One of the biggest challenges suffering singers face is how to build their Mix voice. Inside this video I’ll explain how to build your mix voice with Strategic Songs.
Hi, I’m Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing. Singers all over the world are learning to sing with a mix of chest and head voice. A gigantic challenge they face is building their mix so that it’s strong and powerful.
Why is this so challenging?
I think it’s because we don’t use songs to help build and strengthen our mix. I don’t think we consider that using songs strategically can develop our mix.
How do you use songs as part of your strategy to build your Mix singing voice?
The answer comes from Pillar #2, in the Second Nature Singing System.
Pillar #2 is Strategic Songs.
What’s a Strategic Song, and how does it build your mix?
A Strategic Song is a song where much of the melody and chorus is in your first vocal bridge. The song often has licks or climax notes in the second bridge, or head voice.
What makes this a Strategic Song?
Whenever the pitches are in or above your first bridge, it requires you to sing in a mix of chest and head voice. When the climax or big finish notes are pitched in the second bridge and/or in head voice, you’re able to sing them because you’ve been in mix throughout the song.
In contrast, a song where you sing a melody at the top of your chest voice, will never help you develop your mix. Instead, you’re likely to start pulling the chest voice too high. Which also raises the larynx. And the occasional high note is almost impossible to sing easily because you’ve been singing in chest voice throughout the whole song.
Then you end up straining or pulling the chest voice while trying to sing the high notes. Instead of building your mix voice, you’re reinforcing your bad habits of reaching or flipping into falsetto.
What if the song you want to sing is too low?
What if it’s just one big, pulled-up chest song?
The solution is easy. Raise the key. If you’re performing in a musical, see if the music director will raise the key for you. It’s especially easy to do if you use recorded tracks for your production instead of an orchestra.
If you accompany yourself with a guitar or keyboard, changing the key is easy. Use a kapoe on the guitar. For piano, most online sheet music companies give multiple key signature choices and you can choose higher keys. Some pianists can easily transpose to any key signature you need.
There are also computer and mobile phone apps that will enable you to raise the key of Youtube Videos. I use a chrome browser extension called Pitch Shifter for Youtube videos.
For example, the song, I’ll Buy You a Star, from the musical A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is in a key where much of the song is in my first bridge with climax notes at the top of my second bridge.
This enables me to sing in mix most of the song and makes the head voice notes at the end easier to sing. Why? Because the head voice coordination is the same as mix. It’s just a higher pitch and usually easier because it’s further away from the first bridge.
For example, of the first 40 notes of the song, 30 are in or close to my bridge. My first bridge is A3, Bb, B and C4. So I’ll choose to mix on about 30 of the first 40 notes. [Demo]
It’s more of the same throughout the song. The ending has an F4 which is at the top of my second bridge. Because I’ve been mixing the whole song, my voice is already conditioned to sing the F4 at the end. [Demo]
By choosing a song with so much of the melody in my first bridge, I can mix throughout the song. This builds and strengthens my mix voice with strategic songs. And the bonus is I’m ready to sing the head voice notes. All without straining or pulling chest.
If you haven’t yet learned to sing with a mix, you need to start doing vocal exercises that help you learn to mix.
Start this process by getting your vocal type. Click here and take a simple vocal test to discover your vocal type. Maybe you already mix, or perhaps you’re straining or flipping into falsetto. Take the test and find out.
Once you know your vocal type you can start doing designer exercises made specifically for YOUR VOCAL TYPE to help you get or improve your mix.
Strategic Songs, Pillar #2 in the Second Nature Singing System, is a powerful way to build your mix voice.
I’m Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing. For you, singing can become second nature.
Responses
Hi Bill, sounds like you are making progress. Did you have a question?
According to your test results i am a pulled chest type. i led music on guitar for over 30 years with no vocal training. That changed at the start of covid nearly 2 years ago. Took various online programs, and checked in with local vocal coaches. Found great improvement in all areas, range, tone, power, resonance, after daily warm ups for 20-30 mins and singing songs for over an hour on average. I can now sing songs comfortably and clearly without straining or yelling up to an E-F4. I can sing higher notes with a softer head voice, not airy falsetto, but when i open up the volume on high notes, and being aware not to spread my vowels…my voice just sounds strained not strong and clear and connected from top to bottom, btw i can do that in warm ups.