So You Can Sing

More on focus

2008-05-22T03:20:00.000-07:00

Just like any self-improvement guru will tell you, its important to keep your eye on the goal. Why is it there are so many artists that dont get to where they had setout to reach with their dreams and goals?

There are a number of reasons for this and here are a few:

1. You are not focused enough.
2. Timing. You are not around at the right time.
3. Your team (manager, label, promoter) is not effective.

Lets look at #1.

I have noticed time and time again that when an artist has something set in their mind they expect that it must happen quickly or at a certain time that they have decided!!

Here is the real truth!!

Truth #1

No band or artist at the beginning can set a timeline for anything to do with success. It’s really the industry that decides that! Its pretty much a waiting game, where you have a demo CD that is being send around, you are gigging and you have many gigs and you feel you are not moving forward.

Truth #2

It requires a huge step in faith for any industry person, be it A&R, Artist Manager, Producer to step out with an artist. It’s so easy for any of these persons to decide to go slow. It could be a test to see how dedicated you are by going slow, it could be that there was an initial rush to sign the artist but now they are having second thoughts.

Remember that EMI has thousands of signed artists but only around 20% are released. That means that 80% never, ever has a release but cant move as they have a contract.

The A&R have been in a rush to secure artists so that the other companies don’t pick them up and once they have them they gradually decide which ones have the real potential for release.

Hopefully you are getting my point.

The only way out is for you as the artist to get better by continually raising the bar in the hope that the decision makers will notice it. Complaining wont help.

I will discuss timing (Point 2) on the next blog.

Cheers Dave Graham (Dave Graham Talent)
www.kr-international.com
dave@kr-international.com

Getting Technical with vocal training - Part 1

2008-01-08T04:16:00.000-08:00

Good singing starts with solid consistant air pressure from the lungs. What is called the vocal fold must be relaxed and low in the throat so it can vibrate freely and create a pleasant sound. So what is the vocal fold? The vocal fold sits in the larynx on the top of the trachea and vibrates the air to create the fundamental pitch as well as harmonics that colour the tone.
For more of the voice system click here:

http://www.voicefoundation.org/voiceproblem/anatomy/learning.php
Dave Graham
KR International

http://kr-international.com

How Julia started at such a young age.

2007-07-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

http://asianmusicbygenkidave.blogspot.com/

Check out my other blog on Asian singers

http://asianmusicbygenkidave.blogspot.com/

www.kr-international.com
dave@kr-international.com

Cheers Dave Graham

Vocal Training in Tokyo

2007-01-08T07:44:00.001-08:00

Hi many people have asked me through this blog if I will vocal train them. For the record my time is limited but I will try my best to help artists that are in Japan.

Send me an email at dave@kr-international.com with a brief introduction about yourself.

Dave Graham
CEO, KR International
http://www.kr-international.com/
dave@kr-international.com

Singing Flat? "Lifting your tone"

2007-01-06T19:58:00.000-08:00

This is addition to the last post on practicing in front of a mirror. Many singers will actually sing flat and are surprised when I tell them. They feel that they are sining correctly in key. Use the mirror to help with this problem. When you practice scales and signing try raising your eye brows as this can help give you a "Lifting" feeling and at the same time check your posture again and head position.

Cheers Dave Graham (Genkidave)

Practice in front of the mirror

2007-01-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

I always recommend practicing in front of a mirror. There are many reasons for this, one being that your expressions may not be appropriate for the song you are singing. Sometimes you must drop back your expressions a little. Some singers are so intense that they sing with their eyes closed all the time. Some singers have a painful expression on their face, when the song they are singing may be a cheerful one. The believe that the showing the effort it takes makes them a better singer. I addition you could have a bad habit with your hands when singing. If you hands always move in one routine when you are signing then you have a problem as people will be drawn to the hand movement and away from your voice. Most of these problem are real issues that will turn your audience off from you regardless off how good you sing. The second reason is to practice giving your voice a positive lift when singing. You can develop a confident glow while singing if you practice in front of a mirror. The third reason is to be able to check your posture. Make sure you are standing straight with your head held high. All of this will help your beathing and show you have confidence when you perform!!! Go to it and let me know if any of this works for you.

