master your voice course workbook - the worship vocalist

01INTRODUCTION

01 IntroductIonDISCOVER YOUR VOICE

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Welcome to “Discover Your Voice”!I’m so glad you’re here! Are you ready to SERIOUSLY take your voice to another level? Are you ready to ELIMINATE vocal issues and distractions so that you can lead worship with CONFIDENCE?! Well, get ready… because here we go!

You should already be proud of yourself (and I’m proud of you!) for embarking on this course! If you’re like me (and most singers), you have some frustrations and struggles with your voice... or things you’re “ok” at, but you would love to be better at. Perhaps your leader has suggested that you get some training to improve certain areas in your singing. Or maybe you’re a worship pastor or director and you’re looking for ways to take your team to the next level.

That’s what this course is for—to help you on your way to vocal success. To help you build confidence and strength in your singing and worship leading!

Some features of the course:⊲ Video lessons with in-depth explanations and vocal demonstrations

⊲ Practical, step-by-step vocal workouts

⊲ Song application

⊲ Suggested practice schedules

⊲ Lesson notes with summaries, diagrams and extra tips

⊲ A comments section for you to ask your questions and get answers

⊲ An optional “Checkpoint” where you can get personalized feedback on your voice and vocal progress

“ A house built on a faulty foundation ends up having issue after issue, and it’s the same with the voice… so we have to make sure we build well!”

INTRODUCTION


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In this course you’ll learn how to: n understand your voice better

n build a powerful, contemporary-sounding tone

n increase your range

n improve your tone

n get rid of tension

n protect your voice from damage

n build a solid vocal foundation

n sing your favourite worship songs and make them sound GOOD!

n ... and more!!!

Why are you taking this course?___________________________________________________________________________

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What are you most excited to learn and grow in?___________________________________________________________________________

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“ Neither classical nor contemporary is inherently right or wrong, but each of them only fit well within their own context.”

It’s really important to understand the sound that we’re aiming for in contemporary worship! The contemporary sound includes worship leaders/teams like Chris Tomlin, Kari Jobe, Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture and Elevation.

Church music was traditionally sung in a more classical style, but many churches have now moved to a more contemporary style of worship. Classical and contemporary styles sound very different from one another!

CLASSICAL CONTEMPORARY

less speech-like phrasing more speech-like phrasing

head-dominant tone chest-dominant tone

lots of vibrato straight tone/subtle vibrato

legato/long held notes raw/organic/authentic

Bottom line... singing classically in a contemporary setting creates a discrepancy between the songs you’re singing and the language that you’re using to communicate with.

THE CONTEMPORARY SOUND


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Who are some of your favourite worship leaders/bands/artists? What do you notice about the sound and style of how they sing? Do they sound classical or contemporary? ___________________________________________________________________________

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What is the vision for the sound of your church worship team? Is the goal to sound classical or contemporary? (If you don’t know, ask your leader!) ___________________________________________________________________________

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Have you had classical vocal training (choir/private lessons, etc)?___________________________________________________________________________

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Do you think you sing in a contemporary style? Do you feel like your voice fits well in the context that you sing in, or is this an area for improvement? ___________________________________________________________________________

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Have you noticed that your voice doesn’t sound and feel the same every day? The voice is a human instrument, so it’s impacted by…

⊲ how hydrated you are

⊲ what you eat

⊲ how much sleep you get

⊲ how humid/dry the air is

⊲ how much stress you’re under

“ The more you can understand about your voice, the more you’ll be able to self-diagnose vocal issues and find more consistency and confidence in your singing.”

Do you find that your singing voice sounds and feels relatively consistent? Or are some days better/worse than others? ___________________________________________________________________________

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HOW YOUR VOICE WORKS


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

RESONANCEHEAD

NASALCAVITY

PHARYNX

MOUTH

LARYNX

VOCALCORDS

TRACHEA

LUNGS

DIAPHRAGM

ABDOMINALMUSCLES

VIBRATION

RESPIRATION

Resonance is the amplification of sound in the cavities above the vocal cords. 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.

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.

