I am here to help YOU!
- Enjoy and be sure to ask lots of questions in my comment box below or any of the other posts or pages
- Oh, yes…do tell your friends and family, Tweet me and have FUN!
- Remember, “you deserve to be heard!”
Questions?
Comment with Facebook
I really struggle with my nerves – I doubt my ability and get very nervous when i sing in public. My throat gets tight and then i sound flat, wobbly knees, shaking hands, feeling panicky etc..
I really want to get over this – to find my inner diva!!
Can you help
I love your videos and i’m glad you have re-appeared
x
Jo,
So good to hear from you. I know what you mean about nerves and I will create a new blog post just to answer your question. Look for it in the next couple of days.
And thanks so much. I truly appreciate your input.
Oh, and did you sign up for the newsletter yet? I just started that new feature, so a lot of the work I do now will be on this blog, so that’s the best place to hang out.
Thanks again,
Joy
P.S. I finished the article. “Nervous Singing – Nervous Shakes”
Hi
Nervous Jo here again – still nervous but trying to be braver.
I would like to know if and when I will be able to sing with some vibrato – I don’t have any.
I listen to others who sound wonderful and I want one!!!
Any tips or ideas
Thanks
Jo
Good to hear that you like the article. I will keep posting for everyone. And remember, if you want to subscribe to my RSS feed or get other updates, you can do that easily by clicking on the RSS link or Twitter icon….then there is the email route. Enjoy!
I appreciate your comments and the forwarding to your old room mate. Very nice of you. Remember, you can get my updates through the RSS feed or follow me on Twitter. Thanks again and come on back when you need a lift!
joy, i’m so glad to have spotted you…i thought you were not doing this anymore. i’m learning vowel modifications, so if you have any resources to learn about this, that would be just wonderful.
Hi,
Yes, I’m still plugging away and hope to be doing more and more as my tech needs are taken care of by people who know more about coding. That will free my hands to help you and others. Vowel modifications. Please give me more specifics about exactly what you want to learn. Thanks.
joy, i’ve just come to realize i never starting getting your emails with tips.
can you look into it for me
videohere@earthlink.net
i’m registered. thanks
Bobby, sorry about that. I’ve been redesigning my singbabysing site and have not posted to the subscriber list for awhile. So I truly appreciate your note here because now I am nearly finished with the other project and can get in gear here. If you don’t get anything in your email within a week, please let me know because I have also been having problems with the comments coming through here on the blog and am getting that fixed.
Thanks,
Joy
Glad to hear you like it enough to have bookmarked it and look forward to you coming back….
Hello Joy
I would really like some tips on how and if I can develop a vibrato – I can’t seem to get one.
thanks
Jo
Hi Jo,
Your question is one that people ask a lot, so I am glad that you asked it. In fact, I will write a post about it because you asked your question here. Stay tuned for that post.
Meanwhile, here is a very short answer:
More soon in a post about vibrato.
Thanks,
Joy
Do you have to have a good voice to sing? Why do people have naturally good singing voices while others do not? Is it God-given? I think that people with good voices can sing even without any experience or lessons in singing. while others take all the courses and singing lessons in the world and still can not sound as good as the people that were born with the ideal voice.
Hi Bunrith,
Great questions and observations!
Although I agree that some people can sing more easily and more beautifully than others, I have also come to realize that much of that “gift” also comes from what the person experienced in the womb, before they were born, and soon thereafter.
Here are a few reasons I think this way now:
Much of my work for the past few years has had to do with research from the scientific community about the impact of a pregnant woman’s voice on the baby developing inside of her, as well as the mother’s voice after the baby is born.
We know that her voice shapes the way a baby begins to communicate.
We also know that the music a mother plays during her pregnancy is recognized by the baby after birth, that pitch perception is given for language development reasons and that a baby responds more to a mother’s singing voice than her speaking voice
There is a lot more about this fascinating topic that you might interest you and others, so stay posted here and watch for upcoming articles I am going to write about it.
You have important things to say and I’d like to keep this conversation going with you.
Thanks again,
Joy
Hello,
i’m Briony and i’m 18 years old. I noticed you had on your youtube account an email address and thought i would love to ask you a few things and for some help maybe.
