The Exercises

Instructor: Steve Glazer

 Section 1: A Stronger Foundation

Lesson 1.1: Full Body Warm-ups

In this lesson we’re going to do some specific body movements and stretching to
loosen your body up before singing.

Lesson 1.1 Exercise Instructions:

1. Shoulder rolls. Keep the arms loose – focus on the shoulders and make big circles.
Go 5 times in each direction. Deep relaxed breathing is important. Then shake it out.

2. Neck rolls. Carefully roll your neck as deeply and as you comfortably can in both
directions - 5 times each direction. Deep relaxed breathing is important.

3. Big “fake” yawns. Do 5 of these. Feel the jaw drop and the throat open.

4. Softly self massage the jaw with the knuckles for a minute.
Lesson 1.2: Advanced Breathing
In this lesson we’re going to work on a new concept called “Down and Out breathing”.
It will improve your singing technique even more!

Lesson 1.2 Exercise Instructions:

1. Put a loose belt around your lower ribs.

2. Breathe into your ribs and belly with a loose core. (OPEN MOUTH FIRST before
you inhale. You want to be open and bring the air in quickly and comfortably.)

3. Immediately after inhale, tighten lower abdominals and pause for 5 seconds or
so... don’t tighten like crazy though! Hold the belt up (the ribs out) the whole time,
then relax and exhale.

Repeat above exercise for about 5 minutes

4. Breathe into your ribs and belly with a loose core. Immediately after inhale, tighten
lower abdominals. Then slowly exhale “S” (the snake sound) slowly while trying to
keep the ribs out, and the belt from falling as long as you can.

Repeat above exercise for about 5 minutes

Also think about:

- Breathe down (think about breathing into your belly, kidneys, and lower back.)
- You should feel ZERO movement in your chest when you inhale
- Feel the floating ribs (the lower back ribs) expand.
Lesson 1.3: Your Power Amp

In this lesson we’ll continue to work on the “Down and Out” concept and the power
that comes from your diaphragm. Down and Out support also helps to keep tension
out of the chest, neck, and throat and will help you to get more vocal range and
power without strain.

Lesson 1.3 Exercise Instructions:

1. Place your hands on your hips – fingers in front, thumbs on the lower back.
Then slowly work your hands up your sides until you just start to feel some
ribs and stop there. That’s where we’re focusing with this Down And Out breathing.

2. Take a 50% breath. Say a few short “HEY’s like a bark, and notice the subtle
outward kick of the ribs. (Cough lightly a few times first if you don’t feel the little kick-
out of the lower ribs.) Do this for a few minutes.

3. Then try holding out a nice, even “HEY” sound, at a comfortable pitch, for about 5 -
10 seconds at a time. Feel the holding out of the ribs from the inside. Think about
the belt concept. Repeat exercise for about 5 minutes.

Also think about:

- Breathe down keeping it out of the chest.

- You should feel ZERO movement in your chest when you inhale
Lesson 1.4: Your Power Amp (Part 2)
In this lesson we’re going to work on the Down and Out concept with another new
exercise.

Lesson 1.4 Exercise Instructions:

1. Place your hands on your hips – fingers in front, thumbs on the lower back.
Then slowly work your hands up your sides until you just start to feel some
ribs and stop there. That’s where we’re focusing with the Down And Out breathing.

2. Take a 50-70% breath this time. Say a short “HEY” 2 times, then hold out the 3rd
“HEY” for a count of about 5 – 10 seconds. Feel the holding out of the ribs from the
inside. Experiment with different pitches of the “HEY” sound.

Repeat exercise for about 5 minutes

Also think about:

- Breathe down keeping it out of the chest.

- You should feel ZERO movement in your chest when you inhale
- Imagine you’re holding the belt up – even though you’re not wearing it.
Lesson 1.5: Singing Longer On One Breath
This lesson is about improving breath control. Don’t worry, we will get to the new
vowel sounds soon, but right now I want you to just focus on the Down and Out
support, so you can hold out those vocal lines even longer and have more vocal
control.

Lesson 1.5 Exercise Instructions:

1. Sing the “123454321” Exercise with “HEY” at 70bpm. Then try 50bpm. 50bpm is
slower, but you have to hold out the notes longer! Focus on the down and out (ribs
out) support! Feel free to try it at 90bpm as well. Also practice the scale with
“YEAH.”

