The Seven Deadly Sins of Singing - Revisited!

Those of you who have periodically studied our written material, which helps you to practice better and get lasting results, have no doubt encountered the "Seven Deadly Sins of Singing". I get asked often about these "sins" so I thought I'd spend some time on what exactly they have to do with your practice sessions and your singing in general.

I don't normally subscribe to "Don't's" because it draws attention to a negative and trying NOT to do something becomes the very thing we continue to do (sorta like being asked to NOT picture an elephant). So let's talk about these singing "sins" from a more positive angle, ok?

Sin #1 - Listening, Criticizing, or Editing our Sound.
By deeply concentrating on our breathing and the action of the diaphragm "pumping" the sound through our instrument, we can avoid being pulled into listening to the actual sounds we are making. During practice sessions, breathing should be slow and deep.

Sin #2 - Standing erect or stiff.
Again, concentrate on your body relaxation. Breathe slowly and deeply between each musical sequence during practice. Be aware of tension, especially in the shoulders, neck and jaw area, close your eyes and breathe "into" those areas, picturing them relaxing with each inhale. Let your head hang loosely rather than "holding" it up.

Sin #3 - Locked or stiff jaw.
Totally relax the face. Begin with a few easy nose hums with teeth apart and lips touching first. Once you are aware of no tension in the face, let the mouth "fall" open and sing the exercise using "uh". When practicing an actual song, read the words aloud first in a casual conversational tone and then replicate that exactly with the melody added.

Sin #4 - Saving your Breath.
A simple "trick" of creating the smallest opening in your lips when you exhale will allow air to leave your body slowly without your having to hold it back. This allows the instrument (your body) to remain relaxed and unobstructed.

Sin #5 - Not Using Sensory Awareness.
My students have the most difficulty understanding this sin. Let me clarify "sensory awareness". Your BODY is an instrument; your vocal cords are the strings; the diaphragm is the valve, the mouth is the bell. All of these are invisible to the eye, so how do you learn to play this instrument? By "sensing" and "feeling", and ultimately "listening". Once you have mastered the exercises we give you to do, you begin to "feel" where the sound is in your body at any given moment. You start to tell if the sound vibrating in your nose, your throat, your head, your chest. This is Sensory Awareness. And it must PRECEDE the listening!

Sin #6 - Using Body Crutches.
This sin is cured by continued attention to keeping the body relaxed during singing. In your practice sessions; Do you raise your eyebrows to get to a high note? Let your eyelids drop and close your eyes. Do you lead with your chin? Let your head drop onto your chest. Are your toes curled? Straighten them out. Can you feel your shoulders up around your ears when you take in a breath? Exhale that breath and inhale again, this time expanding the stomach, and visualizing your ribs moving to the sides and the back of your torso to make room for all the air. Once you conquer the use of crutches and rely ONLY on the diaphragm to "pump" the sound through your body, and all of this is on "automatic", then you can dance, jump, run, hang from a chandelier if you want to when you sing.

These "sins" are to be corrected IN THE PRACTICE SESSIONS, and not on stage.

Sin #7 - Reaching vs. Letting Go

Let me just repeat my earlier writings on this:

Basically, students, your vocal talent is a gift from the Creator. And if you only possess a desire to sing, but don’t feel yet that you do possess talent, let me say this. God would never give you a desire to sing without also the ability to fulfill that desire. And by desire, I mean a fervent, deep heart’s desire, a dream, the most sincere prayer you could make.

It’s not the same as walking past a clothing store window and thinking, "Boy! I sure would like that outfit." No! A Heart’s Desire is a deep, intense and powerful longing...a yearning that doesn’t lessen with distractions or time, but gets louder and louder as years go by, nagging at you to sing... sing... sing!

If your vocal ability is a gift from the Creator, then you did not manufacture it, did you? And if you did not manufacture it, then you don’t have to do anything special to get it to come forth into the world except perhaps...get out of its way and let it happen.

That’s what all these exercises are intended to do for you...to unlearn bad singing habits of the past that are unnatural, and to teach you how to stay out of the way of your voice and let it float out of you into the world.

In other words, let the One who gave you the gift, do the work, and you just be the vehicle by which the gift comes through. Does that make sense? Haven’t you ever felt that some other power was singing through you sometimes...when it seemed effortless and you felt as if you could’ve gone on singing for hours and hours? In those moments, you were letting go and letting your natural voice come out, rather than making it do so.

You will discover, as you continue to concentrate on the positive qualities of your natural voice that each of the "sins" mentioned here will begin to fall away naturally and ultimately they will disappear altogether.

I have a student who has been with me now for 5+ years and it's only now that the principles I speak of are becoming real to her. So it takes as long as it takes...and I believe that the length is determined by the frequency and accuracy of your practice sessions. Remember! Practice makes permanent, not perfect! So first: learn the concept.

• Do the drill.
• Using sensory awareness, determine of you are doing it correctly.
• Make adjustments where needed.
• Do the drill correctly every day at the same time for 30 days straight.

At the end of this period, that particular drill is now on "automatic". You are now ready to move on to the next one...

'Til next time, singers!

Chrys