Mark JW Graham - Singing Lessons Nottingham

May 7, 2017February 27, 2020

What happens in a singing lesson? How do singing lessons work?

“I’m thinking about getting some singing lessons, but what happens in a singing lesson? What exactly do singing lessons involve? How do singing lessons work?”

Great question, and it’s important to know what happens in a singing lesson! And truthfully, no voice coach or singing teacher runs lessons exactly the same. No matter how great a given teacher or coach is, or how similar two coaches happen to be in terms of their approach, all have different styles.

That said, here are some good things to bear in mind as a good structure for the first lesson you have and future sessions. If a teacher doesn’t follow roughly this list of check-points, it may be worth looking around for someone that more accurately fits the bill. We are assuming lessons are a typical length of an hour whenever we mention times below.

At the start of the first lesson…

The first lesson should have an initial consultation in which your prospective singing teacher identifies what you can currently do, and what you can’t. From there they should be able to explain WHY you are struggling there, and then present a clearly understandable plan of action for HOW you and them are going to address those issues. Their explanation should make sense and you should be able to relate to the issues they indicate you likely suffer from. The goal is to BUILD your voice to fix and address issues, not to avoid the trouble areas or gloss over it with adding style prematurely – this is critically important.

This shouldn’t take overly long at the beginning of the lesson, maybe 5-10 minutes at most.

Once you get going…

Once your key issue obstructing your development has been identified, the majority of the duration of the first lesson (and most lessons, at least the start of your vocal development) should focus on addressing your specific vocal issue using exercises that isolate and attend to that issue to develop correct vocal technique. Your coach should enable you to feel and identify that difference they are causing in your voice, however small (or ideally big!) that difference might be. This is because it is the coach’s job to introduce you to the more effective way of using your voice and to make this abundantly clear throughout the first lesson and every lesson thereafter – this is critical to effective teaching, don’t put up with vagueness or lack of understanding in this area.

This section of the lesson can vary, but should typically be 20-40 minutes depending on the voice in question.

Wrapping up towards the end…

Technique is all well and good, but we NEED to apply this to song… as that’s what we’re trying to learn to do in the first place. The last 5-15 minutes or so should be spent applying this to one or two songs. Typically at the beginning it will just be one fraction (maybe even just one line or so) of one song, but as your ability grows, it will naturally become more than this.

The last few minutes…

Typically you should be recording your lesson or the coach may be recording it for you (for example, we offer a free online service to all clients to record and host their lessons online privately just for them) to enable you to practice along with between lessons. At this stage you’ll stop the recording, and your next lesson will be booked in, as well as any last few questions answered that you may have.

That’s about it! Hopefully that’s given you some idea of what to expect in singing lessons, how they work, etc. Give us a shout if you have any questions!

Learn More: Related Articles

If you want to learn more about singing lessons, you may enjoy these related articles:
Learn more about how our voice lessons work
What MOST singing teachers get wrong about teaching voice
Our Vocal Technique Explained
I think I sound bad: Can singing lessons help?
Are singing lessons effective?
Famous singers who have had singing lessons

May 7, 2017February 27, 2020

Which famous singers have had singing lessons?

Many folks ask me “which famous singers have had singing lessons”, and the answer is “many!”. Here are just a few.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but I figured it would be worth looking at some different famous singers who each had singing lessons along the way that helped them to achieve their full potential and success.

1. Michael Jackson
MJ worked with voice coach Seth Riggs for many, many years (32 by Seth’s recollection – source). Seth helped him put his voice together both as an adult (versus how he used to sing as a child singer) and to help him on tour with the demands he would place his voice under to perform his material.

You can hear an oft-cited recording of Michael working with Seth:

2. Stevie Wonder

Stevie is another singer who worked with Seth Riggs for many years, almost since the start of his career. I recall hearing that Stevie had endured some vocal issues early on in his career that prompted him to seek the help of Seth, but I can’t find the written source to corroborate this (so consider it anecdotal for now!).

