Hey Kegan! Thank you so much for the kind words about me in your shout out! To be put into that great group of coaches is an honor. We've got nothing but love for you and BVS over here at HVT! I love your voice man, you absolutely RIP!
@@EliPrinsensHVTVocals Hi Eli, it's Tommy here ! So awesome you know Kegan too, both HVT and Foundation Vocal Studio are my top 2 for vocal knowledge !!
Dude you're awesome! Thanks for the quick shout out. I definitley view you in the same respect. Your voice is insane! Great singer and great teacher. Keep at it man. 🙏
Dude you are way to sweet!! Thank you so much for the compliments even though I don’t like my own voice I appreciate you. And your singing is mind blowing you make it look and sound so easy!!!!
What has been a growth factor for me is working on placement, i focused on support, opening the throat, mixed voice, only to realize my placement was wrong all the time and thats why those things werent working 100% for me, you had a good video about it, singing above the pencil into the bones of the face but my mind was biased i thought i got it but really didnt, as im a low voice guy my voice was stuck in the mouth, so i allways felt like i had two voices and somekind of fake mix even thou i could get away with it the strain would never leave me, this has been the glue to my singing, i feel the other elements are just falling into place now im finding that metallic ring that good singers have in their voice and it carries like crazy it also makes me narrow my vowels more automatically cause you really cant sing with a forward tone if you dont do that it just falls into the mouth again but if i do it right i feel im drilling deeper and deeper thru my eyes and head into the horizon, that intense vibration is a strange but wonderfull feeling
Exactly! For you, placement is a key factor for your mixed voice - for someone else, it might actually be vowels, for another fellow it might be supporting correctly. Glad you're taking strides forward!! - K
Thanks so much for this info. I want so badly to learn to sing with proper technique and I’ve never once heard somebody explain your vowel shapes controlling your register. Thanks for all the other great singers to follow. Deliver me from evil! Lol
Man this is great. If i werent broke af, atm, I'd book you in a heartbeat. :-D Thanks for being so generous with your knowledge. You rock, in more than one regard. ;-) As to mixed voice, what helped me a little on my (far from completed) journey were those warm-ups containing uninterrupted glissandi, as you showed. Also, the thought of singing from the diaphragm directly to that spot between your eyes (or maybe 10 centimetres away from your head) while kind of ignoring your throat seems helpful (proper support). I couldnt do it on the spot, like you, so i always feel stretching my vocal chords like a runner would his legs (with 5-10 minutes of exercises and laxvox) before attempting anything helps. And, the right breathing technique, of course. One vocal coach once told me: "Breathe as if you have an upside-down, opening umbrella in your belly". I for one liked that image, too. All the best, and thanks again, Nicolai from Munich, Germany.
ps would love to hear some more stuff from people, here - some of you goth rockers out there might enjoy this one we wrote with our friends from Zi Skla (Ukraine) 2 years ago. Not a perfect performance, but if you take into account that the gig was our first live rehearsal together, as well, since they live in Iwano-Frankivsk, i think we did okay. My thoughts are with them constantly, let's hope the very true nightmare of the war will be history, soon. th-cam.com/video/1ciySXTcTG4/w-d-xo.html
Tried to post a reply a couple times but somehow it didn't go through? Anyways, thanks for the shout out man really appreciate, learned from the best (you)! Awesome content as usual, cheers!
Well, since you asked politely 😂😂😂. F4 was super challenging for me. Recently i discovered Jonny Craig and after listening to him a lot i started to experience more "emotion" in my singing and it started to become easier. Now my highest so far is A#4 and f4 is quite easy. Also want to mention that its so much harder for me to descend than to ascend without break. Thank you for giving a channel a new life!
I hear you - F4 was my nemesis when I started actually. I could do a pretty pushed D or so, but that F used to kill me. Then it became G, then it became A.... then I lost my voice from shouting up to an A..... ha. I'd like to think my singing and coaching shows something very different to this experience now however. Best - K
Just stumbled across this account and I’m loving what I’m hearing! I was just cast as a huge tenor part in my high school musical, but I’m a baritone. My chest goes up to F4 with some uncomfortability, but I have many higher notes to sing. My character has to belt and sustain F#4s, G4s, and an A4! My problem is that I’m able to sing those notes, but my good tone goes away. Any note I sing higher than an F4 is almost like a brand new voice and it doesn’t sound good. I want to know why this is and how I can get rid of it. I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of everyone that comes to see the show! Thank you so much and you absolutely earned yourself a new subscriber!
"My chest goes up to F4 with some uncomfortability" - ergo, you shouldn't be singing an F4 in chest voice, you should be modifying your vowel before this point. It's likely F4 is the dead-center of your voice, and instead you should shift your vowel before and after this point, it definitely makes me question whether you're really a baritone - how did you come to this conclusion? If you haven't develop your full connected range, how is it possible to define your fach? The F4 makes me think Tenor. Reverse engineer this connection from head down (mixed voice is both head and chest, right?) from about an A4 (of G4 if you are indeed a baritone like you say) and work on connection in a pure sense - then, bridge from there outwards. K
Great vid. Currently developing my mixed voice. Its weird. Some days I can belt out notes I never thought possible. Other days It takes me hours to figure out how to pass my first break. I think i’ve made a lot of progress relitively quickly so I still very much remember how I used to sing. I have to think hard to imagine the structure of my voice differently in order to hit these notes properly. The trick I use for mixed voice its to make the most comfortable falsetto I can and just try to “solidify” it in a way. Idk why tf it works for me but it does. I think it helps me judge the glottal attack of the vowel or whatever the fuck idk man. haha
The key here is to work out what that variable is. First thing I work towards is finding a front vowel like OE or EE, then connect it down to chest voice - that seems to set me up for a great singing day.
