Michelle Ostrove Vocal & Piano Studio

BLENDING YOUR VOICE

Every solo singer needs to be able to transition between the head and chest voice. Blending your voice from one register to another with ease and eliminate a shift in sound. Also, if multiple people are singing together, the voices need to blend together while harmonizing. Many singers experience a sudden change in tone moving from one register to another. This is caused by vocal tension and lack of good vocal technique. Using good vocal exercises like the Bubble (lip…

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2 WAYS TO CHANGE YOUR VOCAL TONE

Vocal tone is the sound of your voice as you sing. Everyone has a unique and individual voice because of the natural shape of the vocal tract and sinus structure. That is why families that sing together blend well; their physical structure is similar. There are two ways a singer can work on changing their vocal tone. The first technique used to change your tone is by the way you shape your lips (mouth), tongue, and other articulators.  Manipulating the…

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SINGING WITH AN OPEN THROAT

Every singer should know how to move from one register to another with ease. The ability to move from low to high notes without any vocal restriction is something that needs to be taught. It is not something that happens naturally. To sing through registers requires you to keep an open throat. As you move from the chest to middle register, or middle to head register, the throat muscles sometimes constrict. When the throat muscles constrict, the air way closes…

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SINGING IN MAJOR & MINOR KEYS

What is the difference between singing in a major key, verses singing in a minor key? When singing a song in a major key, the tone of the song will have a brighter, cheery sound. Whereas, the minor key will have a sad, mysterious or menacing sound. Every major key has a particular chord structure, and each chord has three or four notes in it. The chord consists of the first (root), third and fifth note. If it is a…

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KNOW YOUR VOCAL RANGE

The greatest singers in the world can’t sing every note. You may not be able to sing every note, but you should know your vocal range. Your vocal range is the distance between the highest and lowest notes that you can sing well. You’ll never hear a professional singer straining for a high note or a low note, because they choose songs in their range. A tell-tale of an amateur singer is not knowing what their range is and choosing…

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SINGING WITH CONSISTENCY

It’s important to always sing with consistency. Your overall sound needs to be good throughout the entire song. Mumbling through the verses with pitch issues, but then nailing the chorus will leave a bad impression for your audience. You must sing with a strong, powerful and accurate performance. You need volume, tone, pitch, breath and diaphragm support throughout the song. If you want to improve your singing work on consistency in every song you sing. Be aware of what you…

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WHAT IS TIMBRE IN YOUR VOICE?

What is timbre? The melody, harmonies and dynamics add to the subject matter and emotional structure of a song. Timbre adds to the tone color and distinct quality of sound in the song, making the singers voice uniquely identifiable. There is a distinct difference in sound from one brand of piano to the next. A Baldwin has a somewhat tinny sound, whereas the Steinway has a warm and rich sound. You could make that comparison with most instrument brands. The…

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FINDING YOUR AUDIENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is one of the best ways to launch new products, songs, album, band and artists. It’s important to find you target audience. The internet has made marketing so much easy and it’s right at your fingertips. Here are some great tips to find your audience on social media as a singer and/or songwriter. There are four main categories for finding your target audience: demographic, psychographic, behavioral and geographic segmentation. The demographic segmentation deals with the type of consumer’s…

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HOW TO HOLD A STRAIGHT TONE

Do you want to hold notes longer and hold the note with control? Holding a note with minimal vibrato or no vibrato with energy and pulsation is called holding a note with a straight tone. It’s all about controlling your voice when you sing. Singing with a straight tone can be a valuable way for singers to improve technique and focus. How do you control your voice and sing with a straight tone. Use the words nee, no, noo and…

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FINDING YOUR PASSION

A primary ingredient for success is passion, “find your passion and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Passion is energy and it comes in many ways. If you are passionate about being a singer or musician, listen to the successful people who have been down that road. You need to figure out what you are passionate about. There are many different jobs for singers, songwriters and musicians. If you love to write songs but are not comfortable performing…

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