Theory & Playing Technique

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.

Whether they’re paid pros or passionate dabblers, every musician wants to make the most of their skill and talent, which involves getting rid of limitations and problems. Makes sense, but there’s no point in any of it if you’re not doing it correctly, so let’s look at what it takes to be a good musician.

While they have a rich history that dates back more than a century, big bands and jazz orchestras are still booming to this very day. What’s it like to play in a big band and what does it take? Read on and find out!

Want to write catchier songs? Then you’ll need to come up with a hook: a catchy, recurring part that makes your song instantly recognisable.

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.

Guitars and keys are a great combo but can also be a real challenge when it comes to making them work together in a band. Read on and learn how you can make the guitarist and keyboardist in your band best friends — musically that is.

While the composer shapes the contours of the central melody and chords, it’s the arranger who, using countless tricks, colours everything in. What kind of technical colours does the arranger have in their tool box and what can you do to make even the most beautiful song even more beautiful?

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!

While the human body is ideal for making music, it hasn’t much evolved for sitting down. Drummers and pianists will no doubt be painfully aware of just how difficult it is to make music while you’re sitting. Thankfully, proper posture can help you play better and for longer. In this article, we’ll focus on just that, using drummers and pianists to set the example and talk about tailbones and hollow backs. And yes, chances are you’re going to have to learn to sit all over again.

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.