Category: Chapters/Articles by Diana Yampolsky:

Vocal Constipation or Vocal Diarrhea?

Written by Diana Yampolsky

In last month’s column, entitled ‘Vocal Inadequacy – In Need of Non-Surgical Voice Extension?’, I explained how singers can compensate for short and/or thin vocal cords by strengthening their lower abdominal and upper diaphragm muscles and working on their facial cavities in order to make them larger and deeper. This month I would like to talk about two common “ailments” that have infected quite a few of the singers that I have come into contact with over the years: “Vocal Constipation” and “Vocal Diarrhea”. In the following paragraphs I will describe the symptoms (so you can decide if you might be so afflicted?) and then outline the cures.

The more common of the two is “Vocal Constipation”; the majority of singers actually suffer from this “nasty disease” to some extreme. The symptoms of this “disease” are clearly visible and easily detected: red stressed neck, bulging veins in the forehead and a very ugly sound coming out of their wrongly positioned body. Doesn’t sound very attractive, does it? (You may even have seen these symptoms if you ever had your picture taken during a performance when you were trying to hit a high note; these symptoms are always present when you are trying to “force” out the sound rather than let it come out naturally.) Aesthetics aside, this is actually a very serious issue. While pumping the veins in this manner, the singer is depriving his brain of oxygen and cutting off the circulation, which can actually lead, in extreme cases, to a stroke or heart attack. There are actually known precedents of singers who literally dropped dead on stage!

Regardless of whether this “constipation” is causing discomfort for you or your audience, you can be assured that a cure is available. Firstly, be sure that your body is completely relaxed and at ease, paying special attention to the condition your neck is in. (If you feel that it is very strained, you need to release it from tension as soon as possible.) Secondly, pay close attention to the positioning of your shoulders. (Vocal “Constipators” always have their shoulders in an uplifted position that contributes to attacking the sound from the bottom of their throat, which leads to additional strain on their vocal chords and their vocal box in its entirety.) In my book, Vocal Science – Flight to the Universe, there is a picture of a space shuttle (p.8) which describes the separation of the three components of the space shuttle when it is ready to take off. The lower part is the launching pad, which is equivalent to your physical body from the waist down. You have to stand solid on the ground and be very centered, but not tensed. Then you take a breath, which also involves three components of that wholesome mechanism; the lower abdomen, which is responsible for the support of the height of the sound (make sure you suck your air in, not out, as you will put the “brakes” on your movement), upper diaphragm, which is responsible for the width and body of the sound, and mouth breath, on top of which the sound will be flying on a parallel track in full synchronicity with it. They will allow your voice to work in the fullest capacity possible. This is comparable to the hundred tons of nuclear power, which propels the rocket upwards and gives it a driving force. Please note that the rocket flies above the flame and, hopefully, not with it as it happened in 1986, when the Challenger blew up due to the separation failure upon takeoff. If you follow these principles, your “flight to the universe” will be a safe and pleasant one for you and your audience.

The other “disease”, “Vocal Diarrhea”, is less common, but as its metaphorical namesake suggests, is quite “messy”. Like “Vocal Constipation” it is also easily detected. Usually, the person with a weak vocal anatomy and a lack of knowledge of how to properly use their voice is most likely to be “afflicted”. Recently, one of my new clients came to me with a dance hip-hop track that was pretty well written and produced. Unfortunately, her vocals were “dripping” all over the music and did not do justice to the song. (Initially, I did not even realize how good the song was because the vocals were so weak; sometimes people forget that the singer makes the song and that the singer is responsible for properly delivering the main message of the song. In my opinion, all performers should remember the following equation: good music + good singing + good production = the total performance. The puzzle will not be complete if one of these components fails.) I also would like to mention that this particular vocalist was a slim female of above average height. Therefore, it was quite natural that her vocal cords were pretty long but they were thin in diameter. The result of this was that she possessed a high, light soprano voice that was not really suitable for the R’N B Hip Hop that she was attempting to sing. As I already mentioned, I did not have a problem with the length of her vocal cords; the problem was the width. In last month’s column, I explained how you could work to extend the length of the vocal chords. In this issue, I will talk about how to widen, not the vocal chords (which is physically impossible), but the sound they produce. The width of the sound very much so depends on the upper diaphragm, i.e. your rib cage. It works on a principle similar to the way in which an accordion works: the air is pulled in and pushed out as much as the musical phrase is demanding. In the instance of singing, the upper diaphragm carries the similar function. The singer has to assess the length-width of the upcoming musical phrase and open up the upper diaphragm accordingly. The body of the sound is very much dependent on the flexibility of the upper diaphragm and, in the majority of cases, its proper use will compensate for inadequacy of the width of the vocal cords. By the way, the length of the vocal chords can be “extended” through the proper use of the lower abdomen; the more you can tuck the tummy in, the better lift the sound will have off of the vocal chords and the higher the arc will be and the longer the trajectory of the sound will be. The inertia will complete the flight.

To conclude, both of these “illnesses” can be cured with the proper “medical assistance” of a good vocal “doctor”. Look for more prescribed medicines in the coming months and visit my website at www.vocalscience.com for more vocal prosperity tips.

The Technical Elements of Vocal Style

Written by Diana Yampolsky  – (written in 2001)

In this article, I would like to talk about an interesting observation that I have made over my 26 years as a vocal coach; not too many people realize that there are several aspects that have to be addressed with regards to singing in general. First of all, when we talk about singing we are talking about two separate, but very much related elements: physical sound and emotional style. Physical sound is what is achieved by proper utilization of the technical aspects of singing, i.e. breathing (support), structure, placement and projection. Emotional style is essentially how the singer relates to the song and anticipates and complements the style of music, i.e. rock, alternative, country, R & B, dance etc. A common view is that while the technical aspects of singing can be learned through instruction and repetition, style is only developed naturally over time. There is definitely some truth to this statement; some people just naturally have it within them. As a Vocal Coach/Consultant, I strongly believe in the advantages of instruction in the technical aspects of singing. However, I also believe that it is a mistake to completely separate style from technique and I believe that style can be taught in a similar way that a student can be educated in how to stay in tune, project their voice, etc.

