The Pathway to Great Singing – Video #2 – Vocal Types and Bridging

Hi, it’s Chuck Gilmore again, founder of the website and YouTube Channel, Power To Sing.   Welcome to video #2 of my video workshop, The Pathway to Great Singing. This training covers vocal types and bridging.

In this video, you’re going to take a vocal test to determine your vocal type. Your vocal type describes what your voice tends to do as you sing from your low to your high notes.

 

Once you know your vocal type then you can choose special exercises designed for your vocal type, so you can sing from low to high notes easily. (Singing from low notes though the bridge of your voice to the high notes is called “bridging”).

 

So if you’re an experienced singer, but you’re not sure how to improve your ability to bridge, or you’re a newer singer hoping to bridge for the first time, you’ll discover how singers like you and me can bridge successfully every time we sing – and why it’s critical you focus on this right now.

 

In video #1 of this series, I shared the Bridge Blueprint which explained the critical singing skill of bridging.

 

I shared the details of bridging and how the ability to bridge is going to enable you develop a reliable, consistent and powerful voice so you can make a real difference in the lives of the people important to you.

 

Bridging will give you the vocal freedom to confidently sing any song you want. If you haven’t seen Video #1, go back and watch it now and then come back to this one.

In this video you’ll do exercises that’ll cause you to bridge successfully.

 

This is an entirely new way of learning to bridge.  The exercises will cause you to bridge with very little effort on your part.

 

You’ll do this by learning two powerful vocal exercises to cause you to transition from your chest (low notes) to head voice (high notes) without your voice getting jammed up.

 

The goal is to eliminate your tendency of pulling chest voice along with other bad singing habits. This way, you’ll never have to worry about how to bridge. You’ll develop the vocal consistency and confidence to sing the songs that you have previously avoided.

 

Today we’re covering a lot of information, so be ready to take notes as you follow along.

 

Any time you’re trying to sing in and through the bridge of your voice, it’s inevitable you’ll hit roadblocks. You might’ve experienced some of them already.

 

Things like straining, cracking, and breaking into falsetto.

 

If any of this sounds familiar, it’s totally normal.

 

But if you simply accept that this is how your voice works, you’ll never get the vocal confidence and freedom you want.

 

I’ve been through the exact same thing and I know it sometimes feels like there’s nothing you can do about it.

 

It’s frustrating to come up against these challenges – again and again. I’ve seen both experienced and beginning singers go through the same thing.

 

It’s especially stressful because you know that singing easily into your head voice is the hallmark of great singers.

 

In this video, I’m going to make it easy for you. I’ll help you avoid the usual pitfalls by giving you exercises I use to bridge easily. This will save you a lifetime of frustration and disappointment with your voice.

 

However, it’s important I bring to your attention something that often gets overlooked as you start working on bridging.

 

And ignoring this virtually guarantees you’ll have a tough time learning how to bridge.

 

It’s easy to think bridging feels strange and awkward at first. Therefore, you might think that the exercises don’t work.

 

This is wrong thinking.  It’s a mistake to fall into this mental trap. At first, many singers experience the same thing. For me the exercises felt new and very different.

 

These new sensations you feel as you learn to bridge, along with the idea that the exercises don’t work, could tempt you to give up too soon. This is a mistake. Give yourself some time and be patient. Once you’re bridging, the rewards will come quickly.

 

In a moment, you and I will experience bridging first hand and you’ll experience what bridging actually feels like. Hold on to your tonsils!

 

So how do you bridge?

 

First, we begin by taking The Vocal Test…which I call the PowerTest.

 

After taking the PowerTest you’ll discover your vocal type.

 

Second, I’ll teach you how to do two exercises for your vocal type that will help you bridge successfully.

 

Here’s the vocal test. Each of you sing “Ah” as I play the following scale like this: [Demo] Be sure you’re on the pitch and not an octave low like this.

 

First the men, then the ladies.  Be aware of what happens with your voice as you sing higher.

 

Guys.

Now ladies.

