Singing Lessons - Sing with Resonance Part 1 - Rock the Stage NYC

[CrossBonesAlex]

Great explanations - your videos are very helpful for me cause I used to only sing Country Blues Style and now I am in a Cross Over Band on vocals and need a lot more pressure and volume to be able to get my vocals over the backing

[armansrsa]

is it quite a nasal thing?

[RocktheStageNYC]

@armansrsa - partially but its mostly a lifting of the soft palate and an open throat.

[valarangel]

genious

[livetodancexox]

This is an amazing video

[mightytreasure]

--- I appreciated the Nun Nun Nun. Immediately i could feel my diaphragm moving instead of my chest. powerful stuff. Thanks

[FolkMusicWins]

The way you described how to get resonance, seems wrong to me. The "50s sci-fi robot" is a very nasal and front of the mouth sound, not at all in the back of the throught, where one achieves resonance.

[RocktheStageNYC]

@FolkMusicWins - The "sci-fi robot" illicits a high soft palate resonance which is VERY easy for beginner's to achieve.

What you describe is oropharynx resonance and is something different. Different placements in the vocal tract illicit different resonances; they are NOT all done in the throat. Some are low in the thoat, some in the back of the mouth and some are forward, "masky" pharyngeal sounds.

[FolkMusicWins]

@RocktheStageNYC Ok, that makes more sense, so the oropharynx is the almost operatic souding resonance that really echoes around the room?

[RocktheStageNYC]

@FolkMusicWins - its a combination of the oropharynx and the nasopharynx thats gives voice that "ring" that resonates the walls. People don't realize this but your vocal sound comes out of your mouth and nose - not just your mouth.

[delchavez]

Great advice in this vid, Its so simple yet so effective, that I think its too good to be true, or maybe it really is just this simple. I have a question, is there any way to increase the range of my chest voice. If I had about 4 or 5 more half steps I could really be good i think. I have to rely on my head voice for high notes, which is fine, until I hit a phrase where I have to go chest to head to chest to head, thats when I sound fraudulent. Any advise or videos you can recommend to me?

[RocktheStageNYC]

@delchavez - Singing with resonance and singing in general is actually a very simple process. The talent and skill comes in how much can you control and refine it. It also requires some degree of natural talent to reproduces pitches in key.

Extending chest voice depends on where its stopping now. One can work really hard and push it 2, maybe 3 notes higher but its far easier to learn how to mix chest & head voice into a heavy mixed sound so it appears to be high chest voice.

[RocktheStageNYC]

@delchavez = continued... what I described above (heavy high mix) is NOT something a singer can learn with some words of advice or a couple of video tutorials. It's a process involving many different elements. Elements that have to monitored by a professional vocal coach. Singing is simple but great singing takes time and personal instruction.

[OKComputer134]

hey man great work on explaining the techniques and whatnot:). I've been listening to a lot of Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin, and I was wondering what i would need to have, or practice to achieve those similar high notes of raspyness like Ian Gillan, or Robert plant?

[RocktheStageNYC]

@OKComputer134 - high notes come with knowing how to manipulate your voice without tension - as for raspiness that can be learned but it takes more experimentation than anything else. What would you need to have? 1. a natural singing ability and 2. a willingness to spend years practicing vocal techniques.

[banglinh222]

is it the pharyngeal resonance that makes Axl Rose's voice sound aggressive like that? did he practice to get that or it's his natural voice?

[RocktheStageNYC]

@banglinh222 - yeah mostly pharyngeal but also a lot of nasality. Its also part of his speaking voice. If you listen to it closely it has a "whiny" quality. He does have some vocal training from his school choir days.

[MatheusMendonca1]

please, did you already watch the Zen of Screaming, from Melissa Cross? What is your opinion about that thecniques? I'm not very convinced of the lessons in that DVD.

