Explore the Michelle Ostrove Blog

The aspirate onset is the soft vocal onset; it is the breathy singing voice like Marilyn Monroe. This is a fancy way of saying that you start with an “h” sound. The aspirate vocal onset happens when the vocal folds (cords) come together after the airflow has started to pass through. Let’s do a little exercise, if you sing “Hey Jude” from the Beatles song; start with Hey, notice the vocal folds (cords) opening as you sing the H and…

All types of music can be broken down into different techniques and stylistic choices. Contemporary music singers use a few different techniques to create their unique sound. What kind of music is contemporary music? The genres would include: pop, soul, r&b, rock, jazz, blues, electronic/dance, hip-hop, funk and country. Each genre uses the following four techniques to create their own unique sound. The first technique is vocal fry; this technique is used to create a sultry, raspy sound. You can…

Practicing is absolutely VITAL to take you to the next level. To become an amazing singer or pianist, there is only one way to get there…yes, practice daily! What you put into it is what you will get out of it. First thing to do is change your mind set about practice; think of it as an exciting time to enrich your brain, expand your mind and enlighten you soul. Practice as often as you can. If you start with…

The dreaded vocal breaks in the voice can be a singer’s worst nightmare. It’s when your voice loses connection, your throat muscles constrict and you lose control of the sound, it cuts off. Sometimes your voice will crack or you can hear a shift in the voice to a terribly weak or thin sound. It’s important to understand what causes the problem and how to fix it when you sing. When these things happen your throat is constricting, the muscles…

Most music genres could sound better in utilizing a controlled voice. Some country and pop stars have a very nasal sounding voice. You can determine the big difference between a nasal voice and a non-nasal voice by plugging your nose while singing. Nasality is used in some genres of music. A lazy soft palate results in a nasal sound Everyone has a slightly different quality to their voice. People that speak with a nasal voice can sound as though they’re…

The number one difference between a good singer and a great singer who leaves an impact on someone’s life is singing with true feeling and emotion. To really connect with the audience, a singer must dig deep and connect with their own true emotions. Connecting with your own emotions will take your performance to the next level. The same goes for a pianist, the difference between a good pianist and a great pianist is the feeing and emotion that comes…

When a singer is singing in their head voice it is described as vibration felt in the upper half of your face. It is the sound that you experience in your skull or your head when you are singing at a high voice level. If you try to make a siren sound like “WEE-oww” or Waaaaaahhhhhh”, you will feel the vibration in your head. The definition of singing in falsetto is a method of singing (usually a male singer) higher…

It is possible to expand your vocal range at any age. If you just started singing or maybe you’ve been singing for a decade, you can always work on extend your vocal range. There are a few things you need to do to lengthen your singing range higher and lower. First, it is very important to use proper technique, which means keeping your larynx in a rest position, never forcing it up or down (allowing it to rise or fall…

From a young age, singers will mimic or try to sing like some of their favorite artists. You can develop your own unique style by copying other artists. Any artist will tell you they got their own style by first copying their favorite stars. Here’s what to do: Create a list with 5 or 6 of your favorite singers; choose the ones you want to sound like. Make sure their voices resonant with you. Once you’ve built your list of…

First, you need to know that difference between a run and a riff. Lots of singers use runs and riffs to enhance the song they are singing. They are both a melodic sequence of notes. How do you tell the difference between the two? The difference is in the length of the sequence of notes. A run is a long sequence of notes starting high and dropping quickly (within a second or two) through the scale down to lower notes.…