Well, there are a few things that you need to know. Maybe you have been in a band for a while and are playing in local bars, but want more. Maybe, you are just curious. This page has been created to offer help to those who love the music and would seriously like to have even the slightest chance of success in the music industry. It is for those "garage bands" that are tired of playing once a week in someone else's garage or in the corner of a warehouse. It is for those bands that cannot seem to get past playing as a house band for some local tavern.
Nothing like a live performance!
For a singer, singing ability isn't the only thing you need. Without stage presence, you'll lose an audience quick. Remember, singing and performing ate two completely different things!
Editorials list
Articles, page 1 topics:
"How to succeed in the music business"
"Singing tips for Vocalists"
Articles, page 2 topics:
"Protecting your band name and your music"
"The money go-round"
"Am I allowed to breath, without a license?"
Articles, page 3 topics:
"What? I get to be a Publisher too?
"Personal Niche: your key to success."
Please take the time to check out some of my music at the Cheyenne Music site
Also, if you would like to personally interact with me or the other visitors of this site - or simply like to ask questions, voice thoughts or opinions, etc - By all means, feel free to go to the Vixette Review forum
How to succeed in the music business
Okay, the first thing I feel that I need to state is about my old band members. I love my guys, they were and still are best of friends. The reason for our split was due to differing goals and interests... not to mention the geographical distances. They had been together for 12 years before I showed up. I was just happy to be in a really great group and didn't yet understand about goals and interests. Although we had the common trait of having a love for the music and performing our original stuff, they wanted about 5 - 10% original music in their routine, while I wanted 90 - 95%. Our interests were the same in many ways, we both loved the genre in which we performed and the type of original music we did. Yet, our goals could not have been further apart. Me: I had to have the recordings, the almost exclusive original music thing, a lot less touring, touring in bigger places (Quality, not quantity). They were quite content with hopping from one nightclub to the next, from coast to coast, singing cover tunes for free beer and just enough money for food, gas and a night in a hotel room... to the tune of 4-5 nights a week! My idea is for 4-5 nights a month... maybe 2-3 out of town.
The genre was something I never thought I would be doing. I used to hate country. While I had my roots in classic rock-n-roll, and vocal training in opera, I began singing professionally in Jazz and Blues. Through a twist of fate, like it or not, I discovered that I was a country girl. I tried it and loved it. But still, I had to mix my rock-n-roll roots and my jazz and blues into the pot. In Cheyenne, we had two lead guitarists who felt the same way, their influences were Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughn.
Sure, I had done stuff before them, but never like them. Never before did I love it so much. And never before had I learned so much. Since I have been with them, I have opened for Mark Wills, Terry Clark & Kenny Chesney; recorded 3 separate CDs; on the verge of signing a serious contract with Sony... I have even sang the National Anthem at a Dolphins/Jets game in front of 54,236 people! Believe me, I've been dealing with music more than long enough to have learned learn several VERY important rules. These "rules" have proven themselves to be essential for anyone who ever decides they want to get out of their garage.
These rules are:
1) (WORK) It's allot of hard work and often the only reward is the enjoyment in the knowledge that you got to do something that you love. Most groups never leave their garage, never see a penny, never record a single song and never get a contract. If playing for the love of it isn't enough reward by itself; hang up your guitar strings, you are in the wrong business. Sure, I'd like to make billions and have 5 songs on the top 20 billboard charts instead of the Internet charts. But, if that's the best I get, that's okay too. I got to do something and be a part of something most people can only dream about doing. It is a business, even if we don't make any money.
2) (DEDICATION) That should go without saying. Each member of the group should have a similar degree of dedication. One guy that is always too busy to join you does not belong, for he will only hold you back. If you want to be a garage band that practices once a week with cover tunes and that is what your goals mandate, then fine, but you all need to show up that once per week. But, if you want to make a few recordings, sing in huge venues and actually have people hear and love your stuff, you will need allot more dedication than once per week.
