Singer’s Guide to Powerful Performances

CHAPTER 1.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A POWERFUL PERFORMANCE

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

- HARRIET TUBMAN

Each of us sings for our own reasons, but usually we share one main motivation — we love it. We have something we want to share with others. This is a wonderful thing. To give to others is honorable, and audiences certainly respond favorably to this quality in a singer.

We always remember performances that have moved us emotionally, inspired and transported us, and ignited our inner fire. A memorable performance makes us feel vibrantly alive and always remains fresh in our consciousness. It’s often this very experience that inspires each of us to become a singer in the first place.

Let’s take a broader look at the elements that contribute to this triumphant achievement before we apply specific exercises that will enable you to hone in on the details.

Creating a Powerful Performance: Four Fundamentals

1. The Power of Purpose.

Many singers have great voices. So what?

If you have nothing to say and no reason to say it, does the tone and command over your instrument really matter?

When we focus on vocal technique and performance skill — both a necessary part of the process — it’s easy to lose sight of why we’re singing. Vocal skill is simply a tool, a vehicle, through which you can communicate with your audience. It’s important to recognize that it is you, the performer, who gives something to the audience — not the other way around. This is because the performance shouldn’t be about you but rather what you want your audience to experience from the performance.

Stardom isn’t a good reason to sing …

I’ve asked many singers who are just starting out, Why do you sing? or What is your purpose when you perform? and I have often heard, I want to be a star. Neither stardom nor even a successful performance career, for that matter, is likely to be in their future. That’s because they are focused on what the performance can give to them. This is backward.

The audience is always the first concern …

Whether you’re adapting your performance to a specific venue or to fit a predetermined theme, are hired to create an ambient atmosphere in a restaurant or club, or sing for a charity fundraiser, you can achieve a memorable performance if you recognize the importance of creating an intended experience for your audience. This can be achieved in a number of ways. We’ll be discussing this in greater depth in the chapter, From Rehearsal Room to Stage Performance.

2. Your Mental Approach or Attitude Can Influence Your Audience.

Surely, we’ve all experienced the difference between watching a performer who is comfortable with themselves and certain of their ability to do the tasks at hand and one who fumbles about in doubt and incompetence. How do these two different types of people make you feel?

The voice is a finely tuned instrument that can relay emotions and thoughts, whether intentional or unintentional …

If you’re uncertain or filled with self-doubt, your audience will know. If issues distract you that are outside of your performance, your voice will sound bland, you’ll have no connection to the song, and your audience will respond in kind. Self-confidence comes from demonstrating ability; ability advances through action. If you lack confidence now, learning and practicing the exercises in this book will help you achieve it. In the meantime, you can transcend how you feel about your own capabilities by practicing some of the following steps:

~ Approach singing and performing with an I can attitude. If you don’t believe you can, then start with I will.

~ Commit to each song you sing. This is essentially achieved through a commitment to complete involvement with the meaning you choose to give the song.

~ Recognize that the band accompanies your voice rather than the other way around.

~ Be aware of your audience and include them within the reach of your performance. By reach, I mean extend your attention/awareness/energy/spirit with the purpose of including the individuals that comprise the audience.

Singing with confidence and conviction provides a strong foundation for an unforgettable performance. Add to this a purpose to move the audience, good vocal technique and smooth stage presentation, and you are well on your way to a powerful vocal performance.

3. Stage Presentation and Performance Skills.

A performance is a multimedia, multisensory creation and experience …

Your voice, while the single most important facet, is only one of several sensory creations that will influence your performance and audience.

A performance is visual …

Unlike a recording, your visual stage presentation is an important element of any performance. This includes what you and the rest of the band wear, how all of you are positioned on the stage, how you move, how you interact with the band and audience, the lighting, and anything and everything that goes into the visual aspect of the show.

Perform in the present …

Performance is a live communication between the singer and audience in present time. Don’t create mental image pictures of someone and sing to that person in your mind. That will remove you from the present and diminish your vitality and the emotion of the song. Sing with the intention that each person in your audience receives and understands what you’re expressing right at this moment.

Work it out beforehand …

Many singers learn their songs and think that constitutes preparation for performance. Unintentionally, they now approach the actual performance (the show) in a slapdash way and just hope it works. To perform on a fully professional level, your performance will require detailed pre-planning, practice and development of each ingredient of the show prior to arriving in front of an audience.

Study shortens the path …

The technique of performance includes isolating and eliminating anything that would distract your audience from complete immersion in the song and your performance of it.

