Tag: pop

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Chanelle Guyton Shares Her Journey From Classical Training to Commercial Coach

On this episode, you’ll discover:

  • how Brett and Chanelle Met
  • the differences between Classical vs Commercial Coaching 
  • the key differences in the way you learned to sing and the NEW way you coach 
  • plus, you’ll get a BONUS Vocal Demonstration!

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  • Mastering Mix
  • Mastering Harmony
  • Mastering Vibrato
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Welcome to the Singing Success Show podcast, and my name is Brett Manning. I’m here with Josh Eberle. Look at her with her fluent Chinese! If I say “ni hao ma,” you say “hao ma,” which means she’s doing well. “Hao hyung, how are you doing?” “Well, oh no, ish hyung, I wish.” So it’s for our Chinese audience. We always want to say hi to you and say hello to me. How do you gua? No mankwe ming make was Chinese. So anyway, fun stuff.

Alright, so today I have one of my most distinguished associates, one of the most talented coaches I’ve ever had the pleasure of training. But her story is quite a bit different from most people’s because some people come in here and they’ve been doing commercial music for a long, long time and everything just feels right. They come to the technique and they say, “I just want more range, I want more freedom, more power.” But what happens when you come from a total different genre? So we’re talking about going from classical to commercial singing and is it possible?

So why don’t you, in your most winsome and inviting way, tell us how you came about teaching.

Okay, so way back, growing up, I actually sang a lot of pop. I grew up in Boston, near the city, and I was just a kid of the radio in the ’90s. So, you know, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, all the greats. But back then, even as a kid, I knew that there was always this ceiling. So I would just belt as high as I could, and then I’d just drop out. And I never could find the answers anywhere. No one could give me the answer of how to get over that.

Time went on, and I went to college for singing. And most times when you go to college for singing, it’s very classically oriented. So I was trained a lot in how to sing in my head voice. I went from having this big chest voice growing up to now this very big head voice.

After I got done with college, I actually ended up getting my master’s degree in vocal performance. I decided, “Well, I don’t want to sing in an opera house, so what do I do now?” And where I found the joy that I wanted to be singing was in the church. And sometimes I would get solos, and they had a pretty extensive range. But I literally would have this conundrum of, “Where do I put this? Do I sing with this big chest voice that I have, or do I sing with this classical opera sound that I have?” And it was just frustration after frustration.

I started auditioning for shows that started coming out probably about 10 years ago, like The Voice, American Idol, America’s Got Talent. I would always get so far within these auditions, I would always get to right before the big celebrity judges. I even one time got flown out to LA because I had gotten a callback from one of the videos I had done. So I knew that I had talent, I knew that there was something there, but still I kept meeting this roadblock every time I would go to these auditions. I would always get told the same thing: “Your voice is too pretty, it’s too trained, it’s too classical.” And it was just frustration after frustration.

The last audition that I went to was for Disney, and I thought, “Naturally, I can do Disney. The head voice will lend itself to this.” But even still, same thing. I got the callback, went to the final audition, and this is the turning point that changed my life. The casting director, after I sang the song, looked at me and said, “It’s pretty, but I want you to sing it a different way.” And it was in that moment, everything had just come to a head, and I just said, “I don’t know another way to sing this.” I felt disabled with all the training that I had, with all the knowledge, with all the time and money I had spent. I felt like I still couldn’t do what I wanted to do with my voice.

So I went to the casting director after, and he said, “You need commercial-style voice lessons, more voice lessons.” I thought, “I’ve had plenty of voice lessons.” And he said, “No, they need to be in a commercial style.” So I reached out to a friend who had been on American Idol, and I said, “I don’t have time to waste any more time or any more money. I need the best. I need you to give me, I will drive anywhere, I’ll fly anywhere. I need you to give me the best.” And he gave me the number to Brett Manning. I met Brett, and my first lesson was with one of his associate coaches. In my first lesson, I was hitting a high B-flat in a mix voice, this part of my voice that I had never accessed before. I remember leaving the voice lesson and calling my mom and saying, “I found it, Mom. I found the key that unlocked my voice.” And that was the beginning of the end.