As an analogy, you can find quite a few parallels between singing and figure skating. If you are familiar with figure skating you will know that the skaters are always judged by two criteria: Technical Merit and Artistic Merit. Again, in this instance, it appears that those components are separate due to the fact that they are judged separately (however, in relation with each other). As for singing, upon closer examination, you will realize that the two are very much intertwined. Afterall, a figure skater that is falling on their rear end is most definitely not going to get high technical marks; therefore, the marks for artistic impression will not matter. Similarly, a figure skater that can land all their jumps perfectly, but skates to the music in a robotic fashion, is not going to win any medals either.

As with figure skating, the technical component of singing is the platform on which the artistic expression stands. As mentioned earlier, the main technical components of singing are: support, structure, placement and projection.

• Abdominal support is responsible for the height of the sound. 
• Upper diaphragm support is responsible for the width (body) of the sound.
• Structure – is the structure of the syllables which should be stackable (one on top of each other) and placed on the central line of the body. 
• Placement is the domain of the four main vocal chambers, which ultimately are the same as your sinus cavities. 
• An “aimed” projection is the natural outcome of the previous three componants. (I talk in more detail about these technical components of singing in my book, Vocal Science – Flight to the Universe.)

Once you’ve achieved mastery of these four components, you have achieved technical control of the physical sound. The next step is to ‘dress it up’ so that it is original, emotional, exciting and affecting. This is akin to a figure skater whose costume and movements reflect the music that is accompanying the performance. With regards to singing, the physical sound produced must correspond with the style of music and the musical instruments used in its production. Recently, I saw a popular pop singer deliver what was clearly an R & B song with a classical sounding voice. It didn’t sound very good because the sound of the voice was so alien to the style of music being played by the band. She actually had a strong sounding voice and, thus, would have received high marks for technical merit if there had been official judges; but also definitely a failing grade for her artistic interpretation. In this instance, the TOTAL PERFORMANCE was not achieved.

I do believe that style can be taught. In fact, many people approach me to coach them specifically because they want to sing a particular style of music. One of my recently signed clients, a dance/R&B singer, had a recording session booked and asked me to come along for assistance. When I arrived at the studio, the session was already underway and I quickly realized that the song they were recording was not one that we had previously worked on. Moreover, this song was very demanding because it required a combination of three distinct styles: pop, dance and R&B. The song required that the singer sometimes had to change between styles as frequently as every second line. The producers were high caliber and definitely knew what they wanted, but were having trouble transferring their instructions on how to do it to the singer. She also knew what they wanted but did not exactly know how to achieve it. This is where I stepped in and was able to provide assistance. By quickly instructing my student how she could attain the requested stylistic elements, the song was successfully recorded in much less time than even the producers anticipated.

The majority of students that come to my school for instruction have a definite idea about the style of singer they want to be, but they don’t always know how to achieve it. From the very beginning of instruction, I always teach them the obvious, such as how to stay in key and project their voice, but also work with them on the stylistic elements of the songs they are singing. This is often done by breaking the songs down to individual lines and practicing the ways in which each syllable should be sung depending on the style of music. For example, if you are singing an alternative rock song you should be attempting it in a voice that is a little more raspy and somewhat nasal and less smooth sounding and with less or no vibrato. Please note that the rasp should be achieved without straining your vocal chords and is done by correctly coordinating the use of your facial and abdominal muscles. Quite a few of my students sought coaching from me solely because they wanted to achieve this raspy type of voice without damaging their voice permanently. This is one example of how the artistic style should be based on the foundation of flawless vocal technique.

Some tips on how to approach various other styles of music are as follows:

R & B: sing with a very wide smile. This will open up your resonator (natural amplifier within your facial muscles) and place your syllables as tightly as possible using your cheekbone muscles. This will prevent any vibrato in the voice.

Pop: the pop style is essentially the same as R & B but with a much lighter application. More laid back and in a sort of “boyish” or “girlish” style.

Classical: is definitely a more vertical application – not rounded like in R & B or Pop. The use of proper vibrato is an essential component of this style.

Country: is a mix of classical, pop and R & B. You could often hear a slight crying feel and a minor nasal application. Quite a few country singers use a light, breathy sound, which is also often used in pop singing.

Gospel: uses a classical application, but lately gospel is being associated with the R & B style. I guess it is really a combination of the two.

Hard Rock: uses a heavy-duty application of the classical style. Often using lots of vibrato will help to distinguish the singer from the loud guitars and drums and enable him to “cut through”.

In all of the above cases, the singer needs to have a strong technical foundation to their singing. Style is achieved by varying and applying the technical elements in different ways.

You can find out more about how to become a better and more professional singer, by reading some of the other articles available in the Publications Sesion of our site.

Vocal Inadequacy – In Need of Non-Surgical Voice Extension?

Written by Diana Yampolsky

SIZE MATTERS! Regardless of what anybody says, IT DOES. What am I talking about you may ask? I am talking about the voice and the sound it produces. As I have already mentioned before in previous columns, every human being is born with vocal cords of a certain length and width, as well as an individual facial structure. These two components play a crucial role in determining the strength and quality of sound your voice manufactures when singing.

The SIZE of the vocal cords usually corresponds with the physical size of the person. (This is generally true but there can be exceptions.) With this in mind, it makes sense that a short petite woman would have short, thin vocal cords, which will assign to her a high soprano voice. While a natural soprano voice lends itself very well to classical singing, it does not suit styles such as R’n B, Rock or Dance, which require a much more solid bass foundation and much less vibrato. Soprano voices tend to naturally produce excessive vibrato, which again is very useful and pretty for classical singing, but can be a hindrance for other styles. Is there hope that soprano voices can sing styles other than classical? Yes, but it requires hard work from both the vocal student and an experienced voice educator.