3) (COMMITMENT) Can you say, "With this ring I thee wed?" That's what a real band is all about. It really isn't that different than a marriage, except it is a marriage of more than two people, committed to the same ends. Difficulties, problems, longevity all part of the mix. Plus, each member must be willing to do what it takes to attain your goal with the similar degree of commitment and dedication. The sad thing is, in order to really succeed, there is a good chance that any outside relationships could severely suffer: husbands/wives and boyfriends/girlfriends may not last very long. There will likely come a time where you may be forced to make a choice. What will your choice be: The music or your love life? I recently split up with my fiance, one of the reasons for this was because of the way he would roll his eyes, if I so much as mentioned my music. All the members of your band need to decide to what degree of dedication you are willing to go and what you all would be willing to lose or give up to attain your goals.
4) (COMPROMISE) Expect to have a few creative differences. Voting is good, but a vote doesn't always work were feelings and emotions are concerned. If someone feels strongly enough about something, it should be reconsidered. For example, one of the songs written by Paul McCartney, originally entitled, "Scrambled eggs," was rejected by every other member of the Beatles. John eventually said, "Okay, but you need to change the name." "Yesterday" became an instant, overnight hit recording. I cannot begin to count the hit songs that were originally thought of as undesirable. Be willing and open to working as a team and as a group.
5) (FRIENDSHIP) I don't care how good someone is or how much you think you need them, if you don't like them, personally, your band will never make it. One of the biggest mistakes most bands make is in the thinking that if you get a bunch of really great musicians together you will succeed. In baseball, the Mets tried that a few years ago and ended up in last place. They couldn't click together, they couldn't gel and they certainly could not play well together. They did set the major league record for most errors in a season though. Remember the marriage part? As a valid group, if you want longevity and a slight chance of attaining your goals, you MUST be able to love being with each other, outside of the music. Monday night football, tossing back a few beers; parties; birthdays; holidays; nightclubs; trips to God knows where and just plain ole sitting back and being able to talk to each other for hours is required for success. Also, most bands overlook this rule when they audition new talent. They have some guy that they don't even know play some killer Jimmy Page guitar lick and everyone thinks he's great and a must have... they seem to miss the fact that he is also a mega asshole and no one likes him personally, until he has been with the group for two months and you are opening at a new place this weekend. Auditions should begin over lunch or drinks or something else casual, just as a "get to know each other" session. If you like him/her, then invite them to an actual audition.
6) (NO SEX BETWEEN BAND MEMBERS) I cannot begin to fathom how many bands break up, because one or more members have slept together. It is, definitely, a cardinal sin in the music business and a sure way to lose band members. Plus, I also know that allot of band members have a tendency to try to find someone in the audience to seduce for a night. Although it is proper for the band to mingle with the audience, get to know people and be friendly - it helps to promote the band, get you known and build a fan base - it is not wise to get that friendly... especially for your married or involved members. Besides, being a woman, I know the possible hurt feelings and resentment from a would-be fan feeling that they were just used for a night... and that can severely hurt your band. Sure, you may be single, unattached and you meet a really special person and one thing leads to the other... that's okay; I just do not advise you to do that on a regular basis. Oh, this should go without saying... don't sleep with other band member's Wives/husbands, GFs/BFs, either!
7) (LISTEN) a) as in listen to each other: your thoughts, your feelings. Each member is a valid person, equal to all the others. Everyone has valid points that another may not be aware or agree. I can't begin to count all the bands that break up because of "Creative differences." Back to rule #4, the compromise thing again... Also, listen, b) as in listen to your sound... objectively. Sure you may think you are the best thing to hit the music business since the Beatles or Elvis, yet you may still need a lot of work for anyone else to think so. That requires actually LISTENING to our own music... really listening.