The larynx is an organ that sits at the top of the trachea. It’s 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're surrounded by hundreds of tiny muscles in the larynx that control them.


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Just like the voice is divided into three parts, the resonance is also divided into three parts.

Chest voice resonates primarily in the mouth. n The beauty of this resonator is the fullness, richness and

depth in the tone! It’s the basis of the contemporary sound that we hear most popular artists and worship leaders singing in.

o High notes are inaccessible with this resonator. When we try to push chest voice higher, there’s too much tension and weight on the voice when we hit the vocal bridge/transition spot—the place where you feel your chest voice hitting a ceiling (for guys, around the D, Eb, E above middle C; for girls, around the A, Bb, B above middle C).

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

n The beauty of this resonator is the feeling of freedom and release in the higher part of our range (the thing we don’t have in chest voice!).

o Low notes become weak in this resonator. When we sing in only head voice, we’re not able to access depth in the lower part of our range, and the tone tends to sound more classical than contemporary (as modern styles of music are known for their speech-like, full-tone qualities—which comes from accessing chest and pharyngeal resonance).

Pharyngeal voice resonates in the nasal pharynx and pharyngeal cavity.

n 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.

o When we use an excessive amount of pharyngeal resonance, the tone sounds too nasal.

THE THREE RESONATORS


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Instead of getting stuck singing in one resonator, it’s important to develop all three 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 the resonators. When we’re comfortable in all parts of our 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 worship leaders singing in! Learning to sing in a mix has revolutionized literally hundreds of thousands of singers’ voices—so get ready to discover what your voice is capable of!

When we sing in a mix, the tone has... n the freedom and release of head voice

n the power and punch of pharyngeal voice

n the fullness and depth of chest voice

“ The mix is what we hear so many of our favourite worship leaders singing in... but if you’re like me, I spent years having no idea how they were getting the tone that they did!”

THE MIX VOICE

NOTES

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This week’s workout is designed to efficiently warm up and stretch out your range—to prepare your voice both for more challenging vocal exercises and for singing songs. You’ll be using these exercises in all of the upcoming workouts, so get comfortable with them!

This workout is 15 minutes long. In the next lesson, we’ll be adding some new exercises to build onto the foundation of this workout, but don’t skip ahead! The more you do these exercises, the more easily your voice will be able to move onto the more advanced exercises.

A few suggestions and tips as you begin the workout: ⊲ If you’re following the 6-week suggested course schedule for “Discover Your Voice”, aim

to do this workout 3-5 times this week.

⊲ If you’re following the 12-week schedule, aim to do this workout 5-6 times over the next two weeks.

⊲ Use the simple practice log at the end of these lesson notes to log your practice, and/or use the Suggested Course Schedule to schedule and mark your workouts as completed. (Remember, when we don’t schedule things in, often they don’t happen!)

⊲ Once through the exercises per day is fine—vocal training is about quality, not quantity!

⊲ Refer to the video explanations and demonstrations as much and as often as you need to, so you can be confident that you’re doing the exercises as accurately and efficiently as possible. Watch the video demonstration for the exercise, pause the video, then do the accompanying audio exercise... and do that for each exercise one by one. You won’t need to do this every time you go through the workout, but taking the extra time at first will pay off in the long run!

⊲ In each of the exercises, only go as low and as high as feels comfortable for your voice (I can’t stress this enough!). As your voice gets stronger and more flexible, your range will expand and you’ll be able to hit those notes with power and ease. But as you begin, it’s most important that your voice remain relaxed and free from tension, so it’s important to sit out for a few scales if you need to, rather than push your voice where it doesn’t want to go (yet!).

⊲ In these notes, I’ve provided tips to make each exercise the most effective for your voice. But... don’t be overwhelmed by the number of things to think about... I’ve included as many tips and tricks as I can think of, so that if you’re having trouble with an exercise, you can refer to these tips and hopefully something on the list will help you!

WEEK 1 WORKOUT: YOUR VOCAL EXERCISE PLAN!


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⊲ Don’t be concerned if you feel disconnection or instability in your voice at first (in fact, you almost definitely will!). As your voice strengthens, you’ll feel more and more connection and stability (both in your vocal workouts and your songs!).