Sound is determined by the quality of the instrument producing it. For example, let’s compare two pianos. The first one is made of high quality wood and has steel strings. The hammers are also made from wood. The sound it produces is full and juicy and can even sometimes make an amateur player sound more accomplished The second piano is made out of 2X4 plywood. It’s strings and hammers are made out of plastic. Not suprisingly, it sounds thin and dry and can have the reverse effect of making an accomplished player sound inadequate. The same applies to the anatomical and physiological structure that makes up your instrument and the size and quality of which will determine the level of your vocal performance.

Does this mean that if you were born with short, thin vocal cords that you are cursed with a thin and unpleasant sounding singing voice? The answer is not necessarily. To a certain degree, the vocal cords can be stretched in length and strengthened in terms of power. Just as a body builder is, through exercise, diet and stretching, able to increase the size of his muscles, so too can singers. I have developed a set of exercises that work to lengthen and strengthen the vocal cords, as well as develop deeper facial cavities, which are so important with regards to producing a strong-sounding voice. (Going “under the knife” is not required!)

The majority of students who come to our school for vocal instruction usually arrive with non-existent or incorrect vocal technique. In one of my previous articles, entitled Vocal Impotence – In Need of Vocal Viagra?, I defined how to correct these technical imperfections. But over the years, there have been many students for whom this was not enough. Yes, after “taking Vocal Viagra” the sound they produced was more “upstanding” and even “erected” but still short in length. Due to the natural shortness of their vocal cords, they did not have enough length to curve the sound into the facial cavities, which prevented the sound from resonating and achieving the secure aimed delivery. For these students, I needed to artificially lengthen the vocal cords and strengthen their lower abdominal and upper diaphragm muscles, as well as working on the facial cavities themselves in order to make them bigger and deeper. This is comparable to a gymnast who, over time, is able to increase his flexibility until he can comfortably perform the splits. He needs to be careful and well coached in order to avoid injury. Just as he gets to his desired place on almost an inch by inch basis, I have to bring my students along relatively slowly when developing a naturally undeveloped instrument. One exercise I use to develop facial cavities and strengthen the vocal cords is what I call the “Biting Exercise”. It involves only the upper jaw and upper facial muscles and completely eliminates the lower jaw and vocal box itself, which releases and relaxes the vocal anatomy. The result is that the sound bounces off the upper palate in a curved position, which gradually increases the resonation and the body of the sound. This is one of many exercises that definitely work to achieve the desired result.

In a future article, I will talk about a couple unfortunate ailments that commonly infect singers: Vocal Constipation and Vocal Diarrhea. Look for the cures in the upcoming months.

Vocal Narcissism – Me, Myself and I? and MY VOICE!

Written by Diana Yampolsky

Let me tell you, my reader, that music is often called the world’s greatest communication tool. An effective piece of music crosses national boundaries, and a good song transcends any language barriers. With that said, a common problem that I have found which afflicts many aspiring singers is that because they do not realize that singing is a great vehicle for communication – ideas, emotions, lust, pain, frustrations, love, etc. Through singing, you can communicate those emotions more efficiently and also, more personally than with any other art form – be it film, writing or dance.

But, evidently, not everybody is able to effectively communicate a story through the musical form.

Some of the artists, unfortunately, appear truly self-absorbed, self-centred and purely egoistic, to even being able to share themselves with the audience. 

Needless to say, that they are primarily thinking only about themselves, their appearance and their voice.

That’s what I call “Vocal Narcissism.”

For those who are not familiar with the term ‘narcissism’, I would like to explain its meaning. It actually comes from a Greek myth; Narcissus was a beautiful youth who refused the love of a nymph named Echo. In punishment, the goddess Aphrodite condemned him to fall in love with his own image. Forced to gaze constantly at his reflection in a clear pool, he dwindled away and then died. 

Quite a few modern-day “Narcissus” have passed through my studio throughout almost 4 decades that I have been teaching. Those types of students have been amongst the most difficult pupils in terms of reciprocating my, however, very unique vocal technique. They have been so self-absorbed with the sound of their own voice, that they actually forgot the need to communicate their message to the audience (or even to me, for that matter). 

Not too long ago, one of the major record companies sent me a student who had a lot of natural singing talent that needed refining. It was clear from the moment he opened his mouth that he had a truly beautiful voice and it was also obvious that he had absolutely no idea how to use it. (Although the above-described fact was obvious to me he, himself, was completely oblivious to it!) 

In many ways, his singing was like a form of vocal self-satisfaction; he was satisfying himself, but not his audience (in this instance I was his audience) and it was clear that he didn’t even care who was in front of him. 

The egoistic approach is the worst approach to singing because it separates the singer from the audience rather than bringing the two together. You could actually hear the conceit and arrogance in his singing, not to mention, that the lyrics of his songs sounded insincere and inauthentic. 

In previous articles and in my first book, Vocal Science – Flight to the Universe, I have always stressed that the best singers naturally are willing to give and share part of themselves with the listeners. This student was the exact opposite; he was only concerned with his own needs and not with what the audience wanted or needed.

The reason that he was difficult to teach was not that he was unintelligent or untalented. He (as I mentioned before) was actually very smart and musically gifted. Instead, the same conceit and self-absorption that prevented him from sharing himself with the audience, also prevented him from more easily receiving what I had to offer. However, with my extensive experience (and, over many years,  having witnessed many other “vocal narcissists”) I was able to get through to him and teach him everything I had to offer. Needless to say, it was a very exhausting experience and, nonetheless, it took a lot out of me.

That was about 20/30 years ago.

Nowadays, it has actually become much worse. 

Some students/clients stand in front of me like they have been turned to stone (by Medusa).

I’ve always been communicating quite a bit with my students, and even (when was needed) advising them on other aspects of life (outside of but related to singing).

