01 introduction 1 / 8 discover your voice · 01 introduction discover your voice have you had these...

01 INTRODUCTION DISCOVER YOUR VOICE

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Are you ready to SERIOUSLY take your voice to another level? Are you ready to ELIMINATE vocal issues and distractions so that you can worship lead with CONFIDENCE?! Well… get ready!

This course will help you:

‣ strengthen your voice ‣ increase your range ‣ improve your tone ‣ get rid of tension ‣ improve your stamina ‣ protect your voice from damage ‣ sing your favourite worship songs and make them sound GOOD! ‣ ...and more!!!

The Singing Success method, developed by Brett Manning in Nashville, Tennessee, has been the #1 best-selling online vocal training program for 15 years. I’ve been personally mentored by Brett to become one of his Singing Success associates, and I’m excited to teach you the method that has revolutionized my voice! It’s time to stop WASTING TIME. These exercises will improve your voice quickly and effectively! Plus, I’ll teach you tons of worship leading tips, tools and techniques along the way!

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01 INTRODUCTION

WELCOME TO DISCOVER YOUR VOICE


Have you had these thoughts before?

‣ I'll become a better singer by singing lots and lots and lots. ‣ I wasn’t born a great singer so I’ll never be one. ‣ I’ll always sound the way I do. ‣ I’ll never be able to sing like that. ‣ I’ll never be a worship leader. ‣ That hurtful thing someone said about my voice… I wish it weren’t true...

What lies have you believed about your voice / singing? What do you need to let go of? Be honest!

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STOP BELIEVING THE LIES ABOUT SINGING

NOTES

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Contemporary worship music is about communicating the lyrics in as natural a way as possible, as close to our speaking tone as possible. It’s important to understand the sound we’re aiming for!

Who are some of your favourite worship leaders / bands / artists? What do you notice about the sound / style / tone of how they sing? _____________________________________________________________________

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Do you think you sing in a contemporary style? Is this an area for improvement?

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THE SOUND OF CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP

NOTES

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Why does this vocal training stuff matter, anyway?

So you can focus on the MOST important things while you worship lead (and not be worried about whether your voice is cooperating)! I want you to be able to focus on…

‣ God ‣ leading your congregation confidently ‣ worshipping passionately and authentically ‣ listening to the Holy Spirit ‣ and other good stuff like that… !

Psalm 33:3: “Sing to him a new song, play skillfully.”

Matthew 25: The parable of the talents.

God expects us to do more than just passively preserve, hide, and maintain our talents! We have a responsibility to multiply and use for His glory what we’ve been given to steward.

Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

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WHY SHOULD YOU WORK AT IMPROVING?

NOTES

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"When man's natural ability is whetted and polished to the extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after all, His gift.” (Martin Luther)

When we create something beautiful with our vocal instrument, we're not stealing from God’s glory... we're reflecting His glory.

Don’t settle for mediocrity. Don’t settle for just maintaining where you’re at. Don’t waste an opportunity to glorify God with the talents, skills, giftings, desires and passions that He’s entrusted you with!

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NOTES

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Are you a better singer/worship leader than you were a year ago?

☐ Yes ☐ No

Are you a better singer/worship leader than you were last month?

☐ Yes ☐ No

Which of these areas would you like to improve in?

☐ Increase my upper range.

☐ Increase my lower range.

☐ Get rid of the vocal break.

☐ Be able to sing more powerfully.

☐ Have a more pleasant-sounding vocal tone.

☐ Be able to sing in a contemporary style.

☐ Be able to sing my favourite worship song.

☐ Eliminate vocal strain/tension/fatigue.

☐ Train to be a worship leader.

☐ Have more confidence when I step on stage.

☐ Learn how to sing harmony.

☐ Learn how to write a worship song.

☐ All of them. All the improvement I can get!

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HONEST SELF-ASSESSMENT AND GOAL SETTING


What are the THREE ways you MOST want to improve in the coming year? Feel free to choose from the list and/or think of your own goals! Be specific!

1. __________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________

What do you think are some of the obstacles you face in reaching these goals?

☐ Time (too busy)

☐ Family (not supportive, demanding schedules, etc.)

☐ Health (constantly sick, chronic health issues, etc.)

☐ Mental health issues (depression, anxiety, etc.)

☐ Vocal damage - past or present (vocal nodules, polyps, etc.)

☐ Space (don’t have a good place to practice in)

☐ Lack of confidence (stage fright, doubt, think you’re a bad singer, etc.)

☐ Lack of skill (complete beginner, trouble matching pitch, etc.)

☐ Lack of opportunity (at your church, on your worship team, etc.)

What are some ways you can eliminate or minimize the obstacles? Even just being aware of the obstacles is a big step in the right direction!

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I’m excited to help you create a plan to achieve your goals this year! If you feel comfortable, post your goals and strategies online so that we can all learn from each other and stay accountable!

SUGGESTED COURSE SCHEDULE DISCOVER YOUR VOICE

SUGGESTED COURSE SCHEDULE

This course is divided into six sections, with vocal workouts designed to accompany each section. I recommend that you do the course over a six-week period.

