I'm a classical bass singer that for years has struggled with anything above B3. I've recently watched your free masterclass video and had an absolute epiphany thanks to you - I always thought that heavy compression like what you demonstrate at 13:00 seemed tiring and was going to make my voice sound bad so I avoided it. Nope, it's the key to singing the upper notes of bass repertoire and beyond without strain. My vocal adductors are still pretty weak at this stage but after just 90 minutes of practicing with your techniques I was able to sing the baritone solo in Libera Me from Fauré's Requiem all in one go, and actually PRACTICE it, like vowel placement etc. rather than just struggle through it, and I could do it again and again without going flat. That's never happened to me before! This is the start of something great I feel.
That is excellent Matt. The heavy compression is the first phase I take singers through to developing the voice and strengthening the upper range. after that I teach how to soften it and make it flexible and more effortless. If you want to work with me and take your voice even further I have a 12 month mentorship program, imagine the results I can get you when you work with me personally. Best wishes
This is clearly the best video on youtube, I have seen highlighting the issues and ways to fix those issues when you get stuck above F#4. Thanks Phil for this gem.
I cannot say how much of a help this video was. I was struggling with singin with my chest voice around F4 and higher. Now I'm getting them. One more tip for the viewers is that when you're doing this exercise and you got the notes right, take a small breather and then try it with the phrase in the song you're learning. Cuz usually I'd get exercises right and I get it wrong in songs. When I mixed up exercises and then immediate application, I got an idea as to how I should use my voice. It's amazing.
That open mouth oo sound is really clever! Been trying to explain the correct "narrow" feeling u get with good fold closure, even tho the mouth is open. Gate kept me for 6 years thinking it had to feel open. Probably that this singer also is thinking, so he is purposfully not closing the folds, thinking that narrow feeling is wrong
Hi, Phil, I've just discovered your channel have already appreciated that you show in your videos how to avoid vocal mistakes and how to do it better and especially healthier. I'm very interested in learning to hit high notes in order to cope with songs where a higher voice is needed. I am a baritone but I love many songs where you have to have a powerful chest voice that can go very high. I've often been told how important it is to breathe from the diaphragm, to take care of my head resonance and my twang. Now one of my favorite rock singers has always been Lou Gramm from Foreigner. I admire his power in heavy rock songs as well as in the ballads like "I wanna know what love is" or "Waiting for a girl like you". As Lou goes higher from the verse to the prechorus up to the chorus, I feel my throat straining and although I try to push more air up to my vocal folds, I'm still not doing it as it should. Is this a lack of practice or do I have to admit that I will never reach the top? Perhaps I must lower the key in order to be able to sing those songs properly. I'm still ambitious enough to keep those songs in the original key, but I have my doubts. Do you have any recommendations how to reach approximately the singing quality of a faboulous singer like Lou has been for a very long time? May be in general you could do videos focussed on the singing of well-known rock singers like Lou or Paul Rodgers. I will go through your videos and search for the appropiate information that can be helpful for me, but I'd be very thankful, if you could tell me what to do to get better in hitting high notes without losing voice power. Best greetings from Germany, Armin
great suggestions thanks! as for your question it just depends how serious you want to get about it. those who really want to achieve that level of singing work with me directly and we work together on building up the vocal range, freedom and control and making it usable on those kinds of songs. It can take a few years to get to that level.
You’re honestly my idol…i have learned a lot from you since i started watching your tutorials. How i wish i could catch up with you live stream and be mentored. -your student from the Philippines
Thanks, Phil for these exercises. I am a self trained classical (Opera) singer, so I have the body connection and the oo-uh undertone already firmly in place. Unfortunately, a few years back I over did some larynx lowering exercise and due to covid & family illness I lost about a year of voice work. Long story short I have great cord closure (compression) up to a Bd4 but the B4 is iffy and C5 and up non existent. Been practicing the staccato octave arpeggios from one of your earlier videos & the exercises here illustrated for a few day. My goal is the use them daily and gradually work back into my voice the lost upper range. If you have any suggestions please share. I'll post my progress over the next week - months - years??? Thanks again Joey
Hi Joey, These are definitely things I can help you with, if you're interested in working with me as a student then you can schedule a call with me to see if we're a good fit. Simply go to my website, sign up to the email list and you can find out more through my email series that will be sent to you. philmoufarrege.com
So, Phil, this is very good and helpful, but I have a question... In this video your student at the very end of video (17:57) tries to speak around B4-C5and I can do similar but around F4, however, both him and I sound kind of "constipated" like we are squeezing so hard and it is hard to vocalize words clearly and in a relaxed way. What is happening and how to get rid of that squeezed words and phrases sound/feeling? Because if I try singing and once, I get to those notes it is like a different voice or person who can't clearly pronounce words. Will it get better or go away after a while of practicing up there? You get my point probably.
It's a necessary stepping stone. It takes a fair amount of work to loosen and relax it without it all collapsing. There's quite a lot of work involved and more stepping stones to go through that are a bit too complicated to write out here. Usually takes 6-12 months working with me to get it to a place where it's natural and sounding and feeling relaxed and easy.
Thanks Phil, this video especially the student training part is a great motivation for me to continue practicing now. In the past few weeks my throat didnt hurt anymore so I think the "squeeze" exercise u told me brought some good result.