8) (CREATIVITY) A band that isn't original and doesn't do original music is doomed from the start. Oh, yeah, sure there are a ton of groups out there that play 20 nights a month in some local Honky-tonk, for free beer and peanuts, who can sound just like Lynyrd Skynyrd. That's the problem, there are a ton of groups out there that CAN sound like Lynyrd Skynyrd. No mater how good they are, they will always be singing in local nightclubs without having their own music and their own sound. Yes, you can take a previously recorded song and fashion it to your own sound. But if you sound like someone else, it will be your undoing. Be in the same class and genre as Lynyrd Skynyrd, use some of their influences, but NEVER try to be them... Be who you are, that will make you different and hence, get noticed. Time also needs to be dedicated to writing and creative thinking. Set time aside, together with your band and time alone, to think and write new stuff. You never know when or where inspiration will arrive, make sure you have some means of writing it down when it does. Waiting 15 minutes until you get home may cost you your first #1 hit song, because you forgot that darn chorus you had in your head, only 15 minutes ago.
9) (PRACTICE) Rehearsals are for rehearsing. Too many times, too many bands allow outside influences to affect their rehearsals. Someone may say, "Play Freebird!" Our next sung line should not begin, "If I leave here tomorrow..." Any time spent towards pleasing others is time spent taken away from attaining your goals. In addition, rehearsals should be planned, not thrown together haphazardly. You don't get together and just "jam." It should be treated like a real performance. Doing cover tunes to loosen up is fine and expected. But time should be dedicated to our own stuff and treated as if you are on stage performing for an audience. The only advantage with rehearsals is that you are allowed to correct mistakes and take a "time out." One other thing about practice is: If you do not, you will lose your edge. Your edge is what makes a good musician a great musician and it is what gets you noticed. For example, until recently, I have not sung professionally in almost 6 months and haven't really practiced, like I should. To you, I may sound really good. But, in reality, I will not be any better than any other female lead singer out there. I'll need a couple weeks to get my "edge" back.
10) (SOBRIETY) Sure a couple, 2-3, drinks are okay to help relax and loosen up before a show or rehearsal. When you are out and about, sitting back and having fun and everyone wants to get blasted, go for it. But NEVER allow booze or drugs to compromise the music. Jim Morrison, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Janis Joplin, Aerosmith, Grace Slick and so many more have all been booed off stage because they were too blitzed to perform. There are also numerous cases where band members allowed their habits to cause them to "forget" they had a show or a rehearsal scheduled. Me: I can drink like a fish when I want to and I do not touch any drugs of any sort. If someone wants to smoke a joint, as long as it doesn't compromise the music, no problem. Once anything harder comes into play; give them one warning, get them help or counseling, if it does not correct itself in a reasonably short amount of time, immediately find a new band member. You cannot allow personal friendships to influence your business or the decisions that need to be made for the betterment of that business.
11) (ATTITUDE) Remember the teamwork and friendship rules; and all the other rules, for that matter? No Prima Donnas, no showboating, no bad attitudes, no negative BS and no egos. Trust me, no one in the industry ever says, "The band sucks together... but the guitarist is great!" You should easily be able to say, "Oops, I think I really screwed up that high note," or, "I think you need to bring your drums in after the bass, not before," or, "You're over playing that part..." Your music should be done in such a manner that it allows everyone to shine. If one song centers on one instrument and the rest of the band simply plays their part; well, they may just have to wait until it is their turn in the next song. If someone overplays or isn't keeping up, we should be able to tell them that without needing to worry about hurt feelings or attitudes. Anyone how habitually lags or over plays should be let go from the group, all they are doing is hindering your progress. Yes, even the one person that can REALLY play. By overplaying, he is ruining the overall sound and hindering your group. He/she would be much better off with a different band. One last thing about attitude: "I am the lead vocalist for the group 'Cheyenne'. Yet I work as a psychosexual therapist to pay my bills." I think you get the idea.
