Let Your Voice Soar (www.voicesoaring.com) is the channel devoted to singers of all genres from pop, rock, Broadway, R&B, gospel and Opera.
Jeff Alani Stanfill is vocal coach and owner of Voice Soaring Studios in New York City and West Orange, NJ.
Jeff has been teaching voice to singers all around the world for over 24 years. He teaches singers who are currently in Broadway shows, off Broadway shows, cruise ships, rock bands, worship leaders, gospel singers, and opera singers.
The technique he teaches comes from a long line of great pedagogues such as Maestro David L. Jones who learned from some of the greatest teachers such as the late Alan Lindquest. The concepts and exercises of the technique allow the singer to sing any style without damage to the vocal cords/folds or laryngeal muscles.
Jeff has 3 instructional program available on his website: www.voicesoaring.com for singers from rock to pop to opera.
Hi Andy. I am not sure you can actually sing in falsetto with a straw. Falsetto allows a lot of air to escape, so perhaps you're not supporting the sound. Stay in full voice as you do these exercises. That is how you'll get the full benefit of the straw. Thanks for watching!
Wow - thank you for this - it is a great explanation, and the hand gesture really helped me! Where can I find more on Leona Mathews breathing technique?
I’m so happy you found it helpful. The tilt is truly a game changer! Hope you’re subscribed as more informative content is on its way. Thanks for watching!
@@JeffAlaniStanfill indeed I’ve subscribed but can you please answer about Leona Mathew’s breath technique that you mentioned in the video? Thanks!,🙏🏽😊
Jeff, you have knocked it out of the park once again. I loved how you addressed the physiological aspects of nose breathing. And, how you suggested different types of nose breathing. The vacuum breath is working wonderfully for the upper register. And, I agree, it can be used when there is ample time. Otherwise it could affect the flow of the music. Finally, did you realize “You Raise Me Up” was written by an Irish composer (Brendan Graham) so you are absolutely right that it has a Celtic feel. Thank you for being a wonderful light to us all. I appreciate the voice soaring community! 💚☘️💚☘️💚☘️💚☘️💚
Hi Sin! I'm so happy you enjoyed the tutorial! And no, I didn't realize that the composer of "You Raise Me U[" was Irish! Wow!! Once again...synchronicity!!
Hi. And thank you for the nice comment. Andrew is such a gem. He’s been working steadily as Frankie Valli on cruise ships around the world since this video. At the time of filming this, he had just come out of a long battle with acid reflux that was thickening his cords. So the vibrato may have been a little more labored then, but now it spins like a top! Hope you’re subscribed and stay tune for more!
Great tutorial! This will really help me prepare for my upcoming performance. I really like the aspect of nose breathing that helps relax the nervous system, which will be very helpful before a performance!
Great tutorial! I’ve noticed that Nick Jonas often takes short mouth breaths through pursed lips during his concerts. Sort of a combination of the lottery breath and the straw technique. 👏👏👏
Every singer feels things differently. As long as you are not engaging the throat muscle, don't worry if you are not feeling a contraction in your abs. The exercises in this tutorial are designed to thin the vocal folds and they don't require super connected support. Hope that helps you! There are lots of tutorial on support on my channel. Thanks so much for watching and hope you are subscribed. 🙂
Jeff, these exercises are really helpful! I have a question... When we sing, should we feel the tongue sort of moving around as we sing through various vowels/consonants or should it remain just relaxed? Thanks!
Great question. The tongue should never be right or stiff. Just like our bodies need to be elastic and always moving while singing, the tongue can be gently moving as long as it doesn’t alter the vowel when it is supposed to be supporting the vowel shape. A free tongue equals a free resonator. Thank you for your question and glad you’re finding the exercises helpful. 🕺🎵🎵🎵🎵
Thank you for the feedback and I will most certainly take that into consideration for future episodes. Hope you’re subscribed and keep letting your voice soar with these episodes! 🕺🎶🎶🎶🎶
I have a question about facial posture. It seems like you are smiling while singing Unchained Melody and then in Glory of Love, not. How do we adopt the lift of the cheeks without spreading and creating tension?
That’s an excellent question Melanie. For me everything is all about the internal acoustic space. I like Pavarotti’s analogy that the singer’s voice is like a reverse trumpet. All of the space is in the pharynx and the mouth, while the lips can do the job of making shapes to accommodate whatever sound the singer is trying to produce. In the video, I am using a lifted feeling under the cheeks while maintaining a relatively relaxed laryngeal position. My larynx doesn’t feel high on Unchained Melody, while it feels a bit higher in the Glory of Love with the “too relaxed” facial posture. Try keeping the lift under the cheeks with a slightly rounded lip shape. This will give you a sense of the reverse trumpet: big space in back, narrowing down to a less open space in front. Also, watch Celine Dion sing anything like “All By Myself”. She rarely opens her mouth wide. This keeps the registers from coming apart and allows her to sing through the breaks with no obvious adjustments. Hope this long post answers your questions! Thanks for watching!
Gee - I wonder how all those legendary singers like Caruso, Sutherland and Pavarotti got through their careers without a need for contraptions like this...hmm. Its almost like there's no substitute for proper technique and expert instruction.
I understand your response. First off, this "contraption" is not a replacement for good technique. It is simply a way for singers to reduce vocal cord inflammation, develop a better understanding of consistent air flow, and reduce over blowing of the vocal folds. Sometimes you have to try something before you knock it. By the way, I am a huge fan of Sutherland and Pavarotti, and I bet they would have appreciated a wonderful tool such as this.