2. Now do the same as in #1, but sing “YEAH” with the “Full Major Scale” Exercise.
Try it at 70bpm first, then try 50bpm. Feel free to try it at 90bpm as well, etc...
Also practice the scale with “HEY”

3. Don’t stress if the “Full Major Scale” Exercise is too hard for you right now. We
will get back to it in another lesson. Just do your best.

Repeat exercises above 2 or 3 times each

Also think about:

- Breathe down & out keeping it out of the chest.

- Big attitude face. Jaw dropped. Tongue forward.
- Think about holding the belt up even though you’re not wearing it
- Keep the tone resonant: BUZZY, BRASSY and BRIGHT
- Stay loose!
Lesson 1.6: Hitting Notes More Accurately
In this lesson I'm going to introduce you to another new melodic vocal exercise to
help you to hit notes more accurately and sing more complicated vocal lines!

Lesson 1.6 Exercise Instructions:

1. Sing the “Major 3rds” Exercise with “HEY” at 50bpm, then “YEAH” @ 50bpm.
Then try 70bpm. Focus on the down and out support! Feel free to try it at 90bpm
as well. Stay connected to the buzz.

Repeat exercise above 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

- Breathe down & out - keeping it out of the chest.

- Big attitude face. Jaw dropped. Tongue forward.
- Think about holding the belt up even though you’re not wearing it
- Keep the tone resonant: BUZZY, BRASSY and BRIGHT
- Keep loose
 Section 2: Bigger and Fuller!

Lesson 2.1: A Bigger and Better “Ah”:

This lesson is about improving your ability to create space in the back of your throat
and opening up more in general, to improve your voice in every way. The most open
vowel we sing is AH.

Lesson 2.1 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice raising the soft palate in the mirror while saying AH.
- Big attitude face. Jaw dropped. Tongue flat and forward.
- Keep the tone resonant and buzzy – NOT breathy.
- Breathe into the lower ribs and stomach

Repeat exercise for about 5 minutes

Also think about:

Keep the tongue down and forward. (The tongue likes to stick its “butt” up in back of
throat.) Raise the “punching bag” (the uvula) which is attached to the soft palate. Feel
the yawn. Create space in the back of the throat. Keep that JAW DROPPED TO
HELP THE THROAT OPEN. Show those top teeth like a smile. Think about what you
do when the Dr. says “Open up and say AH.”

Lesson 2.2: Hearing Yourself Better

This cool trick will help you hear yourself better so you don’t strain.

Cup your hand behind your ear and bring elbow towards the face. Or… get close to,
and sing at a wall. Both of these tips help you to hear yourself better if you find you
are pushing or straining. We never want to strain or push to hear ourselves.

Lesson 2.2 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice any of your vocal exercises with one hand cupped behind your ear.
You may notice that you’re pushing a little less and relaxing a bit more.
Lesson 2.3: Diaphragm Power!
Let’s strengthen your power amp with this new vocal exercise specifically designed to
build diaphragm strength!

Lesson 2.3 Exercise Instructions:

- Do an “ape” sound. Then try a “barking” sound. Feel the little kick of the
diaphragm and the kick-out of the lower ribs.

- Practice the “Diaphragm Power” Exercise using the AH vowel at a

comfortable tempo for you. Sing “HAH” but make the H at the beginning almost
inaudible. We don’t want to push too much H out – that’s just pushing air. Get
right off the H and onto the AH vowel.

Repeat exercise 2 or 3 times

Lesson 2.4: Stick Your Tongue Out

Let’s have fun with this one! This exercise helps you to learn to flatten that tongue
out even more, which helps to create space in the back of the throat.

Lesson 2.4 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice the “12321” exercise and the “13531” exercise with AAAH as in
“Cat.” Your tongue should be all the way out past the teeth, down and flat.

Repeat each exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

- Breathe into the lower ribs and stomach.

- Don’t add tension to the tongue that you don’t need to add.
- Make a big attitude face. Show the top teeth.
- Focus on the vowel sound. You want a pure AAAH vowel sound, as in “Cat.”
This helps lift the soft palate – which keeps us from sounding nasal.
Lesson 2.5: The Right Posture
This lesson will help you greatly improve your posture for singing.

Lesson 2.5 Exercise Instructions:

- Stand straight with your back up against a wall and place a throw pillow behind
your head, holding it up without using the shoulders
- Practice your lip rolls and/or sirens without chinning forward and letting the
pillow fall down to your shoulders.
- Don’t push back hard on the pillow either. The idea is just to make sure we
don’t “chin out” when we sing.
- Keep chest “open” and relaxed and focus on good general posture throughout
your entire body as well.

