VocalQuarters
… with renowned voice coach Diana Yampolsky
Safer sex education has helped save the lives of millions of people, and now our Toronto-based vocal expert hopes to do for vocals what the safe sex revolution did for lovemaking.
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.
Having 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), singer-songwriter Anjulie (US Dance No.1), and recent Interscope signee Cindy Gomez, she is on hand to 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.
by Diana Yampolsky
“Voice problems can actually be a positive occurrence for many aspiring singers.”
If you spend any time reading music industry publications or following music-related media you might have picked up on a recent trend for high profile performers to experience ‘difficulties’ with their voices. Examples include Julie Andrews, Chico Moreno of the Deftones, Robert Plant, Elton John, Steven Tyler and many others. Without meaning to sound insensitive, in a way this is a blessing in disguise. “How so?” you may ask.
By experiencing voice difficulties they have been given a wakeup call that, if heeded, will ultimately make them better singers and their music that much more pleasurable to listen to.
Recently, a new client approached me because both his singing and speaking voice were damaged. The individual told me that they had known about me for many years and had read many of my articles in various publications. However, like the majority of singers, they did not see the need to consult a vocal specialist until they started experiencing problems with their voice.
In my eyes this is akin to somebody realising they should have taken some skydiving lessons after they have jumped out of the plane!
This fellow had damaged his voice by singing for years with incorrect vocal technique and it was only when his voice had almost given up completely that he decided to seek the help of a vocal consultant. Nonetheless he will now at least learn how to sing without damaging his vocal anatomy and, as a side effect, will also sound exponentially better.
As strange as it may sound, I have found these types of vocal problems are the norm rather than the exception. What’s more it is not even consigned to the amateur level.
The majority of professional singers I hear on the radio, and even more so live, leave me distinctly unimpressed. Many sing as well as I can fly an airplane and I am no pilot I can assure you.
At the risk of sounding quite cold, voice problems can actually be a positive occurrence for many aspiring singers. The benefits are two-fold. Firstly, they will learn to sing in a way that will not damage their voice. Secondly, they will no longer be insulting their listeners with off-key singing, strained deliveries, and the many different varieties of ‘meowing’, ‘howling’ and ‘whining’! If that is not a blessing, then what is?
A safe voice revolution is my take on the safe sex revolution. When people realised that unprotected sex could harm their health and even kill, they started to engage in safe sex. Most people were also motivated to change their sexual habits because they did not want to catch a sexually transmitted disease and pass it on to someone they care about.
Unfortunately few performers apply the same rule of thought to singing. As mentioned before, they strain their voice until nodes appear and often hurt the ears of the people they should care about the most – the audience. Just as it is insane to have unprotected sex in this day and age, so too is it to not consult a vocal consultant.
Vocal consultant’s services should not be considered expensive at any cost as a safe voice for the performer and increased pleasure for the audience is of utmost importance. We all know the best medicine is preventative medicine and therefore taking care of your health before illness occurs is a must. In many ways, instruction in the basic technical aspects of singing should be a central part of a singer’s life, as well as a healthy diet and physical exercise.
Regrettably, the majority of people do not even recognise that there is a technical aspect pertaining to singing. In art forms such as ballet and figure skating the performers are judged first of all on technical ability and then on artistic merit. With singing most people only talk about the artistic aspects.
I believe that vocal technique needs to be recognised and emphasised as it is in other art forms. In the movie ‘Billy Elliot’ the main character is an aspiring ballet dancer who auditions for a prestigious ballet school. The judges recognise his talent, and are unconcerned about his lack of technique because it is their job to supplement talent with the correct technical training. This is how I believe it should be with regard to singing as well.
To give you an example, several weeks ago I was watching an awards show when I saw one of the best selling singers in the world struggle through a performance with a voice that was clearly “experiencing difficulties”. I promptly contacted her management to let them know that as a vocal repair specialist I could help her.
According to her representative the reason for her poor performance was anxiety over a dress that she supposedly did not receive until a few minutes before she was scheduled to go on stage! This was a very irresponsible reply, in my own personal opinion.
When a performer loses their voice the manager can simply get a new client but the singer has lost everything. I could have helped protect her voice for a fraction of the cost of the very dress that was supposedly causing her to sing out of key and crack on every low and high note.
Again this type of response is the norm rather than the exception. I suspect that one reason vocal technique is not really recognised by people in the music business is because there is no one true established technique accepted by everyone.
However, I am encouraged that a safe voice revolution truly has begun. The increasing acceptance of the importance of my profession attests to it.
One of the greatest truisms is that sometimes the bad things that happen to you are actually just what you need. I would like to note that even though I can make a decent living repairing damaged voices and believe that helping the sick is the most honourable thing a person can do, my preference is to work with healthy voices.
I would compare myself to a builder who prefers to build a castle with good marble instead of cracked and chipped bricks. Too often I have to work with the latter but I find solace in the fact that a safe voice revolution is starting to pick up steam. So until next time, practice safe - and correct - singing.
Besides writing a regular column for HitQuarters, Diana Yampolsky is 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
Read On ...
* How to achieve the perfect balance between the technical and creative aspects of singing
* How NOT to Become a Singer
… and work harder at doing it
* Vocal Parts – Vocal Assembly
… and how that contributes to total vocal performance
* Vocal Science - Flight to the Universe
* Vocal Insurance – Secure Your Investment!
* The Technical Elements of Vocal Style
* Psychology of Performance - Pavlovian Conditioning
* Vocal Speaking - The Cutting Edge
* Introductory Interview with Diana Yampolsky
