The Blessed Mix

The Blessed Mix

There is a fine, fine line between the chest voice and the head voice. There is a fine, fine line between the bottom and the top. And, so many singers want to find that sacred blessed spot, that sweet mixed up place…. the mix voice… the blend tones, as some refer to them.  The mix voice is achieving the energy of chest voice while maintaining the range of head voice. The goal of a mix voice is to produce a more seamless transition between chest voice and head voice while singing in the chest-head passaggio/transition area of one’s full range OR to maintain a stylistic choice for a piece.

            

             So, how do you start? Well, I have several suggestions: 

•    Find a good instructor who understands mixing, understands singer anatomy and health issues (because this is not always an easy task) and, even better, find an instructor who can produce a good mix themselves as a model for you to hear. 
•   Listen to good mixers!  If you have a sound you are going for in your voice range, listen to those singers. It’s always good to have a good model. But be reasonable, you aren’t going to sound just like Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, or Christin Chenoweth, most likely… and if you do… uh.. get an agent asap!     
•  Be careful when you are trying it out! Take it easy!  Mixing should not be a lesson in forceful power, straining or pushing the vocal mechanism. That is NOT the point of mixing. Mixing is a way to distribute the load on the vocal mechanism, not make it harder. It’s a trick of the trade, people. And, trust me; there IS a way to screw it up. You can hurt yourself if you repeatedly push too hard or create tension.  Again… refer to no. 1 on this list. This is not to say you can’t experiment with what your voice can do! That’s how we learn!

Academia.

I have a bone to pick with academia. A college education, in my mind, should prepare a student for the real world... a market.. a job. I think that many arts degrees don't fulfil that obligation. I read a statistic that over 70% of music majors don't make a living using their degree earned skills. In fact, that population is making the bulk of their daily living doing something completely unrelated.
Shouldn't it concern universities and colleges that they are offering degree programs that are putting young people in debt for education that is not utilized to even pay off the debt, let alone make a profit for the purpose of living?
What really gets my goat is that there is promise for teaching young people who decide to go into arts fields how to survive using their art...it's just NOT being done. What kills me is that there is no practical thought process being passed down along with the passion for art. What irritates me is this ancient attitude of "die for your art". (Which is totally ridiculous.)

After experiencing the typical "struggling artist" bit myself (and, no, it is not some kind of initiation), I have come to the realization that the reasons I struggled were 1) I believed that talent was all I needed and 2) my instructors didn't tell me I should believe anything else.

I'm here to tell you young people... you need something else than just talent and just ambition. You can't live on ambition and spagettios for very long. Take it from me. You need marketable skills. By this I mean, skills that will keep you working...somewhere.. anywhere.. while you try to become rich and famous. Does that mean that you have to get a business degree that you don't want? Maybe. Does that mean you should double major or take a minor? Maybe. Does that mean that you should take a medical billing course or a CNA course at the local technical school during summer... perhaps. See, those things make you a marketable worker immediately... your talent makes you an artist. You don't even really need the university degree to get the "artist" title. But, you might need a certification to teach school or do medical billing or be a nurse in order to eat.

Now, as for you, academia.... get with the program and teach kids how to make a real living using their talent. Teach them about unions and church jobs and contracts. Teach them about buying their own benefits and making/producing their own music to sell for commercial use. Teach them about working in combos and booking small gigs. Teach them how to produce marketing materials and use social networking to promote themselves cheaply or free. Teach them how to make money so they can finance their own art instead of starve for it.

Thank you and goodnight.

A Note About Pitch...

Have you ever been heard an album, thought the singer was good, and then, upon seeing them live, thought...what happened??

In a time of extreme technology, there are many reasons why a singer may sound completely different from record to stage. And, singers...BEWARE!

As I have said before, talent comes first. There should be no scrimping on how hard one works to be good at their craft. And, pitch is certainly at the top of thelist of musical basics.

If pitch is a sore point for you in an acoustic setting, then it is definitely going to be a hurdle all the way around. So, make it a top priority in your lesson and practice. For those of you who have pitch issues, the key is not necessarily repetitive singing..nope... actually, the secret is repetitive listening. Pitch is not determined by the vocal chords. Pitch is determined by the brain first! Think about it now... what organ is the master of all others? Yep...the BRAIN!! And, it has quite a list of things to do when a performer is performing a song. Pitch is just one of the hundred or so tasks the brain has to complete in a nano-second. So, if you are having trouble with pitch, slow down. Listen. Really listen. Let your mind hear it. Your brain has to have time to process, duplicate and THEN send the message down to your vocal chords. Now, try to actually produce sound. It's a more meticulous process, but for those with pitch issues, it will help!