Thank you my brother..your video help me alot!!! My voice skyrocket to the key beyond my cracks 🔥🙏🏻 please do make more videos about exercise for extending higher range
I go through this phase to build the vocal range, stability, compression and stable larynx. once this is automated we then begin balancing the overly squeezed thing by sending more airflow through. this gets to the point where the squeeze is completely hidden but still very loud and rigid feeling. then the next step is we begin softening and loosening the squeeze which you can see in this video: th-cam.com/video/7X-CFTg7F7A/w-d-xo.html&lc=Ugwy42ls61OuhZqaKet4AaABAg this then gives the effortlessness, flexibility and ease but because we've built all the strength and compression in the earlier phases it allows the softening to happen without any loss of stability in the voice hope this helps
You described my exact problems I am 16 and kept thinking after my voice full changed it would get easier but that’s not the case this really helped thanks man!
This is very common. When you go through puberty your voice may become much heavier and because of this it requires a lot more strength to "move" it. This strength needs to be built so you can expand your vocal range back up again
You know, I really feel like I am starting to br able to perceive the differ nice between the "splatting" example and the not splatting example. I'm going to work.
Best recommendations on TH-cam. Thank you, really helpful. I have issue with little discomfort while I'm using this position. It's new for me, so it's little bit scratching my throat. How to make it more comfortable and easy to approach.
It's always there even in in the lower ranges like speaking range... it' s just so subtle that you wouldn't notice it. you'll feel it more obvious around C4 and up. a good way to feel it is to start where it's obvious say F4 then go down on a scale and notice how the amount of compression gets more subtle on each pitch as you go lower. then you learn to play with the amount of volume too which will also alter the feeling of how subtle or obvious it is also.
I'm gonna try that last oo thing in the video. Around B4-C5 is where I either get stuck in chest or have to go to headvoice. I'd love to see more stuff on second bridge. There are not many videos that talk about second bridge. I feel like the sound needs to get brighter and more ah as in apple or something around A4-C5
Not on it's own. I have other steps and progressions I teach to move it beyond this step. But without this initial step anything afterward won't work. So this is what I would call step 1 out of say 4 core steps that I teach. Basically though, this first step is the most important part and the biggest thing struggling singers are missing.
Could you use more real songs that operate around the traditional vocal breaks e.g. E/F for a male baritone, so we can see how you do the 'set-up', which some people describe as the 'tilt'; hearing how you move into the right vocal space with real words/ as you ascend the scale in a phrase. thanks for the video.
If I can’t do the A4-c5 heavy like that student demo and just got used to always thinning out there should I practice that? I always found in songs that I have to practice keeping the 1st bridge thin enough to be able to get to the 2nd and preserve stamina. But then the 2nd bridge sounds too thin and uncontrolled
I haven't heard you for a while so it might be best for me to hear how you get up to that A4-C5 range. But if you feel it's going more into that higher larynxed thinner sound and you can't fix it then yes what I showed in this video is how you would go about beginning to fix that. The student in the clip could already sing very high but it was in that high larynxed thin sound and it was always unstable for him until he started doing this type of squeeze I was showing in the video - now it's super stable, although it sounds funny at first...but that's a necessary step to go through.
I realize now that breath support is a matter of finding the correct vocal placement in the most fundamental sense. Once you place your vocals the way as shown in the video, your lower body _automatically_ starts engaging... Why isn't this talked about more? Most teachers make it seem as though supporting is something you have to consciously do while singing. In reality, it is a by-product of correct placement, namely the "operatic" one - the basis of support and therefore singing in general
I used to think that supporting is singing while at the same time sort of engaging your abs. But this is _not_ true. If you can sing while doing with your lower body whatever the hell you want (flex or not flex it) - that means you're completely singing "from the throat". True supporting is when your vocal placement leaves you no other choice but to engage your lower body. When the engagement happens naturally as a result. This video really stands out.
@@philmoufarrege When it comes to doing the u-vowel with an open mouth, I can do it in my normal and in a higher-pitched and sort of squeaky voice. I was wondering if that is also part of the process? Maybe one leads to a tension-free chest voice and the other, the high one, to a tension-free falsetto? The latter feels in any case much less strained than my usual falsetto but it lacks some of its brightness
There is no way for me to offer any meaningful information without being able to hear you and then offer corrections. I have an entire system to build up this the correct way, there are many different steps involved, and then getting live feedback and corrections to make sure you actually get the results is necessary. If you're serious about learning this and having a roadmap that will get you there I highly recommend taking the plunge and enrolling in my course: you'll have the complete roadmap plus access to my live feedback each week.
I finally found this position in my voice. My chest voice couldn’t go higher than G4/G#4 before, and all of a sudden I found myself reaching B4 in quite thick chest voice! WTF moment😆 I sounded like the guy at the end of this video. Obviously that’s not the finished sound to sing with… Is this OO position just a way to build strength so that when you go back to sing with a more ”normal” voice, it’s stronger and has more depth in it? Or what is the next step?
that's awesome! No you can absolutely sing exclusively in this coordination and develop it to sound natural, that's what all the great singers are doing - they're in this spot. the next step just depends on where you're at, I've never heard you. I usually get people able to sing songs in it, at first it sounds ugly and feels heavy. Then we do various things to work on softening it, making it feel more effortless and controlling the volume of it so you can go super soft, medium and all the way to max power without losing any stability or control, then we gradually work on the stamina of it until you can go through full songs - even higher key songs - live.
