If I Started Singing From Scratch in 2026, I’d Do THIS — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00Singing scales is probably the worst way
2. 0:02to learn to sing if you're an absolute
3. 0:04beginner. Now, as a vocal coach for 25
4. 0:07years, I've discovered a safer and
5. 0:10faster way to make singing feel easy and
6. 0:12fun. So, [snorts] in this video, I'm
7. 0:14going to show you the exact system I'd
8. 0:16use if I had to learn to sing from
9. 0:18scratch. To start with, I'm going to
10. 0:20show you how your voice works. Think of
11. 0:23your voice like an amplifier. To create
12. 0:25sound, it needs three core components.
13. 0:29First is a power supply because without
14. 0:33constant power, it either won't turn on
15. 0:35or it'll start flickering on and off.
16. 0:38The second component is an audio signal.
17. 0:41This could be plugging in a guitar or a
18. 0:44microphone lead. And finally, an
19. 0:46amplifier. It needs speakers to project
20. 0:49the powered audio signal out so an
21. 0:52audience can actually hear it. Now, your
22. 0:55voice, it works in a similar way. Your
23. 0:59power supply, it is your breath. Your
24. 1:02voice needs a steady flow of air to
25. 1:04create sound. Your vocal cords are the
26. 1:07signal. They turn air air into sound by
27. 1:10vibrating together. And your throat and
28. 1:13mouth, those are your speakers. They
29. 1:16shape and project your sound out to your
30. 1:19audience. Now, when your power, your
31. 1:21signal, and speakers work together, you
32. 1:24get clear, effortless sound. But if one
33. 1:26part is functioning incorrectly, if your
34. 1:29breath is shallow, your vocal cords are
35. 1:31tight, or your throat and mouth are
36. 1:33locked up with tension, singing will
37. 1:36feel like a constant battle. How do you
38. 1:38avoid that? Well, let me show you so
39. 1:40your amplifier doesn't end up shoved to
40. 1:42the back of your cupboard, never to be
41. 1:44plugged in again. A lot of beginner
42. 1:46singers dive straight into complex
43. 1:49scales, trying to sing higher and focus
44. 1:52on perfection. Now, if I could start
45. 1:54over, I'd get to know my voice in a
46. 1:56simple and playful way first before
47. 1:59adding scales and complexity. Let me
48. 2:02show you four simple exercises that will
49. 2:05allow you to play with your voice. Now,
50. 2:07don't feel you have to sound good. Just
51. 2:10have some fun making different sounds
52. 2:12with me. And if you want a free MP3 to
53. 2:15practice all of the exercises in this
54. 2:17video, click the link below. The first
55. 2:20exercise is called a vocal siren. Slide
56. 2:23your voice gently up and down like this.
57. 2:27AH.
58. 2:31NOW, don't worry if it cracks or breaks.
59. 2:33That's just your voice showing you where
60. 2:35it wants to change gears. Stay relaxed
61. 2:39and just notice what happens as you
62. 2:41slide up and down your range. Try it
63. 2:43with me. Ah,
64. 2:48a little higher. Ah. [screaming]
65. 2:52Now, the next exercise is humming. Think
66. 2:55about the best meal that you've ever
67. 2:57had.
68. 3:02When you hum, you should feel a buzz in
69. 3:04your lips and your nose. That's called
70. 3:07forward resonance and it's a secret
71. 3:10source for a strong clear sound without
72. 3:13pushing and straining. Let's do a few
73. 3:15together.
74. 3:24Now it's time to explore your higher
75. 3:27range. Make some silly light sounds like
76. 3:30you're a kid pretending to be a siren or
77. 3:33on a swing going higher and higher.
78. 3:40Now, notice how light and easy that
79. 3:42feels. That's called your head voice.
80. 3:45Most beginner singers ignore it because
81. 3:48it's not a sound we usually use when
82. 3:50speaking, but it's the key to unlocking
83. 3:52your upper range safely. Let's do some
84. 3:55silly sounds together.
85. 4:07>> [cheering]
86. 4:12>> Okay, for the next exercise, I want you
87. 4:14to put your hand on your chest and sigh
88. 4:17out like you've just finished a long
89. 4:19day.
90. 4:23Ah, now you should feel some vibration.
91. 4:27That's your chest voice where most of
92. 4:29your speaking happens. Try a few with
93. 4:31me.
94. 4:33Ah.
95. 4:37Ah.
96. 4:40Now while doing these exercises, you
97. 4:42should have felt buzzing in your face,
98. 4:45lightness up in your higher range, and
99. 4:47warm vibrations in your low range.
100. 4:51You've just started exploring what's
101. 4:53called your vocal registers. Now that
102. 4:56you know how your voice works and how it
103. 4:59feels to make sound throughout your
104. 5:01range, it's time to build your personal
105. 5:04vocal amplifier, also known as your
106. 5:06voice. Which brings us to the first
107. 5:08component,
108. 5:10your breath. I used to think that
109. 5:12singing required a lot of breath. Now,
110. 5:15here's what I used to do. I'd take a big
111. 5:17breath and PROJECT MY VOICE.
112. 5:22I thought that more air meant more power
113. 5:25and range. Now, as I sang higher, it
114. 5:29became harder. So, I pushed and tried to
115. 5:32power my way to the HIGH NOTES. AH, ALL
116. 5:36I managed to do was create tension and
117. 5:38strain. And here's the thing I wasn't
118. 5:40taught. Your voice, it doesn't want more
119. 5:43air. It wants steady, smooth air, like a
120. 5:46gentle breeze and not a gale force wind.