⊲ Remember not to aim for power or volume. Aim for freedom, relaxation, and to get the right coordinations happening in your voice. When we do the exercises correctly, the voice rewards us with power and volume!

⊲ Don’t try to “perfect” one exercise before moving onto the next one. The exercises are designed to work together to build and strengthen the voice.

Good luck with the workout! If you have questions about this lesson or about any of the exercises, make sure to post on the lesson page. And... let me know in the comments section what your favourite exercise is from this workout! Why do you like it? How does it make your voice feel?

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LIP ROLLS 5-NOTE SCALE

What’s so great about the lip roll? It takes the place of so many traditional exercises to warm up and exercise the voice—by taking pressure and strain off the vocal cords, coordinating and strengthening the vocal cords, expanding our range, and helping to erase the break between chest and head voice.

Tips to make this exercise most effective:⊲ Move up and down 5 notes.

⊲ Keep the tone clear, not breathy.

⊲ Stay relaxed. Don’t push or strain—just sit out for a few scales if you need to.

⊲ Think of it like a fast series of B’s—try it slow first, then speed it up.

⊲ Try pressing lightly on your cheeks near your mouth—this allows the lips to vibrate freely without tensing up the muscles too much.

⊲ Imagine the lip roll starting as you exhale—try sighing and “catching” the lip roll on your breath out.

⊲ Feel free to substitute a tongue trill, but make sure it’s a “forward” sound (like a fast series of “D’s”, not a swallowed, back-of-the-throat “R” sound).

EXTRA CHALLENGE

Record yourself doing this exercise, then listen back and record your observations! 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 our 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’ll see improvement! Try answering the questions on the following page early on, and then come back to the workout after you’ve done it several (or many) times, and see if you answer the questions differently!


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Are you consistently on pitch? If not, where do you go off pitch (low/middle/higher notes of the scales)? Are you able to get to the lowest and highest notes of the scales? (Remember not to push your voice! It’s totally fine if you can’t hit the lowest/highest notes at first.)___________________________________________________________________________

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How would you describe the sound of your voice in this exercise? Do you hear a clear or breathy sound? Does your voice sound connected throughout the range of these scales or is it flipping/breaking apart? (Remember, that’s normal as you begin training your voice!)___________________________________________________________________________

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What do you feel in your voice/throat/muscles as you do this exercise? Does it feel relaxed or forced? Are you able to get your lips to buzz efficiently without stopping? Does this exercise feel easy, or is it a struggle? (Don’t worry—the lip roll gets easier the more you do it!)___________________________________________________________________________

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LIP ROLLS 5-NOTE SCALE: OBSERVATIONS


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LIP ROLLS OCTAVE SCALE

What’s so great about the lip roll? It takes the place of so many traditional exercises to warm up and exercise the voice—by taking pressure and strain off the vocal cords, coordinating and strengthening the vocal cords, expanding our range, and helping to erase the break between chest and head voice.

Tips to make this exercise most effective:⊲ Move up and down on this pattern: 1-3-5-8-5-3-1.


⊲ Allow the resonance to move higher in your face as the scales get higher—don’t just push up on your chest voice!

⊲ Start in a fuller, more chest-dominant tone, then allow the resonance to shift into head voice on the top.


⊲ Think of it like a fast series of B’s—try it slow first, then speed it up.

⊲ Try pressing lightly on your cheeks near your mouth—this allows the lips to vibrate freely without tensing up the muscles too much.

⊲ Imagine the lip roll starting as you exhale—try sighing and “catching” the lip roll on your breath out.

⊲ Feel free to substitute a tongue trill, but make sure it’s a “forward” sound (like a fast series of “D’s”, not a swallowed, back-of-the-throat “R” sound).