@@philmoufarrege Thanks for your responce! I’m not a very serious singer and I dont sing stuff that’s super hard or high either, but I need a solid F4-A4 area to sing the songs I like. Your free videos have already helped me tremendously and if I ever decide to take singing a bit more seriously and invest in it, you are my guy for sure. 👌
@@philmoufarrege What do you think of Koji Tamaki in Japan? I think he is a great belter and I learn a lot from seeing how he sings and what you are saying in your videos resonates a lot as well.
I understand why the exercise is done, but I also understand that this can bring much more tension than one already has, right? because I had never seen that you had to push yourself so hard to achieve those notes, that is, I don't see the great singers doing that, another thing, how do you apply this to the songs, and all the exercises? Because one always does the exercises well, but then they don't appear in the song.
Does finding one’s own voice have anything to do with good singing? I always feel like I’m imitating the voice of the singer I’m listening to. Sometimes I end up doing that involuntarily. And that goes well for only about half the time thereby making me inconsistent. Some type of voices I can mimic and I feel like I’m singing ‘with good technique and proper support’ if not sounding exactly like the actual singer. And sometimes It isn’t good for my voice cuz after a ton of trying to sound like the actual singer (one of those that I would say is a different voice type, mimicking whom I have a hard time), I do feel like I am sounding good but then I lose my voice or I’m totally fatigued out. And the next day I sound like a bass even though I’m a low baritone. So how do I get to know my voice? And that I’m not just imitating someone else’s? He he funny thing I’m also imitating your sound and it is working well for me... 😅😜
You'll go through some phases when it comes to "finding your own voice". At first you'll be mimicking different singers you like, but like you pointed out, you reach this point where you notice that your voice becomes inconsistent when you copy certain artists and things like that. At some point the desire to have a RELIABLE voice that you can trust to hold up through the song becomes the number one craving, and that starts becoming the priority. Developing a voice where you feel CONFIDENT that you can get through the song with great consistency, pitch, rhythm, volume control (the ability to sing softly, medium and powerfully - even in the high ranges), a sense of freedom and ease (even in the higher notes) becomes the priority. Once your voice can do this consistently over a wide range of music you'll have "found your voice". I come at teaching from this way...the mechanics and technique before the art...because it's what ENABLES you to explore the artistic side later.
@@philmoufarrege wow thank you I do feel like I’m progressing. But my higher notes are way thinner now. I’m entering into some kind of a mixed but still way thinner like right after the first bridge. Strong but thin. I think I will be able to work it out though. I’m glad I found you. 😜😊 Thanks man!!
that depends on what the cause of the problem is. there's an entire process to this that will last about 1-2 years to get this performance ready. the first phase once you can find this coordination is to be able to do it on the major vowels, consonants, be able to speak/yell in this coordination, and then do scales with it and take the range of it up higher. Once you can do that you should be able to apply this into short song phrases. Then to be able to sing full songs with this we enter a different phase where we begin to control the volume of this coordination: You will need to be able to do this coordination both softly, medium volume and full volume. Again being able to do it on various scales, and push the range up into the high range. Once you can do this you will be at a place where you can go through full songs. To get to this point will usually take about 3-6 months depending on the person. At this point you'll be able to sing full songs, even very high songs, but the tone will sound ugly and strange and the effort level will feel rather high. To reduce the effort and make it feel easy and also sound natural we then enter another phase where we refine things so it all sounds and feels natural, this takes usually another 6-12 months.
I'm a low bari like in the beginning I couldn't sing songs higher than G3 now I can sing in A3-E4 but it's hard sustain a phrase higher than C#4 so should I do this Ooh vowel around B3? I have to mix at E4 already I have a break from D#4 to E4 and I can yell at D#4 but impossible at E4
You would first want to make sure you can meet the requirements that I laid out at 6 mins into this video. I have another video that goes more into detail about that here: th-cam.com/video/MQw5ydp3GAM/w-d-xo.html I would recommend doing that first. However, everyone's case is always unique so I would love to actually HEAR you so I can diagnose better. If you'd like I can make a video for you like I did for this gentleman and I can see what's going on with your voice. Go to my website philmoufarrege.com sign up for the email list and email me from there.
I’m having trouble with the oo position cause when i open my mouth completely or as hard as i can i cant do it but when i loosen it up i can do it with tongue thingy
This video is for me. However, my problem is that I have a hard time going in-between singing headvoice with low volume and Belting Loud with too much tension. The tension seems to creep back in every time!!
Hi JB if you'd like I can make a video for you like I did for this gentleman and I can see what's going on with your voice. Go to my website philmoufarrege.com sign up for the email list and email me from there.
great vid, I really like your explanations. just a question: if I'm singing with this sort of "squeeze", should I be able to shift to falsetto in the top notes? cause when I'm doing it, as soon as I go higher, it feels like I'm going to explode and if I'd want to shift to my head voice/falsetto, I'd have to cut the airflow and it would sound like a break. Is it supposed to be like that?
miguel did it get better? Because I have the same problem where if sing with this squeeze in full voice I can't transition smoothly to falsetto because that would mean to let go of the squeeze. the result is the feeling of having two seperate voices
@@masonkyle6318 no, it didn't. I'm still trying to figure out a way to do it. By now I'm still using this sort of squeeze to reach notes that are above my normal chest voice range, but not incredibly high (and it doesn't feel healthy to my voice at all). I'm starting to think that this "squeeze" that we're doing is not exactly the same squeeze that he does.