[RocktheStageNYC]

@MatheusMendonca1 - Yes I have both "Zen" DVDs and they are not as advertised. The techniques are just fine - for singing - not for screaming. Nothing on her DVDs teaches you how to scream. So to me its false advertising. Her DVDs are mainly infomercials. The bulk of the DVDs (especially Zen Part 2) are students talking about how great she is.

Besides that she has a bad reputation in the vocal teaching community. She backstabs other teachers.

[ougoah]

great! keep it up

[Euphorianna]

Your videos are great.

[RocktheStageNYC]

@Euphorianna - Thanks!

[TheGeneLightShow]

you explained it perfectly. i can hear a huge difference in my voice.

[Fernyz123123]

Celine Dion's The Power of Love and Holy Night and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face are fantastic and exemplary demos for resonance!

[PsuedoSenator]

There is a note in the Celine Dion song All By Myself...that infamous F5 at the song's climax. Does that note in your opinion have resonance and how much? Does that singer sing with resonance?

[RocktheStageNYC]

@PsuedoSenator - Celine Dion is one of the most prolific singers of the last 20 years of course she sings with resonance. She wouldn't have a career if she didn't. She has an incredibly trained singing voice.

[TheSubwaysurfer]

I think about Willie Nelson singing" YOU WERE ALWAYS ON MY MIND!!!" He's doing mega full out "Twang" when he sings THAT lyric! LOL!!! It's easier to recognize and hear that TWANG, with country, but can you give an example of an artist who does this is R& B? I think Lionnel Richie does it, and Sly Stone,, Can you name any contemporary artists who do this?

[RocktheStageNYC]

@TheSubwaysurfer - Oddly enough I was just in a store and heard Stevie Wonder singing "I just called to say (I love you)" - when he sings the line " and I mean it from the bottom of my heart" he does a really obvious twang of his voice on the "mean it" to get the high note.

I've heard Alicia Keys and Beyonce twang a bit as well.

[TheSubwaysurfer]

Kinda like the sound of the CYLON Robot in the old skool "BATTLESTAR GALATICA" series... "....BY YOUR COMMAND..."

[RocktheStageNYC]

EXACTLY!

[HildaMcFumble]

How is this different to vocal fry? It sounds similar to me...

[RocktheStageNYC]

fry is using the edges of the vocal cords, this is using the lowering of the soft palate to get your sound to bounce up into your nasal cavity to create a buzzy overtone

[MomoTheBellyDancer]

Is there a difference between nasal twang and twang that's more in your throat/

[RocktheStageNYC]

yes. Twang can be produced from the nasopharynx or from the oropharynx. It all depends on how high you "ping" the sound in your head. It can "ping" right behind the soft palate or go even more forward into "the mask"/nasal cavity.

The soft palate "ping" is a more desirable, less nasal sounding twang.

[MomoTheBellyDancer]

@RocktheStageNYC

My vocal coach wants me to practice switching from nasal to oral twang. Is that a good method to learn it? Also, I get a properly sounding oral twang when I feel it deep in my throat, but it doesn't feel very comfortable My throat gets dry and I get tired pretty fast. I gather that's not quite right.

[RocktheStageNYC]

@MomoTheBellyDancer - if anything ever feels uncomfortable its not correct. Singing should feel as easy as speech - a little more intense but just as easy. You don't really want to start out nasal. Find the resonance in your chest voice and work your way up. This will ensure you're keeping a good tone to your voice.

[astaire2012]

ahaha!! 5os robot!!! lol awesome

[MaxWa]

Hey, so im taught by an opera singer at the moment, and everything im taught has this loud open (resonant?) feel, the opposite of the little demo you did of a country singer, is this what u mean by resonance or is that something else? thanks :)

[MaxWa]

In fact i take that back this feels much more nasal. But you seem like the guy to ask on this, im really trying to get some falsetto into my repetoire for those soft high notes but i've no idea how to start, i've been listening to freddy mercury on Somebody to Love and he slips into it so fluidly all the time and it doesnt sound breathy at all...how is this??? :) thanks

[RocktheStageNYC]

This is NOT a nasal resonance per se' - its a lowering of the soft palate to allow some nasal resonance but its coupled with a pharyngeal contraction.