EXTRA CHALLENGE



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How would you describe the sound of your voice in this exercise? Do you hear a clear or breathy sound? Do you hear the tone shift into a lighter head voice quality on the top notes of the scales? Does your voice sound connected throughout the range of these scales or is it flipping/breaking apart? (Remember, that’s normal as you begin training your voice!)___________________________________________________________________________

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What do you feel in your voice/throat/muscles as you do this exercise? Does it feel relaxed or forced? Are you able to get your lips to buzz efficiently without stopping? Does this exercise feel easy, or is it a struggle? (Don’t worry—the lip roll gets easier the more you do it!)___________________________________________________________________________

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LIP ROLLS OCTAVE SCALE: OBSERVATIONS


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HUMMING 5-NOTE SCALE

What’s so great about the hum? It’s a great exercise to warm up the vocal cords and resonance, and to decrease tension in the voice.

Tips to make this exercise most effective:⊲ Move up and down 5 notes.

⊲ Feel free to do it on an MM (lip buzz) or an NG (nasal buzz), whichever feels more relaxed for you.



⊲ Don’t be concerned if you feel or hear a break in your voice in this exercise. Often the voice can be stubborn for awhile… but this exercise, along with the others in this course, is designed to build balance in your voice!

EXTRA CHALLENGE



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How would you describe the sound of your voice in this exercise? Do you hear a clear or breathy sound? Does your voice sound connected throughout the range of these scales or is it flipping/breaking apart? (Remember, that’s normal as you begin training your voice!)___________________________________________________________________________

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What do you feel in your voice/throat/muscles as you do this exercise? Does it feel relaxed or forced? Does this exercise feel easy, or is it a struggle? (Don’t worry—this exercise gets easier the more you do it!)___________________________________________________________________________

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HUMMING 5-NOTE SCALE: OBSERVATIONS


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HUMMING OCTAVE SCALE

What’s so great about the hum? It’s a great exercise to warm up the vocal cords and resonance, and to decrease tension in the voice.

Tips to make this exercise most effective:⊲ Start at the top and move down on this pattern: 8-5-3-1.

⊲ Feel free to do it on an MM (lip buzz) or an NG (nasal buzz), whichever feels more relaxed for you.



⊲ Aim for the resonance to start from a lighter, more head-voice-dominant tone on the top notes.

⊲ Don’t be concerned if you feel or hear a break in your voice in this exercise. Often the voice can be stubborn for awhile… but this exercise, along with the others in this course, is designed to build balance in your voice!

EXTRA CHALLENGE



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How would you describe the sound of your voice in this exercise? Do you hear a clear or breathy sound? Do you hear the tone starting in a lighter head voice quality on the top notes of the scales? Does your voice sound connected throughout the range of these scales or is it flipping/breaking apart? (Remember, that’s normal as you begin training your voice!)___________________________________________________________________________

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What do you feel in your voice/throat/muscles as you do this exercise? Does it feel relaxed or forced? Does this exercise feel easy, or is it a struggle? (Don’t worry—this exercise gets easier the more you do it!)___________________________________________________________________________

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HUMMING OCTAVE SCALE: OBSERVATIONS


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MYTH #1 // You’ll become a better singer just by singing a lot. The voice doesn’t just happen. Great singing doesn’t just happen. You have to be intentional, and do the right things—the right vocal exercises—in order to improve. Singing a song over and over will no doubt make you a bit better at that particular song, but it won’t make you a better singer. The thing that will actually make you a better singer is... vocal exercises!

GOOD NEWS! The exercises you’ll learn in this course are designed to dramatically improve the strength, tone, flexibility and stamina of your voice!

MYTH #2 // Practice makes perfect. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent.

Perfect practice makes perfect. Correct practice makes perfect. The right practice makes perfect.

The muscles in your body have memory—they memorize what you’re doing, whether it’s right or wrong. So we need to make sure we’re building the right habits and vocal foundations into the voice—that’s what will put you on the road to more range, a more pleasant tone, and a more stable, predictable voice!

GOOD NEWS! The techniques you’ll learn in this course will help you to build the right habits and foundations into your voice!

MYTHS ABOUT SINGING


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MYTH #3 // You were either born a good singer or not. It’s true—some people are more naturally gifted at singing, sports, academics, etc, while others have to work harder at it—but here’s the good news: the biggest factor to your voice becoming great is YOU... it’s the work, time and energy you put in... doing the right things!

