VocalQuarters
… with renowned voice coach Diana Yampolsky
As a world-renowned vocal coach, voice repair specialist, and author, there are few things Diana Yampolsky doesn’t know about the human voice and how to get it to perform at its peak.
She has helped a myriad of stars achieve their vocal potential, including Our Lady Peace singer Raine Maida (US Top 10, Canada No.1), Canadian Idol winner Brian Melo (Canada Gold) and singer-songwriter Anjulie (US Dance No.1), and she can help you too whatever your ability! According to Ms. Yampolsky, while 25% of a singer’s performance is grounded in talent, 75% relies on coaching.
Her approach can boost stage confidence by improving the voice's range, pitch and power. With her own trademarked Vocal Science programme, she even guarantees that she can turn a beginner into a professional in a matter of hours.
We are therefore excited that the Toronto-based specialist has agreed to herald our new VocalQuarters section with a regular column that will address the ways in which you can improve both your voice and vocals. Not only that but she will also be on hand to answer any questions you might have.
With Diana’s expert guidance it won’t be long before you are wowing your audience with your vocal prowess!
As an introduction to Ms Yampolsky and her unique vocal coaching and repair techniques, we raise the curtain on the new series by first presenting an interview with Diana herself …
“Whatever type of music you sing, you should do it by design rather than by keeping your fingers crossed”
Is vocal coaching just something for those who want to perfect their voice or is it beneficial for all types of singer?
This is not about the perfection of the voice. It's about developing the proper singing voice and knowing how to use it. It's about working smart, not hard and it's about how to reach the maximum result with the minimum effort. Needless to say, everybody would benefit from this approach.
Many people may associate voice coaching with classical, opera, or stage singers where a great voice is mandatory, but what are its benefits to, say, pop and rock vocalists?
Whatever type of music you sing, you should do it by design rather than by keeping your fingers crossed – hoping you don’t crack or kill your voice during a performance. Don't play it by ear. Do it within the structure. We wouldn’t launch a space shuttle before first deciding where it's going to go.
Unfortunately with pop singing it seems looks are more important than singing. Any ‘exotic dancers’ will do. My dream would be to teach those exotic dancers how to really sing and thus revolutionise the music industry. Imagine Britney Spears actually singing?
With regards to the rock singers, that's a whole different ball game. If they don't know what they're doing, they will eventually opt for voice repair. It's like ballet or figure skating - you cannot fake it. You either jump your axels or you break your neck. And therefore, I love this genre the most because it's the most honest and authentic field.
How did you come to pursue a career devoted to the voice?
I started my music career at the age of 6 in Russia, in Leningrad – today’s St. Petersburg. For eight years I was vigorously trained in singing and piano at one of the top music schools. From the very start, I didn't agree with anything I was taught with regards to my voice. It did not make any sense to me. My throat would hurt and I took no pleasure in singing.
In 1972 I was accepted into the music teachers' college where my specialty was singing and piano, with the addition of accordion. While there my revolutionary nature was exposed in a full bloom, especially when concerning voice technique. I got kicked out of the choir and was threatened expulsion from the college. I did graduate however, and then became a public school music teacher at age 19.
By fluke I discovered my newly found voice when I was teaching school children to sing. My voice felt lifted and full and my throat free, relaxed and released. My projection was strong and directed and I felt that I had some good support from my whole physical body as well as in my facial cavities.
When I stopped demonstrating a song to the children, they applauded and asked, "Diana, how come you have a different voice today?" I asked, "How different?" They said it was "loud, clear and nice." Analysing it later on I realised I was doing the exact opposite of everything I had been taught. From that point on, I was trying to recapture everything that I experienced the first time and once I accomplished that, I held on to it forever.
At that time, I was already convinced that I was onto something new and revolutionary, but didn't have a definition to it yet. However, every time I used it during my group lessons at the school and private lessons elsewhere, people were raving about my voice and their voices and admitting that they never experienced anything like that before.
In 1979 I left Russia for good and ended up in Canada. My first job was as a singing and piano teacher. By that time I was a single mother and had to support myself and my child through music, which wasn't easy. Also, with my newly discovered voice, I felt an urge to sing so I joined both an international choir and a Russian choir. In both choirs, I was offered the position of a soloist immediately, not only because I have an absolute pitch, but I also can sight-read and don't need any rehearsals.
Then I got interested in pop and rock singing. At the time I had no idea of any of it, as in Russia I was trained classically and the only rock we knew about would be the Beatles.
As an accomplished vocalist, why did you eventually opt to be a teacher over becoming a singer yourself?
I tried singing myself - pop and rock - with my newly found technique and it worked like magic. At that time I had a lot of offers to join pop and rock bands, but again, I needed to work and I needed to be stable to provide for my daughter. Moreover, I felt somewhat insecure about my accent and an ongoing battle with my weight.