Dave Graham (Genkidave) KR International

Hwayobi - Korean Singer

2006-12-26T03:02:00.000-08:00

Here is a singer from Korea who has a powerful and well controlled voice. I have put two clips here. One is unplugged on a TV show showing her skills in singing without backing. The second is a live track singing a very difficult song from Alicia Keys "If I Aint Got You".

Many of the artists that I train love to sing this song but unless you can feel the rhythm and soul of this song there is every little chance of doing it well. I am afraid to say that Hwayobi failed to give me a goose bumps that I usually expect of a singer of her level, however, I am a perfectionist and am still waiting to hear someone that sings this song the way it was intended. If you believe you can sing this song in a special way please send me the track as I believe that once I hear it right then that singer has a very special gift!

Merry Christmas

2006-12-26T01:11:00.000-08:00

Wishing you awesome Christmas and New Year. For all the singers in Japan, I look forward to catching up in January. For all the other people that come to my site to find ways of making it as a singer I would like to wish that you make a new years resolution to take a step forward in your singing career. Persistence, hard work and a good manager is what you need to move forward.
To all our artists, we will have a new site live before the 1st of January www.krartists.com

which is our website for the artist management and development.

Good Luck to you all. Dave Graham dave@kr-international.com

www.kr-international.com

American Idol and you!!

2006-12-18T20:58:00.000-08:00

As you will be aware, American idol is about huge numbers of singers trying to get to the top place. My own personal opinion is that Simon is the only judge of the ball, his ears are tuned to commercially suitable artists which does mean that some really good artists slip through in the early stages and also it means that some artist with pitch problems still make it to the top. Pitching to me is a far higher criteria then being commercial but in the real world record company are no interested as much in the techniques as in how much the artist will sell or in another words how commercial the artist is.

Considering that hundreds of thousands of people audition each year and only one is the winner and only the top 10 or so end up with the profile that will enhance their career if you are serious about it as a career then don’t attend any contest as it will most likely be the end of your future career. I have had one experience in the New Zealand Idol program. One of our artists decided she wanted to attend. As the rules say that you must not have a record deal she asked that we cancel her record contract with us. We agreed and she entered. I understand she did not get past first base. We had signed a contract because we believed in her and felt she would do well but unfortunately the lure of winning the contest outweighed her already signed status as a singer. 5 years on she still have no record contract to go back to.

I feel you are much better off spending your energies on making a demo in a studio of your skills and shopping it around to record companies and artist manager.

Perfect Pitch Tool

2006-12-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

In this post I will introduce you to using a pitch tool called "Pitch Train" that will help you over time perfecting your pitch. The first link will download the demo version which has a few features blocked. You can buy the full version for only $9.99 US so its not going to break your bank.

The program is like a quiz in that it plays random notes and you have to quess the right note by playing on the keyboard.

Install the Demo Version of Pitch Train

While downloading you may get a message saying that some of the system files are out of date. To continue then you will have to press YES and after the files are updated then you will have to restart the system and the start the install again. If you have any problems you can contact me and I will try and help you.

To Buy the program please click here to go to the site

I do recommend this tool and I do believe if you work hard at it you will work towards "Perfect Pitch"

Best Regards Genkidave

Vocal Training #1

2006-12-10T04:17:00.000-08:00

For this exercise you will need a tape recorder and this Java piano.

The Java Piano is here

Lets start with the Key of C.

Please the middle C note and keep repeating it and sing to it. Listen carefully to the note and record your singing of the note.
Then move on to the rest of the notes in the C scale, D,E,F,G,A,B and the next C.

Now turn the recorder on again and try to sign each note without the piano.
As you play back play again with the piano to see how far out your are, either sharp of flat or exactly on the note.

Later on I will expand this exercise to other scales and to singing the notes of chords.

Good luck with the practice. If you have any questions please either reply to this post of email me. My email is below.

Best Regards

Dave Graham - Genkidave

What is perfect pitch and much more...

2006-12-10T03:59:00.000-08:00

Many people tell me that they have perfect pitch but quite often they are mistaken. Perfect pitch IS NOT being able to sign in pitch, its being able to sign any note or play any note that is asked of you without you reading music. So if someone asks you to sign "Middle C" or "B Flat" you should be able to sing it perfectly in pitch. Now some people are born with perfect pitch while others need to pratice and perfect it with the help of a vocal trainer.

