Why is Speech Level Singing Revolutionary. Inside this video I’ll reveal the eye witness facts!
Hi I’m Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing.
In Episode 92 I defined Speech Level Singing (SLS) as both a singing technique and an organization.
Speech Level Singing is Revolutionary
In my opinion, here’s why SLS is revolutionary as a vocal technique. It’s because it contains unique vocal exercises designed specifically to teach you to sing in and through the vocal bridges or passaggi without reaching. I call that bridging.
It’s not an accidental occurrence. The pedagogy or exercises created by Seth Riggs causes you to bridge without the larynx rising while keeping the vocal cords connected.
Until you learn how to do this you’re limited in many ways including the following:
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Men can’t sing past the E above middle C. Most of us believe that’s the top of our range. If we sing higher it’s yelled and splatty, or in falsetto. [Demo]
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Women can’t sing through A,Bb, B and C above middle C without straining, breaking into falsetto, or simply going very light and airy.
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If you pull the chest voice higher, it’s strained, pitchy or causes them vocal damage. [Demo]
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You find other ways to get through the bridge by singing very breathy, or you learn to cover up the break or crack as you transition into falsetto. You spend time learning to build the falsetto voice.
However, falsetto is always a problem when you have to come back down into chest voice. Falsetto doesn’t blend into chest. [Demo] The vocal cords must reconnect to establish the chest voice
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You do something called “cover” where you try and hide the transition between chest and head voice. It usually distorts your tone and the words. [Demo]
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Tone quality is compromised because of the squeeze on the vocal cords from the outer neck muscles.
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Vibrato is either non-existent, too slow or fast because the voice is out of balance.
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Song selection is limited to those located lower in the voice, or that avoid the middle.
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Vocal abuse occurs and hurts the voice, requires surgery, it shortens careers
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High larynx singing, limits the overtones, creates a brassy tone, distorts the vowels, is easily abused, isn’t sustainable in older singers and quickly tires an audience…at least it tires me. [Demo]
The revolutionary aspect of SLS is that the exercises Seth has designed causes you to bridge. As soon as you accept the new feeling and coordination, you start bridging.
Speech Level Singing is Revolutionary Because it Eliminates Vocal Problems
Amazingly, when you’re able to bridge successfully, all of the above problems disappear over time. Many injured vocal cords can be rehabilitated when you eliminate reaching. This usually requires the assistance of a skilled SLS teacher in combination with an ENT doctor.
Another reason it’s revolutionary is organizationally SLS has created a standardized approach to teacher training. This is groundbreaking and also the cause of controversy. It’s very challenging to have effective teacher quality control with a world-wide certification program.
More about that in the next Episode 94.
The results with my voice is typical. Before SLS I didn’t know it was possible to sing higher. I believed my voice was meant to stop at the E above middle C. The only way I could make my voice go any higher, was in falsetto or straining with a sort of a yell.
Within about 6 weeks all that changed. Within 6 months I was sustaining an F above middle C in a song with vibrato. Something I’d never done before.
For me, it was life changing. It was revolutionary! And I thank Seth Riggs for his pioneering work which he calls Speech Level Singing.
Vocal Type
The exercises in PowerToSing.com are some of the exact exercises that helped me learn to bridge. My particular vocal type is Pulled Chest-High Larynx so those are the exercises that give me more rapid results.
Do you know your vocal type? Go to PowerToSing.com and take the vocal test, which I call the PowerTest. Take the quiz and discover your vocal type.
Then visit the Knowledge Center and watch the videos about your vocal type. Download the free exercises for your vocal type and start practicing them. They’re designed to help your vocal type improve quickly.
I’m Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing. You can sing higher with beauty, confidence and power.
I’ll see you inside the next video.
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