I also asked myself if I would enjoy more performing myself or teaching others how to do it properly. The answer was, I'm a teacher and a creator by trade and by desire. I did not become a teacher because I didn't make it as a singer. I became a teacher, as well as mentor, consultant and producer, by choice.
What rewards does teaching have over singing?
It gives me pleasure to look at the ‘block’ and figure out how to chisel it and mould it in a nice figurine – in other words, create a properly groomed and developed artist.
Can you explain what a singer can gain from becoming one of your clients?
I don't take a person who is already singing and just polish up one or two notes and then connect them up to the industry and pass them off as my own treasures like a lot of vocal coaches do, at least here in Canada. I mould them from top to bottom and then pass them on to the industry.
My specialty is to discover and uncover the ‘singer’ from the ‘ruins’. Some people come to me with just dreams and not much prerequisite. With God's help and my 35 years experience, I create that prerequisite. The extent of which will depend on that very prerequisite, i.e. given talent. The more talent the person possesses, the more my technique and the whole project will shine.
I own my technique from top to bottom and I do care to deliver it. Therefore, if you look at the list of clients I’ve produced, you will see that the majority of them are signed with major record labels and prospering.
When they started with me most were considered, in my books, pre-beginners and maybe only one or two per cent were beginners. I do possess all of their videos, before and after my instruction. Even I'm embarrassed to watch some of the ‘before’ videos.
Needless to say, if somebody would come to me already with talent and some knowledge of singing, my product would shine that much more and that much faster.
What actual aspects does your teaching involve?
The mechanism of a proper technique involves; support from the lower and upper diaphragms, structure of the sound, placement of the sound in the set of the certain facial muscles and as a result, aimed projection and delivery of the sound.
I literally instil that mechanism into the person by the set of body and face exercises, while establishing a certain picture in someone's head, then connecting that picture to the physical body and thus assuring an aimed delivery.
To do so, I need to make sure that I’ve ‘deleted’ all the viruses from that human computer before installing my "Vocal Science™" software and teaching the person which button to press for that desirable outcome or printout first with my help and then by him or herself.
Who are your typical clients?
Beginners, wannabes, dreamers and serious go-getters. The latter is my preferred clientele. Those people have balls, realistic expectations, determination, goals and aims. I possess all of those qualities myself and between two of us, the equation is a definite winner.
I also have ‘professional singers’ who come to me to learn how to sing after the fact. They’ve already supposedly made it, but now the reality’s setting in. They're losing their voices, and cannot reach the same notes they were once able to and they're getting negative comments from the audience. Some of them are saying they need to show some growth.
How long do you take working with a singer and what factors influence this?
All of my courses are pre-set within 10 hours. It could be given within 2 - 5 days or within 2 - 5 weeks. The majority of them are super accelerated vocal immersion courses and of course, the result depends on the IQ of the individual, on their overall intelligence, their mental, physical and motor skills and ultimately, their actual voice. By utilising all of the above components I will discover and mould it in whatever it was designed to be. The good ears and natural pitch definitely will not hurt either.
Usually I’m assessing the person as the whole and generally speaking, my method is not for the people with below average IQ or for the faint of the heart for that matter.
You also specialise in non-surgical voice repair – can you explain what this entails?
In 99% of the cases, I'm able to lift the voice off of the vocal cords and release the vocal box from the pressure of the sound. The voice then gets structured and placed in the set of the facial cavities, which then in turn will begin to work in full conjunction and coordination with the abdominal muscles, thus minimising and practically eliminating the use of the throat, larynx and the vocal cords. While the vocal box is released, I apply the set of natural herbs and remedies to heal it. This is in a nutshell, a concept of non-surgical voice repair.
The voice repair course consists of a minimum of 20 hours of treatment and instruction. We call it our voice repair bootcamp.
If a singer is looking for a good vocal teacher (and not based in the Toronto area), how would you recommend they go about finding one?
My recommendation would be not to communicate just via e-mail. The phones are still in existence and nothing will substitute human communication. I too, before accepting any client, even if he's coming from South Africa, will talk to him on the phone, as I would like to hear the voice first. From their intonation, inflection, tonality, clarity and etc., I can make an assessment of their professional needs.
What have been your most satisfying achievements so far in your career working with singers?
Those absolute beginners who literally could not "walk and chew the gum at the same time" before they attended my course, and then became prosperous artists. Some of them have sold over 15 million CDs and become very well known and established artists.
I do like to find a new, fresh, hot talent and develop it into a full-rounded and successful artist. I also like to work with people who have already had established careers but have aged and have used up and beat up voices, but still do not want to leave the stage and active performance. I like to help them to find their second wind and make them sound even better than they ever sounded before.
Besides writing a regular column for HitQuarters, Diana Yampolsky will be available for a special Q&A session to answer any specialist questions you might have about vocal performance, technique, care etc. Please send any questions to Diana here
