The Voice of Hank Williams Sr

I had an interesting gig last Thursday. I booked veteran studio vocalist friends Margie Cates and Michael Black to drive out to Hartford, Tn with me and sing on Jet Williams' new album. She is the daughter of Hank Williams, senior. This was contested for quite a while by her brother Hank, but it was adjudicated that she is indeed his half-sister. It was a blast. Bobby Bradley was the engineer who hired us. Bobby is the nephew of the great Owen Bradley, who produced among others Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Buddy Holly.

I was raised listening to my father play Hank Williams songs at our kitchen table to relax after his job as an air traffic controller. It gave me a rush to watch Jet pull out her father 's old acoustic guitar upon which he recorded "Your Cheating Heart". She smiled as I touched the strings. When I turned it over, I could see the worn wood where Hank had held it against him, and there was a scratched place on the front near the bridge where many pick strokes had scraped wood.

She also played us a part of an old radio show that her father sang and did a comedy bit on. This audio ended up in a dumpster at one time. It and many other audio shows were rescued, remastered and will be included in an upcoming Hank Williams Sr. release you will be hearing about in a few months.

This chance meeting with the past reminded me of the first time I ever played the Grand Ole Opry and stood on that worn wood circle they kept at the mic, saved from the original floor. Also the first time I played the Tonight Show and stood behind the curtain waiting to go on, in a spot where so many had waited their own turn in the past.

Hank Williams died way too young, a victim of his substance abuse. But he left a legacy of music that lives on. May we always honor the ones who came before (in every genre), and may we seek to make the kind of music that is good enough to live on, blessing people way beyond our time. If my son remembered his mother's song, I'd say this would be the ultimate in vocal success.

Fyi... www.music-and-technology.com is a cool site I've found exploring the web for info you might need. According to their blurb, this site has "Resources for the Recording Musician", including Message Board, How To Guides, Required Reading Book List, Links/Directory, and more. Let me know if you find any good spots!

Originality of Voice

In this post I'm going on a stretch with my blog theme "All Things Vocal". I'm going to talk about vocal originality- in this case defined as "What Do I Have To Say That's Original?". I've been tagged by my blog mentors "The Blog Squad" http://www.buildabetterblog.com/2007/04/tagged_again_be.html who were in turn tagged by Mohit Singhania at Best Blog Basket to be part of his project called Be Original. We are asked to share several ways that we create original content for our blogs. So here is a list of how I come up with original content for this blog:

1. Insights from my ongoing coaching experiences. I seem to learn some new way to teach a vocal technique every week... sometimes every day!

2. Experiences from my own performances.
Many times I get a "light bulb" insight from noticing what works (or doesn't) for me when I'm singing vocals in the recording studio or on stage.

3. My opinions on controversial issues. Contests, major label vs indie label advantages and disadvantages, vocal techniques I hear about, even what makes a valid or successful vocal performance are some issues about which I like to argue my point.

4. Teachings from my own trademarked coaching method. "Power, Path & PerformanceTM" http://www.judyrodman.com/ is my offering to the body of effective vocal training, and is unique in its focus on the synergy between breath, open throat and communication.

5. Reporting, commentary and review of trends in the current music biz. I glean info from my contacts, media news and Internet sources.

6. News from my clients and students. I like to encourage a sense of community instead of rivalry among voices. I share news of TV shows, songs cut, contest tryouts and placements, awards, signings, live tours, events, recording projects and other news from people with whom I work. I encourage attending each other's performances. We celebrate each other's journey, whether we're up or down.

If any of you have a blog, please consider yourself "tagged"! If you'd like to join the challenge, see this link to learn the "rules" of adding your own list of ways to add original content to your posts: http://bestblogbasket.blogspot.com/2007/04/be-original.html

Now, dear readers of my blog, would you please take a moment, click on "comments" link below this post, and tell me what YOU'D like me to write about? After all, this blog is useless unless it is of use to YOU! Join the conversation and the community! Thank you very much...Judy

Articulation: Got too much?

OK, so there's a downside to too much articulation. If you "grab" your words too strongly, you will be perceived as:

• Angry
• An amateur
• Insincere (I think it was Shakespeare who wrote "Me thinks he protesteth too much")

Truly over-pronounced words will also cause tongue and jaw tension. You don't want that because it limits your control, tone and range. That's a good way to know your diction has crossed the line.