Once things are moving smoothly acoustically, usually the studio will follow suit pretty well. But, equipment and isolation from instrumentation can throw a singer off. Singer beware, again! You could fall victim to your own equipment! Now, there are some studio situations where you will record in full formation with yourself and band in the same room. However, traditional recording technique calls for tracks to be laid separately. This requires that the singer, at a separate time from his/her band, go into an isolation booth and record the vocals..most likely with headphones on. It feels like singing in your living room with....well... with headphones on! You don't feel the music in the room, it's not the all in encompassing, engulfing band sound you are used to practicing with. You are expected to have the same energy and volume that you would on stage, except, you are standing in a closet with a window with headphones on in front of this big butt mic that you can't touch!! It's weird and nothing sounds or feels the same. It's a little hard to get loose. All of these factors can add up to some pitch issues. In turn, it can lead to some auto-tune being used by your engineer! The tip, listen to your producer and engineer. If you feel your energy or pitch is waning, think a high, smile a little... it helps keep the pitch up. Try to get familiar with the space and relax in it. Use imagery to put yourself on stage or in your rehearsal space where you are comfortable, so that you can provide a vocal performance that has the energy and volume equivalent to your norm. And, have fun!

So, you make it to stage and maybe that's where your pitch issues seems to start. There's a lot going on up there in regard to equipment if you have a band. If you are fine acoustically and even in the studio, but something seems to go array on the stage. My first hunch is going to point to equipment, equipment placement, and ability to listen. Whether you perform with wedge monitors, in ear monitors, or just the house monitors, a singer has got to be able to hear what they are doing to monitor how it is being delivered. Honestly, it is a personal preference concerning what kind of band monitors are used. Of course, not many people recommend working off of the house monitors unless you are in a room the size of your garage. Balancing your output on that equipment is important..not only for what your audience to hear, but for what you hear. If you have a wedge monitor, Mr. Singer, make sure that you can hear in it what will be important for you to hear... that means, YOU! No one else can fix your tone, pitch, vibrato..or whatever, but you. So, if you have your sound guy turn up the lead guitar in your monitor so far that you can't hear yourself, you are sunk for fixing your flaws during the show...all you're gonna hear if Lead Guitar Guy to your left. You know that Lead Guitar Guy will have himself turned up the loudest in his own monitor because he wants to make sure his licks sound really awesome. Some singers don't like hearing themselves sing...well, get over it! It's not about you at this point.... it's about your audience! So, turn yourself up in your monitor and monitor yourself!! Listen and fix any pitch issues you hear along the way!

Just a note about pitch!
Keep on singing!

For the New Singer

I was browsing the LinkedIn networking site the other day. I am a member and it's a great place to meet other professionals. Members on this site are given the space to create specific groups according to their special interests or professional sub-divisions. I am also a member of several of these groups. In one of these group newsletters I came across a question from a beginning artist in the industry. She wanted to know the basics. How does a singer begin in the industry? What are the first things to do?
I'm going to share with you what I suggested to her, in short.

First, make sure that your talent (or product, as I call it) is solid. Know what it is you want to present to the audience. To be quite honest, this is the most difficult part. But, don't let it be your stumbling stone. The great thing about art is that it can change as you grow. The important thing is to have some sort of vision for continuity before you go bouncing out into the industry. If you don't have a vision for what your product is, neither will anyone else. Customers want you to tell them what they are buying...even in an artists' world. Also, in reference to your talent, make sure that it is the highest quality that you can achieve...in other words, give it your all in education and work... no half ass attempts at singing, acting, or dancing should be accepted by you or anyone! Acceptance of below par talent is what makes the quality of every show you see go down (yet the price go up!) So, take some lessons, don't be the ears and eyes that judge you, and never settle for less---even on a bad day. That is what makes a good performer.

Second, I suggest that any singer who wants to break into mainstream pop, hiphop, country, or folk/indie type of music needs to write, write, and write... write anything. Attempt to write. Learn some basic chords and just start. Write something every week, everyday even. If you think you just are of minimal talent in that department or would work better in a team situation, then find partners who are good at it. And write more. Just make sure that your name is on the copyright papers when you are working in a team! You need those credits.

Third, perform live. Performing live is the way to make the money, people. Albums will not make you money in the future. In fact, they are not really making money now. What makes people money is live performance and other products...like T-shirts...and where do you buy T-shirts? At the concert. So, one of your biggest assets will be to be a great show. And, in order to be a great show, you need to practice! A note about those originals you just wrote... you don't need an entire set of those. Especially if you are performing in a medium to large size venue where people what to party... you need some covers to keep them happy. It's okay to slip in a couple of originals to let them know you are you're own man/woman, though. If you want to spend a night performing originals only...go perform at a writer's circle performance. That's a great way to get all your own songs heard and even get some advice on song writing. I digress....
Anyway... point is... perform, perform!