I personally think I can sing but some other people dont think I can. I really want to get to the best i can be to show people and make them shocked to hear me
I’ve only ever sung whilst trying to infront of a lady before and she said I had a good voice.
I really hope you reply to me because i could really use your help
so heres my problem-
When i sing i get my voice tired out
my voice can go strong i just dont know how to excersise it
my voice sounds better when i sing out of my chest and not my stomach
im not sure how to sing with emphasism
My voice gets to that weird sound when i cant go much further like ahhh eeeeeeahhh sort of thing lol
I also, When i watch your videos, I’m confused as to which goes where and how often to do things.
I tried your mmm-orr excersise which i loved because it was doing it with me and i could follow along with out much talking.
there is also a person who posted up himself playhing scales which i sing with saying ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah going upscale and down.
these do help but i feel as if though im missing out on so much but simply can’t afford it.
I want to be a solo recording artist but i havent been able to afford singing lessons ever.
i have a natural vibrato and im not afraid to use my vocals.
I wwas hopeing you could help me?
maybe give me excersises to do every day to get to my best singing voice?
I’m counting on this as a career because its something i love and could really use the help
I would be forever grateful
From Briony
Hi Briony,
Thanks for posting your thoughts and questions here. Let’s take one at a time.
I’m not sure who the “other people” are, but this is something that just about everyone experiences. I’ve written about this topic before, so go here to find out what you can do about other people’s opinions of your voice.
I really appreciate the fact that you are so aware of your voice and what it feels like. Every one of your observations about your voice helps me to help you more, and the good news is that all of these things you describe can be changed!
Good vocal technique, which can be learned, goes a long way in clearing up these issues with your voice.
I am so glad you mentioned both of these because the other day when I was helping another student I noticed that the way my videos are arranged here on this site (everything on one page with no explanations) I realized that I need to do more work to make it easier for people to follow them in a more logical sequence. And it helps me to know what works for people, so if more examples with scale patterns or breathing patterns helps people, then that is what I need to do.
Ah, yes, I know this feeling too. I grew in a very poor family (someday I’ll write a story about it) and no one helped me financially to get the vocal education I got. I worked to pay for lessons, even singing on street corners with a guitar case open so people could throw coins into it! We call that busking. One time I paid my teacher by bringing a scarf filled with coins to pay her for one lesson. I kept the scarf, of course!
I recommend watching the Irish movie, ONCE. I had the privilege of meeting both of the stars of that movie and I think they have proven that money is not necessarily the issue.
So, don’t ever let lack of money stop you! There are always ways to fulfill your goals. It starts with your mindset.
As for your dream of becoming a recording artist. That is a big dream and big dreams take big efforts. I cannot say whether or not you can or will become a recording artist. There are many more issues involved in a singing career other than just the sound of your voice. Believe me, it is very complicated and it is not easy, but I would never be the one to discourage someone because I cannot know what will happen in the future.
I have many many people wanting help from me, so it seems that I need to put together some exercises (activities) that are totally affordable for people who do not have a lot of money. I know the feeling of being poor and I know the feeling of knowing that I can still accomplish my goals by hard work and determination.
So, Briony, here is what I want you to do because I want to help you as much as I can.
1. Read the 2 articles I linked for you up above.
– it takes much thought and time to help you everyone in my SingingMastermind family!
2. Subscribe to my updates by putting your first name and email address in the box at the right hand side of the page, the one with the big green arrow
3. Ask questions and make comments on the two linked article pages from above
4. Keep doing the exercises that make sense to you
5. And start doing the Dog Pant and the Slow Leaky Tire videos regularly
6. Then do the Resonance 1&2 and the Projection 1&2 videos
7. And most of all, be patient with me
I hope that this will begin to help you a little more and thanks again for posting your questions and comments here.
Joy
Hi, my name is Roxiie. My problem is I have a very nice voice and I sing well in the confinement of my room and close friends, but if I sing for the very first time, for a new person in my life- my voice shakes. I don’t realise that I’m nervous myself but later on they tell me that although they think my voice is good I shake too much. Please help me overcome this because I really feel like it’s holding me ten steps back
Roxiie,
What you are describing is more common that you could imagine.
It all has to do with mindset.