The biggest difference from classical to this commercial style is in classical, a lot of emphasis is put on singing in the head voice and singing into the mask. That never really made sense to me. It was kind of lifting your lip a little bit and sending everything forward, but then the next statement was, “But stay out of your nose.” The presence of nasality was frowned upon because it’s an ugly sound. So it was kind of left trying to find this place, but not being in my nose, but not being too much in my head.

In commercial and in Brett’s method, pharyngeal is the biggest difference, where it is just going to the fullest extent of your pharyngeal resonance, just this primal sound that existed ever since you were a baby. So that’s probably one of the biggest distinctions. In classical, it’s head voice and singing into the mask. In commercial, it’s accessing pharyngeal resonance and being able to use all the elements of your voice, not being limited in what you can use.

I didn’t lose anything from my classical training; I gained a better understanding of where I can use it. Classical training felt like third gear; I always had to pull that third gear down. I probably had teachers who said, “Don’t ever use chest voice, it’s vulgar and it’s horrible.” But great classical females sing in their chest voice, and great classical male singers can easily translate it into what we’re doing here in commercial singing. We talk about blending head and chest voice, and the amazing thing is that you end up with, if this is chest and this is head, you can lean a little heavier into the head or a little heavier into the chest on the same note.

When I first started working with Chanel, I noticed she could hit notes effortlessly. We didn’t talk about having her sing, but it’s the idea that we get to a place where levels of expectation create levels of professionalism. I expect it from her, and she can do it. So thank you again, Chanel Gaytan, for joining us on the show.

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The Crossover Singer

The crossover singer is someone who is able to achieve success while melding several genres or styles of music together to inform their sound. Through working with hundreds of singers, I have heard the same resounding statement: Their desire is to be unique, and they find it hard to be pigeon holed into one particular genre or vocal style. Many times my students will say that they would like to draw from two or three different genres and use those influences to create a style all their own.

So, how does one take the appropriate steps to fuse several styles of music, while turning it into a congruent sound with mass appeal? Some effective ways that I have found to do so is through self-exploration, experimentation and by taking risks. Enabling these practices may allow you to bridge the gap between your favorite styles, and it can lay the foundation for a style that is all your own.

Self-exploration entails finding out what exactly appeals to you and why. Begin to ask yourself questions about the types of music you find yourself listening to. Make a choice to move from the realm of passive listening to active and inquisitive listening. Here are some sample questions you can start to ask yourself: Do you listen to particular types of music because that’s what your parents listened to, or did your current musical preferences stem out of rebellion for what your parents didn’t want you to listen to?

Fast-Track Your Success!!

VIP Membership includes:

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  • Interact with our vocal coaches–ask them YOUR question
  • Live warmups
  • Masterclasses and Q&As with Brett Manning and his guests
  • SS360 QuickStart Program
  • SS360 – The FULL Systematic Vocal Course
  • Vocal Hacks
  • Range Builder
  • Mastering Mix
  • Mastering Harmony
  • Mastering Vibrato
  • Vocal Therapy
  • Plus…exclusive content only found here all along the way!

You can struggle on your own, or you can get direct access to the Nashville Coaches who have launched some of the biggest names in the music industry.

Unlock Your Success

Do you like the vocal stylings or particular instrumentation found in certain types of music? Are you drawn to a certain musical era in time more so than others? Do the different styles of music that you like severely contrast, or do they compliment one another? What are some style traits of your favorite singers? What emotions are evoked when you listen to your favorite songs?

Through answering some of these questions and coming up with some of your own, you will be able to have a better understanding of the styles that will naturally inform your singing. Remember: awareness is the key to self-discovery.

Once you have uncovered why you like different styles of music you should begin to experiment with your sound. Try singing with different components of each, in order to develop a unique blending of the different genres. For instance, if you enjoy singing country music, but you would like it to have a more rock vibe, experiment with different inflections, volumes, and your overall delivery.