I’ve noticed that the communication between my students/clients is lately ceasing exponentially.

They stand in front of me like stone monuments, whereas, in comparison, the people in a coma have actually more vital signs than some of my clients possess. 

How in the world are they trying to become artists?

Beats me… and, moreover, never ceases to amaze me!

They do not understand my jokes and my humour in general, or even if they do, they do not react to any of it like people always did before. 

Some of them appear almost unconscious and somewhat frozen…?

Whatever happened to humanity?

Is that a pandemic fault? Maybe yes, maybe no… In all honesty, I did notice the above-described behaviour of certain people even sometime before. 

I have to say that almost 4 decades later, it is still quite shocking to me. 

I am, however, hoping for the best, and for the best is yet to come for all of us! 

If by any chance, it doesn’t, then at that moment we will know that the world is truly ending (Armageddon). 

Vocal Narcissism is very sad if it remains “untreated,” because it is much like a beautiful instrument that is being played by someone who doesn’t know how to do it justice. I have a wonderful, unique piano in my studio that I brought with me from Russia over 40 years ago. By itself, it is only a piece of furniture. It takes a really good player to do it justice – the player who is able to extract the maximum capacity of this instrument. As I always say, it takes two – the instrument and the player to achieve what I call ‘A total performance’. A naturally beautiful voice is very much a gift from God, and it is indeed an ‘instrument’ for communication through vocal performance. 

“Vocal Narcissism”, most of the time, results in singing that will leave the audience unsatisfied despite the fact that the singer might have had a beautiful voice, but, on the other hand, happened to be not an adequate ‘player’ of his given to him ‘instrument’. All of that is because there is only one-way communication happening and only one-way satisfaction taking place – clearly “screaming” out “Me, Myself and I… and… MY VOICE!”. 

How sad is that?

Very sad indeed!

It’s time to wake up people because if you don’t, you might miss out on beautiful things…

Please see below and take it to heart: 

Don’t wanna close my eyes

I don’t wanna fall asleep

‘Cause I’d miss you, baby

And I don’t wanna miss a thing

‘Cause even when I dream of you

The sweetest dream would never do

I’d still miss you, baby

And I don’t wanna miss a thing

– Steven Tyler of Areosmith

To learn about our treatment methods for vocal problems, visit the Non-Surgical Voice Repair section of our site; or
for efficient and guaranteed results, Contact Us Now!

Voice Repair – Get Excited! We Have the Tools

Written by Diana Yampolsky

In this article, I would like to talk about how to deal with voice problems. As much as I wish it wasn’t the case, most untrained singers put unnecessary strain on their vocal cords; and as a result, could easily damage their voices. This is especially true for rock’n roll singers who often strain their voices trying to hit high or even low notes to cut through the sound of distorted guitars and heavy drums. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard amateur singers say that their throats are sore for quite a few days after practice. And the problem is actually worse for so-called professional but untrained singers; they go on long tours and have to sing every night and, if it is outside, sometimes in smoky environments. Those are the singers you hear about having to cancel tour dates because their voices are giving out and hurting to the degree that they are simply unable to perform. This also concerns professional actors, who act for many hours, often on an everyday basis, and thus have to use their voices excessively. Very often they require the same services as professional singers because, after all, professional speaking requires the same technique as professional singing, and safety measures are a must!

The fact is that your voice should never feel sore the day after a performance or any time due to the act of speaking or singing.

You should be able to speak or sing for at least 7-8 hours every day or night seven days a week and never even feel a slight discomfort in your throat. God forbid you have damaged your voice… and if that’s the case, the first thing you need to be aware of is that in most instances your voice condition can be treated alternatively (and quite possibly, could even be cured) via our unique and specially developed speech and singing exercises, while employing the use of specific and carefully selected herbal and some homeopathic remedies. 

In the case of practically any voice/vocal disorder, along with my unique instruction (powered by the Vocal Science™ Method), I implement the use of natural herbs to counteract the damage that had already been done to a singer’s or speaker’s vocal anatomy. There are natural remedies available that could greatly aid in strengthening your vocal anatomy: larynx, vocal cords, vocal box etc. Some of them will coat the throat and thus, soften the vocal box flora. Other herbs that are widely used, work on healing the voice and also help balance an individual’s emotional state. Those remedies work on the adrenal glands which are responsible for the emotional makeup of a human being, as well as restoring breathing and helping recover one’s voice – Licorice and Adrenal Support. 

My reader; next is a very important point: Most people assume that vocal problems are the result of straining the voice to the point of physical damage and they often are. However, vocal problems can also be related to a person’s emotional state, in other words, being “out of balance”. As I mentioned in my first book, “Vocal Science – Flight to the Universe”, when I work with my students, quite a lot of my time is spent dealing with suppressed emotions and some lingering hurts which inhibit the voice and prevent the speaker or singer from reaching their full potential. For this reason, I often offer my clients specific herbal remedies which, outside of other benefits, help them put their emotions in balance, which allows them to free their voices. 

I also recommend herbs that nurture the thyroid (which plays a major role in voice delivery). Furthermore, as I have said time and time again, “Your voice is your instrument”. Taking that into consideration, I often recommend herbs that boost and, nonetheless, strengthen the immune system. Nevertheless, as I mentioned before, diet is very important to the recovery and general performance of your voice. For this reason, I suggest to my clientele to try not to eat any of the following types of food: spicy, sour, salty, acidic and consume as little dairy as possible.

The other main part of the vocal repair equation are special voice repair exercises. I usually start out with speech exercises. After the client has mastered them, we move on to low-pitch singing exercises, which I have found to be very therapeutic and healing. Once the voice has been repaired the next step is to teach the speaker or singer the correct voice/vocal technique to prevent damage from reoccurring again in the future. After all, “you would not get a tire patched up and then go park on the same broken glass that caused the hole in the first place would you…?”

