The New Era Of Singing Training

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com

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The NEW ERA

of SINGING TRAINING

Why Breakthrough Methods Can

Dramatically Improve Your Voice –

Faster Than You Ever Knew Possible

By Per Bristow

creator of THE BRISTOW VOICE METHOD

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com

© 2008 Per Bristow - All rights reserved

The New Era Of Singing Training

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com

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Table Of Contents

What Is The Bristow Voice Method?……………………………………………………………….. 4

What Others Say About The Bristow Voice Method…………………………………………… 4
The Promise Of A Greater Voice…………………………………………………………………………. 6
The Questions That Drove Me To Write This…………………………………………........... 6
Why Your Voice May Be More Powerful Than You Think…………………………………… 8
Why I Am Sharing This………………………………………………………………………………………. 9

The Myths Of Singing That Still Hold Us Captive………………………………………………. 10
The Right And The Wrong…………………………………………………………………………………… 11
Are You Talented Enough? What Is Talent – Really?.................................... 11
Talent Versus Training………………………………………………………………………………………… 12
The Discovery That Changed My Life…………………………………………………………………. 13

How We Really Learn………………………………………………………………………………………….. 14
The Birth Of A Genius – YOU……………………………………………………………………………… 15
The Real “Secret” To Learning……………………………………………………………………………. 16
The Two Words That Stop You In Your Tracks………………………………………………….. 18
How To Develop Amazing Skills…………………………………………………………………………. 19

The Art Of The Process………………………………………………………………………………………. 21
Peak Learning And Peak Performance………………………………………………………………. 22
The Old Conditioned Beliefs Of Singing Training………………………………………………. 23
The Magic Of A Developed Kinesthetic Awareness……………………………………………. 24
Your Voice As A Non-Physical Instrument…………………………………………………………. 25
The Natural Singer In You………………………………………………………………………………….. 26

Singing Training From a Historical Perspective…………………………………………………. 27
Breath Control – Why It Is Counterproductive…………………………………………………. 29
The Evolution Of Breath Control………………………………………………………………………… 29
To Release Restrictions………………………………………………………………………………………. 31
The Power Of Letting Go……………………………………..…………………………………………….. 32

The “Slow Learner’s” Trap………………………………………………………………………………….. 33
Why Practicing To CDs Slow You Down…………………………………………………………….. 35
To Practice Effectively…………………………………………………………………………………………. 36
Five Ingredients To Rapid Improvements…………………………………………………………. 37

The New Era Of Singing Training

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com

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The New Era Of Singing Training

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com

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What Is The Bristow Voice Method?

The Bristow Voice Method (BVM) was born out of Per Bristow's vast experience as a performing
musician, singer, actor and athlete, his many years of experience as a teacher and coach, together with
his unique depth of knowledge in areas of human anatomy, modern training methods, advanced learning
strategies, peak performance psychology, advanced mental training techniques, nutrition and more.

The Bristow Voice Method is designed to go far beyond improving the physical voice. Depending on the
individual’s needs and desires, BVM serves to bring the individual to significantly greater levels of well-
being, self-confidence, creativity and health, in addition to dramatically and rapidly improve
communication, presentation and performance skills.

What Others Say About The Bristow Voice Method

"My range has already improved in both the

higher and lower registers with much better

quality, and I perform with greater freedom
than ever before. I'm sure The Bristow Voice

Method will help you too."

Bobby Pulido- Grammy nominee and platinum selling
artist

”I have studied with some of the most well-

known vocal instructors in Los Angeles, but NO

ONE compares to Per's tapestry of training
tools in vocal pedagogy. With Per's freeing

approach and compassion, I have found my

one true voice and I am seeing the results in
my professional singing career. He is not only

the 'Buddha of the Voice', he is without a

doubt Los Angeles' most extraordinary vocal

coach."

Angel Travis - Universal Records recording artist

”I was blessed to have found Per and I can't

imagine where I would be without him
(probably still hoarse from the gig last night.)