@@FoundationVocalStudio yeah you’re 100% right that its all about the vowel. Anytime Im sure I have the vowel correct the whole headvoice, mixed voice, chest voice thing just seems to fall into place as 1 connected voice.
after spending some time on this channel (and the previous one haha) i guess the most important thing is that you must find the right sensation/feel inside the places in your own body, where and how you feel the things that u practice. And imagine the spaces and the places inside the throat or mouth etc. I mean when you are trying to sing in the back of your mouth , you can imagine that roundy place in the mouth and the shape of each vowel etc Sorry for my english man haha cheers
Hey Keegan, being a Texan, I loved your reference. For one thing, I feel like I've done a decent job of trying to incorporate the concepts you taught me in my lessons. The songs from artists like MercyMe and Casting Crowns are now well within my vocal range and I feel I sing them well. I do exercises like a 5 note scale (up and down), then with forward placement, with twang, an arpeggio with two vowels (EE and yHA), major scale (up and down), and lastly sirens / lip trills. Once I warm up (it takes about 8 minutes), I sometimes sing songs in higher registers (for me). Like Foreigner, The Fray, Kansas, Snow Patrol, and a number of songs from other really good bands or musicians. It might even be a song sung by a Baritone but they're reaching into tenor range. It's been working for me. Is perfect? No but I've definitely extended my useful range.
I just took a year class with Chris liepe, unfortunately I had a bunch of life problems come up lately and I can't fully commit to class so I'm taking a break until I can get back into it, Chris is a great teacher!! He is not the reason I left just to be clear lol. When I started class for my first submission I played square one by Tom petty, it was a song I thought would give him an idea of weeks I was working with basically. I sang it in chest voice, because I sang everything in chest not knowing about mixed yet. So after maybe 6 months of working on songs I already knew I finally realized I wasn't able to sing anything higher without straining so the last stretch of classes I busted my but trying to figure out mixed. Finally recently I think I figured it out but only after watching a million yt videos😂. I wasn't doing private lessons with Chris, we had maybe 15 students with about 5 to 10 mins each a week to submit a 1 min song, have him go over what we need to work on and get whatever feedback needed. I just personally need 1 on 1 but can't afford it, so now finding your channel Kegan I'm finding this vowel modification stuff that I didn't know. I really want to be a great singer and get out and play some gigs but I wanna be ready vocally so I don't go out and blow my voice. I think I've learned allot recently thankfully from his like you. So I thank you and apologize for the long comment. I think my point I didn't make was, everyone learns differently ,a teacher can explain something to the class but 2 of the students won't understand, I'm definitely one who needs it explained differently😊. I literally need it explained like, where the placement will be felt in my throat or like the vowel thing, saying aaaaaaa instead of eeeee using compression of needed, things like this. Great stuff as always Kegan 🤘
@FoundationVocalStudio Chris is amazing!! Very nice guy. It would be cool to see you guys do a teaching video together someday. Basically I've watched everything he's ever released on you tube and everything he has available in class and I probably missed the vowel mod stuff 😆 unless I hear someone talk about it or mention it about my own voice I'm not going to know. You and Chris are my favorite teachers so far and you are both so humble and forthcoming with sharing your knowledge to help the rest of us. 🙏
There's a billion videos on this channel specifically about that! Depends on your voice, but from F4/G4 you need to narrow - so AH/AW becomes OE and AY/EH becomes IH - and then higher up it goes wider again around the B/C or so depending on your voice.
I can hit the high note on spoon man fine with vowel modification. but when i get to the lower part of the phrase my voice gets weak. I can do high notes or low notes separately but trying to combine them together in one phrase my voice starts breaking and cracking
I CAN sing in mixed voice only.. i dont like how i sound in mixed voice, maybe im just not used to it but theres just something off about it but cant really explain what exactly
Great video! Thank you. Just one bit of feedback: When you show mix by switching the vowel, you immediately jump into your very well-trained distorted singing voice. It sounds amazing, but hides the difference between your examples of head voice @9:05 open vowel and your narrowed vowel mix voice @10:10. I would really like to hear what your narrowed vowel sounds like without that extra support/distortion. It's difficult for me to imitate the narrowed vowel and know I'm getting it right, when I want to focus and train one thing at a time, but am unable to imitate the distortion with it. It almost sounds like the mix voice is coming more from the added support and distortion than from the narrowing of the vowel. I've noticed this in a few of your other (also very good) videos. It feels a bit "don't do it like this: (clear, closed folds), do this instead: (distorted, closed folds and sounds like more support)", despite the fact that distortion is not mentioned and isn't being taught. I've no doubt you're narrowing those vowels, I can hear it. And I'm not questioning anything you say either, you're the expert and I know nothing xD. I'm just trying to point out that when there are multiple differences between your examples, it's hard to pinpoint the change you're trying to express. Anyway really appreciate the video, thanks again.
The point being, the full and distorted sound you'd expect from the original song isn't possible with OO, and is only possible with OE. It doesn't matter how much you support, or yell, or grind into it - the OO is never going to cut the mustard, hence the example. Try it with OO, then try it with OE (tongue up and forward) - you'll catch my drift. There's really not a huge difference between 'real' singing like you see in my videos, compared to the exercises and examples - they're actually the same thing, however, your comment is noted. OO is tongue up and back, OE is tongue up and forward, I feel it's clear in the video despite the paint ripping example. Best - K
@@FoundationVocalStudio Thanks for your response, It's an excellent point, well made. Would be really nice to hear what it would have sounded like without the distortion. But that has clarified why you put it in there. Thank you!
If I imitate the sound of an opera diva like Aveee Mariiiaa , and at that moment I add TA muscle, my sound becomes similar to a mix, does this approach make sense ? By the way, you and Daniel sing very similarly :)
I reckon Danny could sing circles around me, honestly - as amazing as a singer as he is a guy. Anyway - remember, it's about how you sing the vowel more than anything else; so, the 'opera' thing is likely helping you engage the ct muscle, perhaps lower the larynx a touch - and what you "think" is TA is likely more pressure in your support, so it balances out in the middle somewhere. Not really my approach, but if it's working for you, sure. K
I also try to listen to see if I can hear how they're using or modifying vowels and have tried to pay attention to what is happening when I do hit or sing the right note.