You’ll notice a LOT of similarities between the range and ease of singing that MJ and Stevie both had. Now in both cases they are talented artists with a great ear and wonderful performance approach, which counts for a lot, I just want to point out the relative ease of sound that is very much a signature stamp of a well-put-together voice.

3. Luciano Pavarotti

Pavarotti did indeed have lessons, but he didn’t start until he was 18/19 years of age. Now normally that is relatively late for operatic stars to get their “official” vocal training start, but his father was both a wonderful singer AND educator at home (thereby inducting the young Luciano early into the ways of opera), and Pavarotti had a unique instrument. In Leone Magiera’s book ‘Pavarotti: Up Close’, he discusses that Pavarotti could sail up to Eb5/E5 in a connected full voice (albeit untrained) at 18/19 in his first voice lesson – this is incredibly unusual, and indicates an agile nimble instrument with the potential to achieve ease of range that most do not have straight-off-the-bat.

Despite all this, Pavarotti stated it took him at least 6 years to master his first bridge/passagio (source: ‘Great Singers on Great Singing’ by Jerome Hines) and that it is INCREDIBLY frustrating at first, but you MUST stick with it, and that other routes that are tempting will never give you security of voice that you seek… well put Luciano!

4. Beyonce

Beyonce is relatively well known to have had extensive voice coaching and undergone extreme vocal training regimens from a young age. David Lee Brewer trained her for at least 11 years of her early life (allegedly living with the family for some of that time), and another voice coach Tom McKinney has also been associated with Beyonce.

What to bear in mind…

In all of the above cases, they all had a) exceptional voices from an early age, b) an extraordinary work ethic to capitalise on their innate facility. The one take-home you should have from this is not “you gotta be born with it”… on the contrary, ANYONE can develop their voice to be worthy of people listening, if only you have the work ethic and serious attitude to capitalise on it and develop it for yourself.

Learn More: Related Articles

April 30, 2017March 24, 2024

Is George Michael THE Greatest Singer?

Who is your favourite singer or all time? I’m sure you can think of a few, and feel free to contemplate the following about each of them.

Let’s reframe the question.

If you could only listen to ONE singer’s music for the rest of your life, who would you pick?

Now, if you’re asking me who I think is my favourite singer, it’s probably going to be someone like Stevie Wonder. But if I could ONLY listen to Stevie for the rest of my life… I’d get pretty tired of his music pretty quickly. Once you’ve heard half a dozen of Stevie’s songs, you’ve heard more or less his whole back catalogue.

If we’re asking which artist has the widest range of styles, I’d probably say someone like John Mayer… but again, once you’ve heard half a dozen of his songs, you’ve heard most of what he generates. Listening to both of these artists’ material on loop for the rest of your life could get pretty fatiguing.

This is where George Michael enters.

In a straight-up head to head of “most technical singers”, or most bombastic performer, he probably would have lost to people like Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, etc. Continue reading “Is George Michael THE Greatest Singer?”

April 23, 2017December 2, 2017

Five Songs From This Week

Once again, we visit five songs (and a bonus track!) that featured in some way in the studio and my week just gone. Have a listen and you can be a virtual ‘fly on the wall’ in others lessons!

1. You can go your own way – Fleetwood Mac
Absolute classic, been revisiting Fleetwood Mac since I heard ‘The Chain’ whilst out and about a few weeks ago.

2. Jealous Guy – Donny Hathaway (written by John Lennon)
I’ve been working my way through Donny’s back-catalog and this has been my favourite so far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxUSQC-KAHM

3. Great is thy faithfulness – Hymn
This is not the best version out there but it’s a good attempt of a classic hymn on the American ‘The Voice’ series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm-KsLytcW0

4. Run – Leona Lewis (written by Snow Patrol)
A song we all know but you might not recognise til you get to the chorus!

5. Guitar Boogie – Tommy Emmanuel
NOT vocals, but a few clients had never heard of this ludicrously talented guitarist – Tommy Emmanuel – so here is one of his most insanely impressive and musical pieces.