Many successful performers develop their skills over a long period of time by a hit-or-miss approach. However, if you isolate and work on each aspect of your performance as you would your technical skills, you’ll be able to acquire these performance skills much faster. As you journey forward in this book you’ll find a variety of exercises to help you explore, develop and integrate these essentials into your own skill set. The development of your performance skills is the gateway through which your voice and expression can shine out to your audience.

4. Vocal Skills.

Your voice is a vehicle for expressive communication and vocal technique is the route to full and free expression. Good technique also provides career longevity by preventing vocal blowout. Solid vocal technique will enable you to sing freely with passion and conviction.

Ample vocal technique provides peace of mind …

If you’re uncertain whether or not you’ll sing on pitch or have adequate range to perform the entire song without your voice cracking, you’ll tend to introvert and withdraw from your audience. This will be evident in your performance. Vocal difficulty of any kind, whether it is cracking notes, throat tension, vocal fatigue, or hoarseness, can interfere with your peace of mind and cause you to hold back.

Ideally, vocal development should result in your command of an expressive, spontaneous and passionate voice that’s free of limitations. Your pitch, intonation, tone, range and vocal embellishments (if you use them) should be advanced to the point of effortless execution. When you’re confident you can use your voice freely without restriction or vocal fatigue, you’ll be better able to direct your attention and energy to your audience.

A properly exercised voice will easily provide you with everything …

Your vocal training should enable you to express everything you hear and feel. Therefore, it should include:

~ The clarification of misconceptions about how your voice works so that you aren’t actively interfering with its natural function: Singers become involved with all sorts of gimmicks to remedy vocal problems that wouldn’t even exist if they’d learned the natural workings of the voice in the first place.

~ The development of the stamina to sing as many hours as you require as aggressively as you choose: With a true understanding of the vocal instrument and the right exercises to support and amplify vocal technique, singing becomes easier and your confidence grows. Confidence in your voice is a major milestone to a powerful and unforgettable performance.

Stamina is the result of proper muscle tone …

Some singers can sound great for a song or two, but lack vocal stamina. If they sing longer than their improperly prepared vocal muscles can tolerate, they suffer the consequences of a blown-out voice. This is the singer who may be cautious about really giving it their all for fear of losing their voice. Some say that if you sing for too many hours it’s over-singing, and that vocal problems will be the inevitable consequence. I don’t find this to be true. It is how you sing, not for how long you sing, that will wear out your voice.

Through my research and experience I have found that if singers try to use muscles that aren’t developed for the task, they’ll use force and effort. This can cause strain and pitch problems. A gymnast would never think to compete without adequate muscle training. Singers are vocal athletes. Yet, too many singers try to sing without adequate preparation and muscular development.

If you train your vocal muscles so they can function easily and you warm up properly prior to rehearsals and shows, your voice will reflect your passion and effortlessly respond to your musical ideas and style. This frees you to give peak performances that capture the attention and hearts of your listeners.

I have spent most of my life researching how the voice works and how to develop and use it without compromise. I’ve accumulated the simplest, most factual and straightforward techniques that quickly help both seasoned professionals and beginners remove barriers to freedom of expression. As singing becomes effortless you can focus on your unique vocal identity. This raises the bar on your professionalism, allowing your individuality and uniqueness to shine.

CHAPTER 2.

THE EIGHT PILLARS OF VOCAL CARE

Our bodies are our gardens — our wills are our gardeners.

- WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

During the 2010 European tour of a world-famous female singer, it was difficult for her to stay in tune or have good tone, much less sing the full range of most of her own songs. This was because her voice had been cared for improperly. She was once an incredible diva but to the great disappointment of her many fans, she was struggling to just barely make it through each performance.

You might not immediately associate proper diet, good sleep and adequate exercise with memorable performances, but proper care is integral to the quality and stamina of your voice and the longevity of your career.

If you were an acoustic guitarist, would you bump your instrument against objects, slash the strings, leave it out in the rain or otherwise abuse it and still expect it to play well? As a singer, your instrument is your body. Caring for your voice means properly caring for your body.

The rigors of local gigs, touring, rehearsals and studio recording can be a challenge for a singer. There are many professionals who have actually cancelled portions of their tour due to loss of voice. Don’t go down that road. Care for your body and your voice will repay you with dazzling performance when, where, and how you need it.

With the success of your career and your happiness dependent on your vocal performance, consistent preventative care takes on new meaning and becomes an indispensable activity.