Hi Kegan, this might be a long shot, but I'm at my wits' end. Do you have any advice for me where to look for the cause of my problem, as you speak about hurting the voice? Here is some context: I've been on my vocal journey for approximately 5 and a half years now after I was asked to join a band as the lead vocalist for a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band. That journey has gotten me into singing and gigging quite a lot, broadening our repertoire from just Red Hot Chili Peppers to general covers and eventually even our own music. The problem, which I'm still coping with, is that I have had consistent (almost daily) throat pain for the past 3 years. My singing teachers have not been able to identify the cause, and neither have my speech therapists and ENTs (my vocal chords are still in great shape). At this point, I have given up on singing daily for quite a while already, as singing starts hurting me after only 10 minutes of doing it, and only sing when we meet up with the band (weekly) and at gigs. My voice is generally destroyed for three days to even a week after a gig of 2-3 hour sets. Now, I don't think I have ever managed to connect my chest voice and head voice without "flipping", which gives me the feeling that I have also never actually managed to use head voice. In this case that would mean that I have been using my chest voice (up to A4) for all this time singing. I've got another gig coming up tomorrow night and I'm already dreading the aftermath, but I don't think I could ever give up on singing, although this has been physically and mentally draining me for a very long time. I hope you reach out to me. Cheers, Melody
You want an odd exercise for finding your mix? I was mucking around imitating the opening narration of Monkey (magic) and then for some reason i decided to sing it instead ..with the same voice.. weirdly it naturally blended my head and chest voice almost seamlessly.. all though you may want to be careful with reccomending it as an exercise...the voice overs in Monkey arent exactly PC.
I see on your website you sell premade courses. Do you also do private lessons via zoom? I'm looking for a teacher and you seem so knowledgeable. Thank you
Hello, this was very helpful. But I have question that got me confused. I've heard that through the first bridge, you need to narrow the vowels. I've worked with brett manning and that's what I've learned. I just wanna know what to do cz I still experience breaks. Especially with ee and oo vowels. Thank you!
Still experiencing the breaks, and Brett's lack of useable range himself is the immediate answer there - but, it depends on context and the singer in question. Someone from New York or Nashville with a super wide accent might need to bring it in a bit if they're pronouncing in the low range instead of singing a pure vowel, where someone from France will have to spread that sucker because they're so narrow in speech. I teach a neutral starting point for all my students, so that's the important context there. Sing an "AY" sound like "hey" without the "y" on the end up from G3 to D4 on a major scale, and slightly shift the top two notes into the back of your mouth with a wider EH sound like "left" of "sent" and let me know how it goes. Best - K
Every day stage clothes for me ha. I've picked up pieces from markets from travelling, I made a few myself and I've got a decent collection of skull and stone rings that I rotate.
I've had a few people bring him in to the studio previously - it's definitely more aspirate than I like in a singer, but yes, he's very good and has a great voice. K
Maybe I'm just misunderstanding something but your explanation and demonstration on how to learn where your mixed voice is seems impossible for me. My voice is deepish so i feel like if i try to do what you did I'll just end up hurting my throat and coughing. If it helps, my voice is similar to charlie puth mixed with a pubescent teen (even though I'm almost 20). I really like singing and i've been told a lot that I have a good voice for singing, I just don't know how to do it. Like i have a talent for it but no skill. I am a complete beginner with nothing but one year of choir in high school so maybe im just missing something or i misunderstood. Any help would be appreciated greatly. Also I'll just add I was recommended ur channel on reddit of all things and so far you seem to be the best youtube vocal teacher i can find. definitely deserve more than 830 followers. I'm just a bit stupid lol.
Find head voice first first/falsetto. Find chest separately. Spend a couple of days/weeks singing lightly between the two until you work it out. It's not a voice type thing, it's just a technique thing - it takes time and care. Best - K
thanks for the video. I can get the height as you explained, but as I descend, thats when I lose my control and my voice flips to chest and it sounds like 2 completely different voices. Any tips on maintaining on the descend?
Yes - add more cry as you descend (counter intuitive, I know) - secondly, you're probably focusing on the high note, then when you get there "great, my job is done!" - but the vowels still need to descend in order, so, don't go from OE to AH, go OE/UH/AH or along those lines. K
hey were you good when you first started? im not going to waste time if my tone is just not good enough. ofc anyone can learn to sing but some vocal coaches who can sing just dont sound appealing and wouldn’t make it in the public eye. can you choose tone?
I sounded like a conveyer belt grinding up chickens when I started singing. Yes, tone becomes a choice at a certain point. I'm interested, do you think my voice would be "appealing in the public eye"? There's a question within a question, and you didn't ask your true question with this comment - shoot, I'm an open book. K
@@FoundationVocalStudio it definitely is. i first watched Your “how to sound like chris cornell” video and was like damn. my voice is so straight and sounds like my speaking voice and im curious to know if i can step outside my speaking voice and choose a tone
@@FoundationVocalStudio if you could, or when im available to donate maybe. could analyze johnny stevens from highly suspect to see how hes singing. super straight but raspy and badass. doesn’t seem to hard to learn but its just a certain tone im hoping for
One thing that I can't sort out is...what exactly is "head voice". Is it fully connected, with TA engagement...ala M1? Or is it only CT engagement...M2? For example, I can sing OOOH at A4 (for example), and do it (a) totally breathy (falsetto), (b) with a lack of breathiness, but still bell like and effortless...like your first OOOH in the video (which, BTW, I can make louder and do vibrato with), (c) with a bit of "bite"/"body" where it feels like the TA gets engaged...like your later OOOH, or (d) like c, but with much more body, which I believe is the same a c but with much more TA. So, when demonstrating that you can bridge, am I aiming for my (b) or (c)? Clearly, I'm not aiming to bridge to falsetto, or that belty (d) sound. But to me, (b) and (c) feel different. And of course, if I try to do it on AHH, there is much more of a bump in going back an forth. Not sure at all if I'm doing AHH in head voice or just a mix. Maybe that means my AHH is wrong. I mention this because I'm never quite sure how to go up higher from there. I can sing C5 and D5, but I always think I have the wrong coordination.
Your comment just gave me a stroke! Simplify man, simplify. I dislike splitting the voice into modes for this very reason - how can you quantify what another is doing internally to get a certain sound? You can't. If I was to point out I can comfortably sing a B1, perhaps that would give context in which this doesn't - but even then, it's not going to help. Can you connect that light falsetto to chest voice without a break at a G4 first, then from an A4? If it connects, this is head voice. From this point of connection, try it again but go a half octave higher into head voice, then another half octave higher from there. Your vowel is the 'practical' part of it when you sing songs/go for a bigger vowel. Best - K
@@FoundationVocalStudio Yes - I can do it on G4 as well on an OOH. And then take that higher / lighter. G4 on an Ahh feels different, and can't get as light as ooh, without snapping into pure falsetto. I don't worry about it when singing songs because I have no use for a super light ahh at G4. It's always mixed.
