Free Voice Lesson: Strengthening the Mix with Voice Yoga

[TacticalTuckFard]

Thank you so much for this! I tried Singing Success and found head voice, but couldn't get rid of the tension so the transition was very weak and inconsistent. I found your chewing exercise about a week ago and immediately found the release of tension I was looking for. In 15 minutes you did more for me than Singing Success did in 2 years. I actually gave up for a while.

[pngebhardt]

I have the mix down pretty well and I've gotten fairly good at keeping relaxed and active. My only problem is the limitations on my upper chest voice (i.e. Christina Aguilera's "Bound to You" at the break and last chorus). How can I strengthen this part of my range without losing the great sound of my active alto range? Thanks!

[96hemisfear]

One question! please please please reply to this . I have been workin on my mix for a while now and i try to relax as much as possible and my mix is all wobbly i dont get the right balance i mean i just cant get that gripped feeling to control it i hold a note in my mix and it wobbles like nuts haha but above A5 its all good and strong . well not exactly strong but i get that burst in my voice and anything above C5 is just how i want it to be hahah my voice is all over the place need help.

[lilyhp27]

I love this guy! Sooo helpful! Thank you!

[TCALEGIC]

question- I have a paralyzed vocal cord..any suggestions? Ive seen an ENT where he inserted a block in the paralyzed side. but my voice is still raspy and low. Its not loud at all! HELP!

[umwha]

DAMN U GOOD

[iTzJimBoi]

You're probably the only teacher that I've watch that has an actually solid connection between your registers. When you were chewing, I heard only 1 register being used. Unlike other videos on this website where the teachers make it difficult for beginners by not having a well developed mixed, I finally understood what a mixed was from you. THANK YOU!

[caroljm36]

Ah, exactly the problem I'm having....more to work on!

Thanks

[zachhutchins]

Im trying to be serious and learn to sing but all i can do is laugh when you do the chewing thing ! lol

[stebolian]

hi, i am stuck on a technique that i feel is impossible, yet a guy some how does it, he sings with a deep chest voice and a high head voice at the same time, and its an octave apart, see downlode singing sweet child of mine on youtube, and he switches to the voice at 3:05 then normal voice, then at 3:22, then back to normal then again at 5:01. he does it in a number of songs when he wants high power, his voice transforms , its awesome live as it sends shiver down ones spine, what's he doing?

[stebolian]

thanks for lessons, you look like guy smiley too

[benjaminwilliams00]

Hey John, thanks very much for your lessons, they very helpful! I'm in the process of trying to connect my chest and head voice and Im finding it very easy to do it with vowels like "e" and "u" but when I use things like ah, my head voice goes weak and breathy and I also cant sing as high. I've tried holding my breath and it does help abit but not as much as I want. can you help me please?? thank you., Ben

[TennantMary]

Thanks John! I am using this tech to help me with my speech. God Bless

[anunirvana]

very helpful exercises,thnk u !!U rock!!

[jjjcc3]

Wow! this works on the first try! I can see that, with practice, you can only get better without straining your voice. Very, very helpful! thank you!

[ryschun]

thanks, but I can"t sing " U " with this on this way)))

[StitchBeatbox]

hey man thanks for the really detailed tutorial.. =)

just wanna check with you, how do you tell the difference between a pushy falsetto and a mixed voice? my biggest problem is not being able to recognise when exactly i am singing in mixed voice.

[thienfoil]

because of this vid, i just now figure out how to use my mixed voice but it is not strong yet. Thank you.

[Thomasoekland1]

Thanks dude... this tips has been really helpfull for me :-)

[TheJoofy]

He looks like he's from Half Life

[StitchBeatbox]

@TheJoofy hello mr freeman......

[Virginia250392]

I have the opposite problem. I've been classically trained and only know how to use my head voice. Over the past 2 years i've started broadway lessons so am belting again but am really struggling to merge the two.

[TommARILyNMonroe]

this guy's excellent. mix voice has been a constant struggle for me and i don't think it's something I'm going to master any time soon, but all the advice here is clear, coherent and professional. well worth following.

[sacredsinger]

You are a live saver man! I've been dealing with this for YEARS! I know i have a reasonable range but i always get confused on how much push to give when i approach higher notes.

[gvigorus]

Thank you so much for this video. This has been SO helpful to me!!! Brilliant, and your smile is very encouraging:)

[wricci93]

ke kazz vu?????

[christiantry]

thank you.

you're saving my voice :]

[JohnScott551]

In falsetto, the main (modal) vocal cord is blown apart and is disconnected. In the connected head voice sound, the vocal cords are active (my word here) which means they are adducting, though not in the same way they do in chest voice. Putting in lyrics is more difficult because of the many things your tongue will have to do. Keep feeling for the active buzz sound--you're on the way!!