Here are some tips to help balance the crispness of your articulation:

1. Give your jaw some flexibility. A slight sideways or circular chewing motion, if not overdone, can free things up marvelously.
2. Concentrate on communicating with your eyes. That usually helps keep over-pronouncing under control.
3. BIG TIP: Try singing only on the vowels. Yes this will feel silly, but I think we covered how "silly" can cause miracles in a post not long ago. Notice how much more resonance and range you can muster without the consonants. Now very lightly use the consonants again. Then, make the words feel more normal in your mouth.
4. Use the consonants and lose them... quickly let go. Think of a throwing a baseball... if you hold on too long you're in trouble.
5. Record yourself and see if you believe yourself. Be honest <:
6. Listen to masterful vocalists (a bit of rhythm & blues or soft jazz wouldn't hurt, Emmy Lou Harris is a great example in the country genre) who are clear but don't sound like they are dictating something. "Mime" a song with such an artist, trying to copy their style.

Here is a link to a performance by Jane Monheit, one of the country's hottest jazz artists. You might find it interesting to study how she uses words but doesn't over use them. Notice the life in her eyes. Note... don't be put off by the jazz genre if that's not what you're into. These concepts will work for ANY kind of music.

http://yoyenduy.multiply.com/video/item/14

Articulation- need some!

One of my pet peeves is listening to a song and not being able to tell what the heck it's saying.

I know some people will say they are only into the music and don't care about or listen to lyrics. I remember when my son was little, he used that rationale to protest my veto of music with inappropriate lyrics. (No, hehehe, it didn't work.) But in reality, most people are drawn to a song and to a singer whose message is clear.

What is articulation? A simple definition, for the singer or speaker, is: the forming of words. A synonym for articulation is "diction". I really don't like to use these words a lot in my teaching or in my studio vocal production because they can make people think I want them to speak like an English professor... Which of course is not true. (My apologies to all you English professors!) So I say this instead: Communicate so I can understand you!
(Duh)

All kinds of things are involved in articulation: The mouth, tongue, lips, soft palate, yes. But to articulate not just words but the MEANING behind them involves other body parts such as eyes, nose, even spinal alignment (body language!) For instance, if your eyes are "dead" instead of communicative, I could tell you weren't "with me" - even if you were somewhere I couldn't see you. I would know you weren't really communicating with me in mind. See previous posts for more about the importance of eyes and body language .
Sometimes muddy articulation happens on a recording, but more often I notice it in live performance. The artist gets into the music and slurs through the performance, seeming to just assume everybody knows the lyrics. Hey, even if it's a hit and the audience does know the lyrics, you still need to say them clearly. Why?

When you aren't clear, you are "dis-ing" your audience. Whether or not you are aware of it, you are dismissive and disrespectful. I've heard hugely popular entertainers when they spoke so clearly I could understand every word. I've also heard the same entertainers when I could understand nothing. It was as if they could have cared less if the audience was there or not. An audience is a fickle thing, and my suggestion is to remember that without them your public career becomes a private hobby.

A great way to rev up the clarity of your articulation is to imagine you have a deaf contingent in your audience. Articulate so that a deaf person could read your face and know what the words are. Do this in the studio and the clarity of your performance can amaze you; do it on stage and you may find a connection with your audience that may surprise you. Do it in your next public speaking engagement and you may hear a pin drop because people are actually listening.

Toastmasters is a great organization to join to practice articulation, among other vocal skills.

Next post I plan on discussing: when articulation goes wrong......!

Strange Vocal Exercises That Work

Some of my vocal exercises are, well, strange. Bryan White once wryly observed to me "the more humiliating an exercise, the better it seems to work".

I think the reason a correctly executed weird exercise works so well is...
that it bypasses the tenacious but counter-productive vocal habits of the conscious mind by trickery. The Feldenkrais method used by some chiropractors does the same thing... a slight touch can suggest possibilities of movement that the conscious mind hasn't considered possible, and then amazing healing can take place.

Here's a prime example:

Memphis Cole, a young man who is has been studying with me for a few months, came in to his lesson this week with a grin. Memphis has been growing vocally by leaps and bounds, and has really developed his style, his sound and his confidence. Anyway, he entered his first Nashville contest- "The Grand Ole Opry Country Vocal Challenge"- just to get some experience with competing. In the male category he joined about 46 fellow competitors.

Before he went on, he was doing his "Forrest Gump" imitation of "Life is like a box of chocolates", a vocal exercise he learned from the Power, Path & Performance cd vocal training course he bought to go with his private lessons. One of his competitors started laughing and taunting "what are you doing, man?" Memphis shot back "I'm loosening up my jaw". The guy kept laughing and so Memphis started doing it silently instead of out loud.

