Explore the Michelle Ostrove Blog

You need breath control to sustain or hold a note. There are two ways to hold a note, the first is with vibrato which is a fluctuation in pitch. The second way to hold a note is the opposite of singing with vibrato, it is singing with a straight tone or what I call holding the note solid in the tone with no fluctuation in pitch. Holding a note with no vibrato is not as easy as you think. If…

There is such a thing as vocal color; it is the distinct quality of tone that gives color and personality to your voice. Every voice has its own unique timbre. Once you have established good vocal technique you need to add different shades of color. It’s like adding highlights to your hair. It’s wonderful when you are gifted with flexible and colorful voice, but if you don’t have a beautiful singing voice, it can be developed. You can expand your…

Every singer has experienced the one place in a song that is a struggle. You know that part is coming up and you dread it! There is always going to be a section in every song that needs work and preparation before singing or playing the song live. How do you work through a troubled area in a song. The first thing you need to do is find out what the problem is. Is it range? Is it the phrasing?…

When a person has the determination, it means they have made a firm decision, set a goal and will not waver from the pursuit of achieving the goal. Whether it’s playing the piano, becoming a great singer, songwriter, or putting together a killer band, the artists who make it happen had a determination to make it happen. Determination gives you the motivation to get up in the morning and work hard at your goal. Pushing through every obstacle that gets…

There are many ways to improve your singing. There are a few things that are very important to build a solid vocal foundation. A singer’s pitch, emotion, diaphragm and breath support. Each of these components deals with a different aspect of singing. Pitch relies on your hearing, emotion deals with your feelings, diaphragm and breath support is improved through the muscles around the rib cage, diaphragm and abdominal muscles. The first important area of singing is to sing on pitch.…

There are three exercises that really strengthen your voice when you sing. The bubble or lip trill and tongue trill are my top two exercises. The third exercise is the straw technique and it can really impact your voice The straw exercise helps to strengthen your voice in so many different ways. I know it sounds silly, but it really works! There are many benefits from using this technique. The straw partially blocks air from coming out which creates a…

Every singer has experienced the dreaded crack or break in their voice. It can be embarrassing and also frustrating when this happens. It’s important to try and stay in the moment, but often the incident will cause a shift in your mind and attack your self-confidence. As a vocalist work on mastering the art of moving from one register to another smoothly without a break or shift in the voice (it’s called passaggio). There are two places, first one is…

Everyone is born with certain links or connections in the brain which effects their abilities and also their weaknesses. The good news is these weaknesses can be altered by extensive practice. So, if you think you cannot sing or do not have the talent, there is a way to strengthen your weaknesses. If you think you have no musical talent to play the piano, you will never know until you try. It’s the same with songwriting, try and try until…

Singing involves a vocal mechanism that is comprised of three voice subsystems. We have all heard about diaphragm support, but it’s actually more than just your diaphragm. You have an air pressure system that works together for breath support, a vibratory system and the resonating system. The air pressure system includes the diaphragm, muscles around the chest area, muscles around the rib cage, abdominal muscles and the lungs. The abdominal muscles are the primary muscles used when you exhale. The…

I’m sure you have heard the saying “you can’t love someone else until you love yourself.” You have to feel it in order to project it to someone else. To put emotion into your singing or playing piano, you must feel the emotion yourself. Whether it’s joy, sadness, longing, pain, love, etc., you must feel it in order to release it to others. You have to feel the song and take the audience on an emotional journey with you. For…