Ideally, choose one day of the week where you can sit down and watch the video for that section. Follow along and make sure you pause the video to try things out. Don’t just rush through! Take the time to really feel out and try out the vocal sounds and coordinations that I take you through. Then spend the rest of that week doing the vocal workouts.

The time commitment varies each week according to the length of the lesson videos and vocal workouts, but each week I suggest aiming for 3-4 days total. The days can be all in a row (i.e. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), or you can spread them out (i.e. Monday, Wednesday, Friday), but DON’T just cram everything into one day! If you can do more days, great! If not, that’s totally fine… even with 3 days of vocal workouts in a week you will still see a lot of vocal improvement! If you miss a week, don’t stress or give up, just pick up again the following week!

Be creative about where and when you do the workout! Lots of people do it while they drive to or from work. You can download the audio file of the vocal workout so you can have it on your phone, or burn it to a CD to play in your car.

At the beginning of the week, schedule in the days and times you’re going to watch the videos and do the workouts. We all know how quickly a week can get away from us! When we don’t schedule things in, they don’t happen.

Remember: YOU are important. Your CHURCH and your WORSHIP TEAM and your CONGREGATION are important. Your VOICE and your IMPROVEMENT are important so that you can bring the BEST YOU possible to your church! So congratulations for starting on that journey!

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6-WEEK DISCOVER YOUR VOICE SCHEDULE

Workout Date Completed?

Week 1: Introduction & Understanding Your Instrument

Day 1 Watch Introduction video Set your goals

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Day 2 Watch Lesson 2 video Do lip rolls warmup

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Day 3 Do lip rolls warmup ☐Day 4 Do lip rolls warmup ☐

Week 2: Chest Voice

Day 1Watch Lesson 3 video Do lip rolls warmup Do chest voice workout

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Day 2 Do lip rolls warmup Do chest voice workout

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Week 3: Head Voice

Day 1Watch Lesson 4 video Do lip rolls warmup Do head voice workout

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Day 2 Do lip rolls warmup Do head voice workout

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Week 4: Pharyngeal Voice

Day 1Watch Lesson 5 video Do lip rolls warmup Do pharyngeal voice workout

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Day 2Do lip rolls warmup Do chest voice workout Do pharyngeal voice workout

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Day 3Do lip rolls warmup Do head voice workout Do pharyngeal voice workout

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Week 5: Edge Coordination

Day 1

Watch Lesson 6 video Do lip rolls warmup Do chest voice workout Do edge workout

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Day 2Do lip rolls warmup Do head voice workout Do edge workout

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Day 3Do lip rolls warmup Do pharyngeal voice workout Do edge workout

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Week 6: Mix Voice & The Song

Day 1Watch Lesson 7 video Do mix voice workout

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Day 2 Do mix voice workout ☐Day 3 Do mix voice workout ☐

Workout Date Completed?

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02 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT DISCOVER YOUR VOICE

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The voice is an instrument—and such a beautiful one! But... it can be so frustrating when your voice doesn’t sound the same or feel the same from day to day. Like your body, the voice changes from day to day because it’s affected by things like:

‣ health (sickness, cold, flu) ‣ hydration (how much water did you drink today?) ‣ eating habits (spicy food, caffeine, dairy products, sugar, overeating, etc. can affect

the voice negatively for many people) ‣ sleep (the voice doesn’t work well on little sleep… so get in those zzzz’s!) ‣ weather (dryness, humidity, heat, cold) ‣ stress/emotions (yikes!) ‣ time of day (for most people, it’s easiest to sing several hours after being awake

because the voice is naturally more warmed up) ‣ confidence level (lack of confidence can be an endless cycle if we can’t trust what’s

coming out of our mouths!)

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02 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT

HOW THE VOICE WORKS

NOTES

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This is by no means intended to be a comprehensive study, but it’s enough to help you understand the basic anatomy of how the voice works, so you can learn to self-diagnose vocal issues and aim for consistency and improvement in your singing voice!

The voice is divided into three distinct parts that work together to create the sound we hear.

1. RESPIRATOR

The lungs are the power source for your voice. Without air, the vocal cords have no energy. When you inhale, the diaphragm lowers, the rib cage expands, and air is drawn into the lungs via the trachea. When you exhale, the process reverses—air exits via the trachea, and the force of the air provides the energy for the vocal cords to vibrate.

2. VIBRATOR

The larynx is an organ that sits at the top of the trachea. It is the house for our vocal cords, which are two folds of mucous membrane in a V-shape that open during breathing and close for making sound. The vocal cords are not muscles in themselves, but they are surrounded by many tiny muscles in the larynx that control them.

3. RESONATOR

Like a guitar string, the vocal cords don’t make sound by themselves—they need to send the air to resonance cavities in order for the sound to reverberate and amplify.

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SO… HOW DOES MY VOICE WORK, ANYWAY?


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VOCAL ANATOMYCROSS SECTION

RESONATORHEAD

NASALCAVITY

PHARYNX

MOUTH

LARYNX

VOCAL CORDS

TRACHEA

LUNGS

DIAPHRAGM

ABDOMINALMUSCLES

VIBRATOR

RESPIRATOR

VOCAL ANATOMY CROSS SECTION


Vocal resonance is also divided into three distinct parts.

Chest voice resonates in the mouth and upper chest cavity.