@@masonkyle6318 btw I started having vocal lessons with a teacher and when I showed him this "squeezing" technique, he told me I should stop doing it because I'm squeezing and narrowing my throat too much and my larynx is going up, which will probably damage my voice with time (I didn't know that, I thought the squeeze was actually stopping my larynx from going up). He said there are better and healthier ways to reach high notes without doing that and that's what I'm trying to learn now (let's see if it works).
it may damage my voice with time, but it sounds dope lol. I still do it when I'm playing with my band, but as soon as i learn the proper technique, I'll stop doing it cause I want my voice to last. Idk if this will help you at all, but that's how I experienced it.
Do heavier voices have to mix earlier? Or is F4 and A4 universal for guys? For me ive always felt that F4 is the limit of my balanced mix on closed vowels that can be sung for songs, Onwards i cant drag chesty mix voice without strain. I have to start engaging cry/compression around D4-D#4 so i would consider anything above this range vocally fatiguing even though it will sound good i think. I can sing in full voicw upto E5 consistently, and around G5-A5 on good days so i im sure i can lighten up my voice but idk what im doing wrong or my voice is just a bit heavier
Heavier voices can learn to take chest up to C5 or close to it as well. But heavier voices take more care in training that lighter voices, a heavier voice takes longer to build the muscles up correctly. But it is something I specialize in. I myself have a heavier kind of voice and the real key to heavy voices (as well as other voice types) is to learn how to properly take the chest voice up to that C5 or as close to it as possible. People will tell you it can't be done but I am proof of it and I have taught it to countless singers. If you would like to learn how I can help you with this sign up to my email newsletter on my website here philmoufarrege.com and we can discuss further how I can help you
Hi, Phil! I learned to sing over the first bridge a long time ago, I can sing C5. But all the notes behind the bridge are very oversqueezing. And I can't relax a little bit. I have two states. Very airy (I can't sing above F4 on it) and very oversqueezing (I can sing C5). But I can't find the balance. My voice still sounds like a dying dog. I'd like to relax cord closure a bit. But when I try to do it, I fall into falsetto. How to get rid of oversqueezing?? Thanks!!!!
Hi Emmet, I will need to hear you to see where you are and what will be best for you to do next. If you'd like me to do a vocal assessment similar to how I did for this gentleman in this video, sign up for my email list at my website and then email me a recording highlighting what's going on and I can advise further.
This student sounds like he’s pulling chest on some high notes, isn’t that what you shouldn’t do? It seems to work for him though, but it sounds painful
Staying in chest voice and growing it up higher is the real key to mixed voice. At first it will sound very squeezed which is what you're hearing - but it is not painful when done correctly, actually it is protective of the throat. What you're hearing is a fully supported sound but with a bit of excessive squeeze, so it is NOT the same as squeezing with no connection to the body. This kind of compression is a strength that needs to be built up first and is what almost every struggling singer is missing in their voice because it just isn't taught out there. Once this point is reached you can then focus on loosening and smoothing the compression so it doesn't sound so ugly, but most people try to do that before they've built any kind of strength which is why there are so many singers who train for years doing hundreds of exercises and are still stuck in the same place. I was like that too and had to figure all of this out myself because no one was able to teach it to me.
Amazing teacher, and amazing course! (the course is killer)
Thank you so much. I am in the process of updating it and making even better too. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you get stuck. Enjoy!
@@philmoufarrege Thanks, man!
Really great content
I'm a classical bass singer that for years has struggled with anything above B3. I've recently watched your free masterclass video and had an absolute epiphany thanks to you - I always thought that heavy compression like what you demonstrate at 13:00 seemed tiring and was going to make my voice sound bad so I avoided it. Nope, it's the key to singing the upper notes of bass repertoire and beyond without strain. My vocal adductors are still pretty weak at this stage but after just 90 minutes of practicing with your techniques I was able to sing the baritone solo in Libera Me from Fauré's Requiem all in one go, and actually PRACTICE it, like vowel placement etc. rather than just struggle through it, and I could do it again and again without going flat. That's never happened to me before! This is the start of something great I feel.
That is excellent Matt. The heavy compression is the first phase I take singers through to developing the voice and strengthening the upper range. after that I teach how to soften it and make it flexible and more effortless. If you want to work with me and take your voice even further I have a 12 month mentorship program, imagine the results I can get you when you work with me personally. Best wishes
This is clearly the best video on youtube, I have seen highlighting the issues and ways to fix those issues when you get stuck above F#4. Thanks Phil for this gem.
The best teacher on youtube without a doubt👌🏽
wow! Now I think you're a better teacher than Ken Tamplin! this is gold
He's a lot better than Ken Tamplin
Ken Tamplin lol
That's a low bar 😂
I cannot say how much of a help this video was. I was struggling with singin with my chest voice around F4 and higher. Now I'm getting them. One more tip for the viewers is that when you're doing this exercise and you got the notes right, take a small breather and then try it with the phrase in the song you're learning. Cuz usually I'd get exercises right and I get it wrong in songs. When I mixed up exercises and then immediate application, I got an idea as to how I should use my voice. It's amazing.
fantastic!