Total Voice Repair

Most people always assume that voice repair is only about removing growths (such as nodes, nodules, lesions, cysts, polyps etc.) and thus, fixing the vocal cords. What I call ‘Total Voice Repair’ means repairing your entire anatomy and nevertheless, NON-SURGICALLY!! Essentially, many of the things that the modern world presents us with – fast food, pollution, lack of physical exercise – have a detrimental effect on our bodies and, nevertheless, our voices. 

For example, recently a client contacted me about my non-surgical voice repair services. When I first met her, three things were obvious to me – she had done serious damage to her vocal box, her body was extremely “polluted” and, at least in part, the latter was responsible for the former. When I talk about someone being “polluted” what I am saying is that their body is essentially “full of toxins”. There was no doubt that her colon was full of waste. Her sinus cavities were clogged with mucus. The above-mentioned person was also extremely overweight. The result of all this “pollution” is that the person’s immune system was weak and her energy level was low; which resulted in her vocal anatomy being even more susceptible to damage also due to the use of incorrect vocal technique. Therefore, (in the case of this client), voice repair did not begin with her voice, but began with her mind and body. A complete holistic body repair was required before we could even start working on her voice. Again, the first thing I did, was recommend plenty of herbs to her; not only the herbs related to the voice, but also quite a few herbs that would cleanse her body of the toxins in her system. As I have mentioned in other publications, great and safe speaking and singing is the result of an integration and synergy between an overall healthy mind, healthy body, healthy vocal box and the correct application of the speaking and singing voice.

In conclusion, I would like to express my hope that you will never require any voice repair (non-surgical, or furthermore, God forbid, surgical) and will learn to speak and or sing correctly… And as for singers in particular, I hope that you would be fully aware of how to use your voice efficiently, promptly and safely before even attempting to make it through that long, nasty tour.

For more interesting articles like this one, visit our: BlogSpot Page

To learn about our non-srugical treatment methods for vocal problems, visit the Non-Surgical Voice Repair section of our site. 

Music Market – What’s Hot? Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Written by Diana Yampolsky

One of the great ironies of my life is that my career as a Vocal Coach/Consultant keeps me so extremely busy that I do not have very much time to listen to new artists who are not amongst my clientele. In many cases, it is my teenaged daughter who introduces me to a lot of new singers. Recently, she has become a huge fan of Matchbox Twenty. (She likes the band so much that she bought both of their albums.) Through the process of having my daughter play both albums to me over and over again in my car, I also became a big fan of the band and, in particular, their singer, Rob Thomas. I especially love their song ‘You Won’t Be Mine’ because the piano playing is beautiful and his singing is very sincere and authentic.

Coincidentally enough, just as I had become a huge Matchbox Twenty fan, we discovered they were scheduled to play in Toronto. My daughter convinced me to buy her tickets for the concert while refusing to take me along. (Afterall, she could not be seen at the concert with her mother!) When she came home after the concert, she was extremely excited and amazed by the performance. She said that she could not express with words how great it was and exclaimed that she had to see them again and now agreed that I had to see them in concert as well. I asked her where they were playing next and she informed me that Matchbox Twenty would be playing in San Diego in a couple of weeks. I said, “Yeah, right!”

That evening I thought about my conversation with my daughter some more. I was due for a vacation and San Diego actually possesses an attraction that I had always wanted to see. Any of my friends will tell you that my daughter and I are big fans of Panda Bears and the San Diego Zoo is one of the few zoos in North America that possesses these incredible animals. Neither the Panda Bears, nor Matchbox Twenty or the need for a vacation would on their own have been enough to convince me to go to San Diego in the middle of an extremely busy month for my school But all three in conjunction meant that my daughter and I actually were going to see Matchbox Twenty at the next stop on their tour.

On Thursday, October 19th, 2000, our plane took off for San Diego. On the Friday and Saturday we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the panda bears but the whole time were anticipating the concert on Sunday evening.

Sunday finally arrived and we were not disappointed. As far as I am concerned, Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty is one of the most talented singers in the current rock/alternative scene. I truly enjoy his singing and will talk later about some of the things that I think make him better than many of the current crop of rock singers. That said, he is not perfect, but nobody is. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate him a 9.5. Why you ask? Because HE ACTUALLY SANG! You could hear every note and syllable and you could tell that he genuinely meant what he was singing. Sure he was out of tune a few times, but he actually gave his utmost and worked for the money that people spent to see his concert. (I do not regret a penny that I spent on the concert, flight and trip in general.)

Truly Unplugged

One of the biggest trends in music these days is the unplugged set. This is when an artist does a stripped down or acoustic performance. (This is quite a satisfying experience when the singer is great but almost painful when a performer does not have the technique to duplicate or improve upon their recorded performances.) Rob Thomas gave a different kind of unplugged performance. First of all he was singing with his fully electric and amplified band yet he was still cutting through like it was an acoustic performance. Secondly, his nose was “unplugged” and thus he did not sound the least bit nasal, like quite a few of today’s singers. Thirdly, he was as close to unplugged as a singer who is singing in a stadium can be. He was not hooked up to any machines, including the ear monitors that seem to be so popular today; he sang through a simple Shure 58 microphone and had excellent microphone technique. Furthermore, he did not need to jump around excessively or do anything to distract the audience from his singing and music. In fact, the whole show kept the special effects to a minimum and emphasized the songs and musical performance only. What an original concept? It may sound old-fashioned but this concert brought back memories of my favourite singers from the 70’s and 80’s who relied on vocals and musical chops instead of lasers and lip-synching.

This performance also reminded me that music is actually a healing tool and it literally acted like a balsam for my soul. Unfortunately, too often the opposite is true. I vividly remember a concert by a very prominent singer whose identity I will not reveal. He was the opposite of Rob Thomas; he was screaming instead of singing and his “performance” was actually putting me into a state of depression. His expectant wife was there and for the life of me I don’t know how she didn’t deliver that evening because I almost did and I wasn’t even pregnant! He actually added stress and fatigue to my already fragile emotional state.