So, here is what I would like you to do: read these 2 articles that I have written about this subject:
After you read them, put comments on those specific pages that tell me something about how you identify (or don’t) with what was written. This will help me to help you more because I’ll get to know you better.
Thanks again and do not worry, this is something you can overcome!
Joy
I have been visiting this site a lot lately, so i thought it is a good idea to show my appreciation with a comment. Thanks!
Hi Joy,
I love your website and the work you put into helping othe people with your girft. I know it doesn’t come easy and that it takes a lot of your time, and I thank you for the inspiration you have given me with all your work. I’m a male tenor, and there is one question that really bugs me and though i’ve asked numberous people, nobody seams really sure with it. When i sing high notes, should my Adam’s Apple move up with my voice? I really want to perfect my high notes and be able to sing with that nice resonant tenor voice, but i don’t know what i should work on. I have found it is possible to sing high notes with and without the adam’s apple moving, (although i have a long way to go to get where i want to be) but which way is correct. i don’t want to strain my voice and i want as much freedom as possible to get the most out of my voice. Please give me your thoughts. your advice always helps me a lot. I thank you in advance.
Jared
Hi Jared,
Thank you for your kind words.
It is my great privilege to help people with their voices and although it does take a great deal of time, I figure that I am investing in people in a way that makes the world a better place and that keeps me going. That and people like yourself who really care about their voices and appreciate the help.
About your Adam’s Apple questions, I think that they are important and so I want to write an article for the site so that I can give more in-depth answers.
Here’s the link to that article.
Are you on my update list? If not, please take a moment to fill in the form at the top right side of the site with your first name and email address, and if you like, click on the Twitter icon to follow me there too. I usually post a Twitter message when I’ve written a new article.
Thanks so much and I hope you will let other people know about my site if they want help with their voices too.
All my best,
Joy
Hello, I’m Stuart Wheeler and I’ve been singing on and off in choirs since high school. I’m probably one of the oldest customers here….let’s just say I remember first hand in ’59 when Alaska and Hawaii became States. Since childhood, I’ve educated myself informally about singing. I’m definitely an untrained baritone voice and since I’m not getting any younger, time’s getting short for me to get up to speed in terms of correct singing hygiene. I have no ambitions beyond singing in a choir unprofessionally. Which leads to this: My breathing is inadequate when singing; I have trouble hitting notes in the upper baritone range; I may have done some damage to my voice at times in the past and, I’m not one to sing solos even before a massive crowd of 4 or 5 people. Finally, what natural vibrato I sing with is not consistent within my vocal range. For definition purposes, natural vibrato is something that cannot be trained in or, forced. It emerges only after all the other aspects of proper singing hygiene are in their correct places. Yeah, it sounds old school but, my very first serious exposure to singing was classical or, opera. But my own personal preference is singing sacred music and hymns. To sum up, I would desire any assistance at least to improve on with what I have left, after these many years. And, any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!! SJW.
Hi Stuart,
Nice to have you visit the site and ask questions.
From everything you have described to me, including your notes about vibrato, it seems to me that you already have the answer.
What I mean is that you mentioned that your “breathing is inadequate when singing.” This is the cause of almost all problems in singing.
What kind of breathing exercises do you do already? Are you aware of which direction your diaphragm is going (in or out) when you inhale and exhale?
Tell me more about how you breath for singing and we’ll go from there.
Thanks,
Joy
Thank you for promptly getting back to me which is more than what can be said for other professionals at least from where I sit here in Washington, DC. To be blunt with you, I know that when a person sings, the diaphragm is supposed to be doing the work of supporting the notes whether it’s in chest voice or, head voice. I know the theory of singing from the layman’s point of view; actually doing it is another story for me. Since I don’t publicly sing anywhere at present (aside from the shower or, in my residence), I have no reason to practice…as I said, I’m not singing in the choir presently. HOWEVER, I am seriously considering joining a church choir within the next 2 weeks or so…only to get a feel as to how well or how bad I am doing BEFORE things start in earnest in September for the season. Breathing on my back to the floor is fine; standing on my feet presents a major challenge of diaphragmatic breathing. I run out of air at mid phrases…always needing air to keep going. It is a struggle for me to hit notes even in my upper range not matter how I breathe…it’s a quick way for me to lose my voice if I don’t press things too hard. 30 minutes of singing is all I’m good for at once. I don’t know if I answered your question…physically I need to be in better shape even at my age of 58. When I breathe in, my chest expands and when I exhale, my chest deflates. Regardless of everything else, I would say that my breathing or lack thereof is critically first in priority. Maybe I’m too late at my age . I don’t know. I’m sorry about writing a book here, however, I’ve answered you the best of my ability. Thank you. [SJW]
Glad to be of assistance.