Lesson 2.6: “Emotional” Tone Control

This lesson will teach you how to allow some breathiness and/or softness in your
voice while still keeping your voice in the right spot (head and mask).

Lesson 2.6 Exercise Instructions:

- Breathe into the stomach and lower ribs.

- Start pretty relaxed with easy lower abdominal support and a bit of breath in the
sound.
- Then say HEY (or any vowel you’re comfortable with) on one pitch and change
the tone from breathy to buzzy & bright by using the “cry” in your lower
abdominal muscles. Then slowly relax the abdominals slightly to get back to the
breathier tone.
- Think of the lower abdominals starting at a tightness of around 2 or 3 out of 10,
then go to about a 7 or 8, then back to 2 or 3. You’ll notice the tone gets
brassier the tighter the lower abdominals are, and vice versa.

Practice exercise for 5 minutes

 Section 3: Tackling The Tougher Vowels

Lesson 3.1: The Tongue & The Vowels (Pt. 1):

This lesson will help you to better understand the tongue’s roll in singing the vowels,
and show you how to sing that difficult vowel sound, EEE (as in “Me”) much more
easily.

Lesson 3.1 Exercise Instructions:

- Speak through the vowel changes in this order: AH (as in “Haha”) - AAH (as in
“Cat”) – AY (as in “Hey”) – and EEE (as in “Me.”) Lowest to highest tongue
position.

- Speak through the vowel changes in the opposite order: EEE (as in “Me.”) - AY
(as in “Hey”) – AAH (as in “Cat”) - AH (as in “Haha”) Highest to lowest tongue
position.

Practice exercises for 5 minutes

Also think about:

Work at your own pace on the vowel changes. Keep the yawn in the throat. Soft
palate up! Keep the tongue forward the entire time. Feel for the back of the bottom
teeth with the tongue.
Lesson 3.2: The Tongue & The Vowels (Pt. 2):
This lesson will help you to better understand the tongue’s roll in singing the vowels,
and show you how to sing that difficult vowel sound, OOO (as in “You”) much more
easily.

Lesson 3.2 Exercise Instructions:

- Speak through the vowel changes: AH (as in “Haha”) to OH (as in “Yo”). Go

back and forth several times. Try to make minimal mouth movement.

- Speak through the vowel changes: AH (as in “Haha”) to OH (as in “Yo”) to OOO
(as in “You”). Repeat several times. Try to make minimal mouth movement.

Practice exercises for 5 minutes

Also think about:

Work at your own pace on the vowel changes. Keep the yawn in the throat. Soft
palate up! Keep the tongue forward the entire time. Feel for the back of the bottom
teeth with the tongue.
Lesson 3.3: A,E,I,O,U:
In this lesson we’ll be singing through all of the basic vowel sounds in ONE exercise!

Lesson 3.3 Exercise Instructions:

- Speak through the vowels AY – EEE – I – OH – OOO on one breath, with a

resonant buzz in your voice.

Practice exercise for 5 minutes

- Practice singing the “123454321” exercise singing through the vowel sounds:
A – EE – I – OH – OOO – A – EEE – I

Repeat exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

Work at your own pace/tempo on the vowel changes. Keep the yawn in the throat.
Soft palate up! Keep the tongue forward the entire time. Think more “AH” when
singing the vowel “I” (as in “eye”).
Lesson 3.4: AY to EE
This lesson will help even more with singing the vowel EEE (as in “me”) by
connecting it to the vowel AY (as in “hey.”) You’ll be able to sing it more open and
with much less strain.

Lesson 3.4 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice the “123454321” exercise singing AY (as in “hey”) to EEE (as in

“me”).

Repeat exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

Keep the yawn in the throat. Soft palate up! Keep the tongue forward the entire
time. Make just a minimal tongue movement between AY and EEE.

Lesson 3.5: AH to OH
This lesson will help even more with singing the vowel OH (as in “Yo”) by connecting
it to the vowel AH (as in “Haha.”) You’ll be able to sing it more open and with much
less strain.