Happy! that I found a teacher that actually make sense step by step
thanks! would love to have you work with my program and see what kind of great results you can get.
That open mouth oo sound is really clever! Been trying to explain the correct "narrow" feeling u get with good fold closure, even tho the mouth is open. Gate kept me for 6 years thinking it had to feel open. Probably that this singer also is thinking, so he is purposfully not closing the folds, thinking that narrow feeling is wrong
Hi, Phil,
I've just discovered your channel have already appreciated that you show in your videos how to avoid vocal mistakes and how to do it better and especially healthier. I'm very interested in learning to hit high notes in order to cope with songs where a higher voice is needed. I am a baritone but I love many songs where you have to have a powerful chest voice that can go very high. I've often been told how important it is to breathe from the diaphragm, to take care of my head resonance and my twang.
Now one of my favorite rock singers has always been Lou Gramm from Foreigner. I admire his power in heavy rock songs as well as in the ballads like "I wanna know what love is" or "Waiting for a girl like you". As Lou goes higher from the verse to the prechorus up to the chorus, I feel my throat straining and although I try to push more air up to my vocal folds, I'm still not doing it as it should. Is this a lack of practice or do I have to admit that I will never reach the top? Perhaps I must lower the key in order to be able to sing those songs properly. I'm still ambitious enough to keep those songs in the original key, but I have my doubts.
Do you have any recommendations how to reach approximately the singing quality of a faboulous singer like Lou has been for a very long time? May be in general you could do videos focussed on the singing of well-known rock singers like Lou or Paul Rodgers.
I will go through your videos and search for the appropiate information that can be helpful for me, but I'd be very thankful, if you could tell me what to do to get better in hitting high notes without losing voice power.
Best greetings from Germany,
Armin
great suggestions thanks!
as for your question it just depends how serious you want to get about it. those who really want to achieve that level of singing work with me directly and we work together on building up the vocal range, freedom and control and making it usable on those kinds of songs. It can take a few years to get to that level.
that “woo” method is really genius. thank you for the great video Phil❤
awesome! what was helpful about it for you?
The GOAT has returned!!! Great to have your insightful teaching videos back my friend!
Great to see you here Matt, would love to hear how you are doing send me a msg
You’re honestly my idol…i have learned a lot from you since i started watching your tutorials. How i wish i could catch up with you live stream and be mentored.
-your student from the Philippines
Thank you, Sir.im joe From Philippines.
Amazing teacher, he reveal all the techniques.
That part of having the cords " squeezed" lightly reminds me of the Cvt curbing mode. Good stuff
Great stuff! Is this course available at the moment?
No, I mentor with people more deeply and closely now
Thanks Uncle Phil
never been called uncle before ha ha
You provide great advice
glad it was beneficial for you!
Thanks, Phil for these exercises. I am a self trained classical (Opera) singer, so I have the body connection and the oo-uh undertone already firmly in place. Unfortunately, a few years back I over did some larynx lowering exercise and due to covid & family illness I lost about a year of voice work. Long story short I have great cord closure (compression) up to a Bd4 but the B4 is iffy and C5 and up non existent. Been practicing the staccato octave arpeggios from one of your earlier videos & the exercises here illustrated for a few day. My goal is the use them daily and gradually work back into my voice the lost upper range. If you have any suggestions please share. I'll post my progress over the next week - months - years??? Thanks again Joey
Hi Joey, These are definitely things I can help you with, if you're interested in working with me as a student then you can schedule a call with me to see if we're a good fit. Simply go to my website, sign up to the email list and you can find out more through my email series that will be sent to you. philmoufarrege.com
So, Phil, this is very good and helpful, but I have a question... In this video your student at the very end of video (17:57) tries to speak around B4-C5and I can do similar but around F4, however, both him and I sound kind of "constipated" like we are squeezing so hard and it is hard to vocalize words clearly and in a relaxed way. What is happening and how to get rid of that squeezed words and phrases sound/feeling? Because if I try singing and once, I get to those notes it is like a different voice or person who can't clearly pronounce words. Will it get better or go away after a while of practicing up there? You get my point probably.
It's a necessary stepping stone. It takes a fair amount of work to loosen and relax it without it all collapsing. There's quite a lot of work involved and more stepping stones to go through that are a bit too complicated to write out here. Usually takes 6-12 months working with me to get it to a place where it's natural and sounding and feeling relaxed and easy.
Thanks Phil, this video especially the student training part is a great motivation for me to continue practicing now. In the past few weeks my throat didnt hurt anymore so I think the "squeeze" exercise u told me brought some good result.
excellent glad you're on track. send me an update with a clip soon so I can make sure you're going good.
IMPRESSIVE!!!
Thank you my brother..your video help me alot!!! My voice skyrocket to the key beyond my cracks 🔥🙏🏻 please do make more videos about exercise for extending higher range
sometimes i try to add vocal twang and I can actually hit the notes but my voice breaks after certain notes
Surely you're having a laugh with that guy from 15:55 onwards.
That sounds so tight and constricted!