If we're going through my full process, it also involves turning OO into OE by raising the tongue and moving it forward to turn it into a front vowel. You'll feel that 'ping' move in front of the tongue/behind the top teeth. There's a polar difference in this sound to AH, and this is one of the key aspects of my own warmup and process - they just don't come naturally as two flipped sounds until you work it out. This then means you treat either vowel group differently in terms of airflow/support - plus also how you modify them. Best - K
I can sometimes get through the slide smoothly... EE seems easier than OO, and upward is easier than downward. Not sure why it happens to work on a certain attempt tbh. When it does work, I still have a sense of a specific hand-off point that I've successfully disguised, rather than a constant change, so I don't know if I'm cheating it somehow maybe. Couple questions: Do I need to be concerned with how open the back of the throat is during this? Do I need to be concerned with what the diaphragm is doing (cord closure is good already)? Or can I get rid of the break purely by changing resonance or vowels at the correct time? Even if I change OO to an umlaut sound, it doesn't seem to change the behavior of the thing at all.
My observations - if you're singing a true OO vowel, there's no "ping" on that classical vowel, meaning you actually have a backpressure issue (and obviously a vowel issue too - OO doesn't really exist in rock/pop/contemporary singing!). #1 (open question) - this depends on the vowel. EE is a larger F1 vowel, so it's a larger space, while AH is a smaller F1 vowel, so it's a smaller space. This definition/understanding is HUGE. #2 (break/diaphragm) - the diaphragm supports your choices. So, without the correct support you won't connect, but, also with the wrong vowel support isn't going to help you. #3 (OO/OU) - raise the tongue high and forward in the mouth like a French sound from the start. This actually modifies slightly to EH and then IH - not OU (that would be a backvowel). Hope that helps.
Hey K, i apply these vowel modifications but the registration doesn’t seem to change, it’s like I’m just singing a narrow vowel but in head voice (same goes if I try to apply that modification if I ascend from chest voice, I just stay in chest.) My connection at quiet volumes is good, but I think I’m only getting that from backing off pressure in chest until it literally has to go to head voice. What could I be doing wrong?
The Dying Cat(tm) isn't an approach I actually use - there's more one way to skin it, however. Put your finger lightly in the tracheal notch between your collar bones (don't push), then sing in falsetto around A4. See how the ligaments come forward? This is part of the cricothyroid that stretches the vocal folds and is the mechanism by which you sing higher from the centre of your rang upwards. Secondly, if you mimic a really sad voice like something AWFUL has just happened - use this tone and you'll find the stretch/Dying Cat(tm)/tilt/cry. K
am i narrowing my vowels too much? is that why im getting that thin mix voice? because its not hard for me to sing that with a thin mix voice, is the problem that dont know how to widen my vowel, or how to apply effort correctly? if you're working on the video that you talked about yesterday please include an example of what happens to voice when you narrow the vowel more than needed?
I think you're way too wide, and in a effort not to shout - you lose fold closure and you start pushing from support. So, no, I don't think you're too narrow. K
@@FoundationVocalStudio but i dont find it hard to sing high notes, i just find it hard to sing thicker...if im singing way to wide, should i be able to sing that high?(without dying?)
@@FoundationVocalStudio 😭just tell me the solution for my voice, what should i do? if i need to narrow, how do i narrow? whatever i need to do, tell me how to do it
@@FoundationVocalStudio th-cam.com/users/shorts3oRP6WiBm2g?si=OFamGiA1cC3d34A5 here's another high song i sang, but here i dont song light, it sounds powerful when i sing high...that's my idea of 'thick'
I enjoy your videos but…..all the Rock songs. I don’t know ANY of them. Seems like only Rock singers teach mix (Ken Tamplin, Eli Prinsen, Sterling Jackson, you etc)…..but I can’t relate to Rock music and don’t like it. At all. Definitely don’t ever want to sing like that. I get that that’s your thing but it would be nice if you could pull examples from other genres and reference other great singers for your examples. I don’t know ANY of the singers you reference and I’m sure I’m not the only viewer who feels that way. That’s like Opera singers who only use a classical sound to try and teach singing. Unless Opera is your goal, you won’t really be able to relate and if you can’t relate, it’s hard to learn from that person.
The point being, an Opera singer really isn't going to do a great job of singing a Bad Company song. It's going to sound like an Opera singer doing a bad job of a pop/rock song. The reverse is the same. I haven't spent 25 years studying opera sensibilities - I've spent 25 years studying rock and my favourite rock singers, hence the reference and the colour of some of the advice. The songs don't actually matter, the advice matters - however, If someone came to me for lessons asking to sing Opera, I would immediately point them in another direction and wouldn't agree to work with them - I'm just not that guy. Best - K
![Practicing exercises but singing songs badly? [The #1 fundamental of your singing voice]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/lZsXKZ2e1rY/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey Kegan! Thank you so much for the kind words about me in your shout out! To be put into that great group of coaches is an honor. We've got nothing but love for you and BVS over here at HVT! I love your voice man, you absolutely RIP!
We've got the secret Motorhead handshake and headnod - only Lemmy fans would understand ha. Your voice rips too man!
@@FoundationVocalStudio Hahaha yep! Right on brother!♠
@@EliPrinsensHVTVocals Hi Eli, it's Tommy here ! So awesome you know Kegan too, both HVT and Foundation Vocal Studio are my top 2 for vocal knowledge !!
Dude you're awesome! Thanks for the quick shout out. I definitley view you in the same respect. Your voice is insane! Great singer and great teacher. Keep at it man. 🙏
Your voice knocks me out man!!
@@FoundationVocalStudio thanks man!!
Dude you are way to sweet!! Thank you so much for the compliments even though I don’t like my own voice I appreciate you. And your singing is mind blowing you make it look and sound so easy!!!!
Man, if you don’t like your voice there is a long road ahead of me😢
I still dream about that second Cry of Love record, but with you on vocals - it keeps me awake at night ha.