Freddie Mercury used both falsetto and head voice effortlessly. He was a master of both.

[MaxWa]

@RocktheStageNYC Hah indeed he is! are there any exercises you know of i can use to start developing my falsetto? thanks :)

[funkydafunker]

Is this like the resonance frequency of an individual's skull ? Like a train rattling too ?

Thanks

[RocktheStageNYC]

resonance lets the sound bounce around inside your skull - letting the sound travel up through the open soft palate gives your voice an "edginess", a metal ring to it. Your voice sounds clearer, and sharper.

[nullsturm]

love your visual aids dude..lol

[corpsesteeler]

ohhhh ok thanks man, that clears a lot up. you rule dude.

[corpsesteeler]

ohh icic, and with resonance i realized its easier to maintain it with an open throat like a yawning sensation. but when im singing with that, the metal bite kinda disapears. would a different larynx position change the place youd feel resonance.

because i found it kinda hard to get that nice resonance in the soft palate with a higher larynx position/ pharyngeal voice.

[RocktheStageNYC]

this kind of resonance is counter to open throat. Open throat technique gives you a more "dark" or "covered" sound. This kind of resonance is more of a lowered palate - "inner smile" approach. A wide back of the mouth feeling rather than a wide, open throat.

The "metal bite" resonance is a pharyngeal contraction with a lowered soft palate.

[corpsesteeler]

so this is the sensation of feelign it in the soft palate?

i find an easy way to start singing like this is by getting to the nearest vowel and using that to help me resonate for the rest of the passage. because i found its easy to resonate like this on vowels expecially "e" with the wild smiley face, then shape it into the rest of the passage with your mouth shape.

what do you mean by trill the soft palate?

is that gargling tone?

btw cant wait for your 2 cds at christmas

[RocktheStageNYC]

yes, proper "middle" resonance should feel like a slight buzz against the very back of the roof of your mouth.

yup - trilling the soft palate sounds like a gargle without water.

[bratboy122101]

For metal singers, is this what causes the transition between cleaner regular vocals and harsher more growly vocals? or are they adding something else to make it sound harsher?

[RocktheStageNYC]

to answer your question: yes and no.

Some metal singers use this technique of epilglottic tunnel contractions to give their voice more of a growly bite - Rob Halford is a prime example of a user of this technique.

Some singers however use more a rattling of other vocal muscles, some trill the soft palate and so on.. There are many ways to make distortion, rattle, growl, grunts creaks, etc.

[leahere247]

will do.. thanks

[leahere247]

I dont know whether I have strained my vocals, bevause when I sang a week ago my voice hurts and later I have a bubble in my throat , now when I sing my voice feels tight and I cant get the right sound how do I get rid of this thingg?

[RocktheStageNYC]

rest...do not sing at all for a couple of weeks and see how it feels

[zombie56]

great videos man thanks a lot...

[pennydog123]

on the 50's scifi robot are you supposed to be nasaly or doesthat just happen?

[RocktheStageNYC]

it shouldn't be too nasal as that would mean you're forcing it into your nose. You're voice should sound like mine does - kind of forward in your face but not too much. Don't force it to go nasal - it should just happen.

[ForeverAnalog]

In Country, twang has more to do with accent, rather than tonality. As many Country singers dont have that nasal resonance, but a few do, when they over do it. Point being- you dont have to have a twang to sing Country style Music.

[RocktheStageNYC]

I didn't mean to imply that one needed twang to sing Country. It id used a lot in Country/Country Pop as a stylistic addition. I can hear when they add it and take it away. Same goes for Metal, Rock, Pop, R&B etc.

[ForeverAnalog]

Yes, I understand. I was just refering to some types of country singers who may overdo like the nasalization of certain vowels. I get annoyed with that .Because the style of Country has more to do with the way you bend the notes and the intonation, rather than trying to force a nasal sound.