The key to recognizing notes, chords and intervals is repeated listening and singing back. Its much better id you can have a teacher to help you identify how you are progressing but there are exercises that I will post here that you can try. It is best to use an instrument while practicing by yourself.

What out for the pitch training expercises coming soon.

Best Regards

Dave Graham (Genkidave)
www.genkidave@hotmail.com
www.kr-international.com

Pitch and vocal training

2006-12-10T03:36:00.000-08:00

What is singing in pitch?

For me singing is everything to being a great singer. If you cant sing in pitch, then I am sorry to say I am not interested. However, all singers sing from time to time out of pitch. What does that mean? Well each song is composed of chords, which is a group of notes that go together to make the backing music. You might have a guitar or a piano playing the chords in the background and sometimes you cant hear all the chords but they are to be imagined as in signing acapella.

Only certain notes sound right with each chord and these notes make up what’s called scales. You may hear someone practicing on a piano or signing scales. Its a fact that if you sing any one of those notes you will be singing a note that is acceptable and any note not into that scale for that chord will sound wrong.

It’s even deeper than that in that singers can believe they are signing the correct note for a chord when they are actually slightly off the note. If they are a little higher than the right notes of the scale they are singing sharp and if they are signing a little lower than the correct notes they are singing flat.

One of the best ways to check your pitch is to record your voice and to listen back to it. The problem is that some singers still cant tell that they are signing sharp and flat and some singers sing sharp or flat all the time. To be able to fix these kinds of problems you will need a vocal trainer. They will help you to overcome pitching problems.

Please feel free to comment in this site to my postings. I will try my best to help anyone that responds.

I will add further posts of exercises that I recommend to improve your pitch and also breathing. Keep coming back to check for updates.

Best Regards Genkidave

Genkidave recommends.....

2006-11-29T05:53:00.000-08:00

I have had quite a few people ask me to recommend artists in Asia. They dont have the time and perhaps the knowledge to seek out special artists with special talents so I have started another blog to do that. If you are interested please click to go to it.

http://asianmusicbygenkidave.blogspot.com/

Genkidave

world_manager@hotmail.com

Passion and Dedication..

2006-11-28T20:36:00.000-08:00

These two qualities are essential to being successful as an artist. What many artists do not get is that a manager is the go between the music industry and the artist. In the managers mind he will know what is going to be required to convince a label, a producer, a distributor to pick up the group for a deal. To the artist it may seem like he is "dragging the tail" and that nothing is happen but time and time again, it will be the manager actually waiting for something to be achieved before he can move forward. The thinking of artists that they are ready is such a common mistake as from my experience most artists are not ready. There are three states that I have noticed.

1. The artist is ready.
2. The artist is not ready but is steadily working towards being ready.
3. The artist is not ready and is not progressing.

Options 1 and 2 are fine but 3 is not.

What can an artist do to check which one they are at?

1. Write down how many songs have been written in the last 4 weeks.
2. Write down how many practice session that you had. If it’s a group, make sure that the entire group was there or it does not count.
3. Write down how many pre-production sessions have you had prior to going into the studio.
4. If you incorporate dancing. Write down how many practice sessions has you had in the last 4 weeks.

Now, if you can add up to 10 then you are at least in option 2 and maybe option 1 if you have been doing this constantly for 3 months.

Be honest with yourself.. have you really got 10 points in the last month, if not you must make it happen. I can guarantee if you do that consistently for 3 months your manager (if he is any good) will make things really firing for you.

Best Regards

Genkidave

Singers Ego's

2006-11-25T18:56:00.000-08:00

This is where many singers fall down when it comes to being successful. Your ego can get in the way of your success OR it can make you!!!

You will notice in the film awards that the winner of an award thanks so many people for his or her success. It is no different in the music industry. A great voice in itself wont make you famous. It requires teamwork. A producer, a manager, an agent, a record label, a distributor, a publicist and the list goes on. If your ego tells you that you are great enough that you don’t need the help of professionals then you will very likely not succeed. Being humble and thankful to "The Team" helps your success. A good positive ego that allows for being thankful and humble to others will smooth the way forward.

In my next blog I will talk about committment and how results are tied to this.