I’m going to give you a simple suggestion and then ask you to try it.
Then I would like you to reply on this thread about what you observed about your voice or your breathing when you try it.
Instead of thinking about the diaphragm or the chest when you breath, support your voice with the muscles below your belly button.
I know it sound strange, but trust me, I can give you all the academic reasons why I am suggesting this, but that just takes up our time.
Try it standing up. Forget about everything else except experiencing the joy of singing.
Forget about the choir, forget about your age, forget about all the things that are stopping you from getting what you want with your voice.
This is all about making a change in your singing mindset.
After your try to feel the sheer joy of singing while letting the muscles below your belly button support your tone, check out the link on singing mindset and see if there is anything in any of those articles that help you.
Thanks for your trust. I am here to help!
Joy
P.S. And if you read any of those articles (or all of them) I’d sure appreciate any observations or comments that you might have on the pages that have the articles on them. Thanks again!
Hello, Joy. This is only to confirm that I’ve read your answer a few minutes ago about forgetting everything as mentioned and sing for the “joy” of it. I shall do as you instructed and, I’ll get back to you in the not too distant future after reviewing “mindset”. Profuse thanks. Stuart.
Hello, Joy. Today is June 7th as I write. I believe I’m ready to respond after 3 or 4 days of digesting your comments dated June 3rd as well as the singing mindset material along with the others. You are correct in stating to forget about everything which would steal from me the “wants” that I have in terms of singing and more importantly….dare I say “self gratification” or joy of singing. I need to share because of my emotional make up, I have sung alone and in a congregation where the music is soooo moooooving that it totally breaks me up and I start crying (and I mean crying with moans). The emotional impact hits me so hard that it is unavoidable and I can’t finish singing until I pull myself back together. An example of a song which would cause me to cry would be “You’ll Never Walk Alone” which Jerry Lewis would “attempt” to sing after his Labor Day Telethon which I’m sure you’re familiar with. I never get “goosebumps” over anything I sing per se….I will cry and cry instead if I’m impacted. Having said all that, what I got out of what you explained to me is I should care about anything which would interfere with singing, even people. If they like it, fine. If not, tough. Let the damn chips fall where they may in the light of that. As far as singing from below the belly button is concerned, yes, I’ve done it and I believe it provides better breath support as I sing however, it’s not automatic. It is a challenge in that it’s a new thing my body has to do but I’m sure with enough practice and time, I won’t have to even think about it after awhile. I kind of adopted a new philosophy about my singing: “Get out of the way….step back and allow the body to do it’s work in it’s job of singing.” At the same time, I MUST take a pro-active approach towards taking care of the voice, the larynx and the body which houses them both. Which needs no explaining. And so, where do I go from here? I’m asking basically, aside from reading and digesting further the material on your website, do you teach lessons through the internet and how much per session? I really like your down to earth “corny” approach to singing and to students despite your vast and professional expertise in voice pedagogy. I appreciate it and thank you. Stuart.
Hi Stuart,
I did not see this comment until today, so sorry I didn’t answer sooner.
This emotional response that you described is kind of great, I think. Most people are afraid to show how they feel so you can actually use the energy of that feeling to help your voice.
Here’s how: When you feel the tears coming, breathe in slowly and deeply several times until the feelings start “lining up” with your breath. In other words, bring the emotional power of your feelings into your breath. Don’t fight the feelings or think that you have to “control” them or get rid of them. Use them to empower your singing breathing. Once you feel the emotions lining up with your slow steady breathing (using the below the belly button concept) then begin to let out a few sounds on “mmmmm” very gently.
If you are in a meeting when this happens and there is music playing that has moved you, let the soft “mmmmm” sound come into a note in the music. Or, let the note from the music come into your voice and flow with the note. You don’t need words to do this and you don’t even need a whole ton of notes. Start by letting your emotional responses that result in the crying and moans you described shape your breathing by your desire to sing. Once your emotions have been “surrounded” by your slow steady breathing, then let the note release itself. The deep muscles that are activated in crying are the ones that we use in singing so this is a great way to get in touch with them for singing.