I go through this phase to build the vocal range, stability, compression and stable larynx. once this is automated we then begin balancing the overly squeezed thing by sending more airflow through. this gets to the point where the squeeze is completely hidden but still very loud and rigid feeling.
then the next step is we begin softening and loosening the squeeze which you can see in this video:
th-cam.com/video/7X-CFTg7F7A/w-d-xo.html&lc=Ugwy42ls61OuhZqaKet4AaABAg
this then gives the effortlessness, flexibility and ease but because we've built all the strength and compression in the earlier phases it allows the softening to happen without any loss of stability in the voice
hope this helps
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You are so welcome!
You described my exact problems I am 16 and kept thinking after my voice full changed it would get easier but that’s not the case this really helped thanks man!
This is very common. When you go through puberty your voice may become much heavier and because of this it requires a lot more strength to "move" it. This strength needs to be built so you can expand your vocal range back up again
woah, thank you
you are very welcome
You know, I really feel like I am starting to br able to perceive the differ nice between the "splatting" example and the not splatting example. I'm going to work.
great, would love to see a clip of you so I can help you move forward, post it in the group when you're ready show me where you're at
very helpful! I often get inconsistent above the 1st bridge and this open mouth OO should help since I haven’t practiced it in a while
great, looking forward to seeing how you go with it
Phil . . . I notice your voice sounds substantially deeper here than in your previous videos (in collaboration with Marnell, for example).
Great video!
thank you Callum
Great video, thank you!
you are very welcome Luis
Best recommendations on TH-cam. Thank you, really helpful.
I have issue with little discomfort while I'm using this position. It's new for me, so it's little bit scratching my throat. How to make it more comfortable and easy to approach.
I’m having the same issue with the scratchy throat. Did you notice any improvement on that after?
As a tenor, where do you suggest this squeeze should begin? F#, G or even sooner?
It's always there even in in the lower ranges like speaking range... it' s just so subtle that you wouldn't notice it. you'll feel it more obvious around C4 and up. a good way to feel it is to start where it's obvious say F4 then go down on a scale and notice how the amount of compression gets more subtle on each pitch as you go lower. then you learn to play with the amount of volume too which will also alter the feeling of how subtle or obvious it is also.
I'm gonna try that last oo thing in the video. Around B4-C5 is where I either get stuck in chest or have to go to headvoice. I'd love to see more stuff on second bridge. There are not many videos that talk about second bridge. I feel like the sound needs to get brighter and more ah as in apple or something around A4-C5
17:58 will this type of sound turn into the way people sound naturally at the high notes
Not on it's own. I have other steps and progressions I teach to move it beyond this step. But without this initial step anything afterward won't work. So this is what I would call step 1 out of say 4 core steps that I teach. Basically though, this first step is the most important part and the biggest thing struggling singers are missing.
Could you use more real songs that operate around the traditional vocal breaks e.g. E/F for a male baritone, so we can see how you do the 'set-up', which some people describe as the 'tilt'; hearing how you move into the right vocal space with real words/ as you ascend the scale in a phrase. thanks for the video.
I've got a lot of songs posted some originals some covers check them out
If I can’t do the A4-c5 heavy like that student demo and just got used to always thinning out there should I practice that? I always found in songs that I have to practice keeping the 1st bridge thin enough to be able to get to the 2nd and preserve stamina. But then the 2nd bridge sounds too thin and uncontrolled
I haven't heard you for a while so it might be best for me to hear how you get up to that A4-C5 range. But if you feel it's going more into that higher larynxed thinner sound and you can't fix it then yes what I showed in this video is how you would go about beginning to fix that. The student in the clip could already sing very high but it was in that high larynxed thin sound and it was always unstable for him until he started doing this type of squeeze I was showing in the video - now it's super stable, although it sounds funny at first...but that's a necessary step to go through.
I realize now that breath support is a matter of finding the correct vocal placement in the most fundamental sense. Once you place your vocals the way as shown in the video, your lower body _automatically_ starts engaging...
Why isn't this talked about more? Most teachers make it seem as though supporting is something you have to consciously do while singing. In reality, it is a by-product of correct placement, namely the "operatic" one - the basis of support and therefore singing in general
When you sing the way that is shown in the video (being able to sing the vowel u with mouth wide open) it is impossible _not_ to engage your abdomen
I used to think that supporting is singing while at the same time sort of engaging your abs. But this is _not_ true. If you can sing while doing with your lower body whatever the hell you want (flex or not flex it) - that means you're completely singing "from the throat".
True supporting is when your vocal placement leaves you no other choice but to engage your lower body. When the engagement happens naturally as a result.
This video really stands out.
these are all very good points, thank you for commenting
@@philmoufarrege When it comes to doing the u-vowel with an open mouth, I can do it in my normal and in a higher-pitched and sort of squeaky voice. I was wondering if that is also part of the process? Maybe one leads to a tension-free chest voice and the other, the high one, to a tension-free falsetto?
The latter feels in any case much less strained than my usual falsetto but it lacks some of its brightness
There is no way for me to offer any meaningful information without being able to hear you and then offer corrections. I have an entire system to build up this the correct way, there are many different steps involved, and then getting live feedback and corrections to make sure you actually get the results is necessary. If you're serious about learning this and having a roadmap that will get you there I highly recommend taking the plunge and enrolling in my course: you'll have the complete roadmap plus access to my live feedback each week.
after hitting that note, what should I do next to relax to hit that note
I finally found this position in my voice. My chest voice couldn’t go higher than G4/G#4 before, and all of a sudden I found myself reaching B4 in quite thick chest voice! WTF moment😆
I sounded like the guy at the end of this video. Obviously that’s not the finished sound to sing with… Is this OO position just a way to build strength so that when you go back to sing with a more ”normal” voice, it’s stronger and has more depth in it? Or what is the next step?
that's awesome!
