Online Singing Lessons
What you need to start online singing lessons right away
1) The free Skype software that you can download from here Skype Software Download
2) A webcam and a microphone – there are some good sugestions on the skype website - I use the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910, I have also used the Logitech Webcam Pro 9000 which is also a really great webcam and more than good enough for online singing lessons, both are Skype approved Logitech Webcams
3) E-mail Me Free Online Singing Lessons Consultation to arrange a time for your free lesson.
4) The first online singing lesson is a free consultation, in this lesson, you will be expected to sing a verse and a chorus of a sing that you know - you don't need to know it off by heart, just be able to sing it with out a backing track - this will give me a good idea of the voice that you have which will then help me to taylor your singing lessons to your voice. We will then look at your range, get an idea of what you want to get from lessons, and answer any general questions that you have. This is also a good time for you to get fumilulair with the webcam, and skype software that you are using.
So why take online singing lessons?
Well in a nut shell they are cheaper - The cost of fuel, bus ticket or taxi fare disappears. They are more convenient - No time wasted on traveling anywhere, in the cold or wet, your lessons are in your own home. You can work with any vocal coach that you like without worrying about distance or cost constraints.
English may not be your first language in which case you may need me to go over your lyrics so as to make sure that you are singing them correctly.
If you’re in a band that’s touring, then you could have a vocal coach at the end of a web cam to give you a really good warm up session, giving you the confidence to perform at your best.
If you have a project that you are working on and some of the words are a problem for you to sing for whatever reason, then you could book an online singing lesson so that I can help you correct and understand what you where doing wrong. You could also be a professional singer how knows that they have fallen into bad habits and want to fine tune your voice.
If you would like a more structured approach then I offer modules that cover all the areas of singing, on a theoretical and practical basis with audio examples and vocalizes. you will see a list of modules that I offer below, you can choose to take lessons like this to start with, then when you have covered the different areas then start to work on what you want or just go straight to working on your songs its your call.
Yes there is an initial startup cost for equipment, but its very cheap these days, check out my singing lessons page to see the costs.
Singing Lesson FAQ
How can I work out what my range is?
Simple find a keyboard or guitar and play a note, then copy that note by singing it on any sound that you like, if you think you can go lower, then do, keep going down note by note in this fashion until you reach a note that you can’t sing, write this note down, then do the same going up. Then count the number of notes that you have – there are 12 notes in an octave so divide the number of notes that you counted by 12 and this will give you your range in octaves.
Doing the above will give you what is called your VOCALIZING RANGE but not your true SINGING RANGE. So what is the difference? Well the vocalizing range is a range that you can make any sound on that you like, but you may not be able to actually hold the note or sing words on it, where as the singing range is the range that you can actually sing words in. The vocalizing range is always bigger than your singing range – normally by about a 3rd to a 5th at both ends. The vocalizing range is the one that you use to open up the voice into new notes, when the vocalizing range is free and easy then the voice will open up and your singing range will then start to increase too – yes just doing vocalizes will do this, but its best to allow the voice to open up without pushing it, this way the range is increased and follows a naturally balanced tonal path.
What is a vocal register?
It is a range of notes that have the same tone and are created with the same muscle coordination in the larynx (the voice box). So we have vocal fry – this is the lowest register, then the Chest register, head register or falsetto register and whistle register – which is the highest register. There is still confusion over the correct terms for the areas above, and you may have a vocal coach who doesn’t agree with the registers that I have talked about, but there is no denying that they are there, they just may call them something else that’s all, and this is one of the big problems in vocal coaching that so many vocal coaches call the same thing by a different names that it's easy to get confused, so just work on having a blended connected voice and none of the above will be a problem for you.
Will having singing lessons change my tone?
This is by far one of the most asked questions, the answer is simple…no. The sound that you have will always be there, its just a matter of knowing what it feels like so that you can dial into it again. What you get from singing lessons, is the knowledge to find and feel other tonal centers so that you can blend soft and edgy tones to really put across the sentiment of the lyrics – not just relying on volume to get you there, this still in the end will sound monotone, and the audience will start to loose interest.