[mnunezper]

what do u mean with "active sound",is there any anatomical diference between head voice and falsetto?.cause I started to do a lot of "hum"s, trying to relax my jaw and larynx, then scales with "Ah's"the resultant sound sounds pretty well and many people have told me that Im in the head voice,and I feel that is a very supported falsetto with ressonance in the facial mask... Im not sure if Im doing rght, cause every time I put the lyrics,in what Im singing and it starts to sound a bit a falsetto

[ravingdave900]

after long searching i still hav no clue what the 'mix' is or even wat 'head voice' is. when i sing i hav chest and then if i try to go high, falsetto.

[littleyellowgrl48]

You know that break you reach once your chest voice gets so high it virtually ends? Past that break is your head voice IF it is well-supported. Mixed voice is a little of head voice and a little of chest voice, but it's achieved when your head voice is VERY strong. I think it's really difficult to achieve. Really, if you've got difficulty and you want to do what I do, use your falsetto as a trick to come out of chest voice really fast up to falsetto and then back to chest.

[1JadArdat1]

Hey! I love your questions but I NEED YOUR HELP! I used to be able to sing really well, but then i went through a vocal change. How DO you sing in mix and how do you sing in head voice, because i always sing falsetto but i hate it! If you could make a video on HOW to sing in mix, and how to expand vocal range, like techniques, I will be FOREVER in you debt!!!! Thanks so much!

[ILkBigButts]

look up singing success

[1JadArdat1]

I did, But I dont have Enough money to buy his programs

[MegaJulio05]

I feel like i am in the mix and doing it right but i seem to have a somewhat breaky sort of rough and weak voice in that area. Am i doing something wrong or is it going to get better in time???

[VoiceYoga]

Almost everyone laughs when they do these exercises. Part of it is that I look hilarious, but it also has to do with how the brain handles tension. When we become aware of tension and the relief of it, our brain makes new connections, and laughter is the natural response. My students literally laugh their way through their lessons much of the time.

-John

[littleyellowgrl48]

I never knew what "locking the jaw" meant until I watched this video. All voice teachers tell you to drop the jaw, but then they add "don't lock it." And THAT is confusing. But then I watched your video, and I understand the difference. Anyway, I used your technique to work on a new song, and I think it might have helped Thanks.

[Misana]

@VoiceYoga yeash i laugh too

[littleyellowgrl48]

It's hard for me to practice this without giggling. :D

[littleyellowgrl48]

BTW, favorited.

[christiexjmdmj]

interesting....

I'll have to try some of this.

[howweuse]

I want so badly to take this seriously but the way he keeps a straight face with those silly sounds cracks me up every time.

[christiexjmdmj]

I definitely agree! I keep cracking up... :)

[ryanyunck]

Great lesson!

[drifanti]

Contin: Antother issue is, my voice has been in not so good shape and unusually phlegmy, that kind that makes the voice break when one does cry tilt. Any sggestions? Thanks very much!

[LadyOlivia35]

Avoid milk products. I take NAC (N-Acetyl Cystein), a natural supplement that can thin mucous. Eat grapefruit regularly as well (though grapefruit can counterindicate some prescription meds).

[drifanti]

Hi. Thanks for the video! It proved to be very helpful. Now the questions :-)

I guess I do understand the concept of the mix but I feel my mix happens a bit higher than it's normally used in male (tenor) songs. And I can only control it higher past that bridge.

And for instance when you hummed up into a mix it;s hard to tell you're not on full chest voice whereas mine doesn't sound as abrupt change between chest and falsetto but it's chest - hightened falsetto (hightenedfalsetto= mix?).

[ethi0chick]

i cant move my jaw.

only my lips. lmao

[LatteeA]

totally hilarious :D

[s2mzscomlo1014]

(Cont..) Also, I just wanted to add, that I have a high range in my falsetto register. I am able to reach the high C, but usually I stop at about an A flat. In my chest voice, I'm able to reach down and sing, comfortably, to about a low F. I'm pretty confident in my chest voice, and even when I sing in the Alto section, I'm switching back and forth from chest to falsetto and the sounds are so drastic. When in falsetto, it's so thin, I'm not much help to my section. Hope this helps more.

[s2mzscomlo1014]

I thought head voice and falsetto were the same thing. My chest voice starts to breaks around G above middle C then naturally wants to switch to falsetto. My falsetto voice is breathy without much volume and "Micky Moush-ish" sounding to me. My choir director has me singing in the soprano section saying that I just need to strengthen those muscles. My mind doesn't know how to make my voice use head voice instead of falsetto. What do I need to do different?