He is the rock singer's dream coach, and I am

proud to count him among some of the most
influential people in my life.”

JFK, lead singer of the World Wide Spies

“I was very self-conscious about singing in

front of people. Now I feel like I've been
liberated to explore my own abilities. This

course was definitely a life enhancer for me.

Albert Huerta - Utah

"Per Bristow is a rare combination of skill and

passion. He has a unique ability to understand

and hear what you and your voice are all about
and cater to your unique needs. When you sing

eight shows a week and need to learn to work

around the adverse conditions, you need a
coach who's done it and knows what he's

talking about. It's hard not to kick yourself for

not having found him earlier."

Jerald Vincent, singer on National tours of The
Producers, Aida, and more.

"First of all, I would like to say a big thank you
for your product. From lesson 1 alone I learnt

so much about my voice. I come from having 3

singing teachers, multiple online products
including...(

product name left out as courtesy to

colleagues

) and honest to God I have never

learnt as much as I have from those 50
minutes of instruction!"

Daniel Yuen - Canada

“My name is Colleen. I am a professional
singer and sing for private parties, fundraisers,

Legions and the list goes on. I thoroughly

enjoyed your online course. I learnt things

about singing that I didn't know before. I used
to push my voice, but my voice began to flow

and I now sing with little effort. Thanks Per. I

learnt a lot from your course.”

Colleen Durdon - Canada

“I have sung my entire life until I was nearly

21 years old. My voice did get progressively
better, but I hit a wall. That is when I began

looking into technique. But what I found was

confusing and conflicting information.

Thankfully, I stumbled upon your course.
Naturally I was skeptical at first, but after the

course I have been singing better than ever. I

am constantly in awe of my voice to the point
that I cannot believe it is actually coming out

of my mouth. Music is such a huge part of my

life and I cannot thank you enough for making
such high-end vocal training available and

affordable.

Mike Harari - Florida

"As a child I used to stutter. Somehow I got

over that but I think a lot of stress and strain

developed in my vocal chords which I have not

been able to get total freedom from until I took
this course. So thank you Coach for allowing

me to learn so much from you. I appreciate

the fact that you are 'REAL' with people and
that you are making the student feel safe and

free to make mistakes. I love your

approach: Freedom!”

Cavélle - Florida

“Wow … I gotta comment .. This is

ABSOLUTELY AWESOME !!! Oh yes – so much
more than just singing … Thank you !!! I really

want to thank you for helping me see

something within me, the singing voice, that

was always there … A new instrument of music
that I can play … I have spent most of my life

expressing my emotions through the piano and

guitar. And now, to be able to express my
emotions with my voice … Wow !!! Thank you

… Even at 51, I realize now that ya can teach

an old dog new tricks !!!”

Danny Sternadel - Oregon

“I have been singing for the past 9 years and

took voice lessons from 3 different
teachers before. But nothing can compare to

what Per's online lessons have taught me. I

always felt learning to sing is far to hard
and complicated. But then, the truth now

becomes that I have never felt learning to sing

can be so effortless and simple. It's truly God's
blessing to have Per. Awesome!!!”

Mike Lee, Worship Leader - Malaysia

“Hi Per: Thanks so much for making your

method available to the public. I used to force
the notes out and I easily became hoarse. Now

I sing the notes with ease. I get comments like

"Wow, your voice is so powerful, and you seem

to do it effortlessly". I am now able to sing
louder and stronger with far less effort or

strain. I am the vocalist for a Neil Diamond

Tribute band. We book gigs all over the
country. Your course has helped me take my

performance to the next level. Many thanks

Per.”

Eddie Kij - Arizona

“I’m just a beginner but your singing course

was very helpful. I can sing with a wider range

now and the lessons were fun and felt very
personal. All in all, the interactive singing

course was a wonderful, educational, and

rewarding experience. Thank you again. “

Frank Au - Seattle, Washington

“I have enjoyed your voice lessons a lot. The

exercises are fun and you present the material
in an easy relaxed way.The written material

and video complement each other well and

gives me, the singer, a better understanding

on what is going on. I have created a new
relationship to the different muscles that

defines my voice. I have had a great time

studying with you.”

