Sorry for the late answer. Singing Success is a systematic vocal training, which means that everyone should follow the program and practice it, on a systematic approach. I have been done this for 10 months but I spend over a half year stucking with the same problems and limitation. One day i start to practice on speech level, VERY relaxed, only a hour every day and from that day EVERY exercise begin to work on my voice, and then I could see how much the program works... Singing Success and speech level singing changed my voice so much... And everyone out there, please remember to practice on SPEECH LEVEL. Everything should be easy, so the best thing you can do to get the fastest results is to relax and just let the exercise work for you. And then I will also recommend everybody to work on the head voice. Make the Goo and the Gee exercises over and over again. But again, whats working for me was only to be relaxed when doing the exercises.

I apologize for the language mistakes in the text hehe

Holding back air/not allowing the air to flow naturally -____-

Continuing to vocalize in a coordination when I know it's doing more harm than good.

Hesitation

Try wathing Jesse Nemitz Clean attack & Hesitation and really pay attention to what he say. For me it sounds like your approach to the exercises is wrong. My advice to you is to relax. Really relax. Dont hesitate, smile and have fun with the exercises. Get your mind of the exercise and just let your vocal cords make the job. Say to your self that it's only weird exercises that is easy to do. Dont think that you are going up or doing to a note. Also try to place every note in your forehead, i can describe how much it have heelping me.

Hi Omark,

thanks a lot for your quick reply and wow, these are great tips! Especially Jess video about hesitation and placing ALL notes in my forehead. I realised, that I produce most of my consonants in my throat. I never thaught it was wrong, cause its the way I'm talking! So is it right, to produce them somewhere between the roof of the mouth and the nose/forehead?
Another problem I have is that I've absolutely no idea, how singing feels? In one vid they tell that any feeling is a sign for strain, in another that I need compressen and then they talk about the tone flipping behind the soft palate (for me that means/feels more in the throat???) when going up in pitch...

Tanks a lot!

It's a very good idea to develop head voice, because it gives you something to mix with. Things begins to be easiere as soon that you find your head voice and then make it stronger. So keep trying, everything will be easiere i promise. Dont try to control the note, the vocal cords dont need so much effort to zip up by them self. If you make the "Gee's" and the "Goo's" Remember to make the pronunciation right and clear. The "G" will let your vocal cords come together and then it will be possible to go up in your range. A easy way to find release in head voice is to make to weee and bwoop sounds. Remember to relax, keep the same shape all the way up and down. Dont be frustated, have fun with the exercise, it makes everything so much easiere.

You're so welcome. I really like your words: "singing is becoming a conscious process." That is exactly it, at first. You must make it fully conscious for a time, before it becomes again subconscious (you don't have to think about it) with a perfectly ingrained proper technique. Also, this is genius, and exactly right: "Well, I guess I just have to be persistent and patient...and soft on myself (indulgent)." Everyone should heed your words.

I couldn't do the tongue trills before i start bending over. It took my mind out from the exercise and gave me some release. Now it's so much easiere. Also remember to relax while you are practicing. Keep the same shape all the way up in your range. A last thing is also that especially with the tongue trills you need to have a clean attack (Watch jesse nemitz clean attack). Dont hesitate and keep a good air flow. All LiltingLass wrote is so right.Tongue trills is a very important exercise, it will create release and makes the swallowing muscle to relax.

Don't give up on singing. It's something you can definitely work on, but you'll only be as good as your dedication and hard work take you. Because it WILL pay off.

You have to use head voice, even if it's just a little, to reach your higher register. You can make the sound more chesty, but that's later on once you have more experience and expertise. Pulling up chest to your upper register without any head voice is just shouting, and 90% of the time you'll be flat because you're straining. Not to mention, the beautiful and resonant overtones that you would have when you mix chest and head voice would be gone and be replaced with a generally ugly sound.

You can definitely pull up chest voice, but you're too inexperienced for that right now, and you still need to get your voice into the idea of just crossing over the bridge. Don't fight the natural transition of your voice, because it's going to hinder all vocal growth.

Trust me when I say this: Do your exercises with a very light and right approach, with no change in volume as you ascend/descend. You can add power and all of that jazz later on. Right now, it's apparent that you're singing with bad technique, and you need to accustom your vocal apparatus to relax no matter what part of your range it's in. Yes, this'll require you to just let go and transition into your head voice. When you develop your mix, it'll get stronger, and you'll be able to switch between a chestier or a headier sound at will. This'll only come with your dedication and willingness to give up all your previous bad habits.

Good luck man! You can get there, just work with it. : )

I agree with all that Azure wrote. It's my 7 month working with SS now, but many times I was wondering if things will be better. But i stuck with it, and there came a point when I realize that I needed to practice with a "light & Right" approach to makes things easiere. Before SS i was "tone deaf", and now I KNOW that my dreams can come true, because I like my voice even that I know there is a loong way. Keep practise with a attitude like a winner. Be relax and take it easy you WILL get sooo much better if you only stick with it.

And yes.. Believe me, if you find your headvoice and makes it stronger EVERYTHING will be so much lightere and more smooth, because you will notice a lot more freedom when you have a headvoice.

Make your headvoice stronger, and do some cord closure exercises. The cord closure exercises will make your voice more clear, stronger and also give your tone more quality. So pay attention to develop your headvoice and the cord closure exercises. The vocal fry and the edge exercises also works wonderful to build quality on your voice and makes the light voice more powerful.

Awesome stuff!

Loooove it... Thanks a lot

omg that is so true!! that was actually the reason i stopped SS last 2 years. The reason I cried because I can't have vocal practices anywhere. I don't have my own room too, my family and I share one bedroom and my brother have the other bedroom (he rent for it).
I continued it last year (Nov 2011) until present by following the plan i made. In my plan, I list all the possible places I can practice, that includes, outside our house, my bro's bedroom, our bedroom and the living room. I check every time if the room/place is vacant and that's when I practice. My bro and sis has school stuff and my dad and mom has work so I come at home early enough when they're still not here and for 2-3 hours i find time to practice everyday..

I tried using pillow but i can't concentrate on the practices. I guess you should just explain to them that you are having vocal exercises.

Hehe sjovt at se der er så mange fra Danmark herinde. Denne teknik er vejen frem, det virker magisk! :-)