Also, begin to train yourself to discernibly listen to singers who have successfully mastered the art of crossover singing. What is it about their approach or delivery that has allowed them to be successful?

Lastly, learn to take risks and have confidence in yourself and your abilities. Doing something new or outside of the box is scary, but allow yourself to experience failure, along with success. If you only demand perfection out of yourself, you will miss the learning opportunities along the way.

A wise man once said, “Nothing worth doing was ever easy.” If you would like a safe place to hone your skills or experiment with your sound, I suggest taking a private lesson with a Brett Manning certified coach.

A coach will provide you with honest feedback and may open your eyes to possibilities of which you have never known.

Click below to book a lesson with Chanelle Guyton. 

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Voice Affectation: When is it too much?

Have you ever heard, or yourself been, a singer that you know is trying too hard? As singers, we can easily fall into the trap of overdoing a certain style choice that we deem desirable, or that is widely popular at the time. For instance, a singer having a consistently breathy tone, always doing runs, “knurdling” for a classical effect, or overusing vocal fry.

These style choices, when used in moderation, can be tasteful, intuitive, and show supreme musicianship, however when they are overused they may become predictable, uninteresting and in some cases displeasing to the listener. Personally, I never understood the old adage, “You can never have too much of a good thing.”

That is simply untrue! One can have too much ice cream, too much sunlight, too many hours watching television, or too much traveling. Likewise, a singer can have an excessive amount of style within the course of a song. Sometimes the listener desires a reprieve, where they can hear the human voice, simply unaffected.

Fast-Track Your Success!!

VIP Membership includes:

  • Exclusive Facebook Group
  • Interact with our vocal coaches–ask them YOUR question
  • Live warmups
  • Masterclasses and Q&As with Brett Manning and his guests
  • SS360 QuickStart Program
  • SS360 – The FULL Systematic Vocal Course
  • Vocal Hacks
  • Range Builder
  • Mastering Mix
  • Mastering Harmony
  • Mastering Vibrato
  • Vocal Therapy
  • Plus…exclusive content only found here all along the way!

You can struggle on your own, or you can get direct access to the Nashville Coaches who have launched some of the biggest names in the music industry.

Unlock Your Success

However, there are always the exceptions! Some of the most successful iconic singers consistently over-affect their voice, and it has become a part of their unmistakable sound. Some famous examples include singers such as Celine Dion, who has made a career with her unique voice, which often includes a slight knurdle, or over-squeezing of her vocal cords and Britney Spears, who employs vocal fry in most every song that she sings.

You may also be the exception, where you have found that a certain consistent style choice actually improves your overall delivery and enhances your listener’s experience. Yet, if that is not the case, I will briefly discuss some practical ways that you can incorporate style, while not overloading your listeners.

First, focus inward in and identify your particular style tendencies so you that gain awareness of your own voice. Start to ask yourself some hard questions… Do I consistently sing with a breathy tone? Am I tirelessly using the same inflections in my singing patterns? Am I overusing vibrato? Is my sound always loud and powerful, or am I able to be soft and vulnerable?

Once you begin to explore and be honest about your own voice you will be more able to confront any excessive style choices and return to a more organic sound. Next, try recording yourself. When you sing a song and listen to the playback do your style choices seem natural, or forced and contrived?

Once you have identified and analyzed your specific style tendencies, then remain mindful of how you are incorporating them into your songs.

Lastly, in order to return to a more believable sound, try speaking the lyrics to your song. Talk through your song, and then slowly add pitches in order to closely mirror your speaking voice to that of your singing. Essentially, singing is speaking on pitch.

Thus, the singing of your song should always exist to tell a story or relay an emotion, and your style choices should simply be an extension of that function. However, often times, we can let pride sneak in and we will try to use vocal acrobats to show off our voices, rather than singing for the song itself.

Remember, the song is the message, and you are the messenger. While your unique style and delivery is essential to an honest performance, your ability to be yourself and not over-stylize can serve to set you apart.

What is Voice Affectation?