Lesson 3.5 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice the “123454321” exercise singing AH (as in “Haha”) to OH (as in

“Yo”)

Repeat exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

Keep the yawn in the throat. Soft palate up! Keep the tongue forward the entire
time. Make minimal movement with the mouth between the vowels – just lose the
smile when you go from AH to OH.
Lesson 3.6: OH to OOO

This lesson will help even more with singing the vowel OOO (as in “You”) by
connecting it to the vowel OH (as in “Yo.”) You’ll be able to sing it more open and
with much less strain.

Lesson 3.6 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice the “123454321” exercise singing OH (as in “Yo”) to OOO (as in

“You”)

Repeat exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

Keep the yawn in the throat. Soft palate up! Keep the tongue forward the entire
time. Make small movement with the mouth between the vowels. As you sing
OOO higher, experiment with adding a little “smile” to it. TIP: (I think more
“Ewwww that’s gross” instead of “Ooo that’s cool.”)
 Section 4: “Level Up” Vocal Control

Lesson 4.1: Pitch and Vibrato

What is pitch? It’s how accurately you’re singing the note. You can either be Flat
(below the note), Sharp (above the note), or on Pitch (Singing the note correctly).

What is Vibrato? It’s the rapid, slight variation in pitch in singing. Vibrato happens
by letting the note you’re singing drop just slightly Flat then bringing it back up to “On
Pitch.” Vibrato varies from singer to singer, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.

Lesson 4.1 Exercise Instructions:

- Google “tone generator” online and practice matching the pitches. If you are
uncertain about your accuracy, as a musical friend to give you feedback.
- Record yourself singing to some of your vocal exercises and listen back. See if
you can notice when you are on or off pitch. Just listening to the exercise scales
without singing is ear training as well!
- Consider learning an instrument like guitar or piano. A great way to train
your ear!

- Practice the Vibrato exercise – letting the pitch drop slightly for a quick moment
then scooping back up.
- Don’t stress if you can’t get the Vibrato happening. It’s not the most important
thing about singing in my opinion. Vibrato often just comes in time with practice
and patience. Vibrato only happens when the throat muscles are relaxed.
Lesson 4.2: Mixing it Up w/ Ah’s
In this lesson we’re going to learn a new scale called “The Long Scale,” and get more
practice with the most open of the vowel sounds, AH. (as in “Haha”) The Long Scale
is tougher than any we’ve done in the past because it spans over an octave fairly
quickly, so start low and don’t worry if you can only get through a few of them.

Lesson 4.2 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice the “The Long Scale” exercise singing LA, MA, & HA
- Extra: Practice the “Full Major Scale” exercise singing LA, MA, & HA

Repeat exercise 1 or 2 times each

Also think about:

If the “Long Scale” is too difficult for you right now, don’t be concerned! Just do the
“Full Major Scale” exercise for now until you get more comfortable.

Lesson 4.3: Me’s & You’s

This lesson will help you practice the tougher vowels EEE and OOO by singing two of
the most popular words used in song lyrics: “ME” and “YOU.”

Lesson 4.3 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice the “Full Major Scale” exercise singing ME.

- Practice the “Full Major Scale” exercise singing YOU.
- Extra: Practice the “Long Scale” exercise singing ME.
- Extra: Practice the “Long Scale” exercise singing YOU.

Repeat exercise 2 or 3 times each

Also think about:

If the “Long Scale” and the “Full Major Scale” exercises are too difficult for you right
now, don’t be concerned! Just sing the ME’s and YOU’s with the “123454321” or
“12321” exercises. These vowels aren’t easy for sure!
Lesson 4.4: Singing Minor 3rds
Let’s take a break from the more difficult vowels in this lesson and sing a NEW
exercise (the “Minor 3rds” exercise) with your favorite vowel sounds, using the words
HEY, YEAH, LA, MA etc…

Lesson 4.4 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice the “Minor 3rds” exercise singing words like HEY, YEAH, LA, MA etc…

Repeat exercise 2 or 3 times choosing a different vowel sound each time

Also think about:

Have fun with this new exercise! ☺ Minor keys sounds pretty cool. You’ll notice
they sound a bit “sadder” or more serious than the Major scale exercises.

Lesson 4.5: Singing Major 3rds (Me & You)

Let’s keep mixing it up! In this lesson we’ll be singing “Me’s” and “You’s” with the
Major 3rds exercise.

Lesson 4.5 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice the “Major 3rds” exercise singing ME and YOU (separately).

- Extra: Try the “Minor 3rds” exercise singing ME and YOU (separately).