Benny Sommerfeld, cantorial student - California


“Per, you have made my voice feel the
freedom that I had always wanted! I’ve been

singing and performing for years and I’ve tried

many other approaches that have made me
feel like a robot in comparison. Now my range

has improved and I have more confidence to

gracefully slide into my higher registers and
my songwriting has improved drastically too.

I've learned so much about singing! Thank you

Per -you rock”

Tara Napoli – Los Angeles, Califronia



For another four pages of success stories visit

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com/successstories.html

The New Era Of Singing Training

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com

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The Promise Of A Greater Voice

Who wouldn’t want to be able to sound great when they sing? Who wouldn’t want to
be able to sing with complete freedom and confidence? Who wouldn’t want to be
able to attract people, and be admired, appreciated, respected and loved?

Maybe you want to be able to experience the high of 50,000 cheering fans… maybe
you want to be the front singer of your band, or succeed at your next American Idol
audition… maybe you want to see your friends’ jaws drop when they hear you at the
next karaoke night… maybe you want to be able to experience the true inner joy of
singing – whether by yourself or together with others…

I don’t think there are many people who deep inside wouldn’t want to sing better.
However, many feel they aren’t good enough. Many feel uncomfortable with their
voice. And even more don’t know what to do to dramatically improve their voice.

In this report I am going to outline some of the findings from my last two
decades of coaching singers, and why it is that I can comfortably say that
you can indeed develop your singing voice dramatically. The even better
news is that you can do it so much faster than you probably ever knew
possible.

In fact, I’m not only going to address why you can sound better than ever, but
how you can literally turn your voice into a magnet of attraction.

The Questions That Drove Me

To Write This

For the last almost two decades, I have
coached singers and speakers in the Los
Angeles area, and have become known

as somewhat of a maverick in the field
– not only in the field of voice, but for
igniting a person’s ability for rapid
learning, communication and peak
performance.

However, I didn’t really set out to be
different just for the sake of being different, and I continue to be amazed and
puzzled as to why it is that The Bristow Voice Method has enabled so many to
rapidly experience such profound shifts in, not only their voices, but their lives
as well.

Having said this…

The New Era Of Singing Training

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com

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There are two things we should establish right away:

1) As you will come to see, to not achieve dramatic results is highly

unlikely. It is, in fact, quite hard not to.

2) It has little to do with me, but everything to do with the

enormous capacity that lies within you. Enormous capacity that for
some reason has never been given permission to flourish.

The question is how to make it flourish.

Some of the questions that have driven me to develop methods that can be
used by anyone are:

Why is it that so many singers after years and years of training are still
limited in the way they sound and in their ability to move an audience?

Why is it that they can suddenly transform these abilities?

Why is it that some people learn and develop exceptionally fast while
others don’t?

How can someone who has had a hard time developing in the past turn
into a fast learner?

Why is it that so many people falsely believe they can’t sing?

Why is it that training methods for development of the human mind and
body – from reading skills to sports – have developed rapidly, while
singing training in general tend to rely on beliefs from centuries ago?

Why is it that the majority of singing students, as well as teachers, have
come to believe that “breath control”, as one example, is something to
be strived for?

Why haven’t they realized that this belief has been holding them back
significantly?

Why do so many contemporary singers shy away from taking “singing
lessons”?

These are just some of the many questions that have been churning in my
mind over the years.

Some of the answers to these questions have become quite obvious and which

I will share with you in this report.

The New Era Of Singing Training

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com

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Why Your Voice May Be More Powerful Than You Think

It’s not surprising that American Idol, and all the other spin-offs in 39
countries, is as popular as it is… that karaoke bars are flourishing, garage
bands are formed every minute, and that song in all forms are expressed
throughout households, parties, devotional gatherings and choruses all over

the world.

