If there were ever goals…
I know, I KNOW. More frigging routines but I was working with a student this week and we ended up down the vocal routine route and it felt ripe for a blog post. I’ll probably expand this into a vlog post as and when I get my arse in gear and post to YouTube (Thats for June - better light). Below I have listed some loose guidelines that will only benefit you and your voice if you partake in them.
Daily routine
Warm your voice up every day, regardless of whether you are planning to sing, write or otherwise. This is NOT a full workout, I’m talking 10 mins tops. Think of it like a bloody good stretch each morning. #vocalsunsalutation
Get play-listing. I have one for belt, one for riffs, one for thin fold, one for songs you want to learn, etc. You see where I’m going with this? Then listen to them regularly. Pick a different one each morning as you wash your face, brush your teeth, have a poo etc. Listening to these playlists in an organised regular fashion helps like you wouldn’t believe, which leads nicely on to…
Play sing. Get the tunes on in the kitchen, do the dishes, scrub the cooker top, empty the bin and sing like a you’re not in lockdown and don’t have a care in the world. This is my secret weapon and also leads to a very clean kitchen. More importantly, you are singing for no other reason than you enjoy it: it’s not for a performance, the gram or anything else.
Monthly
Learn a full song. Plan to learn a full song to performance level however you set the boundaries: Monthly, biweekly, weekly, daily: whatever. Just get a date in the diary and remind yourself of it. Remember: finished, not perfect.
Film yourself when you’ve learnt the song but NOT so you can post it on social sodding media. It is to watch yourself and get used to that. You can get granular with it and really pull it apart, but only in a constructive way. And don’t be zoning in on the bags under your eyes and beat yourself up with it. This is so you have something healthy you can compare it to in a few months time.
There is no right way for everyone with this sort of planning, which is why I refer to them as “loose” (though that word should be cancelled, along with “moist” #vom). The above gives you a rough idea of where to start and then see how your voice and, more importantly, your mind reacts.
Recommends
Song: “Spoiler” by Baloji. Summery French vibe.
TV: Ozark
Book: “The Myth Gap” by Alex Evans
Other shit: Richard E. Grant is reading out his lines from Withnail and I on Twitter and IG. It is glorious.
