California Song Magazine - December 2003
Read James' article 'The Art of Screaming'

From Boston Mass. I started a band two months ago.
Q: Will taking singing lessons ruin my ability to sing rock?

A: Not if you get the right coach. The right coach will unlock your true potential - a true coach will bring out your voice - they won't try to teach you how to sing in a contrived voice. A good coach will bring out whatever's there. That to me is critical for teaching people how to sing rock. Is to keep them really grounded in the way they speak and that's how you keep that raw urban tone which is critical for selling records. Forcing a vocalist to use 'Perfect' vowels, ala Latin tongue, and not allowing them to morph the sound a bit to suit there natural voice will give them to polished a sound for rock and ultimately move them away from the goal. Imagine Julie Andrews fronting Metallica. Yuk!

Portland Oregon / 17
Q: I don't have a high voice. Can you teach me to sing high?

A: Usually when people come to me and say they don't have a high voice, it's just because they don't know how to access their bridges - they don't know how to sing through their range. You probably have plenty of range; you just don't know how to utilize it. That's where the scales, arpeggios and the techniques that we teach at Vocal Asylum come in- what they do is they give you increased range and intensity. Not only do they give you a higher range, but also they give you the ability to sing with some muscle in your upper register instead of sounding flowery and thin, watery or wimpy. You'll have a good solid crank in the upper register of your voice which is critical for today's music, whether it's dance, rock, metal, hip hop - you know, it doesn't matter, it's all basically the same.

Philly PA, Cheryl
Q: What is the difference between a classically trained voice and a rock voice?

A: I feel their design is a bit different. A classical singer is designed to be heard in a large auditorium over a pit orchestra. Same thing with musical theater, back in the day, they didn't have PA systems so you had to sing over the top. So they had to teach you - your whole body how to make a big sound so you could be heard. Today's rock's not like that. When you listen to a Mariah Carey album or Linkin Park cd, all you're hearing is what that singer sounded like at the moment they cut the vocal track, one inch away from their lips, the size of a quarter. Cuz the diaphragm, which is what picks up the sound on the microphone, the diaphragm on a microphone is only like the size of a quarter and it sits about an inch off your lips - that's all the person's hearing. What I try to do is, I try to get the singer to take all their energy and get it coming out of the mouth. A hundred percent of your energy focused, compressed and tight, coming out of your mouth, over your tongue and through your teeth. Which is a little bit different than legit/classical. Because we are amplified and that's the nature of our beast. And I don't believe I want any of my energy being disbursed. It's not picked up in a disbursed manner; it's being picked up in a focused way, right in front of your mouth.

Cal State University Student - Trevor
Q: When I sing on stage, I can't hear myself. What can I do?

A: Voice lessons help you to sing with what's known as placement - you start to feel what the notes feel like. That can really help. Cuz sometimes you can't hear yourself. Between stage volumes - if you're touring and you're not a high-budget tour, you go into different towns, you don't know who you're going to have running sound, the equipment doesn't always work - monitor mixes are usually - you know, they're not always good. But if you learn the placement, meaning, you know what a 'G' feels like, it helps you to lock in on stage - whether you can hear yourself or not. I mean, if you can hear yourself it's always better, but it's not always the case and that's the whole thing with singing on tour and singing rock and roll. I mean, you have really got to be able to adapt. You've got to be flexible and you've got to be able to think on your feet. Because people that go on the road and think they're going to bring some little rigid box of ideas that this is the way it is - they're going to be in for a rude awakening because it's just not. It is what it is. And sometimes you can't hear yourself. But if you've got good placement - like if you really know what the notes 'feel' like, it does help you sing more in tune. Instead of just having to hear the 'G' if you know what a 'G' feels like physically - where it resonates - where the placement of the larynx - where everything sits when you hit that 'G'. It makes it a lot easier to hit it if you can't hear yourself that well.

Terry / LA - I love singing rock! I saw you play at Paladino's in Los Angeles. Hearing you sing made me start taking my singing seriously. You were very cool for talking to us that night.
Q: Sometimes I feel self-conscious when I sing in front of people. What can I do to over-come it?

