VOICE CONSULATION...WITH DAVID

Voice Consultation

Our voice consultation service is a complement to the critique forum where you can get your songs reviewed by fellow amateur singers like yourself.

What this service offers is a temporary or ongoing e-mail report with David, creator of the Singing At Heart method, to help the amateur singer progress and maybe even take it to the next level with a career. As such our focus is not voice teaching per se, but voice coaching which emcompasses everything from general pointers on technic, but also mentoring, confidence building, song choice, expressive abilities, career choices and other related elements.

Note that the voice consultation is offered completely free of charge!

Here is how it works :

• You get in contact with David, and explain to him what your needs are or areas of trouble
• After that initial contact, you'll be asked to send a mp3 of you singing (whether it's karaoke or accapela)
• We will send you a review with an assessement of your voice, pointers of areas to improve, etc 

FAQ

1. Can anyone sign up for the voice consultation ?
Yes. Anyone is welcome no matter what their level is and there are no prerequesites.

2. What are your credentials as a voice teacher?
None. We don't have any credentials as voice teacher, and we do not advertise ourselves as such!! In fact in our disclaimer we strongly recommend to anyone who wants to learn how to sing to seek training with a competent local teacher -even a few lessons will help. Online you can try the "National Association of Teachers of Singing" (nats.org) and consult their database for a teacher near you.

3. Do you offer any guarantees ?
No. We can't offer any guarantees, given that this service is for entertainment only. Our focus is coaching and support on a peer-to-peer basis.

4. Is this service really free, and why do you do this ?
Yes. it is 100% free! If you feel like making a donation to the site we'll appreciate it! But your donation must remain anonymous so every person we consult is treated equally independant of whether they helped our site or not.
As to why I do this - it's out of passion for music and singers! I've always believed in the power of the voice to make us feel better and touch other people, and if there's any way I can nurture this talent in someone who wants to do so I will. To learn more about me I suggest you read my story.

7 PHILOSOPHICAL VOCAL TIPS TO BEGIN...By David

1. Singing should be easy as breathing...so when you sing think "breath": Do you tense, or brace your neck to breathe? no! do you hurt, or bend out of shape? no! Before singing place yourself in a position that will free your voice, and remember that singing is all about the natural flow of sound through and within you.

2. Be aware of mind-blockers that may prevent you from "freeing" your voice...ie shyness, vocal self-hate, cultural and commercial stereotypes in music...The voice you have is special and unique and it should be offered unaldutered to the world to do what it's supposed to. Being less than yourself vocally is cheating yourself and others of something authentic. So self-love for the singer definitively starts with vocal self-love.

3. Know your voice type...when learning how to sing get some basic information on voice types so you'll understand what your "comfortable range" (or tessitura) is. That's the range you need to strenghten and build on before worrying about expanding your range...Here are the main voices types from highest to lowest ranges (Females: soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto - Males: tenor, baritone, bass). Essentially this means that if you're a female you won't sing a song by Barry White without raising the key, and if you're a guy you wouldn't sing a Mariah Carey song in the same key as the original.

4. If you want to sing high start singing low first!...people neglect the lower register as popular radio teaches us that the voices worth adoring we the high belting voices, but you can't access high notes healthily without a well developped lower range. Think as your instrument as a "tower" : you don't start building a tower by the top floor right?! You first lay the foundation, and ensure that it's solid and able to support each floor that you put on top of it. So strenghten your instrument by starting with the lower register.

5.  Being powerful isn't being loud...yelling at someone across the street is being loud, being powerful is focusing your message has "impact"...Power comes within, whereas loudness is all show and pretence. Unfortunately most pop singers confuse the two..If as a singer you want to be powerful learn how to focus, control and own your energy. The minute you want to impress others, try too hard, or lose faith you cease being in control of your energy!! and you lose power. Power is confidence and the certainty that with the mere use of your voice you can create, transform, change, and even heal.

6. Remember to be melodic... You probably say your voice is an "instrument", which is true: your voice can create and reproduce the most beautiful and melodically complex pieces any instrument can. But for that you need to pay attention!! if your focus is on being loud, ad-libing, you'll forget that your voice has to create an agreable and melodic sound. So always think melody, and always think movement.

7. Furthermore for your voice to have movement be aware of space and time...Here's the truth: sound is not a static or linear thing; it floats, moves, twirls, circles and creates forms in a 3-dimensional space that can mimic the movement of a leaf suspended in the air. Or the tides in the ocean. As a singer, you want to think of yourself as a painter who is using their voice as a blush wandering on a blank canvas; Each step and turn of your voice guided by your imagination, till you end up with a fully painted toile that makes sense somehow... So remember you're not just singing "notes", you're agencing those notes in space and time in a way that will never again be reproduced by anyone.