Singer

In an earlier blog about vocal damage, we talked about how you can prevent damaging your voice by using the right vocal technique. But, besides using the wrong technique, vocal damage can also be caused by external factors. In this blog edition, we look at what those factors might be and how you can avoid vocal issues. In short, this blog is all about how to keep your voice healthy.

The vocalist of any band always has the most vulnerable position. Not just because they’re usually standing up front, but because the voice is such a delicate instrument. The voice has no volume knob that can be turned all the way up and, as a band, that’s something you need to take into account. Support your singer and you’ll be a better band because of it.

A little bit of primal screaming or grunting can really work in some songs, but what does it take to find your primal voice? How deep do you need to go to discover it? What can it sound like and, essentially, how can you pull it off without damaging your voice?

Extreme vocals seek out the limits of your voice. Whistle tone refers to singing in the highest registers that the human voice can achieve while overtone singing is something completely different – it’s also a little bit easier to learn. Then there’s diplophonic singing which is something different again. Here, we take a look into the more mysterious side of vocal techniques.

Are backing vocalists simply failed lead singers? That’s a hard no for Marjolein Spijkers, who’s one of the most requested backing singers in the Netherlands. For thirteen seasons, she sang on the popular Dutch TV show ‘Ik Hou Van Holland’, and she was one of the original Frogettes (backing vocalists for big-name Dutch singer, René Froger). She has also performed at big venues, including the Amsterdam Arena, and knows exactly what is asked of a professional backing vocalist. Comparing the job to being part of the brass section,, Marjolein believes that “backing vocals are an integral part of any live show.”

In our series on vocal technique, we’ve looked at singing with and without compression quite a few times, but we haven’t touched on one part of it yet: the transition from singing with compression to singing without compression and the voice break that comes with it. Read on and learn how to deal with it.

Pain, hoarseness, losing your voice or even developing a lump or polyp on your vocal cords: these are all some of the greatest fears of any singer. So, how can you best protect your voice and prevent damaging your vocal cords? And if you are having vocal issues, how can you get rid of them? Rather than fearing that you’ll never be able to sing again, the first thing to do is trust the healing ability of your own body and take the time to relax every moment you get!

In this part of the series on vocal technique, we’ll be looking at effects like growling, grunting, vocal fry, distortion, screaming and more, which serve as the seasoning for your vocals. With the right technique and some professional help, you can pull off these effects without the risk of straining your vocal cords.

This part of the series on vocal technique zooms in on vowels, or more specifically, the pronunciation of vowels. Keep bumping into the same issues, especially when you sing high notes? Then working on your vowels might just be the solution.

In this edition of our blog series on singing technique, we look at singing with vibrato. Pop singers tend to use vibrato much less than classical singers, but by using a little vibrato, you can add some real flavour to your vocals – just as long as you do it the right way and at the right moment.

If you want to hit those high notes with enough volume and do it without damaging your vocal cords, then there’s only one way to do it: belt and twang. While belting gives you the necessary volume, twanging stabilises everything – and is also a helpful technique at a lower volume and pitch.

In our series on vocal technique, the term compression has already popped up quite a few times. In this fourth instalment, we’re going to take a closer look at compression so you can learn to sing with and without it and enhance your sound.