 

Now ask yourself:

 

What did I feel as I sang higher? Did I strain? Crack? Break? Did I have to yell louder and louder? Did the pitch start to go flat as I sang higher? [Demo]

 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your vocal type is Pulled Chest/High Larynx.

 

Did I start out breathy so it was easy to go higher?

 

Was my voice light in the bottom and breathy at the top of my voice? [Demo]

 

If you answered yes to either of these questions your vocal type is Light Chest/No Chest.

 

Did I switch my voice into falsetto on the way up before it got too hard? [Demo]

 

If you answered yes to this, your vocal type is Flip/Falsetto.

 

Did you sing all the notes easily without reaching, with a clear, strong tone and excellent pitch?

 

If you answered yes to this, your vocal type is Mix.

 

Why is it important for you to know your vocal type? It’s important because it describes what you tend to do as you sing through the bridge of your voice.

 

Once you know this, then you can select special exercises for your vocal type that will help eliminate and correct what you’re doing wrong and immediately help you do it right. Or, if you’re able to bridge now, the exercises will refine and improve what you’re already doing.

 

If you are watching this on Youtube, there’s a link for a PDF entitled “Get Your Vocal Type” in the description area below. If you’re watching on Facebook or on a website, look for the link next to or below this video. On this Vlog, Get it Here: https://www.powertosing.com/PTGSGetYourVocalType

 

In this PDF you’ll find shortcut links to the PowerTest, videos that goes in depth about your vocal type, and free exercises you can download. These will help you bridge rapidly.  Please wait until the end of the video before downloading the PDF.

 

Over 4000 singers have taken the PowerTest. What did it do for them? It helped them understand their voices better. Now they know why they’ve had problems singing higher and consistently.

 

For example, I received this comment from Gianluca Morelli:

 

Hi Chuck, first of all let me just thank you for your quick response on my vocal type. It’s been weeks now and I’ve been doing your pulled chest-high larynx exercises ever since. As a result, I’m improving my performances day after day, especially during recording sessions…I’ve got 25 years’ experience as a rock singer, but you know how it’s hard to get the right tips… Thanks so much, All the best Gianluca.

 

Before taking the vocal test, many singers may have been doing exercises that made their voices worse. For example, imagine what would happen if you’re vocal type is pulled chest-high larynx, but you’re doing exercises that make you strain and reach more. You’re reinforcing the problems rather than removing them and getting better.

 

The exercises for your vocal type are designed to eliminate the wrong way of singing and get the right muscle memory going for your voice.

 

Here’s another example from Nico, who took the test and was pulled chest-high larynx. In an email I recommended he do the exercises for that vocal type. On his first day of doing the exercises He responded: I did the exercises today and I think they are working! When I was doing one of the exercises, I felt the sound coming out from my head without straining…thanks a lot for the help.

 

Luca from Italy wrote and said, After watching your videos for a couple of months my range has increased a lot. I’m able to briefly sing a tenor C and that makes me very happy! Thanks to you I’ve now learned how to sing using my head voice…

 

Here are 2 vocal exercises that apply to each of the above vocal types.

 

Bubble Lips and Bratty “Ney”.

 

I’ll teach you how to do them correctly and demonstrate each. Both exercises will help you begin bridging immediately.

 

Bubble lips

 

You put your fingers below your cheeks along your jaw line and push up gently to lift your cheeks upward. Then, while saying “uh” you blow air through your lips which makes a bubbling sound.  [Demo]

 

Men do the exercise beginning on this note Bb2.

 

Now women. We’ll begin on the F#3.

 

Be careful not to let the tone disconnect like this. [Demo wrong and right way]

 

Bratty Ney

 

We’ll do this one on a 5 tone scale. It sounds like this: [Demo] Exaggerate the witchy sound without doing it loud. In fact, softer is better. Just do it loud enough to maintain the connection of the tone. Be a soft witch! [Demo] Be careful not to disconnect like this. [Demo]

 

Men begin on the G below middle C.