Singing has been with us since the evolution of mankind. Singing is a
fundamental way of creating a bond with other human beings. Singing lifts our
spirits. Singing makes us feel good. There is no known society or tribe that

doesn’t sing. In fact, we could argue that we all “sang” way before we were
able to form sounds into language.

Yet, many experience feelings of inadequacy. Many – even accomplished
singers – experience discomfort, physical strain and lack of confidence. Many

feel unsatisfied with the way they sound or how they are able to express
themselves. Many, who once loved to sing, have lost the joy and would do
anything to re-experience that joy.

And many more live with a false belief that they cannot sing.

In short: Many feel restricted
in some way, but don’t know
how to break free of these
restrictions.

You might feel restriction too.
You may feel you can’t sing in
tune well enough, or that you
experience strain or that you
can’t sing those high notes or

you just don’t have the quality
of voice that you would love to
have. In some way, you feel
more restricted that you would
like to be.

Then again you may not experience this as “restrictions”. We are exceptionally
adaptable animals. We tend to live our lives held captive by our beliefs of who
we are and what we can or cannot do.

However, since you are reading this, I assume you intuitively know what a

difference your life could be if you could break free of some of the limiting
beliefs and realize a greater potential within you…

The New Era Of Singing Training

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com

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…If there was a way you could discover a greater freedom to your voice… if
there was a way to rapidly gain greater confidence and ability to express the
way you would really like to express… if there was a way that you could step

on stage and experience how people are profoundly attracted by your voice,
charisma and personality… if there was a way to feel more empowered,
confident, influential and attractive as a human being!

I am here to tell you that there is indeed a way. And with your permission I

would like to show you how.

Why I Am Sharing This

For the last almost two decades, the basis of my practice has been one-on-one
private coaching. As rewarding as it has been there has also been frustration,
since I have only been able to help a limited few, one person at a time.

Finally, a year ago, I launched a home-study course – The Captivating Singer
– in which I lead people through a specifically designed process according to
the principles of The Bristow Voice Method via online videos. The feedback was
nothing short of astounding and although the marketing was minimal, people
from 15 countries have experienced it. (Some of the feedback you can read at
the top of this report, and you can read more at

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com/successstories.html

)

"I have been playing and singing

in a rock and blues band for

nearly 12 years (e.g. AC-DC,

Guns 'N Roses, Jimmy Barnes
etc.). In the last year, I've had

problems singing those high

notes. So I hopped on the
Internet and came across Per

Bristow's website and signed up

for his online course. What an

eye-opener!!! Not only did my
voice get back to the level I was

performing before, but it also

improved beyond that - especially
the comfort with which I'm

singing these high notes now and

also the very low range. Thanks
Per!"

Frank Hendrikx - rock singer, New

Zealand

As of this writing, this old course has
been discontinued and a new training
program is about to be launched – an

affordable training program for anyone,
and it promises to go far beyond the
previous course. It is also designed to do
much more than dramatically improve
your physical voice.

Naturally, you are welcome to join this
program when it is launched in a couple
of weeks, but that is for a later
discussion.

For now, I want to offer you strategies
you can embrace today. Everyone
deserves to be able to sing with freedom
and confidence. I’d like to show you the
problems many singers fall into when

they attempt to develop their voices –
traps they fall into that slow down their
progress by years. My goal is to help
empower you so you can be the singer
you’ve always wanted to be.

The New Era Of Singing Training

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com

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The Myths Of Singing That Still Hold Us Captive

Perhaps you have heard or been told that breathing is the foundation for
singing? Perhaps you have been taught you have to learn breath control
techniques or maybe you have even been exposed to statements such as “sing
from your stomach”, or “sing from your diaphragm”. Perhaps you have even

been warned that “if you sing from your throat you will damage your voice”.

How many times have you encountered the advice that in order to sing
properly you must first stand with “correct posture”?

You may also have heard or been told to “feel as if you are yawning”, “sing
through the mask”, or “open your mouth”?

Have you been told to push harder with your stomach to sing high notes?
Have you heard that in order to sing high notes or sing with power you must

“”support your breath”, or have “stomach support”?