Have you ever heard (or been) that singer who is trying too hard? As singers, we can easily fall into the trap of overdoing a certain artistic choice that we deem desirable or that is widely popular at the time. For instance, a singer has a consistently breathy tone, fake accents and dialects, quirky pronunciation, always doing runs, “knurdling” for a classical effect, or ‘arguably’ the most common which is overusing vocal fry.

Let’s get precise with Merriam-Webster’s definition of :

AFFECTATION

af·​fec·​ta·​tion ˌa-ˌfek-ˈtā-shən: 

speech or conduct not natural to oneself : an unnatural form of behavior meant especially to impress others for example:

“His French accent is just an affectation.”

Also, realize that affectation often defines your voice, your personality and is part of American life, or any other country with as much diversity as the ol’ USA.

If you’re pursuing a career in commercial (pop, rock, R&B, etc.) music, you have to find a tasteful, competent, educated approach to making interesting sounds. Each example I share below will help you identify voices that appeal to your sense of style.

The following is a list of the most common affectations.

Vocal Fry

Presenting Kim Kardashian: queen of vocal fry. She single-handedly young women to idolize her vocal fry. Even motivational female speakers have somehow gotten roped into this.

Impressional young women and young men

I mentioned women first because societal pressure to use vocal fry to imitate societal icons, whether in music or speech, is predominantly in young women. Perhaps this is also due do to fry’s potentially seductive, cute or winsome sound. Women use less in their older years, which I’ll explain later.

Young men might use vocal fry musically or when speaking in a lower register to sound harsh. Older men often talk in complete vocal fry as they speak in a lower pitch to command more attention and sound more authoritative. But typically, old people tend towards speaking plainly, which is a breath of fresh air, because of the honesty.

To be sure, many young women I’ve coached have subconsciously taken Kim’s vocal fry as the foundation for all their speech patterns. And…. they notice immediately as they receive more attention from ‘the boys in school. 🙄 🤦

How vocal fry is created

Vocal fry, or a “creaky voice,” is part of many people’s everyday speech patterns and part of almost any conversation. It’s primarily associated with young people, particularly young women, and speech pathologists have many theories about how this raspy voice became so popular.

In music, it’s become a famous vocal ‘trick.’ Vocal fry or creaky voice is produced from the lowest register of the human voice, below the “normal voice” that people speak with, and the distinctive sound is a result of insufficient air passing through the vocal cords

It’s important to note that vocal fry is applied to the singing voice, as well as the speaking voice, for these three purposes:

  • Developmental– reduces tension on the cords to allow range extension, as well as stronger connection from chest to mixed voice and into head voice.

  • Therapeutic– reducing tension will also reduce inflammation on a lousy voice day.

  • Stylistic– the creaky voice of fry gives you an array of emotions on every note.

The Looney Toons or Bugs Bunny character “Elmer Fudd” was the most vocal fry dominant vocal quality in any entertainment character. Check out his short clip below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZeqL0CUvjY

stylistic uses and abuses of vocal fry

Part of using vocal fry in phrasing is understanding that we already use it. Little toddlers often use their creaky voices when they wake up in the middle of the night, asking for a drink of water. Every note is vocal fry. Later we’ll discuss the intuitive wisdom of vocal fry in the morning vocal quality.

When we use vocal fry at the bottom note of a phrase, it’s like laying a foundation for the rest of the voice.

Ending a musical phrase with vocal fry is far more uncommon but can make you sound far more commercial or pop in your approach.

This sound also emphasizes certain words to reflect multiple possible emotions, including vulnerability, seduction, tiredness or sleepy, cool or relaxed voice, anger, love or romance and humor (subtle vocal fry laugh in song or conversation can be winsome).