Cheers Genkidave
http://kr-international.com

Try to study other countries successful artists

2006-11-25T18:20:00.000-08:00

Korea has some many great singers its hard to know where to start but as far as doing well internationally, Boa has been the most successful. A new singer is making it overseas from the UK to Japan. His name is Kang Yoon-sung. Well written lyrics, a great music video and a voice that is very special. This may be brushed off as a K-Pop song but its doing well overseas as a great ballard.

I would recommend that all singers to study singers in different country to see how they do it. Sure there is huge money involved in the promotion of many singers that really cant sing at all.

Here is three categories that I used to judge a singer no matter what genre they are from.

1. Are they a good singer?

This is singer who sings songs that are not made to fit a formula. (Explained in a minute)

2. Is it just studio enhancements that make the artist sound alright

The singer does not have to even be able to sign well. All the notes can be bent and changed to make anyone sound great.

3. Is this a formula production

Formula production, means the singer is successful because the songs and arrangements that are producted by a certain formula. There are certain producers that make this kind of music. It would be very hard for this type of singer to crossover to being a normal singer but it does happen from time to time. An example of a formula is Kylie Minogue.

Option 2 and option three are generally very money making motivated whereas option one is usually monitvated by the artists desire to be a real singer. There are exceptions and this is generalising.

Genkidave

Whats makes a great singer

2006-11-25T02:14:00.000-08:00

Today I will use a Chinese singer as my example.

Her name is Jane Zhang.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJreHhBBt44

Here is a girl who is singing a song that has been song so many times and by so many people over the years. But when Jane sings this old song, I get a chill down my spine. Why?

Its a number of things. These are the things that A&R people at record companies look for in new talent to sign up.

Jane is chinese but that does not stop her singing these difficult english lyrics, heart stopping song. Sure I can hear quite a few notes off pitch and that does drive me crazy (sorry I am a perfectionist!!) but it is a live show and this is to be expected from time to time even with the best singers.

Here is some of the qualities:

1. The magic presence. Some artists just need to breath into the mic for people to feel something. How an artist handles the microphone is most important. (Notice Janes use of the mic when she sings high)

2. Pitch. Most important live and even more so in recording. If you make a pitching error in recording you may not be forgiven with the industry people as well as the fans. Singing live, it is possible to get away with it as Jane does here.

3. Knowing your voice. Once you know your voice you will know exactly what you can do and what you cant do. You can then glide onto notes, doing racing (a technique of the professionals.. I will explain this is another post), expanding your range without damaging your voice. (Jane excels here)

COVER SINGING

In singing covers your need to add a little freshness to your arrangement. Not too much but just a little to show you are in control of the direction of the song. There really is no use signing a sing written by someone else if you cant add something to it. Its almost impossible to better a song that has been a worldwide hit unless you change it a little. Perhaps change the beat, change to way you play on the notes but dont be boring and signing exactly.. this will only dissappoint others.

Well thats it for this one. Have a great weekend. I should be back with more tomorrow.

Genkidave
world_manager@hotmail.com

Whats a good voice?

2006-11-25T00:17:00.000-08:00

Well I should say whats a great voice. There are many good voices out there but few great voices out there. So artists are born a singer, others development with the right help.

Here is an example of a singer thats only around 15 years old but is already what I would call a great voice.

Here is a track snippet. I am sure you know that so many singers sing Whitney Houstin. Put your hands up all you girls :). Well here is what a natural singer can do at 15 years old.

This young girl, knows how you control her voice. Take notice of the last few words sung and how she slides onto the note. This is the sign of a very gifted singer.
For all of you out there that dont have that kind of voice, DONT GIVE UP.
My next post will discuss what you need to success as a singer. Come back soon!!

http://chariceonline.com/mp3/iwillalwaysloveyou.mp3

Genkidave

My introduction

2006-11-25T00:10:00.000-08:00

Here there, my name is Genkidave, I am a artists manager specialising in vocal artists around the world. I have been judge on idol type programs, have spoken at conferences as a expert on music in Asia. I originally came from New Zealand. Right now I manage artists in China, Japan, USA, Australia and New Zealand. I have started this site to help people wishing to become singers. Many people believe they are singers but as you will know when you watch American or Australian idol or the program in your own country that many people THINK they are great when in fact they have a long way to go to make people appreciate them as an artist. I hope I can help some singers with positive help to make the right choices early on so that they can achieve their long term goals. You are welcome to email me any time with questions. I will try my best to help. My email address is world_manager@hotmail.com

Genkidave