Perhaps you are as confused as most as to what these statements mean?
Perhaps you have come to accept them as “right” and have never been
exposed to anything different?

And more importantly: How many
times have you been engaged in
singing training where the process
is via singing scales?

Why are scales always used do you
think? To develop musicality, learn
to sing on key and be able to hit
the right notes?

Why is it that most traditional
singing training focuses on
posture, breath-control and
singing scales?

How could I possibly argue that
singing scales is often highly
ineffective?

Could I possibly believe differently
than that “breathing is the

foundation of singing”? I’d seem
ready to be hauled away if I did, wouldn’t I?

The New Era Of Singing Training

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The Right And The Wrong

As you will come to learn throughout this report, I don’t subscribe to a “right
versus wrong” mentality. We could easily agree that breathing is the
foundation of singing. We might even feel that this statement is a sign of
wisdom. Then again, we could also easily agree that breathing is the

foundation for life. Would this statement be a sign of wisdom or a sign of
simplistic naiveté?

Anyone can make statements and say what is
supposedly wrong and what is supposedly

right. Anyone can tell Michael Jordan who just
missed a shot to shoot more to the left next
time. Whether it is right or wrong is
beside the point. The only thing that
matters is whether it is helpful or not.

The only thing that matters is what unleashes
greater capacity within you.

If you are a complete beginner and have not
been exposed to these kinds of statements

and strategies, I consider you to be in a beneficial situation.

Rumi - 13th century poet

“Out beyond ideas
of right-doing and
wrong-doing there is
a field. I’ll meet you
there.”

However, for all the singers who have been exposed to statements such as
these and the belief patterns that go with them, it is absolutely fascinating to
observe that when they release these habitual restrictions, they suddenly

break free to discover a new dimension to their voice and expression they
didn’t know was possible.

I am going to address how you can experience this too. However, let’s start
off by addressing the issue of talent.

Are You Talented Enough? What Is Talent – Really?

What if you are simply not talented enough? Maybe you’re just not born to be
a singer? How talented do you need to be?

There is probably no other skill where the word talent is as used and misused

as when it comes to singing. We hear the term “natural singer” all the time.
Many sincerely believe that singers are born rather than made. Many believe
where they are today (or where they are not) is a result of their talent (or lack
thereof).

The New Era Of Singing Training

www.BristowVoiceMethod.com

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WHEREIN LIES THE TALENT OF A SINGER?

What is “talent”? Wherein lies
the talent of a singer? Is it the

shape of your larynx that
determines your talent? Your
ear? Your mind? What is it?
Who is equipped to judge
talent? What if we are talented,

but the talent has only lied
dormant?

I would like to start out by
boldly claiming that the
word “talent” in my opinion

is a quite meaningless word.

In singing, were it is ultimately
about communicating, the word
“talent” is even more

meaningless.

There are successful singers who sound completely different and have
completely different physical bodies, different musical “talent”, different
personalities – in fact, completely different skills in every area.

We could argue that to succeed in sports you need a certain genetic physical
makeup. However, even in that area “talent” is highly overrated.

Talent Versus Training

Last year I wrote an article about the similarities of teaching a kid to

confidently catch a ball coming at him at high speed, and a singer effortlessly
and confidently going for a high note.

As I sit here and write in my backyard, I see my 6-year-old son pounding
baseballs at a target over and over again. Since last year when he first
stepped on a baseball field he’s been hailed as a “natural talent” – as a “born

athlete”.

But what if they saw how he practiced? What if they knew the activities of
discovery of his own body and mind that he has been passionately engaged in
since he was an infant (since in the womb probably).

What if they knew about the mental training he has engaged in while watching
his big brother and pros in action?

The New Era Of Singing Training

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There is no denying that we are all different. We are all unique and are born
with different genetic makeups. However, what exactly is that talent?
Before I address the fascinating similarities between learning to throw and

catch a ball and developing your voice, and before I explain why you are a
genius whether you know it or not, let me first share one of the most
profound moments of my life…

The Discovery That Changed My Life

It was, in fact, also about throwing. At the age of 15, I entered a track and

field meet in Sweden (where I grew up) to throw the javelin and in that
competition I broke my personal best by 8 meters.