No you can absolutely sing exclusively in this coordination and develop it to sound natural, that's what all the great singers are doing - they're in this spot.
the next step just depends on where you're at, I've never heard you. I usually get people able to sing songs in it, at first it sounds ugly and feels heavy. Then we do various things to work on softening it, making it feel more effortless and controlling the volume of it so you can go super soft, medium and all the way to max power without losing any stability or control, then we gradually work on the stamina of it until you can go through full songs - even higher key songs - live.
@@philmoufarrege Thanks for your responce! I’m not a very serious singer and I dont sing stuff that’s super hard or high either, but I need a solid F4-A4 area to sing the songs I like. Your free videos have already helped me tremendously and if I ever decide to take singing a bit more seriously and invest in it, you are my guy for sure. 👌
best of luck!
thank you so much for this
you are very welcome
Great video as always, do you live in Japan?
Thank you, yes I do
@@philmoufarrege What do you think of Koji Tamaki in Japan? I think he is a great belter and I learn a lot from seeing how he sings and what you are saying in your videos resonates a lot as well.
Is the course still available?
i mentor singers in a deeper way now! philmoufarrege.com for more info
You're the only one who actually knows what's going on
I understand why the exercise is done, but I also understand that this can bring much more tension than one already has, right? because I had never seen that you had to push yourself so hard to achieve those notes, that is, I don't see the great singers doing that, another thing, how do you apply this to the songs, and all the exercises? Because one always does the exercises well, but then they don't appear in the song.
It's a process
I stuck on D4 (maybe, because I can't compress because of silent reflux) :(
But I can belt to C5 on high larynx
Does finding one’s own voice have anything to do with good singing?
I always feel like I’m imitating the voice of the singer I’m listening to. Sometimes I end up doing that involuntarily. And that goes well for only about half the time thereby making me inconsistent. Some type of voices I can mimic and I feel like I’m singing ‘with good technique and proper support’ if not sounding exactly like the actual singer. And sometimes It isn’t good for my voice cuz after a ton of trying to sound like the actual singer (one of those that I would say is a different voice type, mimicking whom I have a hard time), I do feel like I am sounding good but then I lose my voice or I’m totally fatigued out. And the next day I sound like a bass even though I’m a low baritone.
So how do I get to know my voice? And that I’m not just imitating someone else’s?
He he funny thing I’m also imitating your sound and it is working well for me... 😅😜
You'll go through some phases when it comes to "finding your own voice". At first you'll be mimicking different singers you like, but like you pointed out, you reach this point where you notice that your voice becomes inconsistent when you copy certain artists and things like that. At some point the desire to have a RELIABLE voice that you can trust to hold up through the song becomes the number one craving, and that starts becoming the priority.
Developing a voice where you feel CONFIDENT that you can get through the song with great consistency, pitch, rhythm, volume control (the ability to sing softly, medium and powerfully - even in the high ranges), a sense of freedom and ease (even in the higher notes) becomes the priority. Once your voice can do this consistently over a wide range of music you'll have "found your voice".
I come at teaching from this way...the mechanics and technique before the art...because it's what ENABLES you to explore the artistic side later.
@@philmoufarrege wow thank you I do feel like I’m progressing. But my higher notes are way thinner now. I’m entering into some kind of a mixed but still way thinner like right after the first bridge. Strong but thin. I think I will be able to work it out though.
I’m glad I found you. 😜😊 Thanks man!!
Phil i can hit the note with this technique but i am not able to use it in an actual song. How can i solve this problem?
that depends on what the cause of the problem is. there's an entire process to this that will last about 1-2 years to get this performance ready.
the first phase once you can find this coordination is to be able to do it on the major vowels, consonants, be able to speak/yell in this coordination, and then do scales with it and take the range of it up higher.
Once you can do that you should be able to apply this into short song phrases.
Then to be able to sing full songs with this we enter a different phase where we begin to control the volume of this coordination:
You will need to be able to do this coordination both softly, medium volume and full volume. Again being able to do it on various scales, and push the range up into the high range.
Once you can do this you will be at a place where you can go through full songs. To get to this point will usually take about 3-6 months depending on the person.
At this point you'll be able to sing full songs, even very high songs, but the tone will sound ugly and strange and the effort level will feel rather high.
To reduce the effort and make it feel easy and also sound natural we then enter another phase where we refine things so it all sounds and feels natural, this takes usually another 6-12 months.
I'm a low bari like in the beginning I couldn't sing songs higher than G3 now I can sing in A3-E4 but it's hard sustain a phrase higher than C#4 so should I do this Ooh vowel around B3? I have to mix at E4 already I have a break from D#4 to E4 and I can yell at D#4 but impossible at E4
You would first want to make sure you can meet the requirements that I laid out at 6 mins into this video. I have another video that goes more into detail about that here: th-cam.com/video/MQw5ydp3GAM/w-d-xo.html
I would recommend doing that first. However, everyone's case is always unique so I would love to actually HEAR you so I can diagnose better. If you'd like I can make a video for you like I did for this gentleman and I can see what's going on with your voice. Go to my website philmoufarrege.com sign up for the email list and email me from there.