What has been a growth factor for me is working on placement, i focused on support, opening the throat, mixed voice, only to realize my placement was wrong all the time and thats why those things werent working 100% for me, you had a good video about it, singing above the pencil into the bones of the face but my mind was biased i thought i got it but really didnt, as im a low voice guy my voice was stuck in the mouth, so i allways felt like i had two voices and somekind of fake mix even thou i could get away with it the strain would never leave me, this has been the glue to my singing, i feel the other elements are just falling into place now im finding that metallic ring that good singers have in their voice and it carries like crazy it also makes me narrow my vowels more automatically cause you really cant sing with a forward tone if you dont do that it just falls into the mouth again but if i do it right i feel im drilling deeper and deeper thru my eyes and head into the horizon, that intense vibration is a strange but wonderfull feeling
Exactly! For you, placement is a key factor for your mixed voice - for someone else, it might actually be vowels, for another fellow it might be supporting correctly. Glad you're taking strides forward!! - K
Thanks so much for this info. I want so badly to learn to sing with proper technique and I’ve never once heard somebody explain your vowel shapes controlling your register. Thanks for all the other great singers to follow. Deliver me from evil! Lol
Man this is great. If i werent broke af, atm, I'd book you in a heartbeat. :-D Thanks for being so generous with your knowledge. You rock, in more than one regard. ;-) As to mixed voice, what helped me a little on my (far from completed) journey were those warm-ups containing uninterrupted glissandi, as you showed. Also, the thought of singing from the diaphragm directly to that spot between your eyes (or maybe 10 centimetres away from your head) while kind of ignoring your throat seems helpful (proper support). I couldnt do it on the spot, like you, so i always feel stretching my vocal chords like a runner would his legs (with 5-10 minutes of exercises and laxvox) before attempting anything helps. And, the right breathing technique, of course. One vocal coach once told me: "Breathe as if you have an upside-down, opening umbrella in your belly". I for one liked that image, too. All the best, and thanks again, Nicolai from Munich, Germany.
Thankyou for your kind words and sharing your experience! Yep, I'd vouch for the "upside down umbrella" feeling too! -K
ps would love to hear some more stuff from people, here - some of you goth rockers out there might enjoy this one we wrote with our friends from Zi Skla (Ukraine) 2 years ago. Not a perfect performance, but if you take into account that the gig was our first live rehearsal together, as well, since they live in Iwano-Frankivsk, i think we did okay. My thoughts are with them constantly, let's hope the very true nightmare of the war will be history, soon. th-cam.com/video/1ciySXTcTG4/w-d-xo.html
second one together. th-cam.com/video/uO3iWUO5TMU/w-d-xo.html
Tried to post a reply a couple times but somehow it didn't go through?
Anyways, thanks for the shout out man really appreciate, learned from the best (you)!
Awesome content as usual, cheers!
Well, since you asked politely 😂😂😂. F4 was super challenging for me. Recently i discovered Jonny Craig and after listening to him a lot i started to experience more "emotion" in my singing and it started to become easier. Now my highest so far is A#4 and f4 is quite easy. Also want to mention that its so much harder for me to descend than to ascend without break. Thank you for giving a channel a new life!
I hear you - F4 was my nemesis when I started actually. I could do a pretty pushed D or so, but that F used to kill me. Then it became G, then it became A.... then I lost my voice from shouting up to an A..... ha. I'd like to think my singing and coaching shows something very different to this experience now however. Best - K
Just stumbled across this account and I’m loving what I’m hearing! I was just cast as a huge tenor part in my high school musical, but I’m a baritone. My chest goes up to F4 with some uncomfortability, but I have many higher notes to sing. My character has to belt and sustain F#4s, G4s, and an A4! My problem is that I’m able to sing those notes, but my good tone goes away. Any note I sing higher than an F4 is almost like a brand new voice and it doesn’t sound good. I want to know why this is and how I can get rid of it. I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of everyone that comes to see the show! Thank you so much and you absolutely earned yourself a new subscriber!
"My chest goes up to F4 with some uncomfortability" - ergo, you shouldn't be singing an F4 in chest voice, you should be modifying your vowel before this point. It's likely F4 is the dead-center of your voice, and instead you should shift your vowel before and after this point, it definitely makes me question whether you're really a baritone - how did you come to this conclusion? If you haven't develop your full connected range, how is it possible to define your fach? The F4 makes me think Tenor. Reverse engineer this connection from head down (mixed voice is both head and chest, right?) from about an A4 (of G4 if you are indeed a baritone like you say) and work on connection in a pure sense - then, bridge from there outwards. K
Great vid. Currently developing my mixed voice. Its weird. Some days I can belt out notes I never thought possible. Other days It takes me hours to figure out how to pass my first break. I think i’ve made a lot of progress relitively quickly so I still very much remember how I used to sing. I have to think hard to imagine the structure of my voice differently in order to hit these notes properly. The trick I use for mixed voice its to make the most comfortable falsetto I can and just try to “solidify” it in a way. Idk why tf it works for me but it does. I think it helps me judge the glottal attack of the vowel or whatever the fuck idk man. haha
The key here is to work out what that variable is. First thing I work towards is finding a front vowel like OE or EE, then connect it down to chest voice - that seems to set me up for a great singing day.
@@FoundationVocalStudio yeah you’re 100% right that its all about the vowel. Anytime Im sure I have the vowel correct the whole headvoice, mixed voice, chest voice thing just seems to fall into place as 1 connected voice.
Thank you for all these awesome videos!
You r fantastic too!
Thanks, I needed to hear that today.
after spending some time on this channel (and the previous one haha) i guess the most important thing is that you must find the right sensation/feel inside the places in your own body, where and how you feel the things that u practice. And imagine the spaces and the places inside the throat or mouth etc. I mean when you are trying to sing in the back of your mouth , you can imagine that roundy place in the mouth and the shape of each vowel etc Sorry for my english man haha cheers
Hi .. first welcome back .. can you make a video about how to develop vibrato please?
Hey Keegan, being a Texan, I loved your reference.
For one thing, I feel like I've done a decent job of trying to incorporate the concepts you taught me in my lessons. The songs from artists like MercyMe and Casting Crowns are now well within my vocal range and I feel I sing them well.