The beauty of this resonator is the fullness, richness, and depth of the tone! It’s the basis of the contemporary tone that we hear most popular artists and worship leaders singing in.

Using only chest voice is extremely problematic, as we are unable to access the higher part of our range and there is way too much tension and weight put on the voice in the middle of our range when we hit the vocal bridge. The bridge is where you feel your voice hitting a ceiling in the chest voice (for guys, right around the D, Eb, E above middle C; for girls, around the A, Bb, B above middle C). We’ll talk more about this in the chest voice section of the course.

Head voice resonates in the head and the top of the nasal cavity.

The beauty of the head voice is the feeling of release and the relaxed tone in the upper part of the range.

When we only sing in head voice, we’re not able to access depth in the lower part of our range, and we cannot fully achieve a contemporary sound, as modern styles of music are known for their speech-like, full-tone qualities, which comes from accessing the chest voice and pharyngeal.

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VOCAL RESONANCE


Pharyngeal voice resonates in the pharynx and nasal cavity.

The beauty of the pharyngeal voice is the incredible power and punch that this resonator can bring! Pharyngeal resonance is also extremely useful in eliminating the break/disconnect in the voice when we use it to create a pathway between chest and head voice.

When we use an excessive amount of pharyngeal resonance, our singing voice will sound too nasal.

It’s important to develop all three vocal resonators—chest, head, and pharyngeal—in order to have full access of your range and to build what’s called the MIX VOICE, a blended tone that incorporates all three resonators. When we are comfortable in all parts of the range and can access the varied vocal colours that the different resonators bring, then and only then can we truly access the powerful mix voice that we hear so many of our favourite artists singing in.

Ready to learn how?! This will all make way more sense as we move through the course!

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NOTES

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The lip roll is the best place to start in a vocal warmup and workout routine. A few tips as you try this out:

‣ For a lot of singers, it helps to hold your cheeks with your fingers to allow the lips to buzz freely.

‣ Think of a fast “BUH BUH BUH” sound, or the sound you make with your lips when it’s cold outside.

‣ Make sure you’re relaxed! No pushing or straining! ‣ Try to feel the resonance shift as you move up and down in your range. ‣ If you can’t do the lip roll, try trilling your tongue instead. It accomplishes the same

thing for the voice.

Try out the lip rolls warmup a few times this week—you’ll be using it for the rest of the course, so get comfortable with it! Schedule in your workouts for the week and try to stick to it! Print out the “Suggested Course Schedule” PDF in the “Introduction” section if you want to keep track of all your workouts together.

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THE LIP ROLL

Post your observations and questions online so others can learn from you!

03 CHEST VOICE DISCOVER YOUR VOICE

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Here we are! A more in-depth look at the first of the three resonators!

You can feel the resonance of chest voice externally in the upper chest cavity and internally inside your mouth. Chest voice is the foundation of the rich, full sound we’re aiming for in singing contemporary worship songs. The vocal cords are vibrating along their entire cord length and engaging lots of the vocal muscles, which results in the depth of sound we get in chest voice!

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03 CHEST VOICE

VOCALCORDS

CORDS FULLY OPEN CORDS MOSTLY ZIPPED UP

NODULES HEMORRHAGE

RESONANCE IN CHEST CAVITY & MOUTH

CORDS VIBRATING ALONG ENTIRE CORD LENGTH

THE SECRET TO DEPTH AND PASSION ON THE LOW NOTES


A few tips for getting the most out of chest voice:

‣ Put your hand above your mouth and make sure that the resonance/buzz is coming from below your hand.

‣ Open your mouth… if it’s closed, there’s no space for the air to resonate. Look in a mirror to make sure you’re opening your mouth nice and wide!

‣ Aim for a clear tone, not a breathy tone. Let the “B” in the “BUH” exercises help give your voice grip, so you don’t fall into a weak, airy sound.

‣ Don’t push your chest voice higher than feels comfortable and natural. In further lessons we’ll learn how we can extend the sound of the chest voice without the weight and tension of the chest voice.

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NOTES

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No, we’re not talking about that exciting part of the worship song where it goes to a whole new level… we’re talking about that annoying place in your voice where your chest voice hits a ceiling! Every note higher feels harder, and the sound becomes pitchy and dull. The voice needs to transition into head voice, but so often we hold onto chest voice for dear life, because we don’t want to let go of that big, full sound!

For guys, the bridge is at the D, Eb, E above middle C.

For girls, the bridge is at the A, Bb, B above middle C.

It’s important to NOT push your chest voice above the bridge. Pushing and straining the vocal muscles causes laryngitis and constant vocal fatigue, as well as nodules, polyps, and vocal hemorrhages… some of which require surgery to repair. Please, just don’t go there! I was on the path to vocal destruction before I found the amazing Singing Success exercises, and learned how to protect my voice and get that full sound I was looking for but without the pushing and straining! We’ll talk in upcoming lessons about how to create a mix of head, chest and pharyngeal resonance so that we get the sound of chest voice but not the weight of chest voice.

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D E

Eb

GUYS

A B

Bb

GIRLS

THE BRIDGE


Aim to do the chest voice workout 3 times this week. Start off with the lip roll warmup to get your vocal muscles warmed up and ready for these fuller sounds. Schedule in your workouts for the week and try to stick to it! View online or print out the “Suggested Course Schedule” PDF in the “How to Use this Course” section if you want to keep track of all your workouts together.