It was an amazing throw. The feeling in my body as I released the javelin sent
chills through my spine and with that throw I suddenly ranked in the top 20 in

the whole nation.

But I was no javelin thrower. I was thin and weak in comparison to others. I
have never had, nor will I ever have, a body that remotely resembles that of a
javelin thrower.

I could have shrugged it off as a lucky throw. But luckily I didn’t. In fact, I
knew exactly what had happened.

And as I lay down to sleep that night, I thought back on the previous 18
months and all the pain I had been in. 18 months earlier and for six months

straight I had been unable to lie down without severe pain in my lower back as
a result of a back injury from playing soccer. In whatever position I assumed –
lying down, sitting, walking – pain was always present:

Before that injury I dreamt of excelling in sports, but I never really did. I was

decent on a local level, but I had seemingly little capacity (talent?) to be
competitive on a higher level.

Now eighteen months later, I was ranked among the top 20 in the nation in 6
different track and field events. And this in the same year that I won the
regional volleyball championships while messing around in a slew of other

sports.

The funny thing is that my physical abilities where still quite average. I was
still the thin guy with average sprint and jumping ability.

However, there was another area I was considered exceptionally talented in
and that was playing the violin. “Natural talent” was all I heard every time I
performed at a recital. “Natural talent” is what I heard when I at the age of 12
was invited as the youngest ever to play in the symphony orchestra.

The New Era Of Singing Training

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Natural talent? Were they kidding? Had they no idea of the process behind
why I could learn things fast – the process and the mental discipline to get the
fingers moving the way I wanted them to?

I got so tired of hearing about “natural talent” that it was probably
this that drove me to transform other parts of my life. If I can learn
one thing quickly, why can’t I excel at something else?

I turned my ability for rapid learning to other fields I was interested in – be it
singing or writing. By the age of 17, I had never sang a note that I can
remember. A few years later I was one of a highly sought-after singers and
performers in the nation.

Nobody knows the thought process or the learning process of a child, since as

children we aren’t able to verbalize it (nor do we have much desire to do so).
But these thoughts have been with me ever since my days of the injury: What
is it that makes a body heal? What is it that makes us develop skills
fast? Can anyone do it?

Perhaps it has been my dismay with people’s use of the word talent that has
driven me to become a coach and help people from all walks of life discover
greater abilities within themselves – whether they consider themselves
talented or not.

So for the last decades, my life has centered around helping others acquire
the skill of learning fast and transforming their inner abilities. Whether it is the
world-class backup singer who has no voice six days before his US tour, or the
accountant who never believed she could sing but transforms her life when
she experiences an amazing voice she never knew she had.

How We Really Learn

Dr. Howard Gardner at Harvard University is one of the people who paved the
way for a greater appreciation of our differences with his theory on multiple
intelligences.

The intelligences he describes are:

Linguistic intelligence ("word smart")

Logical-mathematical intelligence ("number/reasoning smart")

Spatial intelligence ("picture smart")

Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence ("body smart")

Musical intelligence ("music smart")

Interpersonal intelligence ("people smart")

Intrapersonal intelligence ("self smart")

Naturalist intelligence ("nature smart")

The New Era Of Singing Training

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Page 14

What kind of “intelligence” do you think my strength is? What is your strong
“intelligence”? What “intelligence” do you think a singer needs?

You may also be familiar with the different modalities of learning. These
include auditory, visual and kinesthetic. Sometimes we also include tactual as
a fourth modality. These modalities refer to the way we use our senses to take
in and process information. It has been found that different people us their
senses differently when they process information.

Now realize that most of the discussions in regards to methods for accelerated
learning are geared towards retention of information. But where are the
methods to accelerate the development of musical intelligence and inter- and
intrapersonal intelligence?