Okay but what do you do when the squeeze hurts your throat?
you'll need actual mentorship and guidance to help you through roadbloacks so you can get the corrections and help you need to move forward
I’m having trouble with the oo position cause when i open my mouth completely or as hard as i can i cant do it but when i loosen it up i can do it with tongue thingy
This video is for me. However, my problem is that I have a hard time going in-between singing headvoice with low volume and Belting Loud with too much tension. The tension seems to creep back in every time!!
Hi JB if you'd like I can make a video for you like I did for this gentleman and I can see what's going on with your voice. Go to my website philmoufarrege.com sign up for the email list and email me from there.
great vid, I really like your explanations. just a question: if I'm singing with this sort of "squeeze", should I be able to shift to falsetto in the top notes? cause when I'm doing it, as soon as I go higher, it feels like I'm going to explode and if I'd want to shift to my head voice/falsetto, I'd have to cut the airflow and it would sound like a break. Is it supposed to be like that?
It starts like that, but yes it can be developed in a way where you can transition into falsetto smoothly.
miguel did it get better? Because I have the same problem where if sing with this squeeze in full voice I can't transition smoothly to falsetto because that would mean to let go of the squeeze. the result is the feeling of having two seperate voices
@@masonkyle6318 no, it didn't. I'm still trying to figure out a way to do it. By now I'm still using this sort of squeeze to reach notes that are above my normal chest voice range, but not incredibly high (and it doesn't feel healthy to my voice at all). I'm starting to think that this "squeeze" that we're doing is not exactly the same squeeze that he does.
@@masonkyle6318 btw I started having vocal lessons with a teacher and when I showed him this "squeezing" technique, he told me I should stop doing it because I'm squeezing and narrowing my throat too much and my larynx is going up, which will probably damage my voice with time (I didn't know that, I thought the squeeze was actually stopping my larynx from going up). He said there are better and healthier ways to reach high notes without doing that and that's what I'm trying to learn now (let's see if it works).
it may damage my voice with time, but it sounds dope lol. I still do it when I'm playing with my band, but as soon as i learn the proper technique, I'll stop doing it cause I want my voice to last. Idk if this will help you at all, but that's how I experienced it.
Do heavier voices have to mix earlier? Or is F4 and A4 universal for guys?
For me ive always felt that F4 is the limit of my balanced mix on closed vowels that can be sung for songs, Onwards i cant drag chesty mix voice without strain.
I have to start engaging cry/compression around D4-D#4 so i would consider anything above this range vocally fatiguing even though it will sound good i think.
I can sing in full voicw upto E5 consistently, and around G5-A5 on good days so i im sure i can lighten up my voice but idk what im doing wrong or my voice is just a bit heavier
Heavier voices can learn to take chest up to C5 or close to it as well. But heavier voices take more care in training that lighter voices, a heavier voice takes longer to build the muscles up correctly. But it is something I specialize in. I myself have a heavier kind of voice and the real key to heavy voices (as well as other voice types) is to learn how to properly take the chest voice up to that C5 or as close to it as possible. People will tell you it can't be done but I am proof of it and I have taught it to countless singers. If you would like to learn how I can help you with this sign up to my email newsletter on my website here philmoufarrege.com and we can discuss further how I can help you
Hi, Phil! I learned to sing over the first bridge a long time ago, I can sing C5. But all the notes behind the bridge are very oversqueezing. And I can't relax a little bit. I have two states. Very airy (I can't sing above F4 on it) and very oversqueezing (I can sing C5). But I can't find the balance. My voice still sounds like a dying dog. I'd like to relax cord closure a bit. But when I try to do it, I fall into falsetto. How to get rid of oversqueezing?? Thanks!!!!
Hi Emmet, I will need to hear you to see where you are and what will be best for you to do next. If you'd like me to do a vocal assessment similar to how I did for this gentleman in this video, sign up for my email list at my website and then email me a recording highlighting what's going on and I can advise further.
hi i have a song on youtube call i must tell jesus i wont to know if iam singing in mixed voice
I know I'll never be a real singer, but I would like to know if I can at least learn to sing decently without sounding so false all the time.
with the right training and guidance, absolutely.
Yes you can
fuck yes
This student sounds like he’s pulling chest on some high notes, isn’t that what you shouldn’t do? It seems to work for him though, but it sounds painful
Staying in chest voice and growing it up higher is the real key to mixed voice. At first it will sound very squeezed which is what you're hearing - but it is not painful when done correctly, actually it is protective of the throat. What you're hearing is a fully supported sound but with a bit of excessive squeeze, so it is NOT the same as squeezing with no connection to the body. This kind of compression is a strength that needs to be built up first and is what almost every struggling singer is missing in their voice because it just isn't taught out there. Once this point is reached you can then focus on loosening and smoothing the compression so it doesn't sound so ugly, but most people try to do that before they've built any kind of strength which is why there are so many singers who train for years doing hundreds of exercises and are still stuck in the same place. I was like that too and had to figure all of this out myself because no one was able to teach it to me.