Week 2: Chest Voice

Day 1Watch Lesson 3 video Do lip rolls warmup Do chest voice workout

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CHEST VOICE WORKOUT


Pay attention to the instructions and demonstrations on the audio workout. Be patient with your voice as it’s being built. It may sound weak and ugly at first, but the strength that’s being built will be worth the struggle, so stick with it!

HEEEEEEEEEY Start on a comfortable note and slide up—let the sound swell in your chest voice!

YEAH 5-tone scale Drop your jaw and aim for a deep, edgy sound. Make sure it’s not breathy.

BUH 5-tone descending scale Make sure it’s not too nasally. Focus on making the B consonant explosive and staccato, to help build grip in your voice.

AH as in BAT 5-tone scale Open the mouth wide to get the most out of this broad vowel exercise!

AH as in BAT 5-tone bouncy scale Be patient as your voice gets used to the movement of this scale!

OH as in BOAT 5-tone bouncy scale Make sure your mouth is round and that your lips don't go too wide.

Which exercises feel easiest? Which exercises are a struggle?

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CHEST VOICE EXERCISES


Record yourself doing the workout and listen back! You’ll notice things about your voice (probably both good and bad!) that are difficult to notice when you’re doing the workout. Listening to your own voice is often a painful exercise, but amazing in the long run, because the more we are aware of our own strengths and weaknesses, the quicker we will see improvement.

What do you hear?

Are you on pitch? _____________________________________________________________________

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Is your voice strong or shaky? _____________________________________________________________________

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Are you getting the rich, deep resonance as per the demonstrations? _____________________________________________________________________

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EXTRA CHALLENGE!


04 HEAD VOICE DISCOVER YOUR VOICE

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In head voice, the resonance sits in the head and upper nasal cavity. You can feel the resonance if you put your finger right between your eyebrows and make some siren noises.

Head voice is what the voice naturally transitions to above the vocal bridge. The resonance moves higher in the face and the vocal cords zip up like a zipper and only use 1/3 of the vocal cord to vibrate. Because there’s less musculature and weight involved, the voice is able to freely get to the high notes that are not accessible in chest voice.

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04 HEAD VOICE

VOCALCORDS


NODULES HEMORRHAGE

RESONANCE IN HEAD & UPPER NASAL CAVITY

CORDS ZIPPED UP 2/3 OF THEIR LENGTH

THE SECRET TO RELEASE AND EASE ON THE HIGH NOTES


Many people use the terms “head voice” and “falsetto” synonymously, but for the purposes of this course and using the foundation of the Singing Success methodology, we will refer to them as two different vocal coordinations.

Falsetto Falsetto (derived from the Italian word “falso", meaning “false”) is an airy, breathy vocal sound and it happens when the vocal cords are vibrating but they’re not fully closed, so we can hear the extra air coming through. Falsetto is a lovely quality to use for a portion of a song, but too much falsetto will cause vocal fatigue and dryness because of the constant extra air passing over the vocal cords. It’s not an efficient coordination to use if you want strength and power, because a breathy voice falls apart easily, especially going over the vocal bridge.

Head Voice

Head voice is a lighter register than chest voice but it’s not breathy or airy. A pure head voice has clarity in the tone because the vocal cords are vibrating and coming fully together. This is the coordination we want to build in the voice, because it’s what gives your voice grip and strength, and it’s what we need to develop for the mix voice! Head voice is the basis of the contemporary mix voice sound in the higher part of our range.

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HEAD VOICE VS FALSETTO

NOTES

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Aim to do the head voice workout 3 times this week. Start off with the lip roll warmup to get your vocal muscles warmed up and ready for these fuller sounds. Schedule in your workouts for the week and try to stick to it! View online or print out the “Suggested Course Schedule” PDF in the “How to Use this Course” section if you want to keep track of all your workouts together.

Week 3: Head Voice

Day 1Watch Lesson 4 video Do lip rolls warmup Do head voice workout

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HEAD VOICE WORKOUT


Focus on getting that pure, clean tone. Your voice may default to a breathy falsetto at first, but the more you do these vocal exercises, the stronger your vocal cords will become so that they can get that grip and compression that’s so important for the voice overall.

Don’t sing higher than you can comfortably. Let your range grow slowly over time, and believe me, it will! If the exercises go higher than your voice wants to go, just sit out for a few and jump back in when you can. As your voice gets stronger, your range will slowly stretch out and those notes will feel much easier. The voice is like a flower: it can’t be forced to bloom. We have to give it the right ingredients, the right conditions, the right environment… and your voice will improve. Trust the process!

GOO 5-tone scale descending

Keep the vibration very forward. Put your finger between your eyebrows and feel the resonance coming from there. Remember to grab ahold of that G consonant… don’t let it be lazy!

GEE 5-tone scale descending

Same as previous exercise but switching up the vowel.

BWOOP (water dripping)

Just move up and down in your head voice, staying super relaxed.

BEEP (truck backing up)

Focus on just making sound, don’t try to control it or overanalyze it. Just let it be!