And thanks for your comments about my approach to teaching. I have always believed that learning should be fun because people more easily absorb the important information they need if they enjoy the process.
By the way, the muscles that we use in laughing are the same ones we use in crying and as I mentioned above, these are the muscles below the belly button that empower the voice so much!
Keep me posted about your progress.
Joy
Stuart,
I forgot to mention that I do teach over the internet. I will send you a separate email about the prices since I do not have the payment page set up on this site yet. I am working on another format for the site and the price page and signup forms will be included on that updated site. For now, I’ll send you an email and we can go from there.
Thanks,
Joy
Joy,
I appreciate you getting back to me; was beginning to wonder well, did I fall through the cracks. I figured that you’re quite busy. Since I’m not working and don’t have a family, time is all I have. For what it’s worth, I have for the past 20 years have held on to ministerial credentials of a non- denominational Florida based organization that has been in existence for quite a number of years reaching as far away as Africa and India; however, I am currently inactive as far as church work is concerned apart from hoping to sing someplace in a church choir. Which brought me to you…so, I’m back where I started in my search of lessons. God bless you, Joy. Rev. Stuart J. Wheeler. P.S. Continue to address me by my first name. Thanks.
Hi Stuart,
As promised, I sent you an email with the details about private lessons with me.
If you do not see it, please check your spam file.
Kindly,
Joy
I noticed an error in my last message. The following sentence above reads: “Having said all that, what I got out of what you explained to me is I should care about anything which would interfere with singing, even people. If they like it, fine. If not, tough.” It SHOULD read: “Having said all that, what I got out of what you explained to me is I should NOT care about anything which would interfere with singing, even people. If they like it, fine. If not, tough.” I’m sorry for the error. Stuart.
No problem on the error. I understood what you meant.
Hello!
First of all, I am a fan of your videos and teaching all the way back since you uploaded your first video on youtube. They make me happy! Please continue what you do, you are an inspiration! I never really contacted you, since I was searching all the answers to my problems by myself and doing your exercises, but I figured I might aks you a question regarding one problem which sticks with me for years.
Contrary to what I read very often from people, my voice is in the very best shape the minute I wake up in the morning. I am male (23) and my speaking voice is in the middle, not high, not low. Usually to warm up I do all sorts of crazy sirens, similar to the silly spinning siren you posted, and even sing in the shower all the crazy scales and trills. I can slide those sirens in a range of full 4 octaves, from the low bass F# to the high soprano F# and my voice feels free and unlimitied in the early morning. I also don’t feel difficulty doing it or holding any of the notes with a free fast vibrato and change of dynamics. Speech is easy to, and I can immitate an expressive voice-actor like tone, something like what you demonstrate in your latest shower video.
Sadly, this state of my voice never lasts very long. It is there for some 2 hours and after, as the day progresses, singing and speaking just keeps getting harder, to the level that I sometimes in the evening can’t produce proper head voice at all, just a pushed breathy sound and my speech feels heavy as well. The interesting thing is that this happens independent of hydration, or how much I’ve been speaking or singing (voice usage) that day and where I’ve been. In fact, if I stay silent the whole day and sing only 1 minute every hour, the same thing happens and I can gradually notice myself loosing my free voice.
Some people who heard me sing in the morning were extremely impressed by my singing, but what stops me from even entering a choir is the fact that my ability slowly fades away trough the day.
If I had to describe how I feel the problem later in the day, it would be difficulty in acheeving phonation, or closing the vocal folds to phonate. While in the morning I can feel the smallest part of my head voice, the tiny sharp sound on which I base all the other sounds, in my whole range. In the evening I can produce a tone only if I try to push. It’s as if my cords aren’t able to close at all. Or as if something (maybe a tension) keeps them so opened and streched that it takes whole night of sleep for the state to improve completely.
