The Intelligent Vocalist

The world of the working musician is competitive, and the best singer does not always get the job. You need to be a top-level professional in both skills and attitude. James Eager is a veteran bass player in the UK music scene and the creator of ebassguitar.com , a leading music education site. In this episode, John and James discuss working with other musicians and what band leaders are looking f...

There comes a period in a singer's development where the mind becomes the challenge rather than the voice. Reaching the highest levels requires a mindset that is quite different from the beginning or intermediate singer. In the episode, John discusses what to work and focus on as you transition to advanced levels.

Range is often the yardstick singers use to measure themselves and others. But range alone does not a singer make. In this episode, John is joined by voice Teacher Matt Ramsey to discuss developing vocal range, its place in the singer's skill set, and why it may not be as important as you think. EPISODE LINKS: Matt Ramsey Website

Both professional and amateur singers have misconceptions about singing. From breathing to belting, misconceptions can lead singers down rocky paths. In this episode, John discusses his top five vocal misconceptions and how you can get focused and clear about your singing.

Singing higher is usually at the top of the goal list for singers but they are often unsure how to extend their range. Range has two primary elements, the physical and the acoustic, and both need to be balanced to create vocal freedom. In this episode, John gives his best tips and exercises to safely and consistently reach your upper register.

Voice lessons are an essential part of improving as a singer. However, lessons are not cheap, and you want to make sure you get the maximum benefits and results. In this episode, John gives his best tips to increase your learning and get the most out of your voice lessons.

If you have spent any time learning to sing, you know the larynx can be incredibly difficult to control. There's also the question of how high or low should the larynx be? In this episode, John helps you understand the larynx and gives his tips to get better control of your singing.

Pulled chest voice is a singing condition most vocalists struggle with. But what is the definition of pulled chest, and how do you solve the problem? In this episode, John discusses the root issues of pulled chest and his best exercises for correcting this vocal imbalance.

As the joke goes, getting older is better than the alternative. But aging brings new challenges to the singing voice.   Nancy Bos has co-authored a new book Singing Through Change (with Joanne Bozeman and Cate Frazier-Neely) that tackles this subject with a focus on the female voice.   Nancy and John discuss the aging voice and issues such as range, flexibility, and vibrato.

What should I work on? This is a question singers ask themselves each time they enter the practice room. In this episode, John breaks down 5 essentials that all skilled singers should possess.

Eliminating vocal cracks and breaks is the #1 issue for most singers.  In this episode, John discusses the main causes of vocal cracking and gives his best advice for smoothing out your voice throughout your full range.

Positive, focused energy is vital for good singing, but there is so much in our lives that saps this precious resource. Social media, stress, and negative thinking are just some of the ways we sabotage our energy resources. In this episode, John discusses how to revitalize and protect your focused energy so you can have positive practice sessions and performances.

Natalie Weiss is one of the most popular vocal coaches on YouTube. Her videos have been viewed over 30 million times. In this episode, Natalie and John discuss how to learn pop style and vocal riffs, as well as her brand new course "Breaking Down the Riffs." EPISODE LINKS Breaking Down the Riffs Course

Shannon Coates is not only a brilliant educator, she is also down-to-earth, funny, and delivers high-level concepts with easy-to-understand language. In this episode, John and Shannon discuss practical voice pedagogy and how knowledge can help singers flourish. SHOW LINKS: Shannon Coates' Website and Courses

One of the significant challenges of singing is that it is sensation-based, especially vocal resonance. These sensations in the human voice can be tricky as they are not easy for everyone to feel and often don't present themselves until you are singing correctly.  In this episode, John gives simple exercises to increase awareness of your resonators, their sympathetic vibrations, and to improve you...

The quality of our singing is directly related to the quality of our thoughts.  Insecurity, doubt, or hesitation can quickly derail our vocal efforts. In this episode, John talks with celebrity voice teacher, Michael Goodrich about the science of the brain and getting the mind ready for singing. Show Links The Inner Singer

Great lyricists use words not just for rhyme schemes or emotional context but for musical color. Finding the right shade and intensity level of a word will boost your singing to a new world of artistic expression. In this episode, John discusses how to break down a song to find the right vowel shades for balance, intensity, and the highest levels of musical and emotional impact.

Jamila Ford is an experienced singer with a long list of credits, including Seal and the Coachella Festival. Jamila brings the perspective of a successful working singer to her podcast audience (The Working Singer) and her lucky voice students.

Just as in life, music and singing will bring disappointments. Most of these disappointments are not in our control, but that doesn't mean we can't get back on track. In this episode, John discusses how to handle setbacks and why self-forgiveness can be a powerful step in moving forward.

Teachers and singers often struggle to fix a vocal issue because the root cause has been misdiagnosed or missed completely. Making a proper assessment of your or a student's voice is an essential step in finding your way forward. In this episode, John talks with Chris Johnson of the Naked Vocalist podcast on his detailed assessment method and how you can more accurately discover what's happening i...

It can be difficult to know what to practice, especially if you are having a bad vocal day. In this episode, John breaks down a recent practice session and how he analyzed and corrected his vocal issues  

A full, rich-sounding voice is highly sought after by singers. But what if you find your voice to be thin or nasal? In this episode, John explains what causes a thin tone and his best tips to make your voice fuller and richer.

Almost every creative endeavor carries the question, "am I good enough? Do I have talent?" This feeling of not being good enough has caused many worthy voices to stumble and go quiet. In this episode, John discusses the role of talent in singing and why your fear of not being talented enough should never stop you from expressing yourself.  

Our minds can be a terrible place to live. Constant chatter, worry, and criticism are the opposite of what we need to practice and create music with our voice. In this episode, John discusses how to calm the mind and find a state of flow to help you practice and sing at your best.

Getting stuck in chest voice or the lower register is a common problem for developing singers. Much work is devoted to lightening this part of the voice to reduce yelling and strain on higher notes. But many singers develop a fear of their chest voice and avoid its full power for fear of overloading and straining their voice. In this episode, John discusses the need to initially get the chest voic...