BONUS:
If you’re into Marvel films, this awesome Led Zeppelin track was featured in the latest trailer for the upcoming Thor film (the song is ‘The Immigrant Song’)

April 8, 2017February 27, 2020

30 second tip: Let the larynx rest

This should only take you 2-3 minutes to read, and only about 10-30 seconds to apply each time you use it.

What’s the problem?

When you’re singing a song and you get to that difficult passage/line, you ever noticed how it’s sometimes harder than doing that difficult passage just by itself? Or perhaps you are trying to practice that difficult passage by itself repeatedly, and the first 2-3 times are decent, but then it feels like it’s getting worse no matter what we try? We’ve all experienced this and it’s frustrating as all heck – we’re on a roll then we lose the flow, and it feels like it keeps slipping away despite repeated attempts to regain it. What gives?

Why does this happen?

No matter how skilled you are as a singer, the longer you are singing without rest (rest as short as even 10-30 seconds), the more the larynx will continue to rise, whether obviously or gradually/imperceptibly. This happens as a result of continued vocal use without a break. This compromises ease of singing, no matter what your level of technique.

The simple solution…

Give yourself 10-30 seconds rest at that point. Try to JUST rest – don’t fill that rest with speaking, singing, coughing, or even drinking excessively (a few sips will suffice).

All things being equal you should find this returns you to a better state for attempting that challenging passage. By letting the larynx (and voice as a whole) rest for even just 10-30 seconds between sets of attempts to practice a line can make the world of difference. Rest will naturally allow and encourage your larynx to drop naturally. A quick yawn can help encourage a descent of the larynx as well. Don’t just keep hammering the line, let your voice rest and as soon as you feel yourself departing from the easier state, rest it up again. If you find 30 seconds isn’t enough, give it longer – experiment!

Give it a shot next time you’re tackling a tricky passage!

Learn More: Related Articles

If you’d like to learn more about what good vocal function involves, check out these related articles:
Pursue vocal function BEFORE sound, every time
What makes a song “feel” high?
Tongue Tension: How to spot it and fix it
5 Reasons Sleep Helps Boost Your Singing
A Key to Great Singing: Hyper-function vs Relaxation

March 19, 2017February 27, 2020

Five Famous Singers with Vocal Problems

From Nodules and Granulomas, to Haemorrhages, and Surgery Complications

This week I thought it would be interesting to look at the kind of issues that can befall singers who neglect their vocal health, nodules and otherwise. Now some of the following are due to particularly hazardous vocal technique (or lack thereof). However, even with half-decent or great technique, if you over-use your voice and give yourself inadequate rest you can encounter similar issues.

John Mayer – Granuloma

A few years ago John Mayer had to cancel an extensive tour to undergo surgery for a granuloma.

John Mayer is a self-taught singer, and if you watch interviews with him at Berklee College of Music he talks about the search to find a great ‘base’ tone for his voice. Sadly, this tone (as cool as it is) is not a healthy form of phonation full stop, let alone for extended periods. Granuloma is a swelling/inflammation of the cartilage at the back of the vocal cords, whereas nodules occur on the cords themselves (see below). However the growth of this inflamed tissue can interfere with vocal function and cause a great deal of pain and dysphonia (i.e. can’t pitch correctly).

In my opinion, from a technical perspective John Mayer has always been way too light with his chest voice. I’m talking purely technically and NOT stylistically. This results in a LOT of excess air passing over the vocal cords (which you can hear in almost every song). Functionally speaking, this results in insufficient stability throughout his voice, which then leads to strain at the top of his (chest) voice when he tries to gun it on the higher notes.