12) (EMOTION) One of the most common mistakes most groups make is in simply "playing" their music. I learned this lesson the hard way. On stage one night, at a talent search thing, no one was listening to me. When I got off stage, some guy said to me, "You have a nice voice, but not a great voice. You'd be a good lounge act singing background music. If you want to capture an audience or a listener, sing in such a way that it grabs at the emotions of my audience." Thankfully, the first round was based on judges and not the audience. I got to do one more song. This time I poured my heart into it. Leanne Rimes version of "Unchained Melody." I was scary to open my emotions like that. I mean, open myself for the entire world to see and to judge. By the end of the song, 6 guys were at the foot of the stage, bowing to me! Oh, I won the competition. In short, to succeed you need to make yourself vulnerable, sing from the heart and let it go... that in itself may be the hardest and scariest part of this whole thing.
13) (HAVE FUN) Lastly, you get to do something others can only dream about doing. You actually get to do what you love to do. If you make billions, great. If you don't make one red cent, that is great too... as long as you have fun and love what you do. That is what counts. You can never give up on your dreams and your goals.
Okay, now that I have thoroughly terrified the hell out of you. Is this something you desire? Me; I want to be a part of a band again so badly, that it hurts. I love to sing. When I'm sad it cheers me up. When I am happy, it accentuates me. But, if I just hook up with just anyone who is willing to play with me, I'll never attain my goals. I must hook up with the right people, the people that play for the love of playing and have similar interests, goals and feelings.
At the start, it may only be just you. Eventually, there may only be two or three members, just getting to know each other and have fun just knowing each other. But soon enough, another will show up, and then another. Before you know it you could be hearing, "And the winner of the American Music Awards best new artist in the _______ music category is..."
Hey, you've got to dream and you've got to believe in those dreams.
1) To be nobody but myself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting . . . E.E. Cummings
2)This thing we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down . . . Mary Pickford
3) Singing is the ultimate do-it-yourself activity. No one can do it for you and no one can make you feel good about the discouraging days. No one will get you to work on it tomorrow. Singing is your job. It's a test of will. But if you find this will, you will also find the voice of your dreams . . . Jeffrey Allen
4)Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn't want me to be too famous too. Learn from your very first steps to listen to, understand, and love the bitter truth about yourself. Find out who can tell you that truth. Talk of your art only with them and let them scold you to their heart's content . . . Constantin Stanislavsky
5)If I do not practice for one day, I know it. If I do not practice for two days, the people that know me know it. If I do not practice for three days, everybody knows it . . . Mario Lanza
Practice, practice, practice... That's all it takes, however, you must practice correctly. Doing it wrong will only hurt you. Some of my Practice/Rehearsal Tips are:
1) Where you practice can be as important to your vocal workout as how much you practice. Make sure you practice in a place where you feel free to sing out and let it go, without worry as to who might be listening. If you are not letting go, you are not really singing... you are holding back. Like throwing a baseball to a 5-year-old, are you really throwing with all you've got, or are you tossing it? Singing, like being a baseball pitcher, requires you dig down and give it all you've got.
2) Singing at gigs, recording sessions or band rehearsals should not be considered practice for the singer. You must also make time for yourself to sing without the pressure of having to sound good. Give yourself the luxury of taking chances and making mistakes during your own, private workout. I cannot count all the times I have been sitting alone in my den, singing to one of the songs I have on my list, stopping and saying, "Oops, bad note!"
3) When you practice, do so slowly and give yourself the time to relax before your workout - don't rush! Haste is the #1 enemy of meaningful vocalizing. It is supposed to be fun, something you love to do, never forced. Again, like with baseball, your first warm up pitch of the day is not your hardest fastball. Loosen up, have fun, play around a little.
4) If you vocalize for just a half and hour everyday, you'll be surprised at how much more ready to sing you'll always be. I sing at least 1/2 an hour every day. My sister says that ever since I was a little girl, she's even heard me sing in my sleep.
5) This is not a contradiction to item #1, it is an add-on. Where you sing for practice is by no means as important as actually singing. Your car, the shower, while making dinner... I'd avoid it while making love though. Howvever, if you chose to do it at that moment, be careful of your song selection, some songs may not be considered appropriate. I'm sure you can think of a few...