Memphis got the last laugh: He won the contest! The other guy... he was eliminated rather quickly.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A SILLY VOCAL EXERCISE! Be willing to ditch a little pride, and you may find a strange and weird sense of ... VOCAL FREEDOM!

Vocal Performance: Reveal... don't display!

There is a classical voice training textbook series by Van A. Christy called "Expressive Singing". In the Third Edition, Volume #1, Christy recommends this excellent suggestion for any performance in any genre:

"Meaning must be REVEALED, never DISPLAYED in a theatrical manner."

I can't tell you how very much I agree with this. There is a fine line between over- and under- acting. If you REALLY want to sing or speak in such a way as to cause an emotional response from your audience, learn how to master authentic delivery- the kind you can't fake!.

Authentic delivery balances several things:

• Vocal technique is definitely a major factor.
• The message (song or monologue) is a huge factor.
• Other factors include: The size and feel of the venue or room, the state of your own inner self, the cheeseburger you had for lunch, the label rep in the audience. Hey, it's amazing we can focus at all :)

Nevertheless, there must be such a balance in your mind-body-voice connection that you make it look almost effortless to get and hold the attention of the listener.

Here's an example to help you understand the power of revealing instead of displaying meaning:

When I was a recording artist on MTM Records, Alan Bernard (the CEO) let me in on one of his secrets at "meet & greet" events. Alan had been around. Among other things, he had managed Andy Williams and Dusty Springfield. Instead of going up to people to introduce himself and begin a conversation, he would often just sit or stand alone. People were drawn to his cool confidence, and soon were coming over to where he was to meet HIM.

Now think about this: Alan quite openly revealed who he was to people who had been drawn his way. He didn't put on a forward display to try to gain attention. I think this is a psychological tool we need to understand as performers.

Bottom line: Draw people in. Don't be a space invader! Reveal by... being real.

Vocal "Breaks"... how to eliminate them

There are times you want a vocal "break"- such as when you want to yodel or "flip" a little vocal cry (think Emmy Lou Harris). However, most of the time these breaks are unwanted and happen when vocal strain and tightness impede smooth movements in the vocal apparatus. In these cases, your chest voice gets thin, loud and harsh and then finally when you go a bit higher, you find yourself in a weak, useless head voice.

Here are some tips to smoothly blend your chest and head registers so that you seem to have one rich, mixed vocal register without breaks (those unwanted cracks in your voice):

• Try "pulling" your words from your nose when you're in middle voice. Then when you cross over to your upper register, "pull" your words from your mouth. This may seem unnatural, but will serve to mix your registers together so you can't tell from listening where you "crossover" from chest to head.
• If you can't remember to do this at the right time, try touching your nose when in chest or middle voice to remind you to pull from your nose. Then when you cross over to head voice, touch your mouth to remind you to pull from there. Pretty soon you will be able to do it without having to touch your face.
• Try the blending steps exercise in my Power, Path & Performance course at www.judyrodman.com . You will sing three notes in chest, the same notes in head voice, then the third time you'll sing the same notes in what I call a "land between the two registers", or a blend of head and chest. Do this at least once a day.
• BACK OFF THE PRESSURE!!! You can't blend your voice if you're singing too hard. How can you tell if you're doing this? YOU CAN FEEL YOUR THROAT STRAIN! Back off pressure, then add passion (crisply form words with the right emotion).
• Make the beginning of the yawn kick in right before you think the break will occur. You should feel eyes, nose and sinuses expand.
• Touch two fingers VERY LIGHTLY to your larynx. Now sing the phrase, but don't allow any tension near your fingers. If your shoulders, jaw or tongue gets tight, you will become aware and will be able to relax much faster with your fingers here. Notice that you WILL feel your larynx move... if it's working without interference with outside tension, it will actually tilt up and back allowing a smooth and unbroken vocal line.
• Bobble your head on your shoulders. Think James Taylor, Aretha, Alanis Morrisette, Christina, Wynonna. Part of their vocal magic comes from flexibility at the neck and shoulders. This also allows the larynx to tilt.
• Be sure to "lift the lid" but "leave the pan on the stove". What I mean by this is: Lift the inside of your soft palate and back of your nose, but don't lift your shoulders or tighten neck muscles. When you lift this way, you will actually feel your neck getting longer- not shorter. "Talk with your eyes" with relaxed shoulders you will help yourself do this.