121. 5:49Let's do a quick exercise together to
122. 5:51get your breath flow just right. Put one
123. 5:54hand on your stomach and one end on your
124. 5:56ribs. Now breathe in through your nose
125. 5:59like you're smelling your favorite
126. 6:01flower.
127. 6:03Now feel your belly and ribs expand and
128. 6:06and gently release forward and imagine
129. 6:09your whole torso expanding 360°,
130. 6:13not just your chest puffing out. Now
131. 6:15hiss the air out on a long steady
132. 6:20Your goal here is to keep that hiss even
133. 6:22like a slow leak in a bike tire, not a
134. 6:24leaf blower on a Sunday morning. Let's
135. 6:27do three breathing rounds together.
136. 7:01When you breathe in, make sure that your
137. 7:03shoulders stay relaxed and low and focus
138. 7:06on the expansion down around your ribs.
139. 7:09This is your power source. If it feels
140. 7:13calm and steady, that's your breath and
141. 7:15body working together. Now, that leads
142. 7:18us on to the next component, your vocal
143. 7:21cords. Think of them like a rubber band.
144. 7:25Now, if they're too loose, air slips
145. 7:27through and your voice sounds thin and
146. 7:29breathy like this.
147. 7:34If they're too tight, they slam together
148. 7:36and you get a pinched sound. Ah.
149. 7:41Ah.
150. 7:43We want the sweet spot called balanced
151. 7:46chord closure. Not too loose and not too
152. 7:49tight. Ah.
153. 7:52Ah.
154. 7:55Now, here's my favorite tool for
155. 7:57creating this balance. It's called a lip
156. 7:59trill. Like this.
157. 8:04If your lips bubble smoothly, you're
158. 8:06balancing your breath and chords like a
159. 8:09pro. Now, if you can't get your lips to
160. 8:12trill, it's not a deal breaker. Grab a
161. 8:15straw and dip it into a glass of water
162. 8:18and make an ooh sound through it like
163. 8:20this.
164. 8:28That gentle resistance does the same
165. 8:30magic. It teaches your voice to
166. 8:32coordinate without tension. Now try a
167. 8:36simple exercise with your lip trill or a
168. 8:39straw. Slide your notes smoothly and
169. 8:43breathe in low and relax before you
170. 8:45start.
171. 9:12>> [groaning]
172. 9:24>> If it feels weird or tricky at first,
173. 9:27That's normal. Experiment, play, and
174. 9:30notice when it starts to feel natural.
175. 9:33With a little daily practice, you'll
176. 9:35feel less tension, more control, and
177. 9:38your high notes will start to feel
178. 9:40easier. Now, that leads us on to the
179. 9:42third component, your vocal speakers.
180. 9:45Most beginners hit a wall right here.
181. 9:48You've got your breath going. You've got
182. 9:50your vocal cords working, but when you
183. 9:52open your mouth, the sound just sits
184. 9:54there feeling tight and muffled like
185. 9:56you're singing through a scarf.
186. 10:03Now, the magic happens when you move
187. 10:05your voice forward into what singers
188. 10:07call the mask, which is a sweet spot
189. 10:09around your nose and cheekbones.
190. 10:14Ah,
191. 10:17now remember that buzzing sensation from
192. 10:20your humming exercise? That's what we're
193. 10:22after. When your sound is forward,
194. 10:25suddenly your voice gets louder without
195. 10:27you working harder. It feels easier,
196. 10:31brighter, and you unlock notes that you
197. 10:33thought were out of reach. Let's do a
198. 10:35simple exercise to bring your voice
199. 10:38forward into the mask. Say like the end
200. 10:42of sing. sing.
201. 10:46Now feel the buzz behind your nose up
202. 10:49towards the roof of your mouth. That's
203. 10:52your target. Now slide up and down on
204. 10:55that sound while keeping the buzz right
205. 10:57up front like you're sending your voice
206. 11:00out through your face and not burying it
207. 11:02back in your throat.
208. 11:11M.
209. 11:15Now, when your sound is forward,
210. 11:17everything feels lighter. When it drops
211. 11:20back, it's like trying to sing with a
212. 11:22sock in your mouth. Now, try it with me,
213. 11:25but without the sock part. We'll do a
214. 11:27few slides and throw in some held notes,
215. 11:29too.
216. 11:40I think it's time to take things up a
217. 11:42notch. From that buzz, open up into an a
218. 11:46vow. The goal here is to keep that
219. 11:48forward feeling as you open up the
220. 11:51sound. That's how you build a full
221. 11:53vibrant voice. It actually cuts through
222. 11:55without strain.
223. 12:07Let's do the exercise together with a
224. 12:09little bit more structure. This time
225. 12:12we're going to target pitch. I'll sing
226. 12:15it with you to guide you through the
227. 12:17exercise.
228. 12:28>> [music]
229. 12:30>> Mong. on.
230. 12:38[music]
231. 12:44M.
232. 13:06One more.
233. 13:09Let's
234. 13:12[screaming]
235. 13:14work back down.
236. 13:38Two more.
237. 13:46Last one.
238. 13:56I've made a free 10-minute singing from
239. 13:59scratch daily routine MP3. It's got all
240. 14:02of these exercises step by step so you
241. 14:04can build strength, flexibility, and
242. 14:07build your confidence. It's like having
243. 14:09me right there in your living room
244. 14:11singing and supporting you. You can grab
245. 14:13the from the link in the description
246. 14:14below. But before you jump in, there's
247. 14:18one mistake that can sabotage your voice
248. 14:20if you're not careful. Now, watch this
249. 14:22video next to avoid the mistake that
250. 14:25cost me 10 years.