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Advice for singing longer sets... forward placement/not over singing/head voice

Hi! I've posted here a bit in the past and am on the right track to building longer endurance but I wanted to post a multi part question here to see if I am on the right track. The first thing I've really tried to focus on is breath support. Really being mindful of "holding my breath" while singing and going for a brighter sound as opposed to an "airy" sound that I was originally taught to sing with (cringes)... With this comes along the concept of forward placement. I've noticed that placing vowels "forward" almost as if I'm singing them on the tip of my tongue or under my nose helps me with a brighter sound as well, but most importantly it seems with that placement I don't have to "push" so hard.... I hope this is all making sense.

In terms of endurance I also am trying to focus on not OVER singing... now I am doing typically 3 sets of rock cover songs so sometimes trying to also get the sound of the original artist may lead to singing harder than I may have to but again, I am trying to be mindful. 2 things here that come to my attention are 1. Singing lighter sometimes I feel I am not "belting" enough and the sound is shaky or weak even with being mindful of breath support and 2. as the night goes on I feel I need to sing harder to hit some of the note resulting in a vicious circle of tiring my voice out... is this just normal for singing longer or is there a technique I am missing here?

Lastly, the more I sing the harder it becomes to get to the higher notes on certain songs more than others. For instance, Boys of Summer is always a song that gives me trouble on the chorus. I'm sure this also has a lot to do with relaxation, vowel modification and open throat technique. So perhaps I was wondering if there are certain exercises for open throat technique that may be better suited for songs that are a little more consistently in the higher range with a lot of words and consonant sounds and also exercises that focus on easier quick transitions from chest voice to head/mixed voice. I have no problem hitting higher notes than in boys of summer if I go straight mixed voice but its the song applications like that one that when I go to actually do it in context of the song become more difficult.

I hope this all makes sense and I truly look forward to hearing your insights on this.. I have purchased the KTVA course so would be happy to hear some specific videos on the course to focus on. Thank you all!

M

Comments

  • Klaus_TKlaus_T Moderator, 2.0 PRO Posts: 2,406
    hi, congrats on getting the course. make sure to register for a student's account! there are instruction on this forum how to do it: https://forum.kentamplinvocalacademy.com/discussion/6859/how-to-get-access-to-the-ktva-how-to-sing-better-than-anyone-else-student-areas-of-the-forums#

    it sounds from what you describe like the forward placement is a good idea. you can also look into the concept of "mask".

    do you warm up before the shows? i know the vicious circle, it also happens when you can't hear yourself properly. it goes quick, and then you feel it was too much. control over the volume and "discipline" in not overdoing it will help. in the long run, this will build stamina. there are also dedicated stamina exercises in the course material, have a look. also, building up strength slowly, and not overdoing it, will help with progress there. it is also normal for the support mechanism to get tired (it is muscles, after all).

    for the higher placement in songs, you will find this gets easier with improved range (as you progress through the course over time). tools like vowel mods will help you, too. mixed voice also takes time to develop, but since you have the course, you really only need to follow it, do the workouts regularily, and ideally also learn as much as you can on this forum (from getting feedback on exercises, discussing and reading about the different "moving targets".

    it is also completely normal that song application is harder than the exercises.
  • MarkHMusicMarkHMusic 2.0 PRO Posts: 46
    Thank you for the reply! I do warm up with a little bit of lip rolls, sirens and basic scales nothing too crazy or intensive since I usually place a few lighter songs early in the set. Is there a specific warm up you would recommend for doing these longer 3-4 hour gigs?
  • Klaus_TKlaus_T Moderator, 2.0 PRO Posts: 2,406
    the exercises from the course can be used as a warmup.
  • WigsWigs Moderator, 2.0 PRO, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 5,042
    Make sure to get your student access as well!
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