A: Don't take yourself so seriously. Learn your craft and enjoy it. Usually people get self-conscious because they don't know the material - they don't have their chops together. So maybe you have to go down to the basement and build the monster first or maybe you just need plenty of stage experience. If you're not used to getting up in front of people, Karaoke's a great way. If you're a serious singer and you want to get into the Karaoke circuit, I'd go buy a Shure SM-58 microphone. And bring it with you because you don't want to be singin' on a microphone that ninety drunks with the flu are droolin' on. Bring your own microphone. It's a good way to cut your teeth and stay healthy. Also start to associate with other singers, you know? Sometimes good singers go to Karaoke bars. You'll see good singers. You'll see people that are into singing. And you'll start to run with the crowd. By the way, glad you made it to the gig.

Hello, my name is Bryan and I'm from Christianstad, Sweden
Q: I tried out for a band and was told my voice doesn't sound rough enough for rock. But I really want to sing rock. Is there something I can do to get a real rock voice?

A: Yeah - buy a bottle of Jack Daniels and move to LA! Seriously though, that approach has worked for many singers but it has also ruined a lot of careers, trust me I know that one first hand…I've developed a few techniques that help give the voice a raw, meaner sound. Nothing takes the place of the nature of the beast. Rod Stewart was designed to sing like Rod Stewart. When I first started singing I saw this band called World War III - the singer, Mandy, really had that Brian Johnson, ACDC scream down. And this was when I first started singing. I went back stage and started talking to him after the show. I asked him, "How do you sing like that?" And he said, "It's the nature of the beast." Because that kind of singing was what he felt. It's how he expressed himself. You know what I mean? When I met him I had a very clean voice. I had to develop a rough sound - I had to do it through training. Some people, it's natural. For others it's earned. Either way it's obtainable. By the way Yngwie's alive kickin' and residing in Miami.

Hi! I'm Rikki from Issaquah, Washington. I'll be 14 at the end of this week
Q: What kind of breathing exercises should I be doing?

A: My belief is that it's returning to childhood as far as breathing goes. Just back to a natural state of belly breathing. The key to breathing is to lower the origin of your voice. The deeper you breath, the bigger your voice. It's simple, very simple. When you inhale, for singing, its like filling up a glass of water. Put it under the faucet - it fills from the bottom up, very simple. Okay? The deeper you breathe, the more resonation you're going to have. If you look at an acoustic guitar, what is it? It's an enclosed chamber with a hole in it. You look at a singer - it's an enclosed chamber with a hole in it - the mouth. The deeper you breathe, the bigger the guitar. It's that simple.
Happy birthday Rikki.

I'm from New York City, New York.
Q: I have pitch problems that I'd like to correct. What can I do for pitch problems?

A: A lot of times stuff like pitch problems and vibrato - they're a result of poor singing technique. You know, if you've got good technique, you've got good posture, you're singing correctly, you've got a good balance between tightening the belly, throat relaxed, air pressure - usually that knocks out most of the pitch problems. Most people that come in here with pitch problems - they don't always have a problem hearing the note - it's not that they're not good musicians it's that they're just not playing their instrument right. And that's why they're having pitch problems. So usually when someone comes to me and says they're having pitch problems, usually that's a symptom of something else that's going on. A lot of times it's a tight jaw, bad posture will make a singer flat - Tongue curling back in the mouth will make a singer flat sometimes. Blowing too much air can make a singer sharp so usually when it comes to pitch problems - it's just work with the singer with some good fundamentals and another thing that's really good if you do have pitch problems, is go invest in a $99.00 keyboard, that has a good piano sound on it. Just a little Casio kinda keyboard that has a good piano sound where you can shut off the chorus and reverb on it, nothing to make the pitch oscillate or bend - just a straight pitch and just sit there and match pitch. Hit that middle 'C' and hit an 'AH' and listen to it oscillate in sync. Notes are made from what's known as cycles. An 'A' on the guitar string - the fifth string - is called 'A440' it cycles at 440 cycles a second. It's like spinning. Think of the kid spinning a rope and the faster he spins it, the higher the pitch. That's kind of a primitive way to look at it but it works. So think of it - the note is cycling at 440 cycles a second, if you come and you try to hit the note and you're cycling at 432 cycles a second, the sprockets are not going to line up. It's going to sound like a car with a flat tire. It's going to have a wobble in it. You get the keyboard and you can sit with it and really micromanage your voice, self-awareness of this is critical. The keyboard is really good.

Q: I'm learning about belly breathing. It seems that when I do it more air comes out and less sound comes out when I sing.