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HEAD VOICE EXERCISES


GOO octave scale descending This exercise is going to really start to build power in your upper range! Remember to use that G consonant to your advantage to find strength and grip in your voice!

GOO long scale

Remember to stay relaxed and don’t force your voice into the high notes. Allow your voice find freedom and agility through these scales.

WEE long scale

We’re removing the G consonant for something a little lighter, so you may notice a little less power at first… but as your voice builds it will be equally strong on different consonant and vowel sounds.

WOO/WEE/LIP ROLL slides Nice and relaxed… just let it go! These exercises will begin to warm down your voice as you conclude the workout.

Which exercises feel easiest?

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Which exercises are a struggle?

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Which is stronger for you — head voice or chest voice? Why do you think it’s stronger? _____________________________________________________________________

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NOTES

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What do you hear?

Are you on pitch? _____________________________________________________________________

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Are you getting clarity in the tone or does your voice default to falsetto? _____________________________________________________________________

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Are you getting to the highest notes in the workout scales?

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Are you relaxed as you’re doing the exercises?

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EXTRA CHALLENGE!


05 PHARYNGEAL VOICE DISCOVER YOUR VOICE

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I’m going to let you in on the greatest secret for contemporary singing!! This has absolutely revolutionized my voice and I’ve seen it work in thousands of students’ voices! In working with worship vocalist students, there are three main issues I commonly hear.

#1 THE VOCAL BREAK

As you’ve worked your way through discovering your chest voice and head voice, you may have noticed that there’s a major discrepancy in the sound and colour of the two resonators… and there’s often a big break that happens right in the middle, on that bridge. The vocal cords are forced to change coordination rapidly and we get a shift, a disconnect in the sound. You may be hitting both the high notes and low notes in the song you’re singing, but it’s frustrating to feel like you have the sound of two voices.

#2 PULLING HEAD VOICE TOO LOW

If you’ve come from a more classical background, chances are you have a tendency to let most of the sound get trapped in the head voice. Head voice is amazing in the higher range, but it loses momentum as you go down and the notes start to get weak and pitchy (they go sharp), and then die out altogether, because head voice is an inefficient resonator for the low notes in contemporary music. Effectively, you are cutting off half of your potential range! Plus, you’re not able to achieve a contemporary sound if you don’t access the richness of the chest voice!

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05 PHARYNGEAL VOICE

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE

HEADVOICE

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE

CHESTVOICE

PHAR

YNG

EAL

VOCALREGISTERS

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE

LOSEACCESSTO HIGHNOTES

LOSEACCESSTO LOWNOTES

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE

HEADVOICE

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE

CHESTVOICE

PHAR

YNG

EAL

VOCALREGISTERS

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE



PITCHYPITCHY

THE SECRET TO POWER AND CONNECTION


#3 PUSHING CHEST VOICE TOO HIGH Maybe you have the opposite issue… you let all the sound get trapped in your mouth, and you end up pushing your chest voice as high as it will go. Chest voice is amazing in the lower range, but you just can’t get to the higher notes. As chest voice gets higher, the tone becomes ugly and pitchy (the notes go flat) because chest voice smacks up against a ceiling. The voice becomes tense and strained, and is prone to constant vocal fatigue. When we don’t allow the voice to transition out of chest voice, we end up cutting off the top of our range.

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HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE

HEADVOICE

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE

CHESTVOICE

PHA

RYN

GEA

L

VOCALREGISTERS

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE



PITCHYPITCHY

NOTES

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We listen to our favourite artists and worship leaders and we think that they have somehow developed a chest voice that goes super high. But actually… they’ve learned to sing in a blended tone—a mix voice—to get rid of the breaks and discrepancies, and to create the sound of ONE VOICE.

Notice how at the bottom of the voice, the lowest notes are basically all chest voice and the top notes are pure head resonance, but the entire middle of the voice is actually a BLEND of vocal resonance. The secret to this blend is the third resonator—the pharyngeal voice—which resonates in the nasal pharynx.

When we don’t use the pharyngeal resonator...

Remember what we learned in the first lesson: air comes from the lungs, passes over the vocal cords and creates vibration, then that sound is sent to resonate in the mouth for chest voice and the head for head voice. But there’s a whole lot of space in the middle that so many singers completely neglect. The voice has to jump over this space completely, and that’s why we get such a different tonal quality between head and chest voice.

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HEAD RESONANCE

CHEST RESONANCE

JUMPS OVER SPACE

HEAD RESONANCE

CHEST RESONANCE

PHARYNGEAL BLENDINGRESONANCE

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE

HEADVOICE

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE

CHESTVOICE

PHA

RYN

GEA

L

VOCALREGISTERS

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE



THE PHARYNGEAL RESONATOR


When we use the pharyngeal resonator... The pharyngeal creates a pathway between chest and head voice. When we’re able to access all that space in the middle of the face, the change in coordination and tone can be gradual as we move from chest to head, and head to chest. Think of that pharyngeal resonance as the quality running all through your voice by blending the head voice downward, and blending the chest voice upward. It blends the two together to make the transition seamless.

