lisapopeil's blog posts

Sometimes going old skool can be putting your best foot forward.

Ask any singer what their number 1 concern is and it’ll probably be ‘high notes’. Simple, direct, understandable.

Oversinging

The term ‘oversinging’ is often bandied about especially when criticizing an ‘American Idol’ contestant or certain singers of the National Anthem. It can be a confusing concept because it actually means two different things. Oversinging can mean singing too loudly, often called ‘pushing’ but also refers to singers who overuse vocal embellishments such as licks, riffs and runs.

Vocal Fold Closure Techniques - VIDEO!

Lisa Popeil demonstrates vocal fold closure technique and how you can use it in your voice technique.

Myth-Busting

“THROAT SPRAYS HELP ME SING BETTER”

The Wow Factor

We’ve all witnessed performers whose mesmerizing effect sometimes outweigh their musical abilities. What is that special something that reaches out and grabs the audience by the neck and won’t let go? We could call it the ‘wow factor’ and I want to suggest some ideas on how anyone can learn to amp up their own wowosity to create unforgettable performances.

Belting Basics Part 2

As I stated in my last article (Belting Basics Part 1), the broadest definition of belting may be the best: carrying a speech-like or yell-like sound to the top of one’s range. It is usually loud and resonant but not always. The point is that belting can be many things. There are even belting substyles which can be mastered for artistic effect (e.g. heavy belt, nasal belt, ringy belt, brassy belt and speech-like belt).

Belting Basics Part 1

Commercial singers outside of the musical theater world may wonder what belting is and isn’t. To be completely truthful, that same conversation is very common even IN the musical theater world! Traditionally, belting was the term used to describe a loud, resonant yelling vocal sound used in a live stage setting without amplication. The contrary style was (and is) called ‘legit’, a term with a built-in negative bias.

Jaw Action in Singing

The jaw is a powerful player in singing. Betcha didn’t know that most people can generate a minimum of one hundred and fifty pounds of force between their teeth with the world record for human bite strength being 965 pounds. The muscle in charge is the masseter muscle which is located on the sides of your face.

Singing Technique Cults

I just got back from Dresden, Germany, the site of the 2009 Pan-European Voice Conference. Dresden is a gorgeous city, formerly in East Germany, rebuilt from the ruins of WWII.

Forming Vowels: Fishes & Smileys

If you’re the kind of singer who doesn’t move your lips much no matter what the words are, I have a few tips which will make your diction clearer and your output louder, all without sounding like you’re standing on a musical theater stage.

Trick Notes for Singers

Have you ever noticed that certain adjacent notes in your range differ noticeably in volume? For instance, are your Bbs strong and your Bs weak? If so, you may be a singer with 'trick notes'. These volume imbalances can result if your vocal tract aka your resonator (throat, mouth and nose) resonate certain notes too well which can make adjacent notes weaker by comparison.

Pushing- what is it?

Pushing is another one of those ‘I know it when I hear it’ words, I thought it was about time I looked into what happens when vocalists ‘push’.

What is Vocal Straining?

The word ‘straining’ is often used when critiquing a singer. What does it mean? Well, it depends on who you ask. Joe Q Public uses the word often this way: “I went on a monster roller-coaster, screamed my head off and really strained my voice.” In that meaning, straining refers to hurting the vocal cords resulting in throat pain and a cracking voice.

Onstage Alter-Ego

How many performers do you know who seem to have an alter-ego when they get up on stage? In the real world: shy and awkward, on stage: wild, confident, gods. I've seen this several times with performers who are really talented and for whatever brain-wiring reason, can't look you in the face in the 'real' world.