[VoiceYoga]

If you're feeling exhausted, it could be because you're getting an active vocal cord but your larynx is high. This would also explain your voice being too loud. Put your finger on your larynx (adams apple) and yawn, Try the exercises not too heavy keeping your larynx down, and you should feel some improvement.

[TintinMilou111]

It looks so easy in your videos. Besides it`s a bit too loud when I do it. I also sound like a e-guitar when I sing with a "sad voice". What`s wrong wih me? I would be glad about an early answer.

With kind regards from Germany!

[TintinMilou111]

Recently I watched a video of a singing teacher and he explained it similarly. He wanted us to sing high notes with a voice like being sad. That sounded like your active vocal chord notes. I guess he gave us the exercise because he dtried to prevent us from singing falsetto. Is that right? What`s your opinion about his approach? I attempted it and it worked, it was easy as well, but for a few days I feel exhausted everytime I try to do these exercises.

[BBoyMkl]

this is great!! I would to know how can I sing high notes like B4, C5, D5,with a miked and full voice like in chest..can you explain me this if it is possible for you?

i hardly train..i dont want to scream or similar..vocal cords must work easily without tension..i have to know how..in high notes..please help me..

thanks..

[muzic4you]

Please always post up videos like these. I'm totally in love with the techniques. Beautiful work! I'm lovin it!

[aboxguitar]

I just got this VoiceYoga program yesterday, and it is great! I have never seen voice lessons like this, and by the time I get through the first release lesson I feel my pitch is on better than its ever been. Great stuff!! I just wish there was more! More mix voice and head voice lessons that is.

[aboxguitar]

Nice exercise, the chewing and humming one, pretty neat.

[whaththeeee]

THAT'S RIGHT SEE YEAHHHH !

[zevasthian]

Thank you so much, this exercise really works miracously

[VoiceYoga]

If you're having trouble singing in your chest voice, you should try speaking your notes on pitch. If you can talk your notes you'll begin to align your vocal cords properly. A bass should sing mostly in chest voice.

[joeydoraemon]

Actually for the past few weeks I have been practising but I don't feel much improvement.

I searched about Alexander Technique but little of them give concrete ways to achieve relaxing my jaw. Can you give some suggestions on sites teaching Alexander Technique?

[aboxguitar]

Goto his website and get the program its wonderful, 10 lessons with about 10 exercises in each lesson videos and audio tracks to practice anywhere you want, good stuff.

[bingengot18]

Does this also applies to me?Im a bass singer so obviously I cant sing much in my chest so i have to sing In the mix. But the prob is its very weak. And most songs dwell in my voice break , How fortunate hehehe

[VoiceYoga]

It can take some weeks to really relax the jaw while singing. That's the bad news. But the good news is that you're now aware of it, and can begin to understand why your singing voice wasn't free. If you are like many, who need extra help relaxing the jaw, I'd suggest working with the Alexander Technique. Check it out on line and maybe you can find someoene to work with in person. Meanwhile, I'll try to post another video for you to give you some next steps.

[joeydoraemon]

I still feel quite hard to relax my jaw.

Does the bottom of my skull comes soft if I am relaxing correctly?

Sometimes I would find place where I can temporary relax my jaw, but whenever I add words to it, it automatically lock up.

[joeydoraemon]

Sometimes I can make a sound with my jaws tight, but the voice is weak, not sustaining and very quiet. Am I doing it right?

[VoiceYoga]

Usually students have trouble making a strong sound with their jaw relaxed. But this is the goal, to make a full resonant sound while keeping the jaw released and flexible. If it's difficult, don't be discouraged. Everyone is the same. Look for tension around the neck, at the base of the skull. If you relax your neck, you have a better chance to relax your jaw.

[joeydoraemon]

When I try to open my jaw, I tend to open my jaw acutally with my muscle, not my hand.

What should I do?

[VoiceYoga]

It is best to relax your jaw, and then gradually activate your vocal cords. When you feel your jaw tighten, back off. Expect the jaw release to take two to four weeks if you practice once a day for ten minutes.

[joeydoraemon]

Yeah, I'll try on that.

Although I try very hard to concentrate and relax my jaw, whenever I want to make a higher sound, my jaw automatically tighten.

I will practise for some more time, but should I:

1. Try to practise and gradually relax my tightened jaw until it is relaxed enough; OR

2. Try different ways until I find a way to sing with a relaxed jaw in the first place?