He also constantly flips between a light insufficiently stable (but regularly strained) chest co-ordination and his artistic use of falsetto. This kind of vocal habit can really wreak havoc on a voice. This is because the cords are constantly being strained and excessively taut one second, then being suddenly let go of like letting go of an elastic band the next. Such a constant flip-flopping can create a lot of wear on the voice and the connective tissues. Add into that an intensive gigging schedule and you’ve got a recipe for vocal disaster.

Adele & Sam Smith – vocal cord haemorrhage

A haemorrhage is a particularly unpleasant issue. It’s where the tissue of the vocal cords themselves rupture and bleed all over themselves. This also creates swelling, much like any other cut in the human body.

In Adele’s case, you can hear the amount of sheer pressure she uses when she sings. In fact, if you listen to her recorded version of ‘Rolling in the Deep’ you can hear her voice trembling to try and hold onto that very first high note in the chorus. This is indicative of a singer using significantly excessive amounts of air pressure to generate their sound and trying to retain that chest-like sound as high as possible. Sam Smith has vocal habits/behaviour a little closer to that of John Mayer.

Singing in a kind of ‘crafted yelling’ co-ordination or repeatedly cranking up the volume without adequate technique or rest periods in between is remarkably bad for the voice. I can’t even begin to describe how damaging it is, even for short periods of time, let alone entire concerts night after night. Continued misuse and OVER-use of the voice in this way is what resulted in this damage to her voice.

Michael Buble – nodules

A year or so ago, Michael Buble announced he had to cancel at least part of his tour to have vocal cord surgery to remove nodules. Nodules are like blisters/callouses on your vocal cords. These generally occur as a soft localised swelling on one cord initially, then hardening to a hard nodule (like a blister), and often result in a matching nodule on the opposite cord as the initiating nodule rubs against the other vocal cord during phonation. Soft nodules can occur quite regularly with even loud shouting at events, football matches, concerts etc, and so are not uncommon per se (though we should try to avoid even these). However, prolonged singing on nodules or adema (swelling) is what tends to lead to hard nodules.

Now while Michael Buble is not perfect technically, he doesn’t sing in ridiculous keys. He also doesn’t sing with dramatically excessive volume, nor does he experiment with vocal distortion. He is relatively clean when he sings and doesn’t jam his voice as hard as it will go as often as he can. In short, he’s not perfect, but he is a great example of what can happen when even as a singer with half-decent technique. Over-singing (gigs night after night!) can just create that level of wear in the voice. Gigging every night with inadequate rest can still lead to serious vocal issues.

Julie Andrews – Nodules, then surgery complications

Julie Andrews is an unusual case. She went in to have nodules removed, but the surgeon allegedly botched the operation. This resulted in a piece of her vocal cords no longer being there or being available in the way it once was. My recollection from conversations with other coaches was that the surgeon slipped during the operation, but I cannot find a reliable source to corroborate this. In any case, surgery is a serious route to go down, and the consequences never leave the voice the same again. Once nodules reach the hardened stage, they must be removed surgically, whereas soft nodules (the ones that are “merely” a localised swelling) can reduce with rest and corrective exercises.

The Upshot is…

You only get one voice – be smart about how you use it and look after it.

If you’re straining, stop doing it. If you’re repeatedly straining, DEFINITELY stop doing it. Whether you’re being too heavy and aggressive (like Adele previously), or light and flipping to falsetto (like John Mayer), or even whether your technique is reasonably together but you’re singing without adequate rest (like Michael Buble), you have GOT to respect the inherent requirements of how the voice is meant to work and how it’s meant to recover.

Learn More: Related Articles

If you want to learn more about vocal health and voice issues, you may enjoy the following articles:
Shouting masquerading as singing: Why so many singers are just yelling
Why vocal problems so regularly derail careers, permanently
Vocal Health Issues
My Singing Voice Hurts: 5 Habits for Vocal Health
Vocal Longevity: The Icarus Effect
Why do I keep losing my voice: Overuse, Misuse and Abuse
The Seriousness of Vocal Fold Nodules