THE BENEFITS OF THE PHARYNGEAL

‣ Builds strength and power. ‣ Adds colour and character to the voice. ‣ Maximizes the resonance chambers. ‣ Helps bridge the vocal registers so we get rid of that ugly break. ‣ Takes tension off the voice. ‣ Builds the sound of chest voice

up high but without the tension and strain on the vocal cords.

‣ Takes us into the contemporary mix voice sound used by our favourite singers!

Sign me up for that!

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HEAD RESONANCE

CHEST RESONANCE

JUMPS OVER SPACE

HEAD RESONANCE

CHEST RESONANCE

PHARYNGEAL BLENDINGRESONANCE

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE

HEADVOICE

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE

CHESTVOICE

PHA

RYN

GEA

L

VOCALREGISTERS

HEADVOICE

CHESTVOICE




Aim to do the pharyngeal voice workout 3 times this week, as well as at least one chest voice and one head voice workout. Start off with the lip roll warmup to get your vocal muscles warmed up and ready for these fuller sounds. Schedule in your workouts for the week and try to stick to it! View online or print out the “Suggested Course Schedule” PDF in the “How to Use this Course” section if you want to keep track of all your workouts together.

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Week 4: Pharyngeal Voice

Day 1Watch Lesson 5 video Do lip rolls warmup Do pharyngeal voice workout

☐ ☐ ☐

Day 2Do lip rolls warmup Do chest voice workout Do pharyngeal voice workout

☐ ☐ ☐

Day 3Do lip rolls warmup Do head voice workout Do pharyngeal voice workout

☐ ☐ ☐

PHARYNGEAL VOICE WORKOUT


This resonator does NOT sound pretty. In fact, it sounds pretty terrible when it’s isolated all on its own! But... this is a resonator we need to learn to use in order to develop the voice properly, and to be able to access power in the mid to high range. Don’t be afraid of your singing voice starting to sound nasal! These exercises are designed to maximize this type of resonance and then use it to our advantage in the voice, to blend with the head and chest voice tones. So don’t be afraid to sound completely obnoxious!

NAY octave scale

Make sure it’s a bright, edgy, clear tone. Don’t let it sound too normal!

WAH octave scale descending Just like a baby’s cry!

NG 5-tone scale

Like the end of the word soNG. This exercise closes off the mouth as a resonator so we can isolate the pharyngeal coordination. Make sure it’s not an MMM-sounding hum, which uses the mouth as a resonator.

MEH long scale

Keep it nasally! Don’t be concerned if the voice is disconnecting through the bridge. It’ll smooth itself out in time.

MEOW

This exercise should take your voice through multiple resonance chambers. Be reckless with it!

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PHARYNGEAL VOICE EXERCISES


Which exercises feel easiest? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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NOTES

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________



What do you hear?

Are you on pitch? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

How nasally does your voice sound? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Is the tone clear or breathy/airy? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Is the pharyngeal strongest for you in the low or high range? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Are you getting to the highest notes in the workout scales? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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EXTRA CHALLENGE!



_____________________________________________________________________

Do you hear a break/disconnect as you’re going over the transition/bridge? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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06 EDGE COORDINATION DISCOVER YOUR VOICE

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Edge refers to the inside edges of the vocal cords. This is the first point of contact for the vocal cords, and if these inner edges are weak, we end up with an unstable foundation for the voice. Like a house with an poorly constructed foundation, when we don’t have proper edge closure, we have to squeeze too much to get the voice to work, which can lead to vocal damage.

When we train the edge muscles, it refines our vocal cord closure so that we can:

‣ hit notes precisely on pitch ‣ get rid of a constantly breathy tone ‣ have flexibility for melodies that move quickly ‣ have more depth in our tone quality ‣ build the connection and mix of the head, chest

and pharyngeal resonators ‣ sing without excess tension and squeeze

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VOCALCORDS


EDGES HEMORRHAGE

06 EDGE COORDINATION

THE SECRET TO PRECISION, FLEXIBILITY AND PITCH ACCURACY

NOTES

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________


Aim to do the edge coordination workout 3 times this week, as well as at least one chest, head, and pharyngeal voice workout. Start off with the lip roll warmup to get your vocal muscles warmed up and ready for these fuller sounds. Schedule in your workouts for the week and try to stick to it! View online or print out the “Suggested Course Schedule” PDF in the “How to Use this Course” section if you want to keep track of all your workouts together.

Only do this edge workout every second day, to give your voice time to recover and build the muscles, and make sure you always warm your voice up with the lip rolls before jumping into these exercises. The voice needs to be stretched out and relaxed so you don’t strain the muscles.

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Week 5: Edge Coordination

Day 1

Watch Lesson 6 video Do lip rolls warmup Do chest voice workout Do edge workout

☐ ☐ ☐ ☐

Day 2Do lip rolls warmup Do head voice workout Do edge workout

☐ ☐ ☐

Day 3Do lip rolls warmup Do pharyngeal voice workout Do edge workout

☐ ☐ ☐

EDGE WORKOUT


Remember, the importance of honing in on these inner vocal cord edge muscles is to build a strong foundation for your whole voice. It may feel the weakest of everything we’ve done so far, and if so, don’t be discouraged. Take it slow, stay mentally focused and positive… and day by day, week by week, it will grow!

Vocal fry

Allow the vocal cords to be groggy and stay relaxed!

