA program.

    Jan 15, 2017 – First Time Volume 1 (recording) – You can view this on SoundCloud under the Scott Redwing Project (Lah Exercises 1 Hour).

    Volume 1 (January to March - 3 months- approximately 60 hours of practice)

    - I didn’t know how to burble. This was initially really awkward, but was encouraged to stick with it from both the KTVA videos and singers forum, and that it would come with time. It “clicked” around the 10-15th time through Volume 1. I stopped getting dizzy during this exercise around the 20th time, when I began concentrating on better support.

    - The “pulling chest” exercises sounded really strange. My entire family cringed and ran to the opposite corner of the house whenever I get would get to the vowel modification exercises on Volume 1.

    - My wife found a vowel modification “cheat sheet” downstairs. During this period, my entire family thought I was crazy for singing on my own down in the basement 5-6 times per week.

    - I’ve now looked inside my mouth and the back of my throat more than I ever thought I’d do in a lifetime as I worked on my tongue placement. A large mirror was installed in my practice space in the basement. Keeping my tongue down was the most challenging part of this beginning phase, but is also the most important part. Around the 30-40 hour mark, it started to stay flat without a ton of effort. Unsurprisingly, as soon as this happened, my voice suddenly would not get sore after a long day of exercises or a night of singing karaoke! Go figure:).

    - I posted on the forum my “lah” exercises at about the 50 hour mark (also posted on SoundCloud). The feedback says it was ok, so I practiced about 10 more hours (20 times through the exercises) just to be sure before moving to Volume 2.

    Volume 2 - (April to June - 3 months – approximately 100 total hours of practice)

    - I was on a roll with doing exercises at this point. The results were starting to really show now! My voice was getting much better. I could now sing songs that I could not previously sing. My chest voice range was growing by the week. My voice didn’t get sore anymore after long days of singing.

    - My family stopped complaining about my bad voice. Even the kids started to do the lessons with me!

    - I was so excited about all of this progress that I tried to do volume 3 too early. I would have been less fatigued running 40 miles that day. I took the next day off to rest my tired voice.

    - I listened to audio and videos of the advanced level KTVA students for motivation to continue on. I was getting better, but they reminded me there’s a lot more to go.

    Volume 3 Part 1 – (July to October - 4 months – approximately 220 total hours of practice)

    - After volume 2 started to get easier, I eased myself into Volume 3 exercises. After a few times through, I could finally do all of the exercises to the end. Initially, I felt like I’d ran a half marathon after completing the volume 3 exercises.

    - I quickly learned that cutting back the air helps this process tremendously. I don’t smoke or do drugs, but the example of holding your breath like smoking resonated with me and suddenly volume 3 became less of a mountain to climb.

    - The greatest part of sticking with these challenging exercises in Volume 3 was the “exponential” voice growth experienced these first few weeks of Volume 3 exercises.

    - After 3 months of these exercises, I was able to sing even more songs that I could not previously sing. Even better, I could do a lot of songs in chest voice. By this point, karaoke had become so much fun! An entire karaoke set up was installed in the basement.

    - Speaking of karaoke, I’d been going out to sing karaoke quite frequently all year. Performing in front of people has become addicting, and getting better at singing only adds to this positive experience! I’ve played sports all my life (even played professional basketball in Europe) and singing live provides a rush that is better than any sports event I’ve participated in!

    Volume 3 Part 2 – (November to January - 3 months – approximately 300 total hours of practice)

    - I started to look for a cover band to join. I made some videos of me singing and posted them on Youtube (Scott Redwing Project). I live in a fairly large Midwest city in the US, but apparently there aren’t many lead singers out there looking for a cover band, because I quickly got an audition.

    - Remarkably, I was invited to join a well-established cover band that I auditioned for. We have 20 gigs booked for 2018 (the first performance is January 27th). The other band members have been in a band for many years each. I do my best to pretend that I am a veteran, but am quickly exposed when I have to ask how to put in my in-ear monitors correctly.

    - Now that I have a weekly band rehearsal, I’ve become quite sensitive about using my voice at my job (I’m a finance Professor). I actually bought a mic and mini speaker to assist my voice when teaching classes all day.

    - I’ve also noticed that drinking alcohol dramatically decreases my voice quality. In addition to cutting alcohol way back, I’ve started to drink tea now instead of coffee, which is something I thought I would never type. This is hugely beneficial!

    - I have also started to buy a lot of equipment. Now that actual gigs are looming on the horizon, I suddenly have an accumulation of lots and lots of cords!

    - In this stage, the new challenge is to try to maintain the Volume 3 exercises and, at the same time, try to practice and rehearse songs for the band. I’m currently trying to figure out how much to warm up before rehearsals and gigs.

    Moving Forward (Year 2)

    - I am really excited to perform live. I’m sure I’ll lay some eggs on stage, but I look forward to getting better at performing live.

    - At the same time, I look forward to the continued progress of building my voice through the KTVA program. Hopefully, my Year 2 in review will be just as interesting as this first year.

    I'm blown away as I'm reading this. What dedication. Sounds like my self. I sucked bad before. I was always told I'd only sing country. I work on my voice everyday 2 hours.
    Your so inspiring !!!! Thank you so much for this read !!!!
  • NinaSTNinaST 2.0 PRO Posts: 91
    Wow! It seems that you have made amazing progress!!! I haven't checked your youtube channel yet but I surely will!
    It's so nice that you enjoy singing so much. And that you could stick with it consistently, that's a very hard thing to do. But reading all those reviews is surely a motivator! :)
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