I do exercises like a 5 note scale (up and down), then with forward placement, with twang, an arpeggio with two vowels (EE and yHA), major scale (up and down), and lastly sirens / lip trills. Once I warm up (it takes about 8 minutes), I sometimes sing songs in higher registers (for me). Like Foreigner, The Fray, Kansas, Snow Patrol, and a number of songs from other really good bands or musicians. It might even be a song sung by a Baritone but they're reaching into tenor range. It's been working for me. Is perfect? No but I've definitely extended my useful range.
That's amazing news Steve!! K
🌟So good K👌🏽
I just took a year class with Chris liepe, unfortunately I had a bunch of life problems come up lately and I can't fully commit to class so I'm taking a break until I can get back into it, Chris is a great teacher!! He is not the reason I left just to be clear lol. When I started class for my first submission I played square one by Tom petty, it was a song I thought would give him an idea of weeks I was working with basically. I sang it in chest voice, because I sang everything in chest not knowing about mixed yet. So after maybe 6 months of working on songs I already knew I finally realized I wasn't able to sing anything higher without straining so the last stretch of classes I busted my but trying to figure out mixed. Finally recently I think I figured it out but only after watching a million yt videos😂. I wasn't doing private lessons with Chris, we had maybe 15 students with about 5 to 10 mins each a week to submit a 1 min song, have him go over what we need to work on and get whatever feedback needed. I just personally need 1 on 1 but can't afford it, so now finding your channel Kegan I'm finding this vowel modification stuff that I didn't know. I really want to be a great singer and get out and play some gigs but I wanna be ready vocally so I don't go out and blow my voice. I think I've learned allot recently thankfully from his like you. So I thank you and apologize for the long comment. I think my point I didn't make was, everyone learns differently ,a teacher can explain something to the class but 2 of the students won't understand, I'm definitely one who needs it explained differently😊. I literally need it explained like, where the placement will be felt in my throat or like the vowel thing, saying aaaaaaa instead of eeeee using compression of needed, things like this. Great stuff as always Kegan 🤘
Chris is great - I had a video breaking down his barnyard sounds approach on the old channel, he enjoyed it and we've been in touch. Nice guy.
@FoundationVocalStudio Chris is amazing!! Very nice guy. It would be cool to see you guys do a teaching video together someday. Basically I've watched everything he's ever released on you tube and everything he has available in class and I probably missed the vowel mod stuff 😆 unless I hear someone talk about it or mention it about my own voice I'm not going to know. You and Chris are my favorite teachers so far and you are both so humble and forthcoming with sharing your knowledge to help the rest of us. 🙏
Thank you very much !
It would help a lot if you showed the vowel-placements needed for the F4-B4 range
There's a billion videos on this channel specifically about that! Depends on your voice, but from F4/G4 you need to narrow - so AH/AW becomes OE and AY/EH becomes IH - and then higher up it goes wider again around the B/C or so depending on your voice.
I can hit the high note on spoon man fine with vowel modification. but when i get to the lower part of the phrase my voice gets weak. I can do high notes or low notes separately but trying to combine them together in one phrase my voice starts breaking and cracking
I CAN sing in mixed voice only.. i dont like how i sound in mixed voice, maybe im just not used to it but theres just something off about it but cant really explain what exactly
Great video! Thank you.
Just one bit of feedback: When you show mix by switching the vowel, you immediately jump into your very well-trained distorted singing voice. It sounds amazing, but hides the difference between your examples of head voice @9:05 open vowel and your narrowed vowel mix voice @10:10.
I would really like to hear what your narrowed vowel sounds like without that extra support/distortion. It's difficult for me to imitate the narrowed vowel and know I'm getting it right, when I want to focus and train one thing at a time, but am unable to imitate the distortion with it.
It almost sounds like the mix voice is coming more from the added support and distortion than from the narrowing of the vowel. I've noticed this in a few of your other (also very good) videos. It feels a bit "don't do it like this: (clear, closed folds), do this instead: (distorted, closed folds and sounds like more support)", despite the fact that distortion is not mentioned and isn't being taught. I've no doubt you're narrowing those vowels, I can hear it. And I'm not questioning anything you say either, you're the expert and I know nothing xD. I'm just trying to point out that when there are multiple differences between your examples, it's hard to pinpoint the change you're trying to express.
Anyway really appreciate the video, thanks again.
The point being, the full and distorted sound you'd expect from the original song isn't possible with OO, and is only possible with OE. It doesn't matter how much you support, or yell, or grind into it - the OO is never going to cut the mustard, hence the example. Try it with OO, then try it with OE (tongue up and forward) - you'll catch my drift. There's really not a huge difference between 'real' singing like you see in my videos, compared to the exercises and examples - they're actually the same thing, however, your comment is noted. OO is tongue up and back, OE is tongue up and forward, I feel it's clear in the video despite the paint ripping example. Best - K
@@FoundationVocalStudio Thanks for your response, It's an excellent point, well made. Would be really nice to hear what it would have sounded like without the distortion. But that has clarified why you put it in there. Thank you!
If I imitate the sound of an opera diva like Aveee Mariiiaa , and at that moment I add TA muscle, my sound becomes similar to a mix, does this approach make sense ? By the way, you and Daniel sing very similarly :)
I reckon Danny could sing circles around me, honestly - as amazing as a singer as he is a guy. Anyway - remember, it's about how you sing the vowel more than anything else; so, the 'opera' thing is likely helping you engage the ct muscle, perhaps lower the larynx a touch - and what you "think" is TA is likely more pressure in your support, so it balances out in the middle somewhere. Not really my approach, but if it's working for you, sure. K
I also try to listen to see if I can hear how they're using or modifying vowels and have tried to pay attention to what is happening when I do hit or sing the right note.
YES - learning to 'listen' instead of just blasting over the top of something is the key.
Hi Kegan, this might be a long shot, but I'm at my wits' end. Do you have any advice for me where to look for the cause of my problem, as you speak about hurting the voice?
Here is some context:
I've been on my vocal journey for approximately 5 and a half years now after I was asked to join a band as the lead vocalist for a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band. That journey has gotten me into singing and gigging quite a lot, broadening our repertoire from just Red Hot Chili Peppers to general covers and eventually even our own music. The problem, which I'm still coping with, is that I have had consistent (almost daily) throat pain for the past 3 years. My singing teachers have not been able to identify the cause, and neither have my speech therapists and ENTs (my vocal chords are still in great shape).