Repeat exercise 2 or 3 times choosing a different vowel sound

Also think about:

Keep that tongue forward. Feel that yawn (soft palate up) in the back of the throat.
Feel the jaw drop a bit. Focus on keeping the vowels forward in the mask. If you
have trouble with these vowels in the higher range, try opening up the vowels
SLIGHTY from ME to MAY and from YOU to YO. A lot of singers do this!
Lesson 4.6: Singing Your Favorite Tunes
Having trouble singing a certain part of a song? Maybe you think the note is just too
high for you? Actually, often the issue is not the note itself, but the difficulty of the
lyric. i.e. the vowel or the consonant in that specific lyric. Here’s a trick to help:

Lesson 4.6 Exercise Instructions:

- Sing a popular song (karaoke style) then take note of any difficult sections.
- Now try singing those difficult sections with just YEAH or HEY. Basically you will
be singing the song’s melody with your chosen vowel sound without singing the
lyrics. If it’s much easier now, it’s time to analyze the lyrics. More on this in
Section 6.

Also think about:

TIP: Sing songs that are comfortable for you. If you are straining to sing a song, find
an easier one until you improve your technique. You will not get better by straining
for high notes.
 Section 5: Vocal Styles

Lesson 5.1: Dealing With Frustration

You will get frustrated. You will get stressed. It’s OK! I promise - we ALL deal with it.
Every singer on the planet has dealt with some sort of frustration with his/her voice at
one time or another. It’s a human instrument. It’s not perfect. ;)

Lesson 5.1 Exercise Instructions:

- The next time you get frustrated during your practice, stop for a moment. Take a 5-
minute break, relax, breathe, shake it off, watch a YouTube video that makes you
laugh… Remind yourself that getting all stressed out won’t help. Take some of the
pressure off of yourself and remind yourself that we ALL deal with the frustrations of
singing at one time or another. Singing is a lot like life - find the FUN in it! ☺

Lesson 5.2: Pop Music

This lesson talks about some of the stereotypical characteristics of Pop singing. Pop
voices tend to be less “Belted” and a bit breathier/lighter than rock singers. They also
tend to have a bit less Chest Voice in the sound. Think about when you talk to a
child and how you make your voice a little “less threatening.” That can help get into
the “Pop” style. Also still pay close attention to head resonance and the Three B’s!
You don’t want to go too breathy.

Lesson 5.2 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice singing with the “Blues Riff 1” exercise with YEAH.

- Then practice singing with the “Blues Riff 1” exercise with any word/vowel
sounds we’ve practiced up until now.

Repeat exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

You can allow your voice to get a little bit “prettier” and “softer” in this exercise than
the way I usually ask you to practice, but be careful not to go too breathy and still
focus on staying in the MASK. If you go too breathy you’ll lose your vocal control and
your voice will “break” to falsetto lower in your range than it should.
Lesson 5.3: Soul/R&B
This lesson talks about some stereotypical characteristics of Soul/R&B singing. This
raw style often includes lots of vibrato, is very resonant, and blues scale related!
Soul singers tend to “Belt” a bit more with more Chest in the voice.

Lesson 5.3 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice singing the “R&B Riff” exercise with HEY, YEAH, and any of the
words or vowel sounds that you like.

Repeat exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

Challenge yourself to really let go on this one. R&B style, especially old school Soul
singing, is all about raw, emotional content over anything. Keep your technique in
mind though! Singing is always a delicate balance between emotional content and
technique for sure!

Lesson 5.4: Country

This lesson talks about some stereotypical characteristics of Country singing. This
style is typically very head and mask resonant. It also tends to have a bit less vibrato,
and is often blues scale related. Sometimes there’s a touch of a southern accent or
“twang” of course. Even if you’re not a Country singer at all (like myself) the main
takeaway from this lesson is the focus on the head & mask resonant timbre/tone. It’s
very good for your vocal technique, for any style of music.

Lesson 5.4 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice singing the “Country Riff” exercise with the word LA

- Practice singing the “Country Riff” exercise with HEY, YEAH, etc… Sing it
with any/all of your favorite words/vowel sounds.

Repeat exercises 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

It’s not about sounding “Country.” It’s about focusing on that Country-style
buzzy/resonant tone which is great for your technique.
Lesson 5.5: Rock
This lesson talks about some stereotypical characteristics of Rock/Metal singing.
This style is typically bright, resonant and “cutting” to be heard over the heavy sounds
of rock instrumentation. Vibrato varies by singer, and melodies are typically Blues
scale or Minor Scale related.