Pillar 1: Correct and Adequate Vocal Warm-Ups

Warm-ups are essentially voice muscle limbering exercises. They don’t use loud volume, nor are they done in a whisper. Some exercises should channel the vibrations of your voice to create an inner muscle massage.

Many singers use their first song or two as a warm-up. Songs are not warm-ups, as they require many different complex chains of action from your vocal musculature. And frankly, if your vocal technique is not adequate to support all the different actions found in a song, using songs as a warm-up might actually end up fatiguing the muscles and subtracting from your tonal palette.

All muscles respond and work similarly. Just as an athlete or dancer would not begin their performance without first limbering their muscles, neither should a vocalist. If you think of yourself as a vocal athlete, warm-ups will make perfect sense. Do them before rehearsals, performances and studio work.

Deva Method Vocal Warm-Ups: Purpose and Results

Pillar 2: Vocal Technique and Exercises

Through correct techniques and exercises you can achieve vocal strength, stamina, flexibility, resonance, range, consistency, tone, and accurate pitch in an effortlessly blended, emotionally sensitive voice that’s uniquely yours.

You can find a complete series of techniques in Contemporary Vocalist: Volumes One and Two available at www.JeannieDeva.com. This resource will provide you with the knowledge and exercises to build this important pillar.

Pillar 3: Adequate Vocal Cool-Down After Singing

When you sing, the sounds of your voice are produced from the rapid and highly precise actions of small internal muscles. As with any type of demanding physical activity, circulation increases and the muscles swell with blood. Blood supplies all the cells in the body with three essentials for life: oxygen, nutrients and water. It also performs a vital function; it removes waste products from the cells after they convert these three essentials into energy. This is also true of the vocal muscles, and especially when engaged in a rigorous activity such as singing.

When you stop singing, the muscles of your vocal folds are still enlarged with blood and can still retain waste products. Properly completed cool-downs that utilize light vibrations can gradually ebb the blood back to its normal levels thereby gradually reducing the swelling and enabling the body to remove the last of the excess waste.

If you don’t use cool-downs to return your voice to its normal speaking condition, even though your voice training and technique may be excellent, you could experience vocal fatigue and huskiness for one to three days after an intense vocal performance.

On The Deva Method Vocal Warm-Ups and Cool-Downs CD, you’ll find several easy-to-use exercises — including a singer’s massage — that you can customize to your needs.

Deva Method Vocal Cool-Down: Purpose

Pillar 4: Elimination of Harmful and Abusive Substances

There are certain substances that can create a harmful effect on the sensitive mucous membranes of the throat and vocal folds. Recreational drugs such as marijuana, the nicotine and chemicals in cigarettes, as well as alcoholic beverages are poisons and can have adverse side effects that can affect the tone and function of the voice.

In the case of marijuana and cigarette smoke, the chemical composition of the smoke contains microscopic particles that chafe the mucous membrane as they pass through the vocal folds on the way to the lungs. It’s sort of like using piping hot sandpaper on the inside of your throat.

Alcohol and caffeine tend to dehydrate your body. Even though you ingest alcohol in the same manner as any other liquid, it’s not a nutrient (such as water and juice). In fact, your body recognizes alcohol as a poison and releases fluids to flush it out. Since there’s an increased risk of rupturing a dilated blood vessel in the vocal folds when you are singing long and hard and alcohol tends to dilate blood vessels, you’re making a risky choice if you drink before vocalizing.

Your vocal folds need to be maximally hydrated to perform well under the demands of singing. This is why I recommend abstaining from consuming alcohol for 24 hours before singing, and from coffee at least a couple of hours prior to rehearsing or performing. If you must have a celebratory cocktail, have it after your successful performance, not before.

Recreational drugs can have a numbing effect. This can be very detrimental because the singer can push their voice into extreme overwork. The drugs will dull perception and they won’t feel the damage as they sing, but they’ll surely feel the pain in the next day or so when the drugs wear off and laryngitis or hoarseness sets in.

The elimination of harmful and abusive substances can make a big difference in your perceptual abilities as well as the quality of your voice. The above information removes the mystery that can surround problematic vocal performances and provide you with positive choices in favor of the care of your instrument.

Pillar 5: Singer Foods and Drinks

I’m not a nutritionist, but many years of experience with numerous diets and thousands of singers have brought to light which foods are beneficial and which are detrimental to the voice. The foods to avoid list for singers would be those that stiffen muscles or stimulate phlegm and mucous production in the body and particularly in the vocal folds.