At this point, I have given up on singing daily for quite a while already, as singing starts hurting me after only 10 minutes of doing it, and only sing when we meet up with the band (weekly) and at gigs. My voice is generally destroyed for three days to even a week after a gig of 2-3 hour sets.
Now, I don't think I have ever managed to connect my chest voice and head voice without "flipping", which gives me the feeling that I have also never actually managed to use head voice. In this case that would mean that I have been using my chest voice (up to A4) for all this time singing.
I've got another gig coming up tomorrow night and I'm already dreading the aftermath, but I don't think I could ever give up on singing, although this has been physically and mentally draining me for a very long time.
I hope you reach out to me.
Cheers,
Melody
You want an odd exercise for finding your mix? I was mucking around imitating the opening narration of Monkey (magic) and then for some reason i decided to sing it instead ..with the same voice.. weirdly it naturally blended my head and chest voice almost seamlessly.. all though you may want to be careful with reccomending it as an exercise...the voice overs in Monkey arent exactly PC.
Might get myself cancelled again if I use that! ha
*Ø* is the Norwegian letter for the sound OE.
Our cows say "MØØØ"
Raise the middle of your tongue in the middle to front of your mouth and you'll get the sound I'm describing. Best! K
I see on your website you sell premade courses. Do you also do private lessons via zoom? I'm looking for a teacher and you seem so knowledgeable. Thank you
Hey Cole! Absolutely - you can reach out personally on the website under the contact button. K
Hello, this was very helpful. But I have question that got me confused. I've heard that through the first bridge, you need to narrow the vowels. I've worked with brett manning and that's what I've learned. I just wanna know what to do cz I still experience breaks. Especially with ee and oo vowels. Thank you!
Still experiencing the breaks, and Brett's lack of useable range himself is the immediate answer there - but, it depends on context and the singer in question. Someone from New York or Nashville with a super wide accent might need to bring it in a bit if they're pronouncing in the low range instead of singing a pure vowel, where someone from France will have to spread that sucker because they're so narrow in speech. I teach a neutral starting point for all my students, so that's the important context there. Sing an "AY" sound like "hey" without the "y" on the end up from G3 to D4 on a major scale, and slightly shift the top two notes into the back of your mouth with a wider EH sound like "left" of "sent" and let me know how it goes. Best - K
I do have one question. Where do you get your jewelry?? I'd wear that stuff on stage for sure
Every day stage clothes for me ha. I've picked up pieces from markets from travelling, I made a few myself and I've got a decent collection of skull and stone rings that I rotate.
Check out David Phelps. He is a Christian singer, but a truly amazing voice. Check out his version of O Holy NIght ... 1999.
I've had a few people bring him in to the studio previously - it's definitely more aspirate than I like in a singer, but yes, he's very good and has a great voice. K
the simplest instruction for singing - moving things in the mouth and throat to get the right sound? xd
Maybe I'm just misunderstanding something but your explanation and demonstration on how to learn where your mixed voice is seems impossible for me. My voice is deepish so i feel like if i try to do what you did I'll just end up hurting my throat and coughing. If it helps, my voice is similar to charlie puth mixed with a pubescent teen (even though I'm almost 20). I really like singing and i've been told a lot that I have a good voice for singing, I just don't know how to do it. Like i have a talent for it but no skill. I am a complete beginner with nothing but one year of choir in high school so maybe im just missing something or i misunderstood. Any help would be appreciated greatly.
Also I'll just add I was recommended ur channel on reddit of all things and so far you seem to be the best youtube vocal teacher i can find. definitely deserve more than 830 followers. I'm just a bit stupid lol.
Find head voice first first/falsetto. Find chest separately. Spend a couple of days/weeks singing lightly between the two until you work it out. It's not a voice type thing, it's just a technique thing - it takes time and care. Best - K
@@FoundationVocalStudio thanks so much for the reply. I'll try that and see how it goes 😁
New T-shirt idea Connect. Those. Sucker. 😂
After that we need to print up THE RIGHT FUCKING VOWEL! I think I like this one better.
I have a delicate way with words, right?
You really do@@FoundationVocalStudio
thanks for the video. I can get the height as you explained, but as I descend, thats when I lose my control and my voice flips to chest and it sounds like 2 completely different voices. Any tips on maintaining on the descend?
Yes - add more cry as you descend (counter intuitive, I know) - secondly, you're probably focusing on the high note, then when you get there "great, my job is done!" - but the vowels still need to descend in order, so, don't go from OE to AH, go OE/UH/AH or along those lines. K
hey were you good when you first started? im not going to waste time if my tone is just not good enough. ofc anyone can learn to sing but some vocal coaches who can sing just dont sound appealing and wouldn’t make it in the public eye. can you choose tone?
I sounded like a conveyer belt grinding up chickens when I started singing. Yes, tone becomes a choice at a certain point. I'm interested, do you think my voice would be "appealing in the public eye"? There's a question within a question, and you didn't ask your true question with this comment - shoot, I'm an open book. K
@@FoundationVocalStudio it definitely is. i first watched Your “how to sound like chris cornell” video and was like damn. my voice is so straight and sounds like my speaking voice and im curious to know if i can step outside my speaking voice and choose a tone
@@FoundationVocalStudio if you could, or when im available to donate maybe. could analyze johnny stevens from highly suspect to see how hes singing. super straight but raspy and badass. doesn’t seem to hard to learn but its just a certain tone im hoping for
One thing that I can't sort out is...what exactly is "head voice". Is it fully connected, with TA engagement...ala M1? Or is it only CT engagement...M2? For example, I can sing OOOH at A4 (for example), and do it (a) totally breathy (falsetto), (b) with a lack of breathiness, but still bell like and effortless...like your first OOOH in the video (which, BTW, I can make louder and do vibrato with), (c) with a bit of "bite"/"body" where it feels like the TA gets engaged...like your later OOOH, or (d) like c, but with much more body, which I believe is the same a c but with much more TA. So, when demonstrating that you can bridge, am I aiming for my (b) or (c)? Clearly, I'm not aiming to bridge to falsetto, or that belty (d) sound. But to me, (b) and (c) feel different.
And of course, if I try to do it on AHH, there is much more of a bump in going back an forth. Not sure at all if I'm doing AHH in head voice or just a mix. Maybe that means my AHH is wrong.
