The Intelligent Vocalist

The tonal variations and shades of a musical instrument (such as the guitar) are nearly infinite. From the choice of woods, to strings, to the musician's approach, each element helps create a rainbow of sound variations. Singers have their own infinite color choices, and vowel shadings are a significant source of variations for musical expression. In this episode, John discusses how to think of and approach vowels for maximum variety and suggests exercises to help find your musical color palate.

The mind is a stimulus-seeking machine, which creates opportunities to be constantly distracted.  Technology, especially social media is engineered to take advantage of our increasingly short attention spans. The problem is, the work we singers seek to do takes a great deal of focus and awareness. In this episode, John discusses the problems of distraction and how to find your focus in an increasingly noisy world.  

Great singers have a uniqueness that makes them rare and special. But they also have traits in common that help fuel their greatness. In this episode, John discusses these traits so many leading singers have cultivated and developed in their musical lives to lift themselves above the pack. These traits are: Consistency Self-Awareness Kinesthetic Awareness Attention to Detail A Story to Tell Humility Fearlessness Developing and nurturing these traits will help catapult your singing and performance to a higher level.  

It all starts with sound, however, few singers understand the nature of sound and the importance of creating balanced sound waves. In this episode, John breaks down how sound works and the differences in balanced and unbalanced sound waves. SHOW LINKS: January Voice Challenge

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can't change - sage advice through the ages, but often ignored by singers. The beauty of singing is it is a discipline of continuous improvement and discovery. But there are also limitations in each of our voices, limitations that should be accepted so we can focus on what we can change and improve. By focusing on our strengths and accepting our weaknesses, we can blossom into the best vocal version of ourselves.  

Bad habits are easy to form but hard to live with. Good habits are hard to form but easy to live with. Your current level of singing ability is the culmination of your daily work habits and routines and while every voice can improve, not all of us have formed the habits to make consistent improvement. In this episode, John discusses the importance of habit and consistency for your voice and music and gives some tips to help make 2019 a great singing year. Suggested Links: Atomic Habits by James Clear - A fantastic method for starting and maintaining solid habits. For more information on John's January vocal commitment special (and the chance to work with him at a special rate) CLICK HERE      

2018 was a year of continued advances in singing science and the influence of media savvy voice teachers. In this year-end wrap-up, John looks at some key areas of voice and discusses the current state of singing and teaching.

Health is extremely important for the singer and performer, as our body is our instrument. In this follow-up episode, John continues his discussion of losing a large amount of weight in a short period of time, with the help of scientist Ray Cronise.

Food is everpresent in our lives and is part of a large percentage of our social interactions. The trap of hyper-palatable, calorically dense foods is creating a global health crisis of obesity and overnutrition. The singer's instrument is their body and vocal, as well as full-body health, should be a priority. In this episode, John discusses his looming health crisis and how he was able to lose 150 lbs in just eight months to reclaim his health.

The piano is the perfect instrument for developing a greater understanding of music. Having basic piano skills can help you be a better voice teacher, but it can also help you as a singer, making your practice sessions more efficient and helping you learn songs quicker. In this episode, John discusses the benefits of learning piano and gives some quick tips on understanding basic keys and common chords.