the imaging voice

Written by Justin Coombes-Pearce

Vocal Warm Ups

The first time I ever walked out of a studio after reading an aggressive voice for a sports TV promo I was in pain. The two spots I read were only a 15 second and 30 second promo and when I left the studio I felt like my throat was on fire. Here is where I went wrong. Firstly back then I was a smoker. Now that is the worst habit any person let alone a voice talent could have. I have heard voice artists actually say that smoking gave them the deep gravelly sound that has become their signature. Where as I don’t know how damaging the very organs in your body you rely on can be in anyway a benefit to your career. If you get the chance have a listen to the work of Ken Sparkes, now there is an amazing voice and the man has never smoked a cigarette in his life, and he only has one lung.

Ok let’s get back on track, the other mistakes I made was not warming up and not lubricating my mouth and throat beforehand.

So far I have suggested you take acting classes and the other very beneficial form of training you should consider is singing. Whether you ever plan to perform as a singer is irrelevant, the lessons taught by a good singing coach will be a valuable asset to your preparation and skills. Singing will teach you to breathe correctly while performing. It will teach you vocal control. It will also teach you to listen to the music and backing track and find the rhythm, a very important part of TV promo work.

Lubrication is very important. Drink plenty of water at least an hour before your session. Have water handy during your session, make sure it is not too cold or too hot… room temperature is best. If you are suffering from dry mouth keep an apple handy, apples are fantastic for lubricating your mouth. I would also recommend you try a throat relief spray called entertainers secret, it’s available online for about $10 a bottle.

Find some warm up exercises that work for you and do them as a matter of course before each session… even if you are just rehearsing at home.

• Take singing lessons, it will help with breathing and vocal control

• Drink plenty of water before your session

• Keep an apple handy, it helps with dry mouth

• Warm up before every session, even if your just rehearsing

Training

No matter what stage we are at in our career we should never stop learning or training. Take an Olympic athlete for instance, once they have broken the world record in their field they still get up at the same time the next day to train with the goal of being even faster, stronger or more skillful the next time they compete.

Your approach to training should really be a common sense approach. Find out what your strengths and weaknesses are then work to using your strengths to your advantage and develop your weaknesses into strengths. Sounds a little too easy I know, the hard part is actually finding the right teachers to indentify your strengths and weaknesses and then help you develop.

Experiment with different teachers and training methods until you find the ones that are right for you, notice I use plural? Never just rely on one teacher. In a lot of cases you will only ever become as good as your teacher, so find a handful of the best and train with all of them, the odds are then with you.

Ask questions. When you see or hear something that impresses you or just works go to the source and ask questions… you will be surprised how forthcoming some people are when complimented. Every question answered is a lesson learned, so don’t be shy.

• Never stop training

• Turn your weaknesses into strengths

• Experiment with different teachers

• Ask questions

Next Page (Setting up a Home Studio)

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