I mention this because I'm never quite sure how to go up higher from there. I can sing C5 and D5, but I always think I have the wrong coordination.
Your comment just gave me a stroke! Simplify man, simplify. I dislike splitting the voice into modes for this very reason - how can you quantify what another is doing internally to get a certain sound? You can't. If I was to point out I can comfortably sing a B1, perhaps that would give context in which this doesn't - but even then, it's not going to help. Can you connect that light falsetto to chest voice without a break at a G4 first, then from an A4? If it connects, this is head voice. From this point of connection, try it again but go a half octave higher into head voice, then another half octave higher from there. Your vowel is the 'practical' part of it when you sing songs/go for a bigger vowel. Best - K
@@FoundationVocalStudio Yes - I can do it on G4 as well on an OOH. And then take that higher / lighter. G4 on an Ahh feels different, and can't get as light as ooh, without snapping into pure falsetto. I don't worry about it when singing songs because I have no use for a super light ahh at G4. It's always mixed.
If we're going through my full process, it also involves turning OO into OE by raising the tongue and moving it forward to turn it into a front vowel. You'll feel that 'ping' move in front of the tongue/behind the top teeth. There's a polar difference in this sound to AH, and this is one of the key aspects of my own warmup and process - they just don't come naturally as two flipped sounds until you work it out. This then means you treat either vowel group differently in terms of airflow/support - plus also how you modify them. Best - K
I can sometimes get through the slide smoothly... EE seems easier than OO, and upward is easier than downward. Not sure why it happens to work on a certain attempt tbh. When it does work, I still have a sense of a specific hand-off point that I've successfully disguised, rather than a constant change, so I don't know if I'm cheating it somehow maybe.
Couple questions: Do I need to be concerned with how open the back of the throat is during this? Do I need to be concerned with what the diaphragm is doing (cord closure is good already)? Or can I get rid of the break purely by changing resonance or vowels at the correct time? Even if I change OO to an umlaut sound, it doesn't seem to change the behavior of the thing at all.
My observations - if you're singing a true OO vowel, there's no "ping" on that classical vowel, meaning you actually have a backpressure issue (and obviously a vowel issue too - OO doesn't really exist in rock/pop/contemporary singing!).
#1 (open question) - this depends on the vowel. EE is a larger F1 vowel, so it's a larger space, while AH is a smaller F1 vowel, so it's a smaller space. This definition/understanding is HUGE.
#2 (break/diaphragm) - the diaphragm supports your choices. So, without the correct support you won't connect, but, also with the wrong vowel support isn't going to help you.
#3 (OO/OU) - raise the tongue high and forward in the mouth like a French sound from the start. This actually modifies slightly to EH and then IH - not OU (that would be a backvowel).
Hope that helps.
@@FoundationVocalStudio I have realized that I can easily do the slide on a hum, so I'm adapting that feeling to vowels now.
Hey K, i apply these vowel modifications but the registration doesn’t seem to change, it’s like I’m just singing a narrow vowel but in head voice (same goes if I try to apply that modification if I ascend from chest voice, I just stay in chest.) My connection at quiet volumes is good, but I think I’m only getting that from backing off pressure in chest until it literally has to go to head voice. What could I be doing wrong?
It depends on whether you're really altering the space, or just pronouncing a different vowel - these are two different things.
Thank you, this is for sure one of my issues.@@FoundationVocalStudio
None of this or your other videos helped me. Its a me problem though, and im stuck in the verge of quitting
Sounds like you need a hug more than my advice. If you let me know what's actually going on, perhaps I can give some relevant advice. Best - K
What if you can't find the dying cat though lmao
The Dying Cat(tm) isn't an approach I actually use - there's more one way to skin it, however. Put your finger lightly in the tracheal notch between your collar bones (don't push), then sing in falsetto around A4. See how the ligaments come forward? This is part of the cricothyroid that stretches the vocal folds and is the mechanism by which you sing higher from the centre of your rang upwards. Secondly, if you mimic a really sad voice like something AWFUL has just happened - use this tone and you'll find the stretch/Dying Cat(tm)/tilt/cry. K
am i narrowing my vowels too much? is that why im getting that thin mix voice? because its not hard for me to sing that with a thin mix voice, is the problem that dont know how to widen my vowel, or how to apply effort correctly? if you're working on the video that you talked about yesterday please include an example of what happens to voice when you narrow the vowel more than needed?
I think you're way too wide, and in a effort not to shout - you lose fold closure and you start pushing from support. So, no, I don't think you're too narrow. K
@@FoundationVocalStudio but i dont find it hard to sing high notes, i just find it hard to sing thicker...if im singing way to wide, should i be able to sing that high?(without dying?)
Your idea of what "thicker" really is, is what is off. A narrow vowel doesn't make you light or weak, at least, if it's in the right register (A4-C5)
@@FoundationVocalStudio 😭just tell me the solution for my voice, what should i do? if i need to narrow, how do i narrow? whatever i need to do, tell me how to do it
@@FoundationVocalStudio th-cam.com/users/shorts3oRP6WiBm2g?si=OFamGiA1cC3d34A5 here's another high song i sang, but here i dont song light, it sounds powerful when i sing high...that's my idea of 'thick'
I enjoy your videos but…..all the Rock songs. I don’t know ANY of them. Seems like only Rock singers teach mix (Ken Tamplin, Eli Prinsen, Sterling Jackson, you etc)…..but I can’t relate to Rock music and don’t like it. At all. Definitely don’t ever want to sing like that. I get that that’s your thing but it would be nice if you could pull examples from other genres and reference other great singers for your examples. I don’t know ANY of the singers you reference and I’m sure I’m not the only viewer who feels that way. That’s like Opera singers who only use a classical sound to try and teach singing. Unless Opera is your goal, you won’t really be able to relate and if you can’t relate, it’s hard to learn from that person.
The point being, an Opera singer really isn't going to do a great job of singing a Bad Company song. It's going to sound like an Opera singer doing a bad job of a pop/rock song. The reverse is the same. I haven't spent 25 years studying opera sensibilities - I've spent 25 years studying rock and my favourite rock singers, hence the reference and the colour of some of the advice. The songs don't actually matter, the advice matters - however, If someone came to me for lessons asking to sing Opera, I would immediately point them in another direction and wouldn't agree to work with them - I'm just not that guy. Best - K