Again, I would like to remind you that Rob Thomas was not always perfect in terms of pitch, but he was at least SINGING! He sounded off on the odd occasion but it didn’t really matter because of the authentic nature of his performance. In fact, a trained ear could tell that while he was born with extraordinary talent he does not really have a strong grounding in vocal technique. If he had the proper technical training in addition to his natural talent it is scary to think how good he could be. I will talk more about this talent-technique dichotomy in my next article, Born Free! Playing it by Ear – Vocally Yours Without Structure? Until then remember that technology should never overwhelm your vocal performance or attempt to substitute it.

Vocal Engineering

By Diana Yampolsky

Over the years, I have been assisting my vocal students with the recording of their demo tapes and CD’s. I have been in both the best and worst recording studios and worked with both very experienced and novice engineers. In this article, I would like to share my experience as an In-Studio Vocal Consultant/Producer/Expert. A lot of aspiring singers have no idea of what the recording of their voice entails. Let me tell you it is a completely different experience from anything you have ever done – with respect to your voice and the vocal production in general. Now you are wearing headphones and hearing the music through them – it is like having two speakers connected to your head. A completely different perception. Also, you are not singing the whole song all at once. First you are taking it a verse at a time and then, most likely, dissecting it line by line – sometimes even word by word or even syllable by syllable. You need a lot of patience as it takes a long time. Nowadays, a lot of engineers use the Pro Tools program, which allows them to cut and paste not only different words but different syllables flown from track to track. Quite a fascinating experience – however, it is not always useful. This type of recording promotes not always adequate live performance. I personally was completely shocked when I heard Marc Anthony singing a Christmas carol during a televised Christmas concert being held at the White House. The impression was that it was the very first day of his singing career. Prior to that event I was completely in love with his recorded version of “My Baby You”. It possessed a perfect vocal and excellent production. His live performance did not resemble any of it. Therefore, in my opinion, it is good to use advanced technology to enhance an already great performance, but not to use it instead of the actual natural performance. Thus, I make sure that all my recording artists will be able to replicate their recordings at least 90-95% live, which is a pretty good ratio.

An important role in any recording project is played by a good, experienced engineer. If they have the proper technology and they know how to use it, they can save a lot of time and aggravation during the recording venture. As an In-Studio Vocal Consultant, I know what I want to hear on a vocal track and a good, experienced engineer will translate it back to me through the means of his technical skills. It is indeed frustrating when the engineer does not know his craft well enough to encourage faster and better production. For example, my recording artist got stuck on one word in a song. She kept dropping that word out of the context and respectively the pitch was suffering. The creative engineer found the solution. For some very mysterious reason the artist was able to sing the word acappella (also called ‘On Air” in studio terminology) then the engineer added the instrumental track around that word. This was an extreme measure but in this case it was a needed last resort. At another recording session another artist kept singing one of the words very dark and heavy and the impression was that she was a semi-tone lower than she was supposed to be. The engineer found the solution – he took 4 k out of the equalizer and thus lightened up the sound. The next example is an artist who had to sing the same word on the fourth line as on the first line so that they would rhyme perfectly; for some reason they could not do so. The word on the last line was obviously shorter than the same word on the first line. The experienced engineer helped again. The word was extended through the wonder of technology via time compression/expansion (TCE). Those little details may not be heard or perceived during a live performance as the style, emotions, etc. also play a big role. But during recording everything has to be perfect, or at least close to perfect as listeners can only hear the recorded voice. This is where technology becomes very handy (when used in coordination with actual singing skills).

Through the amazing technology you can also enhance the style. You can create a “radio” effect by adding 3 or 4 k to the equalizer. You can use another program called Echo Farm – it almost works the same as a delay (echoing the previous line thus creating the mirror reflection of the main track) but better; and using this program even the demo song will sound more produced. Using either of the programs may eliminate the need for the backup harmonies and is therefore a really good trick to know about. With respect to the harmonies, you have to be very careful too. Working with one of the not-so-experienced engineers we came to the problem where the lead and the harmonies were sounding blended together – thus promoting a choir quality production instead of the Pop/R&B style. Addressing this problem to a more experienced engineer, we were able to move the lead vocal up front (using the volume rider) and keep the backup a little bit further in the back scene, thus the Pop/R&B song style was not lost or mistaken.

Sound Construction and Reconstruction

Throughout over 20 years experience being in studios, I discovered a magic button – the Fader. Once the plain track has been recorded, it can be greatly enhanced by operating the fader properly and accordingly to the phrasing, style and volume. If my client is not of the caliber of Celine Dion or Brian McKnight, they definitely need an enhancement on their tracks. Partly, as they don’t sing the whole song all at once, they sometimes lose the emotion throughout the recording experience, which is totally understandable. That’s where I come in with my “magic button”. “Playing” with the volume I can give a song a certain lift or certain fade – whatever is required. I can make it lighter or heavier and nevertheless louder or softer. I even could give it a certain “bite”, especially at the beginning of the phrases if needed. I like doing it as a last touch during the blend between the instrumental and vocal tracks. It is especially important during the production of a demo CD, as the actual mix is usually not taking place in this instance – especially if a prerecorded instrumental track was used. It’s important to note that there are two ways of using the fader. The first is via volume automation done through a computer program which is not involving a manual touch. I prefer the 2nd option, which is the manual vocal riding; which is recorded from the console to the computer. In my opinion, I am able to give it a more personal touch and add more soul to the performance via this method.

In conclusion, if you are a vocalist (experienced or not so experienced), I would definitely advise you to get a Vocal Expert to go with you into the recording studio, as the engineer and/or producer may not be able to give you “sound” vocal advice. They definitely know what they want to hear, but they do not know how to interpret it to a vocalist in the language that would achieve a desirable outcome. After all, there is nothing wrong when the cardiac patient has different medical personnel working on him at the same time in the operating room. In many cases, when a person has a heart attack they are not treated solely by a cardiologist. For example, in cases of a stroke, a neurologist and brain surgeon are required to work in conjunction with the heart specialist. Given all of that, why has the concept of having a Vocal Specialist in the studio not become a standard operating procedure?