The Birth Of A Genius - YOU

Despite the differences in learning styles, it might be interesting to consider
what world-renowned developmental psychologist Jean Piaget pointed out:
that initially, we all learn kinesthetically.

When you entered this world, your senses and your awareness of self were

developed via your kinesthetic experiences. You began discovering that the
hand in your face was in fact your own hand, that the feet wiggling about were
your own feet. Your eyes began to interpret what you touched and vision was
developed.

W

e discover the distance to objects via touch. We

discover what is soft, hard, round or sharp via
our touch. Sound is at its root vibration, and
our hearing – our ability to interpret these
vibrations – develops in the womb as a

kinesthetic experience.

And as an infant you began making sound. Just
merely making sound – any sound – was a
fascinating exploration in and of itself. At that
time you had no concept of good versus bad or

right versus wrong. As long as that freedom
prevailed, you explored endlessly.

Physical actions become interlinked with mental
activity. This was also shown by Jean Piaget’s

study of the young child who, when attempting to "figure out" how to get an
object out of a closed matchbox, opened and closed her mouth.

touch – vision – distance –
balance – space – shape –
texture – sound – goal –
concentration – awareness

The New Era Of Singing Training

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Habits, beliefs and knowledge are constantly being implanted
via our kinesthetic discoveries in association with other sensory
experiences.

Most people would think that becoming a great singer is about musical
intelligence and auditory learning. And this is exactly what singing training
historically has always emphasized. This is why listening, copying sounds and
notes, and singing scales are the dominating methods to learn to sing. Most
beginner singers are for example encouraged to follow along with pre-

recorded CDs.

But singing is much more than that.

Singing is also very much a physical activity. Not surprisingly, just about every
client – even exceptionally accomplished singers – are shocked at what they

discover when they go through the Bristow Voice Method’s Kinesthetic
Awareness Process - KAP™. They have just never experienced anything like
it. Is it not surprising that they develop incredibly fast.

(Singing is of course more than just a physical activity – more on that later)

The Real “Secret” To Learning

Now let’s go back to the art of teaching a child to throw and catch a ball to
help us understand how you can rapidly develop your singing voice – no
matter your age.

Take a look at both these pictures above. Which kid is going to throw the ball
the farthest? It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? But what is the difference?

Now, I’m using my own child here as an example since I know the facts

behind it, but it could be any kid. When people see him throw, bat or catch
they often react in amazement as you seldom see a six-year-old do something
like that. The term “he’s got a great arm” is often used for someone who can

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throw well. But is it just the arm? Look at the picture. Where do you think the
power and accuracy is coming from?

Now, if a kid like this pounds the ball with speed and accuracy the first time he
steps onto a baseball field, it’s not surprising that he is going to be hailed as a
“natural talent”.

But talented at what?

We should first realize that if he throws a ball only 50 times a day (which is
about 20 minutes of play), he has thrown it over 18,000 times in a year!
Considering this factor alone, wouldn’t we expect that this kid shows greater
skill level than a kid who has never tried? Is this talent or training? Has this
anything to do with their skill level 5 years from now?

However, even so, it is not the time spent that makes the real
difference. The secret lies in the how – in the process.

While repetition is known as the mother of skill and practice is certainly

valuable, the person who excels is not necessarily the person who has done
something the most.

The reason one child throws further, harder and
straighter than another has also less to do with

strength than we might think. The secret of a
throw is to use the leverage and balance of the
body – feet, legs, hips, back, shoulder, arm,
eyes etc.

But here’s the important part:

The process of learning – even
learning a physical activity – is
more a mind issue than a body issue.

Now, the power of the mind is a huge subject
and a dear subject of mine but would take
hundreds of pages to write about, so let’s settle for this:

The act of catching – i.e. the result – is insignificant during the

process. Catching the ball just becomes the obvious and soon very easy by-
product. As a result, a five-year-old catches a ball thrown at him with full adult
speed without blinking an eye.

Catching the ball is insignificant in the process of learning to catch a ball

Hitting the ball is insignificant in learning a baseball swing

Hitting the notes is insignificant in learning to sing on key!