[kaichun1021]

Is the "twang" sound the same as the sound you demonstrated from the video about "cord compression"? I am just wondering if the sounds come from the same spot.

[RocktheStageNYC]

Nope, vocal cord compression in maintaining cord closure as you go forward in pitch.

"Twang" is a movement of the pharynx & soft palate. Its called "pharyngeal contractions". It lifts the sound into your nasal cavity and forward in your mouth adding resonance.

[relajadaa]

marry me

haha joke... do you know anything about power metal singing?

[AtariMaxiToriyama]

@relajadaa Everything he teaches IS EXACTLY how to sing power metal.

[singerboy1000]

Dosent that make the tone sound more nazally?

[RocktheStageNYC]

its called "singing in the mask" where the sound seems to come from behind your nose. It does sound nasally at first, but when you master the technique of placing the sound there, you can learn to lighten the effect (back off the nasal twang) or darken the tone so it sounds just as light but less nasal.

[aylawitch]

you rock, dude, you've helped me out a lot! Much appreciation to you!

[albi6822]

Thanks for the videos. Very insightful. It's nice to get a fresh pespective on "twang". Keep up the great work! Peace.

[RocktheStageNYC]

Thanks. Its an easy concept but rarely ever explained or demonstrated with any simplicity.

[kalapoka666]

hi man, your videos are much better than many other phoneys in youtube. can you tell me how do i check if my voice is pitch accurate...if it is hitting the pitch correctly or not?...if not, how do i fix this?

[RocktheStageNYC]

pitch problems can be caused by a few things - breath support, singing beyond your range in chest voice. I'd have to hear your voice.

[kalapoka666]

thanks for the reply man...um..i have noticed that when i am in the low keys, my pitch is not good but when i move up the scale to higher keys, and i am using more of the mask/head, i am more pitch accurate and strong...does this mean i should push my practice register a bit higher or i should practice more of the low keys to fix that? ... also...if youd like to hear my voice, may i send u mp3s or something some time later??? thanks for all the help man!!!

[RocktheStageNYC]

from what you are describing it sounds like your breath support is weak in the lower ranges. As you go higher you are using more air so your support is better. Practice more in the lower keys.

[kalapoka666]

THANKS a LOT. :D i have just registered with your site ...if i was in NY or USA i'd have signed up for lessons...and i cant pay through the net for skype lessons cuz our central bank wont allow it...sigh...keep on helping us people dude...you rock...

[stiffz]

question, is the resonance technique the same as the growling technique? By growling I mean nickelback tone, I've been trying to do that tone for idk, many months, I can't figure out how he does it!!!

sometimes I just press on my throat, but in the end it hurts, so that's obviously wrong.. so please help!!!!

[RocktheStageNYC]

Nope. resonance is just adding clearness or treble to your voice so it appears to sound clearer and louder.

Growl, grit, rasp is another thing entirely.

[ClassicGil]

Thanks for the video!! i learned something

i just want to ask how do you do a vibrato ?

some people said using the diaphram, some people said using your throat..some said you just need to train your voice to sing between a slightly higher note and a lower note quickly..some said you get the virbrato if you know how to do resonance..

I just want to know which one is correct and how do you do it ? THANKS!!

[RocktheStageNYC]

There are several ways to do vibrato - throat, stomach and pitch.

Maybe I'll make a video for that...hmm.

[RocktheStageNYC]

Join my newsletter and you get access to my members only site. I have a video on there about vibrato.

[Burlesquexxx]

You are really great and need to put better headings on your posts, like singing lessons etc so more students can find you. Keep being fantastic i love you x

[RocktheStageNYC]

Thanks so much. I'll re-title my videos a bit per your suggestion. Glad you're learning something. Thats why I'm on here. Too many confusing or overly boring/tedious singing videos on YouTube. Keep singing!