Let me know what works for you! Click on the comment button below this post to leave your thoughts.

Music Videos... Do you really need a professional shoot?

Here's an interesting bit of info I came across for those of you needing to make a music video. This is pretty much a requirement these days for getting your music and your face out into the public awareness, but it's an expensive undertaking. You can and should definately shop around before settling on a video production team.

BUT... for those of you thinking about a do-it-yourself project and using it professionally, this guy sums it up: DON'T!

Why? Quality, Quality, Quality... oh, and INSURANCE!

Read more at:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Shooting-Your-Own-Music-Video&id=213044

Have you had experience with a good video team you'd like to recommend? Please click comment below and tell us who and where we can reach them. Do you think music can get before the public just fine without an accompanying video? Let us know what you think. Thanks!

Kayla Morrison teaching Power, Path & Performance voice

Judy says:

Kayla Morrison has taken voice from me for several years. As I've gotten to know her, I've come to love, trust and respect her skills in many areas. She has managed several artists through the years, and in fact manages my vocal seminars. Kayla herself has covered lots of miles as a vocalist, group leader and vocal arranger in Christian music ministry. She knows what it means firsthand to have max voice available (OR NOT) for the road or the studio.

I have mentored and approved Kayla to be an official Power, Path & Performance teacher. I don't give this approval lightly; I want any associate teacher of PPP to be truly effective at teaching this method, with rapid results in vocal improvement of students. And so she is!!

Today Kayla graciously offers this guest post concerning her experience with teaching the PPP method.

Kayla says:

After studying Judy Rodman’s Power, Path & Performance myself and observing her as she worked with students in her private studio, the recording studio and through her intense vocal seminars, I have been anxious and excited about the opportunity to use the tools with my own students. I have witnessed so many people being set free by the methods Judy has developed, tested and successfully proved.

Just today, I worked with a new student, 13 years old. She has had three years of vocal training, but had never been taught about anatomy and its relationship to breathing. After I explained the information using the illustrations and props that Judy suggests and provides in her complete cd course, it began to click and make sense to her.

I am thrilled with the effectiveness of this course. My first concern as a teacher is to give my students information that will safely take their vocals and performance to the next level. I am confident that Judy Rodman’s Power, Path & Performance is the key to successfully accomplish my goals as a teacher, and as a performer. My students are excited, too!

Contact Kayla Morrison at 615-315-5519. For information about becoming a Power, Path & Performance teacher, contact Judy at www.judyrodman.com or call 615-834-4747.

The concepts behind "Power, Path & Performance" vocal training method

According to Proverbs...a three stranded cord is not easily broken! (Read: broken, damaged voice.)

The idea for the "PPP" method came to me after I began giving a couple of years of vocal lessons, using all the information I'd gathered through years of professional singing and producing other singers. My professional vocal coach was Gerald Arthur, who is a legendary teacher in Nashville. He was known to be a healer of damaged voices, as was mine. That's what I wanted to do- pass along Gerald's heart and truly affect healing in other voices.

So I began noticing what really, really worked in helping vocal students gain ground. And I found that I could classify everything that was important into three overarching categories: Breath, Throat and Communication. I used some alliteration and changed the words to "Power (support and control of the breath), Path (imagery created by vocal teacher Jeffrey Allen leading to an open throat), and Performance (physical and psychological aspects of articulating communication).

And I found that these three areas actually affect each other in an amazing synergy. If you breath correctly with support and control, you are less likely to have a tight throat. Then you can relax into telling or singing the story because your throat doesn't hurt. If your performance is a true communication TO someone, you breath more correctly naturally because your posture is more confident. You also will have a sparkle in your eyes, communicating in such a way as to open the throat without even knowing you're doing it. I use acting techniques to help students get real and connect authentically. You can learn to pull Power and Path into allignment by authentically communicating.

If you are missing one of these three areas, it will show in the other areas. Put them together and your voice becomes powerful, controllable, effective and passionate, but strain-free.

Great teaching leads students to the same place. There are many ways to teach voice; I have found this to be a great way to teach voice holistically, and I love the way it works- for me and for you. When you sing and speak your best, you are using these techniques automatically. However, you may wish to learn how to make purposeful vocal technique choices on days you are not feeling so confident. If your throat hurts when you speak or sing, take heart... there truly is help.

If your voice is important to you, learn more about it. This will give you both protection and maximum use of your instrument. If you're interested in checking out Power, Path & Performance method, visit www.judyrodman.com/home.html