 

Women begin on the Middle C.

 

Here’s another tip to help you.  Do this exercise easy. Doing it hard and aggressive will cause you to tighten up too much. [Demo] Go easy…just firm enough that you don’t disconnect into falsetto.  Don’t worry if you don’t get it perfect the first time. As I mentioned before, be patient and keep practicing it.

 

In both exercises can you feel the vibration shifting into your head and back down again while the tone stays connected? There are no breaks, cracks, straining or falsetto.

 

This is bridging. You’re transitioning from chest voice, through the bridge, and into your head voice. Bridging correctly eliminates straining, cracking, breaking and breathiness.

 

This leads to an increase in range, power and confidence in your voice.

 

Bridging opens the door to a whole new world for your singing.

 

I was reading this to my wife, Judy. After I read the whole video outline to her she stopped me and told me to come back to this spot and tell you how it’s changed my world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started singing again. I began singing solos again…after not singing a solo for 20+ years. I started doing musical theater again. I was in shows with 6 of my 8 children. My confidence skyrocketed. I had some amazing lead singing roles, like Don Quixote and The King in the King and I. Music infused our home.

 

I’ve made lifelong friends I would’ve never known. In each of the 37 shows I’ve been in the last 20 years, I’ve experienced the feeling I was finally at home again…at home on stage.

 

I’m not exaggerating when I say this opens a whole new world for your singing and your life.

 

Let’s do a quick review of what we’ve covered today.

 

First, you discovered your vocal type. Now you can get the exercises designed for your unique voice to make bridging possible.

 

Second, you learned how to bridge! You can build upon what you did here today to get better at singing high notes.

 

You bridged by doing two exercises that enabled you to sing from chest voice through your bridge into head voice.

 

If you’ve never done this before, the whole experience is new and, as I mentioned before, can be strange and confusing at first. But it absolutely leads to great things for your voice.

 

Did you feel the vibration go into your head? Let me know what it was like for you in the comment section below this video.

 

Tell me, what will life look like a year from now once you’re bridging without thinking about it?

 

Knowing how to bridge successfully absolutely gives you the vocal freedom to confidently sing any song you want. What does that look like to you?

 

Get clear about the impact it’ll have on your life, the lives of your family, and those around you. Let me know in the comments below.

 

If you found this video useful, please share it on Facebook and Twitter.  You can also share the URL link with a friend.

 

In the next video I’m going to show you what I call the “Success Path for Singers”. The Success Path helps you see clearly each step you must take to become the singer you want to be. It outlines everything from your first steps to singing mastery.

 

This is one of the most valuable tools you’ll receive from this workshop. So, in the next video, you’ll get a PDF download of the entire “Success Path”. You’ll see the big picture and how everything fits together. It’ll help you see the exciting future ahead of you.

 

Whether you’re an experienced singer or not, this will be a welcome and necessary guide.

 

Just by learning what we covered today, you’re one step closer to great singing, to having amazing high notes, tone quality and confidence. However, it’s really about more than this, isn’t it?

 

It’s about your life being more fun and fulfilling. It’s about having a greater impact on the people around you. This is where you’ll find your deepest joys.

 

Next up in video #3, I’ll share the Success Path for Singers. I’m excited for you because it’s like you’re coming out of the dark into the light!

 

I’m Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing. I’ll see you in the next video.

Share this post

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Chuck Gilmore

Chuck Gilmore

If you want to do more with your singing voice it is possible. This is the first and most important message. It is possible to achieve your dreams to sing better, to sing higher, and to add beauty, confidence and power to your voice!

I know this because I’ve experienced a real change in my voice. I am reaching my dreams to sing and perform. You can find happiness and fulfillment with your singing too!!

Responses

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Chuck thanks for everything you do I followed the exercises didn’t have any problems I didn’t crack or loose notes with the exercise but when I sing a song not all songs the ones with the hard words that’s when I have problems I either crack or strain it seems everything I know goes out the window what’s my problem? Thanks Paul

Related Articles You Might Like