Start with that... and if you feel you need a recording to put on myspace or what have you... then buy a $200 mp3 recorder or a decent USB microphone to use with a digital software package... they will work great for making a quick recording at home. You might even be able to get a live recording from a venue! It will be all you need to start. No need to spend hundreds of dollars before you've had time to really polish up.

Best!

What's in the Brand??

When I first started out as a "professional" artist right out of school, the last thing on my mind was the "complete package". I wasn't thinking about my brand. I was only thinking about my art. I just wanted to sing! To be honest, even now, I only claim most of the blame. I was never told to care about anything else, really.....except maybe being well groomed at auditions.

WeLL I'm TeLLiNG YoU NoW! Your Brand is Important...maybe even more important than your talent! Got it? Good!

How can I start improving my Brand Now?

1. Be good at what you do. A good musician is definately very important..but don't stop there.
2. Look the part... all the time. If you are going for the rock star persona, you need to be the rock star every time you are in public. If you are Mic Jagger, you have to be Mic Jagger all the time in public. Now, if you are having a BBQ at your house with your closest friends and you want to wear your glasses and sweats, fine... but when you are rockin' the club, you had better be dressed to impress...doesn't matter that you weren't playing that night. You never know who you might meet. And, they won't believe you if you are wearing your Clark Kent glasses, if you get my drift.... We'll talk more about fashion in another post.
3. Have a business card and carry it with you all the time. I know you are a band/ soloist, but it will make you appear more professional and organized. You can get them printed cheaply... check out VistaPrint.com. Which leads me to no.4
4. Come up with a logo.. a graphic. Put an ad on craigslist and offer $50, get an artist friend, or do it yourself, and come up with a logo for your band or yourself if you're solo. It will go on T's, your business card, letter head, website... whatever! Make the design as good as you can afford. This will be your mark. You want people to see that image and know who it pretains to. Examples: Kiss, Rolling Stones, Prince... when I say those names... you can immediately think of their logos. That is what you want to replicate for yourselves.
5. Blog. Blog. Blog. You want to have your name and sound in as many places as you can get it on the net. You want to be active on your site so that it will be the first one to pop up in Goggle searches. So, blog, blog, blog!
6. Be consistent in the way you treat your fans. If you have a gig at a coffee shop and you spend 45 minutes talking to people after the show, then make sure you do that when you open Tracy Byrd at the Fox Theater downtown. Be consistent. Your return fans will not return if you snub them. Now, if it's your style to never spend time with fans...then be consistent with that....though I don't suggest that avenue. Meet and Greet is important. The important part is that you learn to be very consistent with your fans. It's part of the job. And, it is a job people.


If you can add these things to what you are doing already, you will see improvement.
These tips are a place to begin on the branding road.
The bottom line, we're in the Music BUSINESS. It's the pesky the business part that will get us if we don't pay attention. And, for so long, so many of us have just been concentrating on the Music part... which is fine and dandy until we need to make a living.
Buckle down and add a few of the business bits and you'll begin to pick up speed!

RoadWise Artist Development

I've begun a brand managment division of Meredith Studios, my educational studio.

It's called RoadWise Artist Development.


Mission:


RoadWise Artist Development is designed to helped semi-pro to professional level artists develop individual talents as entertaining entities. Through the application of practical experience, group education, and individual tutelage, the goal is to equip each participant for a career on the stage. With the collaboration of the RoadWise professionals, bands and artists will have access to educational services, talent services, marketing services, and production services that will help educate them about and propel them to their next level of success in the music business.



Anyway... I've been working on the logo..what do you think of this one?

An Artist's To Do

I found this check list on Craigslist Nashville...of all places. But I thought it was interesting stuff. It's a place to start... so for anyone starting... here's the checklist.
MM


An Artist's "TO-DO' List; Tips for Aspiring Artist/ Writers (Nashville)