6) Always train yourself to be able to sing at least one or two notes higher and lower than required in your performances. This insurance will allow you to relax on stage. Scaryoke bars are great to try out your increased ranges in front of a drunken audience, where no one will remember it in the morning anyway. I cannot begin to tell you of the nervousness I will feel if I know that I am about to do a song that tests my limits and the worries of making sure I hit that one serious high note. In contrast, the ease I feel when I know that my next song is something I can sing in my sleep.
Okay, so, now you know something about practice. But what good is practice if you physically cannot do it, or do not know the mechanics behind it? Trust me, singing is not just opening your mouth and making melodic noises. Some of my Physical Tips include:
1) The muscles used for sit-ups or leg lifts are the same used to support (or press) air through the cords to bring forth a singer's sound. Some of these exercises, on a regular basis, add power to your overall tone.
2) Your jaw should drop - as it does when you yawn - whenever holding a note in your upper range.
3) Your vocal chords just make the sounds. From your chest to your head, are your ranges. You mouth is your final resonating chamber... do not be afraid to open it and use it as such.
4) If you have to cough or clear your throat, do so gently. These actions are like sandpaper to your vocal cords.
5) Eat and sleep properly and exercise daily. This will enable your body to achieve a state of relaxation and vocal-cord readiness and will benefit your singing more than you'd think. In my last concert tour: 10 days, 9 cites; the first 4 days to had manged to get an average of only about 1-2 hours sleep per night. By the time I got to Atlanta, on Thursday, I was totally exhaused and, this woman who is used to 6-hour marathon sessions, could barely make it thru a 90 minute set. Then, the second band up that night got booed off stage and we had to get back up there for another 90 minutes. You have no clue how close I was to having my voice go bye-bye. We finally got to the hotel about 3:30 AM, and I slept till almost noon... Thank God too, that night, Friday, we were opening for Kenny Chesney in Orlando! Had I not gotten those few hours of needed sleep, there is no way I could have possibly done well that night. Chances are, I would have lost my voice at my first high note.
6) Maintain a high level of water in your body. The old adage eight glasses a day helps keep your vocal cords lubricated and conditioned. ALWAYS avoid singing with a dry throat. I have even been known to bite into a lemon when I know I will be singing in my upper ranges. Perhaps it is just me, but it seems to work.
7) Some people have suggested a sip of wine before singing: bad move, it dries out your throat!
8 ) Avoid marathon sessions... this is coming from the Queen of marathon concerts. New Years, 2000: 6 hours, 30 minutes of non-stop performing, only to end the show with a high energy number that rocked the crowd. I continued this little marathon mentality for the next several months. In May of that year, Friday night in Orlando: 6 hours, 15 minutes, non-stop; Saturday night in Tampa: 7 hours, 20 minutes; Sunday night in Ft. Myers: 3 hours, 10 minutes... it would have been longer.. allot longer. However, the high note of a cover tune (LeAnne Rimes version of "How do I live"), something I have done easily on more than one occassion, made my voice go bye-bye for over a month. I could barely speak, muchless sing. Back to the baseball analogies again: Why do you think they worry about how many pitches a pitcher throws? Sure, he can throw more than that, but doing it repaetedly, non-stop can destroy his arm. it's the same with singing: abuse of your voice by not allowing it to rest will eventually destroy your chords, tendons and muscles.
Of all I have stated, thus far, perhaps the most important thing about singing is breathing. It is not just taking air in and expelling it. To really be able to sing at your absolute best you must know how to breath and use the air that you bring into and expell from your body. Some of my Breathing tips would be:
1) The significance of the diaphragm as a muscle of breath support is over-emphasized by most music singing schools and teachers. The diaphragm controls and helps sustain tone support, but is not responsible for the source of power.
2) Power comes from your diaphram is also a misnomer. your power comes from below that. Pavarotti once said, "my power comes from my asshole." In a way, he is very correct, the more of your abdominal musculature structures you can use in your voacls, the more power you can bring.