Lesson 5.5 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice singing the “Harmonic Minor Scale” exercise with HEY, YEAH and
any of the words or vowel sounds that you like.

Repeat exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

Use lots of chest voice, hold back the breath by putting the “moan in the tone”, and
keep your timbre buzzy, brassy and bright. The urge to push out air is so great when
singing rock so be careful!

Lesson 5.6: System Check!

Let’s take a moment to do a system (full body) check!

Lesson 5.6 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice singing any of your favorite vocal scales keeping in mind the following:
Good posture. NO neck, upper chest, torso, arm, or body tension. Don’t lock your
knees. Keep your head level – don’t look up or down with your neck when singing.
Keep your mind loose as well. Are you exhaling any leftover air before you inhale for
the next vocal line? There is a lot to think about, so tackle only 2 or 3 at a time until
they become second nature.
 Section 6: Singing Songs!

Lesson 6.1: Micro Songs

This week we’ll be working on the Micro Songs! Good times! Singing isn’t just about
the notes you sing, half of the story is dealing with the lyrics. Certain vowels and
consonants are much more difficult than others. We’ll be diving more into that this
week. IMPORTANT NOTE: Micro Songs don’t work like regular songs. They
change key (they move one Key higher) after every line you sing – exactly like the
rest of the vocal exercises we’ve done up until now.

Side note about singing songs in general: Please note that it’s important for you to
practice without the lead singer singing along with you, meaning you should use
karaoke tracks whenever possible. It’s a very different world singing a song without
the help of the original vocal track playing behind you. You can do it! ☺

Lesson 6.2: Pop Micro Song

Here’s our first Micro Song! The lyrics are: Baby if I made you mine, everything
would be just fine. Try singing it in the Pop Style we learned back in Lesson 5.2, but
also feel free to let your own voice do it’s thing style-wise.

Lesson 6.2 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice singing the “Pop Micro” exercise. Don’t go any higher than you are
comfortable! Experiment with the different tempos.

Repeat exercise 3 times

Also think about:

Relax, have fun, breathe and do your thing!

Lesson 6.3: Soul/R&B Micro Song
Another cool Micro Song! This one is in the “old-school” soul singer style. The lyrics
are: Can you feel my heartbeat? I’m beginning to overheat. Try singing it in the
Soul/R&B Style we learned back in Lesson 5.3, but always feel free to let your own
voice do it’s thing style-wise.

Lesson 6.3 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice singing the “Soul Micro” exercise. Don’t go any higher than you are
comfortable! Experiment with the different tempos.

Repeat exercise 3 times

Also think about:

Relax, have fun, breathe and do your thing!

Lesson 6.4: Country Micro Song

Howdy! Here’s our Country Micro Song. The lyrics are: You’re the river that I follow,
to find my way home. Try singing it in the Country Style we learned back in Lesson
5.4, but always feel free to let your own voice do it’s thing style-wise.

Lesson 6.4 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice singing the “Country Micro” exercise. Don’t go any higher than you
are comfortable! Experiment with the different tempos.

Repeat exercise 3 times

Also think about:

Relax, have fun, breathe and do your thing!

Lesson 6.5: Rock Micro Song
Are you ready to rock!? Here’s our Rock Micro Song. The lyrics are: Don’t panic
now, this time is here to stay. Try singing it in the Rock Style we learned back in
Lesson 5.5, but always feel free to let your own voice do it’s thing style-wise.

Lesson 6.5 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice singing the “Rock Micro” exercise. Don’t go any higher than you are
comfortable! Experiment with the different tempos.

Repeat exercise 3 times

Also think about:

Relax, have fun, breathe and do your thing!

Lesson 6.6: Create Your OWN Lyrics!

It’s time to be creative and have even more fun with the Micro Songs! Put in your own
lyrics into all the Micros we did this week. Notice what words are more difficult to
sing. Analyze them. Is it the consonant? The vowel? Match the syllable count as
best as possible to keep the phrasing the same.

Lesson 6.6 Exercise Instructions:

- Have fun putting in your own lyrics into the all of the micro songs in Section 6.

Also think about:

Try to make the lyrics rhyme, and fit a well as possible with the existing melody.
 Section 7: Back to Work! ;)

Lesson 7.1: More on Belting

This lesson talks more about “Belting” and how to do so without pushing air too
hard and straining your voice. It’s also another way to strengthen the diaphragm
with these quick diaphragmatic contractions - as if you were barking. WOOF!