My first aim was analyzing what it could be. I suppose it is not a problem of a technical nature, because I don’t approach a tone in the morning any different than in the evening. It’s the inability of the voice to respond what is causing this. Because there is obviously a problem which happens in the daytime, something what causes it, which I don’t have in the night, when the voice recovers, my first guess was breathing, but I am not sure it is to be honest, because I don’t breathe in a shallow way, at least it doesn’t seem so to me, plus a singing teacher instructed me on breathing. But on the other hand maybe it is a problem, I don’t know anymore. I can’t really figure it out, I’ve tried eliminating various foods, drinking more water, drinking less water etc. in hope to find a variable which might be causing this but the same things always happens. And interestingly, if I take a nap in the afternoon, the condition does improve a bit in those 1-2 hours of sleep. So it’s definitely something what influences my voice while I am awake/standing/sitting/walking.
Any ideas? Thank you in advance for your answer and again, continue what you do with your positive attitude. The world would be a happier place if more people would have half of your joy in their everyday life.
Hi,
Thank you for your kind words. It is wonderful to hear from you, especially since you have been following my Youtube videos for so long.
You have done an excellent job of describing the vocal problem you are having and I have answered by giving you singing help in a post article that I wrote for that reason.
Please read this post and then if you have more questions, write them in the comments section on that page.
Thank you again for your encouraging words and please let me know if the answers I wrote in the article help you.
Joy
Hi Joy,
I ordered the lesson on the tongue (lesson 4) and I received an email with a password and a link for download. However, when I clicked on the link, I got the following error message:
Not Found, Error 404
The page you are looking for no longer exists. Perhaps you can return back to the site’s homepage and see if you can find what you are looking for. Or, you can try finding it with the information below.
Can you please let me know how to get to the page and download the lesson?
Thank you,
Deann Stevens
Hi Deann,
Sorry about that inconvenience.
We were working on the back end of the website last night and one of the links must have gotten changed without our realizing the results.
My apologies. The problem is being fixed this morning and I will email you the link (I have already sent it!) that should now work. Please let me know if you have any problems with the download. It is a big file so it takes quite awhile to download.
If you have any questions about the lesson or have other questions about your voice, I am here to help so be sure to get everything you can from me so that you can find new ways to Free Your Voice!
Thanks for your understanding.
Joy
Hi Joy
do you have any advice about exercises to help gain an open throat to retract the false vocal folds to deconstrict the voice, especially when atttempting to sing higher notes. I still feel a tightness when i sing up my range towards high C….
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Jo
x
Hi Jo,
Good to hear from you but I am sorry you are experiencing difficulties.
My first suggestion is what I tell everyone. It actually has to do with an informal policy of mine in my teaching, which is NOT to use complicated physiological terminology while learning how to free the voice from the kinds of tension you are describing.
So, first free yourself from the complicated terminology.
Next, think differently and focus on the upper area in your mouth rather than your vocal cords area.
Most of all, and this may sound odd, but think about your high notes as being out in front of you rather than down in your vocal cords or “above” you.
It’s interesting to me that you should write today about the very subjects I am working on at the moment for the upcoming affordable singing lessons launch, which is so close now I can smell the roses! I noticed that you are signed up to be notified when they launch, so keep watching because the lessons will truly begin soon if no major calamity hits.
What I am working on today is the 2nd lesson in the series and has to do directly with placement of your mindset first before you try to “place” the voice for high notes and it also has to do with understanding how sound actually works in the body and mind. We often get it all wrong and the more I prepare these lessons and get questions like yours and others, the more I realize how crucial the foundational principles are and how they need to be taught with much more simplicity than I see being used around me.
The 1st lesson deals specifically with the “throat.”
My goal is to launch the lesson series after I get the 2nd lesson completed and a few other minor tech issues worked out.
I hope you will be able to take advantage of the lessons when I launch them, but for now, simplify your thinking process, forget about the false vocal folds,retraction, deconstrict, etc. and think about the high tones out in front of you instead of down in your vocal cords or above you.
Did you watch the Free Your Voice Tip#8 – Your Brainy Voice? You should have received a link and password for it. Let me know if you have watched it or not.
I hope that helps.
Hang in there.
Joy
Actually, I just changed the name of Lesson 2. It is now called “Spiral Tones” and I am getting very excited about the concept!
When you sing the high notes, think of a spiral of sound going out in front of you. I know it sounds a bit different, but trust me, this thing is powerful for setting voices free, especially on the high tones.