3) Be sure the shoulders do not raise when taking a breath. In all actuallity, do not try to breath as if you were trying to fill your lungs, but as if you were trying to fill your stomach.
4) If you can hear your inhalation, you're taking in too much air or your stomach is tense. Be sure your stomach is relaxed before, and as, you inhale. A sure way to tell an untrained or an improperly trained singer is by listening to the gasps of air they take during their singing. As someone who has spent 12-years training in opera, I find those overtly loud gasps to be both annoying and a distraction from the true vocal quality of the singer.
5) Always inhale gently when singing. Heavy gasping of air will tighten your throat. The key thing about singing is relaxation and enjoying yourself. It is awfully difficult to do that if our every action causes tension.
6) An excellent breathing exercise is to lay on your back, rest a book on your stomach and breath in such a way as the book rises and falls. Picture that same thing when you are standing to sing. This breathing technique is the main key to successfully bringing yourself to achieve all of your singing goals. Mastery of this technique, alone, allowed me the ability to increase my vocal range 2 full octaves!
7) When singing, the air is NEVER forced out. It flows out, gently. Do not confuse air flow with power. All you need is enough air to vibrate the vocal chords.
8 ) Picture a vocal sound as a fragile little ball. A soft, gentle breath of air vibrates the vocal chords and causes the early stages of the ball to be formed, the materials, if you will. Next, this material is centered somewhere. Where? that depends on how high or how low you want the note to be. for the highest notes, center it as high up into your sinuses as you can get it. For low notes, as far down... all the way to your diaphragm... as you can get it. Once it is there, the ball is automatically formed. The key is to hold it there or manipulate it's location as you bring forth it's tone through your resonation chamber (your mouth). It sounds complicated and difficult, but, trust me, it is very easy once you learn how and practice it a little bit.
Finally, just a few additional tips:
1) Posture is the foundation. Be sure your posture is straight when singing. Not a military stance, but comfortably upright. This positions you for maximum support. Mind you, good stage performance seldom allows you to stand in one location. Loss of stage presence could destroy even the best of singers. All I am trying to say here is to keep a notion of proper posture when you do sing. If you have ever noticed some of the best Rock singers, that are capable of amazing ballads, pay attention to their posture when they move around: their backs are always straight and their heads and necks are upright.
2) Always imagine the sound that you want to make and then sing it - using all resources available - your entire physical being, emotions, psyche and spirit. Sing from your heart, this is more important that anything else I have said. To achieve real vocal ability, your audience must be able to feel what you feel.
3) A tight jaw is bad for good singing. Do whatever is necessary to relieve your jaw, neck and shoulders of tension before you sing. Remember, it is supposed to be relaxed and fun.
4) Even though I am a bad girl, and I do it... Don't smoke. Smoking puts at risk the entire mechanism you're going to stake your claim to a vocal career upon.
5) Don't try to imitate another singer's voice. Discover your own, unique, vocal identity. In order for you to be a great singer, you have to be your own singer. If you want to be a pitcher in baseball, learn how to do it and pitch like you pitch, do not try to be Nolan Ryan.
6) Lastly, if you are going to sing, damn it, sing! I cannot begin to count all the good singers that I have heard that are going absolutely nowhere in their career and cannot figure out why? The band sounds good, the music is good, the vocals are good... what is wrong? It's all good, but it isn't great. I do not care who is the "Official" leader of any band, when that first note begins, it is the singer that runs the show. If the singer does not let go and stop honding back, the rest of the band will hold back too. If the singer over powers the band or the band cannot keep up, it is time to get a new band!
Well, I hope some of this may help somebody become a better singer and/or help them achieve their goal.
As always, if you would like to personally interact with me or the other visitors of this site - or simply like to ask questions, voice thoughts or opinions, etc - By all means, feel free to go to the Vixette Review forum
Savannah, GA (April 2001)
Taken on the steps of an old, boarded-up, house. To all the Forrest Gump fans ... Jenny lived here!
This is one of my favorite images
Sometimes there is something about black & white photography that makes a picture appear just a bit more alluring