WOH octave scale

Let your voice take on an edgy, vocal fry texture throughout the scale. Don’t strain and over squeeze… instead, put a little cry on the voice to help you get to those high pitches.

OO EE AH staccato

Make sure to aim for that edgy, textured quality at the beginning of each note. Let loose a little bit on this exercise! Don’t over squeeze the voice to try to force power. The more you do this, the easier and more carefree it will become!

AH staccato octave scale Focus on engaging the edge coordination as well as leaning into the pharyngeal resonator as you go higher.

NG staccato long scale

Let that resonance sit in the pharyngeal cavity, and make sure the beginning of each one is edgy. Don’t be concerned if your voice is cracking and breaking apart a bit throughout this scale—it’s all part of the process, and will smooth out in time.

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EDGE EXERCISES


UH staccato long scale Keep that mental focus as you finish off this workout strong!

Which exercises feel easiest?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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NOTES

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________



What do you hear?


_____________________________________________________________________

Are you able to access a relaxed vocal fry sound? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Do you hear that edgy, textured quality in your voice in the exercises? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Are you able to do the staccato exercises or does the voice default to a breathy/weak sound? Are the exercises strongest for you in the low or high range? _____________________________________________________________________

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EXTRA CHALLENGE!


07 SONG APPLICATION DISCOVER YOUR VOICE

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What?! Here we are at the final stage! Hopefully you’ve experienced more freedom and power in your voice as you’ve worked through the lessons and vocal workouts. Congratulations—you’ve begun to put the building blocks in place for the voice you want to have!

THE TRINITY OF THE VOICE

The basic premise of the contemporary mix voice is that we’re MIXING the different resonant sounds together so that we’re able to hit notes in a way that gives us the richness and depth of chest voice, the freedom and ease of head voice, and the power and punch of the pharyngeal.

If you’re always living in one of the other circles, the voice will be imbalanced and you’ll experience vocal issues: a lack of richness, freedom, and/or power in your tone.

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07 SONG APPLICATION

HEAD

MIX

“WAH”POWERPUNCH

PHAR

YNGE

AL

“OO”FREEDOMEASE

CHEST

“YEAH”RICHNESS

DEPTH

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER


Too much chest

In chest voice, you’re always going to be pushing so hard to get to the notes and wearing yourself out.

Too much head

In head voice, you’re not going to get a contemporary sound, and your voice will be weak in the low notes.

Too much pharyngeal

In pharyngeal, you’ll sound way too nasally.

The best place your voice can live is in the centre space where the three resonant qualities meet, and are working together for one purpose. This balances the voice and allows us to sing in a contemporary sound that is similar to our speaking voice tone.

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HEAD

PHAR

YNGE

ALCHEST

HEAD

PHAR

YNGE

ALCHEST

HEAD

PHAR

YNGE

ALCHEST

NOTES

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________


When we sing songs, so often all our bad habits come flooding back! Scales are designed to make your voice comfortable with the placement of the resonance in the right places. We’re creating new muscle memory—new defaults for your voice to learn and apply!

Tips for rehearsing a worship song:

1. Choose a worship song. 2. Identify a problem spot. 3. Ask yourself: what is the issue? Is there a dominant resonator that is creating

problems for the voice? (Am I pushing up my chest voice in the chorus? Am I pulling down my head voice in the verse?)

4. Ask yourself: what resonator can I access in order to free up my voice? (If I’m pushing up chest voice, I need to access head and pharyngeal resonance to free up the voice.)

5. Replace the lyrics with an exercise that achieves the desired result. Get your mind out of thinking about what the song should sound like, and just focus on making sound and finding a more relaxed place in your voice!

6. Sing the lyrics immediately after doing the exercise on the same line of the song.

7. Sing the lyrics only, focusing on accessing the same resonant placement as you just found.

Singing doesn’t have to be hard. We make it way more difficult than it needs to be. If you place the note in the right resonant space, it will feel easy!

Remember that just singing songs doesn’t actually make you a better singer, because it doesn’t get to the foundation—the core of your voice—which is where most of us need the most work. The scales and exercises will build new foundations into your voice, and once you have the building blocks in place, you’ll be able to sing anything you want and it will feel easy!

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SONG APPLICATION


Which resonant quality is the strongest in your voice? Do you tend to lean toward one of the resonators or have you found a balance of resonance?

☐ Chest

☐ Head

☐ Pharyngeal

☐ My voice has a balance of resonance.

Which area(s) do you need to strengthen the most?

☐ Chest

☐ Head

☐ Pharyngeal

☐ Edge coordination (if your edges are weak, issues will show up in resonance!)

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HEAD

MIX

“WAH”POWERPUNCH

PHAR

YNGE

AL

“OO”FREEDOMEASE

CHEST

“YEAH”RICHNESS

DEPTH

ASSESSMENT


The final workout! Aim to do it 4 times this week. This vocal workout combines everything we’ve learned in this course, with a couple new mix voice exercises designed to really blend all three resonators together. No need to do the lip rolls warmup before you start—I’ve incorporated the lip rolls into this workout.