Best foods …

Foods providing proper nutrition (protein, fiber, fruit, vegetables, whole grains) are used as fuel for your body and promote general health and energy. Protein is especially important for muscle function. The primary food categories to choose from are: whole grains; juicy fruit (such as apples, melons, grapes, berries, peaches, nectarines, pears, mangos and papaya); yellow, green, red and orange vegetables; lean proteins, and nuts and seeds.

Best drinks …

Room temperature or cool (not iced) water remains the best beverage for singers. Drink spring, filtered or well water, but not distilled water, which some nutritionists say leaches minerals from the body. There’s some controversy about the health effects of water in plastic containers. So, to be safe, filter your water into a stainless steel or glass bottle. If you live in an area that has clean, clear tap water, you are in luck.

Foods to Avoid …

This may be slightly different for each singer, but in general, dairy, deep-fried or spicy foods and any food you’re allergic to will be mucous-producing. Additionally, spicy hot foods can be irritating to the muscles and mucous membranes of your voice. For some people even bananas cause phlegm, so make your own avoid list to steer your choices toward foods that support healthy function and vibration of the voice.

For different reasons, both hot and iced drinks prior to or while singing are included in the avoid list. Think about it: Would an athlete put hot or iced compresses on their muscles just before their routine or competition? Ice can cause muscles to contract and heat can cause them to relax and swell. Neither of these are beneficial to the muscles in your vocal folds before singing.

Additionally, many types of teas can actually dry out the mouth and throat. Aside from hot drinks being on the avoid list just before or during singing, make sure you drink your tea enough hours before you perform to allow time to regain the proper level of moisture in your mouth.

Everyone is different. The avoid list is a guide to help you minimize foods or drinks that hinder your voice. Notice for yourself how your body reacts to different types of food and beverages; make note of what is mucous-producing or makes your vocal folds feel stiff and impairs your vocal agility. Then modify your diet and the timing of how close to when you sing you can indulge.

Note: Acid reflux can burn your vocal folds and impair your voice. This can result in a constant need to clear your throat; a thin, reedy sound; a sensation of burning in your vocal folds; and feeling like your voice is stiff and inflexible. Often this can be solved or at least minimized by simplifying your diet, eliminating acidic foods while increasing those that are alkaline, not eating within a few hours of bedtime and, most importantly, effective stress management.

Generally, alkaline-forming foods include most fruits, green vegetables, peas, beans, lentils, spices, herbs and seasonings, and seeds and nuts. Acid-forming foods include meat, fish, poultry, eggs, grains, and legumes.

Pillar 6: Physical Exercise

To maintain muscle tone and organ function, regular exercise, including aerobic and weight resistance is recommended. Since singing and performing are physically demanding, routine exercise is essential. If you move around a lot on stage, or wish to, conditioning your body and your breathing is vital. This will facilitate feeling more comfortable on stage without getting out of breath if you want to dance or move about the stage with ease.

Pillar 7: Adequate Rest

Your body and your voice need rest in order to function at their best. Since your voice is generated by muscle action — like any muscle in your body — when you sing with a tired body and fatigued muscles, you’ll generally use excessive effort to accomplish what a rested body would do more easily. Effort generates strain and tension, which, besides distracting from the quality of the performance, may lead to vocal blowout.

Use some or all of these tips to achieve restful sleep regularly:

~ Avoid watching violent shows or the news on TV prior to going to bed. Instead, precede your night’s rest with relaxing, restful activities that will help you ease your mind off the day’s activities. These can include reading, watching a comedic show, or doing some restful stretches or yoga postures.

~ Ensure that your bedroom is a good sleeping environment. This means it should be dark, quiet and cool, and your mattress and pillows should be supportive and comfortable. If you can’t block out external noise and light, a sound machine, relaxing music, or earplugs and eyeshades may work well for you.

~ You can refer to a useful exercise designed to help you get a good night’s sleep called Take a Walk, found in chapter seven of the book "The Problems of Work" by L. Ron Hubbard.

~ Having your attention on things you still need to get done is a sure way to stay awake. Either get them done or write them down. Similarly, pressing but incomplete communications might snag your attention and could cause worry. Do what you can to finish your conversations before retiring, and if something arises late in the evening that can’t be completed in person or by phone, send an email or text message. If that isn’t appropriate for the situation, at least make notes and decide when you’ll contact the person to complete the conversation. In short, do what you can to at least temporarily complete the cycle of action so it doesn’t go round and round in your head all night.

~ Get regular physical exercise, but don’t do it late in the evening or close to bedtime.

~ Avoid eating spicy or high sugar content foods; especially late at night, as possible indigestion may disrupt sleep.

~ Minimize