Some of the artists who’ve used vocal fry masterfully are:

  • Shania Twain- “The Woman in Me”

  • Tim McGraw- “It’s Your Love”

  • Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) -“Pink”

  • Bono (U2)- “Running to Stand Still”

  • Brooke Fraser- “The Thief” (also listed in breathy singing)

  • Tess Manning- “Enough For You”

  • Gary Allan- “The Best I Ever Had.” This might be construed as an overuse of vocal fry since its used in nearly every sentence. Sometimes on every word of the entire sentence. But when you hear the rest of Gary’s music, it’s apparent that he uses vocal fry all the time. Or we might say vocal fry uses him. Not trying to be cute here, but think how a dominant vocal fry, breathy voice quality, nasal quality, de-nasal quality or any other approach can tend to force a singer’s hand. They deal with the tones they’ve been dealt.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Hk6qDgQjA [please embed]

Breathy Singing

Breathy singing occurs when the tone quality is more dominated by air flow and weak cord closure. As we’ll mention later, this can be injurious to singers. This airy or breathy tone is opposite to a squeezed, compressed or edgy sound. All these are balanced with a normal, clear and relaxed tone.

Breathy singing produces a very commercial voice. This is due to something I teach my singers called 10k Frequency. Be sure to catch my Instagram and YouTube Shorts explaining this more throughly.

Noticeable breathy voices include: Sarah McLachlan, Ellie Goulding, Brook Fraser (“The Thief” is a masterclass), Mariah Cary, Smoky Robinson, Brian McKnight (“Still in Love”).

Tasteful breathy singing

Breathy tones should rarely be done on every note. And, if it sounds like you’re running out of air or you sound fake, you’ll be guilty of tasteless affectation. Women can usually get away with more breathy singing, because women often talk breathy. Think Marilyn Monroe.

When breathy singing punishes the Vocal folds

The further you get away from a clear tone and the closer you get to a whisper, the more torque you’ll be dishing out to the surface of your vocal folds. Research by ENT’s (throat doctors) have seen scar tissue from the overuse of breathy singing. Meaning that you may need medical treatment to fix self-inflicted vocal problems.

Eventually, it will be hard to get cord closure and your tone will be one dimensional.

An educated and competent vocal coach can gage the balance between healthy and gutsy singing.

Edgy Singing

Many coaches and choir directors have feared this coordination. Understandably so. Over compressed cords can lead to serious vocal fatigue. But singing directly on the inner edges of the vocal folds isn’t much different from talking like a valley girl. You just need to be sure to find a healthy balance between breathy and edgy singing.

Edgy singing can be extremely exciting and produce overtones that are ear grabbing. Whenever there’s a language change or adaptation, you pick up—in most every language—speakers have a different manner of how much or how little air they use on certain words.

Speakers who have long, run on sentences must employ an edge so they can keep from a pause in their delivery, in order to get their idea across, without being interrupted. Like I just did now. 😉

Noticeable ‘edgy’ singers include: Bono (U2), Jimmy Gnecco (ours), Deborah Cox, Mariah Carey (her tonal diversity is one thing she has over most singers), Brett Manning (‘September’…oh wait, that’s me) 😎

Nasal Voice Quality

The nasal tone is produced when the soft palate drops, causing the tone to come through your nostrils. It can be heard in Broadway and musical theater performances to add personality to a character’s singing, however it can easily be overused and people tend to find it abrasive.

Nasal coordinations, in the pharyngeal voice, can help restore broken voices. Also the pharyngeal, though bright, doesn’t necessarily have to be excessively nasal.

As the listener, you get to decide between interesting and overused or affected singers.

Noticeable singers who artistically color their voices with nasality include: Celine Dion (often charming and even used in pharyngeal voice to find mix), Willie Nelson

De-nasal Voice Quality

This quality is like Rocky’s “yo Adrian” or when you hear a valley girl speak all the time like her nose is plugged. There’s a charm to this, until…. you do it on every note. Also, research warns of an overweighted voice, because the lack of nasality causes the voice to work too hard.

Young people have adopted this tone partly out of the loss of ear development to hear other resonance structure. This is almost a rebellion against the excesses of nasality. Society norms (throughout the world and in most every language) shift every decade or so.

Noticeable singers (mostly women) with de-nasal sounding voices are: Britney Spears, Tate McRae, Lennon Stella, Elvis Presley, and Jimmy Gnecco (particularly the chorus in “These are My Hands”).