Vocally Speaking – The Cutting Edge

By Diana Yampolsky

In this column, I would like to talk about something that every singer who aspires to greatness must have: a cutting edge. This term is actually the title of an obscure movie about figure skating that I enjoyed very much and, more importantly, perfectly encapsulates exactly what I want to say in this article. In the movie, a figure skating duo from the United States are aiming to win the gold medal at the Olympics. During their practices their coach tries to find something that will give them an advantage over the competition. The turning point in their quest is when he asks them why they think they have a chance of winning? They couldn’t come up with an adequate answer and he goes on to tell them that they need a cutting edge; something extraordinary that will ensure they become Olympic champions. He informs them that their competition will be doing essentially the same jumps and routines as them and, therefore, it really comes down to who has a better day instead of who the greatest skaters are. The coach then goes on to tell them about a very dangerous jump called the Deadly Spiral. It is so difficult and life-threatening that nobody else would ever dare to try it. If the duo could master this jump then they would be absolutely guaranteed the gold medal. At first they are apprehensive but he convinces them that they the technical skills necessary to safely nail it. Much of the rest of this movie is about them practicing the move, nearly killing each other and then finally succeeding in their task – becoming Olympic champions. The Deadly Spiral was obviously their “cutting edge” over the other skaters.

Similarly, I have a lot of CD’s in my collection with good music, decent songs and even adequate vocals, but the majority are missing their own “cutting edge”. Take a moment to ask yourself: as a singer, what makes you different? I think you would agree with me that a singer who sounds just like everyone else is pretty boring. (Nobody ever sold a million records while performing in a tribute band!) Every singer that has become a legend (Elvis, The Beatles, Celine Dion) had something original and unique that set them apart from every singer before them. Their voices were unique and original, but they also had other intangible qualities as well.

Now you are probably asking yourself what you can do to gain your own cutting edge. There are essentially two ways to do it.

The first way is to do it is as the aforementioned skaters did. Find or create something that will give you a leg up on the competition. It may be a particularly difficult or beautiful song that you learn how to sing exceptionally well. (Sort of like your own Deadly Spiral.) Or it could be the way you carry yourself on stage, what most people call stage presence. It can even be a unique look as long as it is relates well to the style of music you are performing. Most people wouldn’t classify the members of KISS as being extraordinary singers and songwriters but they achieved a perfect balance between style of music, songs, vocals, image and performance.

The second way is to develop it from within your self. It is important to understand that you already possess your own unique quality that separates you from every other person on the planet: your spirit. If you wish, you can take this to mean that I am talking about your soul. At the very least you have to admit that your DNA differs in some way from every other human being. Furthermore, your experiences are not completely alike those of any other person. Either way, what you have to learn how to do is to unleash your own individuality and channel it into your vocal performances. Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty is a prime example of a singer whose cutting edge is his own inner energy, which is incredibly high and “orgasmic” and that transfers directly to the audience.

As I outlined in my book, Vocal Science – Flight to the Universe, a singer can only invest their performances with their own individual spirit when they are grounded in flawless technique, which will also prevent them from damaging their main commodity, ie. their voice. Whenever a new student starts instruction with me we first concentrate solely on the technical aspects of singing. As the student progresses and develops to the point that the technique becomes second nature to him, his individuality naturally starts to come out in his vocal performances. This is very exciting to witness and is one of the things I love most about my job. I vividly remember a student who once called me after a performance because he was very excited about what people were saying with regards to his new way of singing in light of the work we had done together. As is the case with many amateur bands, many of the same people (friends, family) usually come to all of their performances. This time, several had told him not only had his pitch and projection improved immensely but he also sounded more original and totally different. They told him that whereas before he had sounded like Bono of U2 and Michael Hutchence of INXS, now they couldn’t really compare him to anyone else. He had developed his own cutting edge and was exhibiting something that was unique to him.

When a singer develops his own cutting edge it is truly a joyous experience. It’s like witnessing the singer being reborn. Until next time, keep working at developing your own unique style and be sure to stay tuned for future excerpts from my new book, Vocal Science II – Flight from the Virtual Music to Reality, in upcoming issues.

Psychology of Performance – Pavlovian Conditioning

By Diana Yampolsky

In this column, I would like to talk about something human psychology-related. When I speak at Music Conferences, I often make the statement that vocal coaching is not really about working on the voice, it is about working on the mind. I like to think that one reason that I have been successful over the years is that while I did receive a very comprehensive musical education, I have also tried to learn things from other scientific and artistic disciplines and use them to enhance my capabilities as a Vocal Coach/Consultant. One field that has bearing on pretty much every human endeavour, including singing, is Behavioral Psychology. In 1891, the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov conducted a series of experiments using dogs to prove that behaviours are conditioned over time via repetition. In essence, he programmed the dog’s brains so that they would react in the exact manner in which he wanted them to. For example, if he wanted the dog to learn the command to sit, he had to say it with a very firm voice and put the dog into a sitting position – always rewarding the dog with a treat. Eventually, the dog learned the command and with the command “sit” would do it himself while salivating, obviously at first expecting the treat. Pavlov proved that their saliva was produced in anticipation of the reward. Furthermore, the dog does not know any language. The Russian master would command “Sit” in the Russian language, the Japanese in Japanese, etc. The dog recognizes the sound and responds accordingly. Now let’s suppose that the dog got into an obedience school in which the masters weren’t sure of what command to give and what response they wanted to receive. With the command ‘sit’, they were making the dog ‘lie’. With the command ‘lie’ they were making the dog run and so on. The dog would get completely confused and not know what to do anymore. Furthermore, let’s say the dog then enrolled in a different obedience school and the new master started giving him the correct commands. The new master would be perplexed – he couldn’t understand why the dog was lying when he was commanding the dog to sit and why the dog was running when it was commanded to lie.