An Artist's 'To-Do' List
By Van Preston; 6/27/08
www.myspace.com/vanpreston
1. Write (Or Get) The very best material possible. Songwriting Competitions, Writer Nights, etc are great ways to find great material without getting the publisher rejections you will inevitably hear when looking for great material as a "nobody". Publishers and Top writers will NOT give you their good material to cut, because then the Faith Hill's and Carrie Underwoods' will not be the FIRST and ONLY one to cut the song.
2. If you write your own material, go to song camps, critiques, observe audience reaction to your songs live, Co-write with the BEST possible writers. Be Picky about who you write with, don't write with everyone, only writers who you feel bring something to the table.
3. When you are ready with material, shop around for a producer; shop around for a studio possibly willing to give you spec time, barter w/ a studio for studio time, etc. You do NOT have to pay BIG BUCKS to get a GREAT producer. There are many sharks out there. Also, if you do not have the funds for a full budget full band cd, do the very very best recordings of your music acoustically that you can do. If it takes visiting a few studios and hiring a guitarist and background vocalist/ etc, do it. You want something BEAUTIFUL to give to industry as your music calling card.
4. Where you will need to spend big bucks is on the musicians (hire the best possible), the studio and engineer, and taking all the time you need in the studio. Make sure your producer is committed to getting the BEST product possible. What is the producer's reputation in town? What are some of his current productions sounding like? Is he/ she able to think outside the box? Just because he produced hits 20 or 25 years ago with the top artists in the 80's or "discovered" a legend from the 60's, 70's, 80's or whenever doesn't mean he's hip and clued in to what people want now.
5. YOU want hip, fresh, new...and REAL!!!! Do not cut your songs just to be cutting your songs. Only cut your songs if they are as good as or better than the other songs you are given the opportunity to record.
6. Play out as often as is possible, but try and be as prepared as possible. If you need to bring along a guitarist as accompaniment, do so. Try to always put your best foot forward. The same goes with a band. Do not play out if they are not sounding GREAT.
7. Be willing to put your money where your mouth is. If you think you are "IT" and truly have the music the world needs to hear, be prepared to spend some money to get there. IT takes money to make money, as the saying goes…and every year labels spend MILLIONS of dollars they often LOSE. If you're not willing to invest in your music, why should they? Be creative and figure out a way to MAKE money the easiest way possible that will allow you the MOST FLEXIBILITY for your music. If you need to live with your parents, nanny or caretake in exchange for free rent, or buy a 4 bedroom house and rent out the extra 3 bedrooms to keep your living expenses as close to zero as possible, DO IT. Be prepared to never see that money again. Very few do, and for those few that recover their initial investment it takes years and years and years to do so. You MUST believe in yourself this much if you expect to make it.
8. Make sure you have the PACKAGE. For the most part, this is no longer a business strictly all about the music. Everything matters…image, weight, SOUND/ voice, etc. Look like you are a star and it will happen that much sooner. Your materials must also be professional. A website or well done, well maintained myspace site. A well done one sheet and press kit. Obviously, the very best music product you can afford.
9. Educate yourself as much as is possible. Read every magazine, every publication, every website, every newspaper article, every good book someone suggests, every music related book you can. I personally recommend Anastasia Brown's book "Make Me A Star" that just came out. I have books on writing, touring, contracts, making it in the business, etc etc etc. Billboard, Amrican Songwriter, Performing Songwriter, and so many other publications are great ways to keep abreast of today's happenings in music. Go to the library and order new books there, it'll take a few weeks for them to come in. Go once a month and read the expensive publications, or go to Borders once a month and read them while enjoying a cup of coffee in their café.
10. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. The internet has opened a whole new world for musicians. It levels the playing field a bit, as one doesn't need to be on a major label to receive worldwide attention anymore and build a fan base. Be on and have your music on every site possible. For your music, there's myspace, cd baby, itunes, msn music, amazon, yahoo music, SONICBIDS, etc etc. For networking, there is facebook, friendster, and a host of other sites. SONICBIDS and MYSPACE have been the single biggest contributors to my music yet. BLOG everwhere you possibly can. You will start to show up on google. You want to have pages and pages and pages and pages about you and your music on google. This impresses industry as well as radio, fans, etc.
11. Attend as many music conferences as you possibly can. These add up in cost very, very quickly. Options include: winning scholarships off sonicbids, volunteering in exchange for free admission, attending the free ones first (Taxi, etc). You will meet many higher ups in the industry, as well as meet the movers and shakers that are artists and writers making things happen NOW.
12. Observe what your competitors are doing. Don't necessarily copy them, maybe they aren't doing the RIGHT things. But use your intuition, and research as often as possible market trends, etc. Watching to see what works and doesn't work for others is an invaluable tool, though.