Lesson 7.1 Exercise Instructions:

- Take a good singer’s breath then yell “HEY” like a bark. Repeat until you get
used to it without strain or tightness.
- Take a good singer’s breath then yell “HEY” like a bark 5 or more times in a row
on one breath. Start at 5 pulses then work your way up to 10 or more.

Repeat exercise 5 - 10 times

Also think about:

Keep it the “3 Bs!” And don’t push air! It’s a quick diaphragmatic contraction, not a
constricted push. Use visualizations, like you’re an actor! (Take a bow!)
Lesson 7.2: Nay Nay’s

This is great exercise for tongue autonomy. We’re going to sing “NAY NAY
NAY…” so you can practice keeping the jaw from “chewing” its way through the
melody.

Lesson 7.2 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice singing “123454321” exercise. Try not to use your jaw!

Repeat exercise 2 - 3 times

Also think about:

Keep it the “3 Bs!” Focus on singing the “AY” and not the “N.” Remember we sing
the vowels, not the consonants. Also pay attention to keeping the vowel open and
pure. Also watch out for tongue tension.

Lesson 7.3: Lay-Lee-La/Lay-Lee-Lo…

Here’s another excellent, and more challenging exercise for tongue autonomy. It’ll
also give you more practice on those vowels OH and OOO.

Lesson 7.3 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice the “13531” exercise with LAY LEE LA, LAY LEE LO, LAY LEE LOO.

Repeat each exercise 2 - 3 times

Also think about:

Try not to make huge, jerky movements with your face. Keep jaw dropped and
movement to a minimum. Your face, jaw, and mouth shapes will change a little; just
try to make them fluid and loose. Also focus on keeping that openness in the back of
the throat throughout the word/vowel changes.
Lesson 7.4: Mama Lala Gaga
This is a great exercise to practice keeping that soft palate up while the tongue and
mouth move to get different sounds.

Lesson 7.4 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice singing or saying Mama - Lala - Gaga on one straight note.

Repeat each exercise 5 or so times

Also think about:

Do your best to keep that “Attitude face” all the way through the exercise. Keep that
nice open AH in the back of your throat all the way through. (Soft palate up!)

Lesson 7.5: More on “Mix” Voice

Mix voice is basically a “whine” that helps us sing into the higher range without
strain. It’s more of a primal way to get high notes. It’s definitely an advanced
technique so take your time and be patient and don’t strain.

Lesson 7.5 Exercise Instructions:

- Try going a little higher with your sirens (scoops) and feel the weight of the note
(not the tone) lighten when you start to feel that “pull.” The tone will sound
slightly smaller or thinner in the mix. Stay bright and brassy in the higher notes.

- Also try starting at a comfortable high note in Mix Voice first (the whiney sound)
and do a descending siren, smoothly dropping into the chest voice.

Repeat each exercise 3 or so times

Also think about:

Men: Don’t pull the chest voice too high and strain. Women: Try to stick with the
whine (mix voice) longer and don’t break into falsetto (sometimes called head voice).
Lesson 7.6: The Warm-Down
After a good amount of singing, make sure you warm down. It’s basically the same
idea as the warm-ups we’ve done in the past, except that you do them at the end of
your singing practice. Think of it as stretching out before and after a workout at the
gym.

Lesson 7.6 Exercise Instructions:

- Do some descending lip rolls and buzzy humming to warm down your voice
after a good amount of singing.

Do this for about 5 minutes.

 Section 8: Advanced Singing Techniques

Lesson 8.1: Breath Compression

In this lesson I discuss the concept of breath compression and how it helps us to
avoid pushing air out too hard and upsetting the vocal cords. Pushing too much air
through the cords causes them to swell and not vibrate as well. You’ll also feel a little
phlegm starting to develop on them when you’re pushing too hard. That’s always a
sign that they are not happy. Breath compression also helps us get more vocal
control, stamina, and a greater range.

Lesson 8.1 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice saying something like “Awww you shot me!” (Like a really bad actor)
with some moan in it. TIP: If you run out of things to say, just recite the
Alphabet.

- Practice singing the “Full Minor Scale” exercise with “AH.” Remember to
MOAN all the way through this exercise.

