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The Singin Guru – An Xperience Column

Written by Staff on June 9, 2024

The Singin Guru – An Xperience Column – by Jeff and Crystal Moore.

Dear Singin’ Guru,

I have just started singing karaoke, and there are songs that I’d like to sing but I just can’t hit the high notes. I’m a dude by the way.

Signed,

Wanna Get High Dude

Dear Mr. Dude,

Here’s the scoop—you can’t hit those notes because your cricothyroid (CT) muscles are slacking off, like a couch potato during a TV binge. Your CT muscles control your head voice which is singing that sounds lighter, less weighty, even falsetto-like. When we’re talking, we mainly use our chest voice which is powered by thyroarytenoid (TA) muscles.
Mr. Dude, don’t try to power through to higher notes by belting, because that’s not doing your voice any favors in the long run. It doesn’t take too long (a couple of months on average) to learn how to switch between chest and head semlessly, especially with a good coach guiding you.
Once you’ve got that down, pinpoint the high notes you’re aiming for, and start working on some safe, stretchy exercises for your voice. Lip trills and the straw exercise are solid starters—they’re like the vocal equivalent of stretches before a workout. Dr. Ingo Titze’s got some great tutorials on these–check him out on YouTube. Just remember, if you start feeling any pain or lose your voice, call in the pros. The Singin’ Guru wishes you the best in hittin’ the highs, Mr. Dude!

Dear Singin’ Guru,

I play guitar, and I really want to sing while I play but when I do, I suck. How come other people can do this and make it look easy? What can I do?

Sincerely,

Can’t Rub My Belly and Pat My Head at the Same Time

Dear Ms. Belly Rub,

There is no doubt that putting your playing and singing together is like rewiring your brain’s multitasking abilities. Remember when you first tried to play guitar and tapping your foot felt as complicated as performing a circus act while piloting a jet?
But after a year, foot tapping became second nature. It was all about repetition and plowing through frustration. Frustration is the engine that forces your brain and body to rewire and grow–the RIGHT frustration level. So, it’s good to be frustrated – but not so much that you start destroying property.
Try this: 1) Decide you want to master this. Make a commitment. 2) Choose a verse or chorus from a song that you will stick with until mastered. Don’t be tempted to jump around to another tune. Sing without playing, and then play without singing until you have mastered both. 4) Now do the training – spend 10-15 minutes a day combining the two until you’ve got it down path. It’s not about quantity of practice – it is about consistency, repetition, and FOCUS. Get a daily dose, my friend.
Just stick with this method, and I promise, you’ll see yourself growing into this dual skill set. Like learning to tap your foot without thinking, soon you’ll be strumming and singing without missing a beat.

The Singin’ Guru welcomes your questions! Email Jeff at jeff@peakmusicstudios.com Peak Music Studios offers high quality voice lessons for adults of all levels. Check us out at peakmusicstudios.com.