You don’t need to have been born a great singer to become one—hard work pays off big-time!

GOOD NEWS! The things you’ll learn in this course will help you to become a great singer—even if you feel like you aren’t naturally gifted!

MYTH #4 // The hurtful thing somebody said to you about your voice or your worship leading.If you’ve had someone say something to you or about you, first of all—it’s time to let go of the hurt and the weight of that, and secondly... know that these lessons are here to help you improve!

GOOD NEWS! These lessons will help you to improve in the areas you need to work on!

What lies/myths have you believed about your voice? How can your perspective change as you move forward?___________________________________________________________________________

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So often, we get up there to worship lead and all we can think about is our voice—what’s gone wrong, what might go wrong... you know the drill! So in order for our voice to not be an unwanted distraction (to ourselves and others), we have to discipline and train it!

“ Sing to him a new song; play skillfully.” — PSALM 33:3 (NIV)

Some people believe that heart and character are important, and that skill is nice to have, but not necessary. But the truth is… ALL of these things are important!

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money… [when his master returned, he said]... ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’” Matthew 25:14-26 (NIV)

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

“ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — EPHESIANS 2:10 (NIV)

WHY SHOULD WE WORK AT IMPROVING OUR VOICES?


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We have a God who crafts, creates and puts immense detail into his creations. We’re made in his image, and yet…

⊲ How often do we settle for mediocrity in our musicianship?

⊲ How often are we satisfied with maintaining the level of talent we’re at and not working to multiply it?

Let’s not waste an opportunity to glorify God and advance His kingdom! God isn’t expecting perfection, but as worship leaders, we have a responsibility to improve our skills so that we can create a worship environment that’s free from the distractions of singing off pitch, voices cracking and breaking, voices that don’t blend well, etc.

“ 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

NOTES

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Are you a better vocalist than you were a year ago? Are you better than you were last month? ___________________________________________________________________________

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Do you feel like (in the past) you’ve settled for mediocrity in your singing/musicianship? Have you been satisfied with maintaining the level of talent you’re at? Do you want to change that? ___________________________________________________________________________

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What is something from this lesson that made you think a little differently than you have before? ___________________________________________________________________________

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Which of these areas do you want to improve in?

SELF-ASSESSMENT & GOAL-SETTING

☐ increase your range

☐ learn to sing in a contemporary style

☐ stop pushing and straining

☐ get rid of “the break”

☐ become a worship leader

☐ gain confidence

☐ be able to sing the high/low notes in the songs you love


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What are your TOP 3 VOCAL GOALS for the coming year? Be specific!

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2. ____________________________________

3. ____________________________________

Remember—when we create something beautiful with our vocal instrument, we’re not stealing from God’s glory, we’re reflecting His glory. What a beautiful thing—that you are designed to be a reflection of God’s glory! Are you ready to embrace all that God has for you as you embark on this journey of discovering and improving your voice? Are you ready to stay positive and stay inspired? Do you expect to improve as you go through these lessons? I hope so! I’m excited for you—and I’m here to help… so make sure to post your questions and comments on the lesson page! We love to hear from you!

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PRACTICE LOG

Use this page to schedule and mark your workouts as completed, and/or use the practice log in the Suggested Course Schedule. (Remember to refer to and utilize the entire “Discover Your Voice” 6-week or 12-week plan in the Suggested Course Schedule for best results in your voice!)

6-Week Schedule

12-Week Schedule

DAY WHAT TO DODATE

SCHEDULEDDATE

COMPLETED ☑

WEEK 1: INTRODUCTION

Day 1 Watch Introduction Video (52 min)

Do Week 1 Workout (15 min) (optional, if you have time)

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Day 2 Do Week 1 Workout (15 min) ☐



DAY WHAT TO DODATE

SCHEDULEDDATE

COMPLETED ☑

WEEK 1: INTRODUCTION

Day 1 Watch Introduction Video (52 min)

Do Week 1 Workout (15 min) (optional, if you have time)

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master your voice course workbook - the worship vocalist

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