This will warm up your voice and work out all the areas we’ve covered in the previous workouts: chest, head and pharyngeal resonance, and edge coordination. Remember that we’re working to create a mix voice, which is a blend of all the resonators, and it’s the sound that’s used by most contemporary artists and worship leaders today. It sounds like you’re singing in high chest voice tones, but with release and ease in the high notes. There’s a deeper compression of the vocal cords—an edgier sound than we normally have in the head voice.

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Week 6: Mix Voice & The Song

Day 1Watch Lesson 7 video Do mix voice workout

☐ ☐

Day 2 Do mix voice workout ☐Day 3 Do mix voice workout ☐

MIX VOICE WORKOUT


Don’t sing higher or lower than you can comfortably and freely. Allow your voice to find freedom and strength in these exercises over time! If there are specific areas of weakness you know of, make sure to go back and do the previous workouts (i.e. chest voice, head voice, etc.) on a regular basis.

Lip rolls long scale

Let your voice be super relaxed as you allow the vocal cords to warm up!

NG hum 5-tone scale

Like the end of the word soNG. Feel that pharyngeal resonance in your nose, and keep it very relaxed.

YEAH 5-tone scale

Nice and deep. Drop that jaw!

BUH 5-tone scale descending

The sound should be resonating in the mouth. Make it choppy, staccato.

GOO octave scale descending Let the resonance sit in your head voice, and use that G consonant to find grip!

GOO long scale

Remember to stay relaxed and don’t force your voice into the high notes. Allow your voice find freedom and agility through these scales.

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MIX VOICE EXERCISES


GOO / GEE double long scale Take a nice, big breath in between each scale and aim for that clear, focused head voice tone so there’s not extra breath coming through.

WOH edgy octave scale

Let your voice take on that edgy, vocal fry texture throughout the scale.

NG staccato long scale Let that resonance sit in the pharyngeal cavity, and make sure the beginning of each one has that edgy, textured quality.

NAY octave scale

Make sure it has a bright, edgy, clear tone. Don’t let it sound too normal!

WAH octave scale descending Just cry like a baby and lean into that pharyngeal!

NG legato / NAY double long scale

Pace yourself as you do this! Take nice big breaths between each scale, stay relaxed and don’t try to make it sound too normal. Let it sound ugly! The pharyngeal resonator is what’s going to give your voice strength and connection as you go through the bridge.

MEH / MUM double long scale

This is going to start balancing and normalizing the tone in your voice, so we can engage all three resonators— chest, head and pharyngeal—for that beautiful mix voice tone throughout the range.

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Which exercises feel easiest? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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NOTES

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________



What do you hear?

Do you hear a rich, deep tone in the chest voice exercises? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Do you hear a relaxed, clear tone in the head voice exercises? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Do you hear a powerful, nasally tone in the pharyngeal voice exercises? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Do you hear an edgy, textured quality in the edge exercises? _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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EXTRA CHALLENGE!



“Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.” (Sam Ewing)

Wow! Good for you for completing this course! Hopefully you’ve seen some breakthroughs in your voice and that you’ve been given some tools to achieve the voice that you want to have! And don’t stop now! Take the time—week by week, month by month—to keep doing the vocal exercises. If they're done properly and consistently, they will revolutionize your voice. I have never seen students not improve drastically when they are diligent to work at it! I’ve seen thousands of students find incredible freedom and dramatic breakthroughs in their voices through the Singing Success exercises and methodology. I’m a believer. I’ve seen it in my own voice, I’ve seen it in my students’ voices, and I’m excited for you to find more breakthroughs in your voice!

So keep working on your voice and don’t hesitate to ask for help! I encourage you to engage in all that The Worship Vocalist has to offer: further courses, webinars, song tutorials, and private coaching.

I commend you for investing in your skill, in your worship team, and in your church! I’ve talked about a lot of practical things, but be encouraged in the fact that we have something far greater than that. We have a God who is on our side, who cares deeply about us, and who cares deeply about the congregations that we are leading week in week out. He cares about the little things, the details, the things we don’t think to include Him in, the things we think we don’t need to bother Him with.

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CONCLUSION


God cares about your vocal training! He cares that we take the time to further our skills, and that we do not offer sacrifices to Him that us nothing (2 Samuel 24:24). If you come with humility, a desire to improve, and if you're diligent to put in the time and the work behind the scenes, you are absolutely in a place where you can and should ask God to put His supernatural ability on your natural!

Ask God to be your vocal coach… and you just might experience your voice doing things you didn’t think it could do in a moment of leading your congregation!

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Have you noticed improvement in your voice? In what ways?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Go back to your 3 goals that you set at the beginning of the course. Which goal(s) do you feel like you’ve taken a step towards, as you’ve been working through this course and the vocal workouts?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

What was the most interesting thing you learned?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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LOOKING BACK & LOOKING AHEAD


Moving forward, what is a realistic commitment for how often you can work out your voice?

☐ 1 x / week

☐ 2 x / week

☐ 3 x / week

☐ 4 x / week

☐ 5 x / week

Now, do it!

Schedule it in and keep to your schedule! 5 or 10 minutes of vocal workout is better than nothing—the goal is to create new muscle memory in the voice, so the more often you do it, the quicker the new habits will become instinctive for your voice.

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Make sure to post your goals, breakthroughs, observations and questions online so others can learn from you!

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