13. Apply to as many competitions, contests, etc as possible. If others tell you and you believe you are the next Kris Kristofferson, then submit to every songwriting contest you can find. These cost money, too; so only submit your very best one or two songs to each. But enter every contest..Colgate Country Showdown, Reality Music TV shows (unless you are a unique singer-songwriter, in which case these aren't as good an idea) , every possible contest you can. If and when you start winning, you are building a resume that will blow the socks off industry when they start examining who you are and what you've done.
14. Self-release your music to radio. Do not wait around for a label to start getting your music to the world. Many artists who do get signed to labels never get released to radio, and those who do get released often get mismanaged and have some of their weakest non-hit material songs released, then get dropped when the songs fail to chart highly enough. Remember that most of the industry is run by people with business educations, not people from a musical background. Some of them are clueless to authentically great music. If you want to make a name for yourself, DO IT. As the line says in the 80's movie, "Build it and they will come." Release your VERY best material to radio, and hire a radio promoter or two. Labels usually have a team of 4 to 6 radio promoters calling radio Djs and Program directors. Also, remember It is VERY difficult, sometimes impossible, no matter HOW GREAT your song is, to get airplay on certain stations (i.e. Clearchannel, etc). If the Beatles were to come out today, they could no get airplay on Clearchannel stations unless they were on a known label. It's just the way it is. That does not mean you can't make a dent at radio. European and Australian radio will only play GREAT music that they like. Even if you are the Number one charting artist in the US, if you send out a single to radio outside the US, if it's not good it may not get airplay. Whereas, great music from an unknown artist WILL get airplay. Keep in mind, it never happens overnight. You will have to introduce yourself to radio, then familiarize them with you, then make them like you, then make them love you..before anything big can happen. It cannot happen overnight. Imagine you are Coca-Cola and you are building a brand. You will have to give away a lot of coca-cola and make a lot of people fall in love with it and think they need to have it every day BEFORE you will start to see success monetarily. Get lists of radio stations, mail your single and press kit to them, follow up with regular phone calls, MAKE SURE THEY LISTEN TO YOUR SONG. If they listen and politely decline, let it go. Do not pester them. Wait until the next single and maybe that Radio Programmer will like that single better. You want these people to respect but more importantly LIKE you. If they are willing to give feedback on the song, humbly take it and learn from it. On the flip side, though, everyone has an opinion and just because it might not be to their liking doesn't necessarily mean the rest of the world will also dislike it. Ask the Djs to recommend who THEY like as radio promoters. Who has won their trust, who do they ENJOY speaking with when they receive the regular radio promo calls? This will be your best bet.
15. Be open to looking for help, but don't jump or sign too soon. There are many, many, many sharks out there. You should not need to pay for a manager, a booking agent, a label deal. Ask around about anyone who is interested in working with / for you. Don't be pressured to sign too soon. And, most importantly, do NOT sign just for the sake of signing. I am still unmanaged because no manager with the right skill set, motivation, experience, love for my music, and gumption has approached me yet. I WAS signed with a a manager who is in the business of collecting as many artists as he can, then doing as little as he can for any of them. He's playing the numbers, eventually someone will "make it" without his help. Anyway, there are many cons out there, and be very wary of whomever you sign with.
16. If you are considered by others to be a great writer, try to get appointments to meet with publishing companies. Realize that very few have the money to sign an unknown writer, no matter how great your material. If they sniff a record deal looming, however, your chances of getting a pub deal can increase dramatically, no matter how good or bad a writer you are. If they feel they can get you a record deal, they are more likely to sign you to a publishing deal. And, you can have some really great material, but the person you meet with still may not "get it." Don't worry, just keep doing your thing. Pat Alger, who wrote or co-wrote many of Grath Brooks' hits, couldn't GIVE his songs away to a publisher. Then, Garth hit and of course every publisher in town wanted him. Just because a publisher turns you down doesn't mean you aren't a great writer or even the next BIG HIT writer. It just means they don't get it, or maybe they've heard too many writers that day and aren't really listening. Write with the very best co-writers you can, and eventually one of you will get a hit. When that happens, doors will start swinging open.
17. ASCAP vs. BMI vs. SESAC
18. Get a GREAT music attorney. Meet with several. Get recommendations from other artist friends. Find someone who loves what you do.
19. TOUR, try to open for someone on their touring act, find a booking agency, employ your family and friends to find shows, etc etc. Play out as many places as is possible, building a fan base as you go.
20. Hire a publicist when funds allow, and do –it-yourself until you have the funds. Publicity is ESSENTIAL.
21. CREATE a database of all your new fans. Have sign up sheets asking for email addresses when you gig out. Send regular newsletters, stay in touch. Maintain a positive attitude, be gracious and appreciative wherever you go, work as hard as you can, be as professional as is possible, enjoy the journey, write great music, sing great songs, love everyone, and let serendipity take place.