Fake Accents and Dialects

We see through country singers trying to convince listeners that they’re from the Deep South. Your voice has to slowly adapt to the culture you surround yourself with.

Equally ridiculous is when so many singers attempt to sing the same way as Adele, not realizing her pronunciation is distinctly ‘new’ British.

The goal is to be convincing. Trying too hard to be distinct brings on severe affectation and ironically you’ll be a copy cat.

The Light and Dark Side of Quirky Singing

When 2000-2010 featured rock singers placing arrrrrr in every word, like a pirate, when coffee shop singers turn their ‘R’s’ into W’s, and when singers become a caricature of the singer they admire, it’s too much. Some call this bizarre approach “singing in cursive.”

The light side is that, with enough influences, throughout several decades, who won’t be accused of being a caricature of some other sing.

Does Affectation Damage Your Vocal Cords?

Yes and no — vocal fry isn’t damaging to your voice, but research shows that breathy singing could potentially lead to damage over time. Also too much habitual fry can diminish overall vocal ability.
Make sure you work with a vocal coach to ensure that you’re using the proper techniques and not potentially harming your voice long-term.

How to Know When Too Much is Too Much

These style choices, when used in moderation, can be tasteful, intuitive, and show supreme musicianship, however when they are overused they may become predictable, uninteresting and in some cases displeasing to the listener. Personally, I never understood the old adage, “You can never have too much of a good thing.”

That is simply untrue!

One can have too much ice cream, too much sunlight, too many hours watching television, or too much traveling. Likewise, a singer can have an excessive amount of stylistic tricks within the course of a song. Sometimes the listener desires a reprieve, where they can hear the human voice, simply unaffected.

However, there are always the exceptions! Some of the most successful, iconic singers consistently over-affect their voice, and it has become a part of their unmistakable tone. Some famous examples include singers such as Celine Dion, who has made a career with her unique voice, which often includes a slight knurdle, or over-squeezing of her vocal cords, and Britney Spears, who employs vocal fry in almost every song that she sings.

You may also be the exception, where you have found that a certain consistent interpretation choice actually improves your overall delivery and enhances your listener’s experience. Yet, if that is not the case, I will briefly discuss some practical ways that you can incorporate stylistic tricks, while not overloading your listeners.

Self-Awareness

First, focus inward in and identify your particular vocal style tendencies so you that gain awareness of your own voice. Start to ask yourself some hard questions…

  • Do I consistently sing with a creaky voice or a breathy tone?

  • Am I tirelessly using the same inflections in my singing patterns?

  • Am I overusing vibrato?

  • Is my voice always loud and powerful, or am I able to be soft and vulnerable?

Also, if you’re a job candidate for a music gig. An overtly breathy, quirky or creaky voice will reduce job prospects because you won’t be believable.

Listen In, Listen Back

Once you begin to explore and be honest about your voice, you’ll be more capable of confronting excessive stylistic choices and return to more organic singing. Next, try recording yourself. When you sing a song and listen to the playback, does your interpretation seem natural or forced and contrived?

Once you have identified and analyzed your specific stylistic tendencies, remain mindful of how you incorporate them into your songs.

Speak Before You Sing

Lastly, to return to believable singing, try speaking the lyrics to your song. Talk through your song, and then slowly add pitches to mirror your speaking voice to that of your singing closely. Essentially, singing is speaking on the pitch.

Thus, the singing of your song should always exist to tell a story or relay an emotion, and your style choices should be an extension of that function. However, oftentimes, we can let pride sneak in, and we will try to use vocal acrobats to show off our voices rather than singing for the song itself.

Remember–the song is the message, and you are the messenger. While your unique musicality and delivery are essential to an honest performance, your ability to be yourself and not over-stylize can serve to set you apart.

Schedule a one-on-one session with a Singing Success Vocal Coach; call or email us at:

615-866-1099

support@singingsuccess.com

Also, consider going ‘all in’ with a VIP membership or get started with our internationally acclaimed Singing Success 360 systematic training course.

Click below to book a lesson with Chanelle.

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