Repeat each exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

Remember that the bad acting part of this is the most helpful. Also, watch out for
any hint of “Pirate Voice.” Any scratchy feeling in your throat is not correct
technique. Remember, if it feels bad, it is bad.
Lesson 8.2: Improving Falsetto
This lesson is all about strengthening and improving your falsetto voice. Falsetto is
the voice after the “break.”

Lesson 8.2 Exercise Instructions:

- Sing one note in falsetto. The tone should go from breathier to brighter. Feel
the lower abdominal “cry” help increase the brightness.

- Practice the “1358531_Hold Out 8” exercise in falsetto with a “hooty” OOO

vowel.

Repeat each exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

Keep the falsetto voice in the mask and out of the throat. Don’t try to add any
breathiness to falsetto either. It will make it more difficult for you to control and
hold the note. Plus it’s already lighter and softer in tone – that’s the quality of
falsetto voice in general.

Lesson 8.3: Glottal Stops

This lesson is all about the Glottal Stop technique. Basically they are breath holds
that happen by closing the vocal cords completely. Glottal stops are great for
staccato singing!

Lesson 8.3 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice the “Glottal Stop” exercise with the vowel “AY” - like “HEY” without
the H in front of it.
Repeat each exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

Make them clean and crisp breath holds! No coughing sounds! Always quickly
hold your breath after each inhale - right before you sing the first “AY” on each
melody line in this exercise.
Lesson 8.4: Exploring Your Entire Range
In this lesson we’re going to blend all the registers together! Chest Voice (Like your
speaking voice), Mix Voice (whiney kid voice), and Falsetto Voice (after the break).
We’ll be doing this using slides, which are a lot like the “Scoops” we did in Singing
Simplified #1.

Lesson 8.4 Exercise Instructions:

- Do slides descending from Falsetto to Mix to Chest.

- Do slides ascending from Chest to Mix to Falsetto.

Repeat each exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

Please don’t strain! If you feel any strain in your throat, stop and don’t go as high
yet. Straining will never help you to sing better. Also, remember women tend to
break into the Falsetto too soon when ascending, because they are slightly “afraid”
of the “whiney-ness” or “obnoxiousness” of the Mix Voice tone. Men tend to try to
stick with the Chest Voice too high and strain, because they are afraid of the
“thinness” or “crying” sound of the Mix Voice tone.

Try this concept with your vocal scales to see if you can increase your range a bit!
Lesson 8.5: Vocal Licks, Baby!
Vocal Licks / Vocal Riffs / Vocal Runs – they are all the same thing. In this lesson
we’ll be practicing a couple new, super fun, and more challenging vocal scales.
These types of vocal licks are used in all styles of music and actually come from
Blues scales – like so many vocal melodies do. Blues Riff 2 is a Descending
exercise and Blues Riff 3 is an Ascending exercise. You’ll find Ascending lines to be
more challenging than Descending in general.

Lesson 8.5 Exercise Instructions:

- Practice the Blues Riff 2 exercise with YEAH.

- Practice the Blues Riff 3 exercise with YEAH.

Repeat each exercise 2 or 3 times

Also think about:

Start at a slower tempo like 50bpm until you’ve got the riff down, and then go for a
higher tempo. Don’t worry about singing too pretty here. We’re focusing on the
notes and the 3 B’s as always. Also, watch out for throat & general body tension –
especially on Blues Riff 3. As we Ascend we tend to get tighter, so be careful.

Lesson 8.6: Singing is a Lifestyle Choice

If you’re considering singing professionally on any level, it’s important that you get
used to taking care of your voice and your body in general. Your body and your
voice are so interconnected. You don’t need to over-think it, just use common sense.
Hydrate, get your sleep, eat well, exercise, don’t drink too much alcohol, don’t drink
too much caffeine, don’t smoke, etc… I’m not saying you have to be a health nut, or a
gym rat, but the better you take care of yourself, the better you’re caring for your
voice. Just remember that above all, it’s about finding a balance in life. Take the
same approach to your body and vocal health. OK, now get out there and have fun!
Thanks so much for taking the course!
Bonus Lecture!

I am also available for Private Instruction online! If you’re ever interested in taking a
lesson with me sometime, please email me at SingingSimplified@gmail.com for
pricing and more info. Private vocal instruction is always extremely helpful!

Thank you very much and congrats on finishing the course! Pat
yourself on the back once again! And don’t forget to keep
practicing and having fun! - Steve Glazer