Obviously, the signals were mixed up. With vocal coaching, I meet the similar situation every hour of every day. Many singers have mixed signals and “run” when they should “lie”. To recondition the mind and the response of the body is not an easy task, but it can be done; however, in a lot of cases with a great degree of difficulty. Therefore, I am use a structured set of speech and singing exercises to condition the mind and body to work in synchronicity and synergy. In many ways, what I am doing is similar to another scientific methodology – neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), which is basically a methodology that has been designed to help people change and reprogram people’s behaviours by “installing” a certain set of instructions into their brains. Similarly, I have found that while all people are given a voice, nobody per se has given instructions on how to use it, at least not in a scientific way. The “manual” and “programs” that I give singers consist of special speech and singing exercises that train people in a way that is really not all that different from the way that Pavlov trained his dogs. After I have supervised the repetition of these exercises over a consistent but relatively short period of time, the way that singers use their voices are the result of a programmed instinct that will give them optimum results with a minimum amount of effort.

In many instances, the hardest part of improving an individual’s performance is not “programming” the new behaviours, it is actually getting the singer to truly admit and, more importantly, understand that they have a problem. I call this the “Vocaholics Anonymous” syndrome because in many ways it is similar to the behaviour of an alcoholic with respect to alcohol. Alcoholics abuse their bodies through the excessive consumption of alcohol in a manner similar to the way that many singers abuse their vocal chords (and ultimately the ears of their audiences). In both cases, they usually feel pretty sore the next day. Similarly, both are often told by friends and family that they have a problem but they usually do not listen and cannot admit to themselves that they have a problem. The first step for any recovering alcoholic is for them to admit to themself that they have a problem. For a “vocaholic’ the steps are pretty much the same. The singer first has to admit to himself that his current vocal technique (or lack thereof) is a problem. The 2nd step is to commit to doing something about it. The 3rd step is to get expert help and the 4th is to be able to establish the proper habit so that they won’t fall back into their bad habits. As with alcoholism, the goal of any vocal coach should be to cure their students of their bad habits to the point that there is no chance they will ever fall back into their old habits.

In conclusion, singing, like almost any other discipline, is based on conditioning. If your voice is conditioned the right way, you will sound better than you ever imagined possible. Like a dog, you need a competent master and a great obedience school. For more insights into how you can correctly condition your voice and mind, look for my future CM columns, visit my website at www.vocalscience.com , and look out for my upcoming 2nd book, Vocal Science II – Flight from the Virtual Music to Reality.

Vocal Fitness – Vocal Balance

By Diana Yampolsky, Canadian Musician Magazine

IT IS ALL ABOUT BALANCE!!

You will hear this statement from almost everyone… from new age gurus, from marriage counsellors – and, of course, from numerous fitness instructors. It’s pretty much a cliche, but there is always something of a universal truth there in most of them. Especially when it’s concerning vocalists, the achievement of the total balance is extremely important. As I said again and again, successful singing performances are the result of a combination of the correct technical aspects, a healthy vocal anatomy and a willingness to share your “spirit” (your voice) with the audience. Ultimately, the successful singers must find the correct balance between the physical, emotional and vocal components.

Another statement which I often repeat is that “your voice is your instrument” and again it is so commonly stated because it really is a fundamental truth. Indeed your voice is your instrument and its performance is a direct result of how well you take care of it. You wouldn’t spill water on your guitar and then expect that it will sound right, would you? Unfortunately, this is akin to what many people often do! To be able to deliver a technically correct singing performance in order to prevent yourself from doing any damage to your vocal anatomy, (thus continuing to maintain a healthy sounding voice), you really do need to be in a good physical, emotional and vocal shape. The question is; How can a singer or even a professional speaker (for that matter) reach the correct physical condition to benefit their performance overall…? Have you, my reader, guessed it yet? The answer is…. To maintain the total balance! What exactly is a balanced physique you may ask? First of all – it is when both the upper body and lower body are in proportion and are in coordination with each other.

For example, if you go to any gym in your city you will probably see some men that are so obsessed with having big arms and chests that they exercise their upper bodies way more than their lower bodies. As a result, they got huge upper bodies and skinny legs. Conversely, some people that are into activities such as skating or soccer may develop large muscles in their legs while being practically emaciated with respect to their upper body. In both cases, as a result, their physical body overall, obviously is out of balance.

Singers who are out of balance with very muscular legs and skinny upper bodies tend to slouch quite a bit and this type of posture is very detrimental for singing and human health overall. Their whole body is pointed down towards the ground and which is in direct opposition to what good singers are supposed to do – they tend to lift their entire body upwards as a way of lifting the sound off of the vocal cords (off of the vocal box in general), so that the sound of their voice will be able to resonate within their vocal chambers (sinus cavities). A comparison for a singer who slouches is such; When a plane tries to take off, (but due to excessive weight) is unable to reach the proper height, it most likely will crash down to the ground.

Singers who are physically out of balance due to a big upper body and skinny lower body are at an equal disadvantage. Again, while most people assume that singing is purely the domain of the throat and mouth, the truth is that most good singers use their legs to support the required posture necessary to lift the body upwards while singing. If the upper body is so heavy that the legs struggle to lift it upwards, then the sound will again not be lifted off of the vocal cords. Furthermore, if the singer tries to overcompensate for a weak lower body by flexing his chest and neck, this will overstress the upper body. That will result in a weak, shrill and unpleasant sounding singing voice. Therefore, the recipe for success is the right blend of a balanced body, mind, soul and, as a result, a pleasantly sounding singing voice. The achievement of all of that will equate to a reward for hard… but smart work!

The moral of it is; In a healthy body, there is a healthy spirit and… nonetheless, a HEALTHY VOICE!