A: If that's what's happening, then somebody taught you the wrong way. So you need to get with somebody that can help you with that because the belief is, is that when you inhale down deep, you use your abdomen to support your voice like a pillar supports an over-hang or a loft or something. The pillar doesn't push the thing up, it just doesn't allow it to fall - it supports it. That's what you're supposed to be doing - you're not supposed to be shoving air through it. Good singing is very natural. Once you get accustom to it, it becomes quite easy. Pushing to much air can destroy your voice!

Peter from Charleston SC - You rock dude!
Q: At band practice I get a lot of sore throats. It seems to happen all the time. What causes it and what should I do?

A: There's quite a few things for that. Usually what causes that is pushing too much air and trying to sing too loud over your band if you don't have much of a PA - you gotta be careful. Remember, regardless of what your band thinks, you're the centerpiece of your band if you're singing contemporary music. Okay? Your band has to cater to you. The band is usually boxed into the limitations of the singer, bottom line. Your instrument is a one shot deal. You can't throw it down a staircase and go to Guitar Center and buy another voice. You ruin it - it's done. Things that are really good are: sleeping with warm mist humidifiers, drinking plenty of water, taking long hot showers, green apples, multi vitamins, vitamin E, getting plenty of rest - uninterrupted sleep and warming up with your practice tape before rehearsal. Of all of it, probably warming up and sleep are the most important. If you're working with a coach now, he or she probably gives you a tape of your lessons and it's probably got 20, 30 or 40 minutes of scales and arpeggios. If you run that tape for 10 or 15 minutes before a rehearsal, that usually helps. Watch your volume. Because rehearsals in little rooms can get really loud and you'll end up screaming over the band and that causes problems.

Hi, I'm Pamela and I'm working with your tape. It's invaluable.
Q: What is Vegas Throat?

A: It's an old expression - it's basically when singers get stuck in a dry climate. There's no humidity. It's notorious in Vegas - like a singer will be touring and doing great and they go to Vegas and they can't sing anymore. There's no humidity in the air, high altitudes, warm temperatures kill your voice. When the vocal chords get dehydrated they become less flexible and flexibility is critical to the top end of a singers voice. Take hot showers, use a warm mist humidifier, drink plenty of water, vitamins and rest. Vitamin E and flaxseed oil helps with that too. Keep up the good work with the tape.

Randy Sewell / Austin Texas asks:
Q: What should I do if I forget the words while I'm singing?

A: Mumble in key. Lol

Dean from Little Rock
Q: Is it good to have a vocal coach in the studio while I cut my demo?

A: A trained, objective ear in the studio is immeasurably good. It can really make a difference. It's not for everybody. Sometimes it's not in your budget. Sometimes it doesn't suit the person who may want to just vibe out and do their own thing. But I've seen miraculous things done by vocal coaches. I've done some things to help students in the studio, and I've had vocal coaches help me in the studio. I think it's great, personally. Right now I'm finishing my CD, 'Redemption' and I'm working with two coaches and my producer, Brian Levi. And we're really dialing this thing in. So it's all up to the individual - plenty of guys go in without vocal coaches and win Grammy's and then there's guys that go with vocal coaches and do nothing. So it's up to the individual - I like it personally - as long as the vocal coach isn't very intrusive - you know what I mean? They're not trying to manipulate or change me or make me into something I'm not. That's not good vocal coaching. Good vocal coaching is learning how to bring out the best in the singer. Not changing 'em and turn 'em into what you think they should be. Just enhance what's already there.

Jokes:
How many singers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One, they hold the light bulb and the room revolves around them…

How can you tell when a singers lying?
Their lips are moving…

What do you call a drummer without a girlfriend?
Homeless…

How do you get a drummer off your doorstep?
Pay for the pizza…

How many guitarists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One to screw in the light bulb and ten to say they can do it faster and cleaner…

I hope you enjoy and benefit from the site; I had a blast putting it together. Good luck.
-James Lugo, Master Vocal Coach, Vocal Asylum, Los Angeles, California

Vocal Asylum 6381 Hollywood Blvd. Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90028
323.462.4722 / james@jameslugo.com

Warning: Some information and techniques gathered in this database by correspondence or otherwise can cause harm or injury to you or other persons if misused or applied incorrectly. Please consult a physician or professional vocal instructor before attempting techniques that may be suggested by second or third parties. Vocal Asylum, James Lugo, his affiliates, and staff make no warranties as to the source or effectiveness or techniques found in this database. By submitting your information to this database, you hereby warrant and agree to all of the above statements and conditions. This website and all of its contents belong to James Lugo and if he doesn't scare you, maybe his attorneys can.