While repetition is
known as the mother of
skill, and practice is
certainly valuable, the
person who excels is
not necessarily the
person who has done
something the most.

Let’s read that again:

Hitting the notes is insignificant in the process of learning to

sing on key!

We can state this in a different way:

It is the child who is concerned about catching the ball that has

a hard time learning to catch the ball.

It is the child who is concerned about hitting the ball who never learns
the balanced swing.

It is the singer who is concerned about hitting the notes who
ends up singing off key!

In fact, let’s take this one step further and broaden our perspective:

It is the person who falls for get-quick-rich schemes who never gets
rich.

It is the person who goes for lose-weight-quick schemes that has a hard

time not being overweight.

It is the person who seeks instant gratification via drugs
(pharmaceutical or recreational) that has a hard time being healthy.

Yes, when we go for quick-fixes we apply band-aid solutions to a deeper

problem. A quick-fix mentality is ultimately a very slow process
towards the real goal.

The reason for all this is simple: The result-oriented person has not learned to
truly experience the process. When our mind is focused on the result, our
mind rushes back and forth between anticipation and judgment and

cannot truly experience the process.

The Two Words That Stop You In Your Tracks

And there we have the word: Judgment.

We adults are expert judges. When a kid makes a drawing, our inclination as

adults is to say whether it is good or bad. If we have a positive mindset we
might say it’s good. But commenting that something is good is also making a
judgment.

While praise is highly beneficial, we easily fall into the trap of praising the

result rather than the process. As kids we then grow up with a subconscious
desire to be good and get external rewards (until maybe we rebel in our
teens).

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As you can tell, there is one emotion that runs through all of this. That’s right:
It is FEAR.

Embedded in the desire to be good, the desire to catch the ball and the
desire to hit the notes, lurks the fear of not being good enough, the
fear of missing the ball and the fear of not hitting the notes.

Every person who lives with a secret desire to be able to sing, yet feels they

can’t, was at some point told they weren’t good enough. This person was told
to be quiet or maybe was kicked out of the chorus. Many have been told they
don’t have a singing voice. Well, how many attempts did you make? How
many people helped you find your singing voice? And that belief of not being
able to sing well enough has lived on ever since. It’s a ridiculous belief really.

How many times today have
you made a judgment about
someone else?

How many times today have
you made a judgment about
yourself?

It’s as ridiculous as the kid who misses his
first attempt at a basketball shot, then
never tries again and goes on to believe he
can never learn. We grow up with these
paralyzing beliefs of what we can or cannot

do based on other people’s judgments. But
let’s not blame anyone else. The only thing
that matters now is your own judgment of
yourself.

Artists are judged all the time. You are
auditioning all the time. Now, since you are
here reading this, you know that you are
not going to let old judgments and
conditioned beliefs stop you. You know
there is magic within you. Perhaps you

have even rebelled against preconceived
ideas that someone else has held on you.
Good for you.

How To Develop Amazing Skills

So to go back to the throwing a ball example: How do you teach a kid how to

throw a ball like that? The answer is: You don’t.

Take two kids and show them exactly how to make a throw with great
technique and you get two different results. One kid might get it immediately,
while the other one just can’t do it.

People ask me if I can teach anyone to sing. Although I certainly believe
anyone can learn to sing very well, we could also argue that I don’t teach
anyone.

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In fact, maybe I’m not a “teacher”. We could argue that my real expertise is
to learn. I am a learner, and as such I help other people become rapid
learners.

Think about it; you weren’t “taught” a language. A child acquires a language
when exposed to it. There is no way I could “teach” my kids to lay 100 piece
puzzles at the age of two and a half. They both did it because they were in an
atmosphere where they enjoyed the process of discovering how.

I don’t teach my kids how to throw a ball or how to catch a ball by just
showing them how to do it. I help them discover a fearless approach to seeing
a ball come at them.

I (and my wife – let’s not forget her) help them discover and develop an

awareness of their body – i.e. kinesthetic awareness – and help them
discover the balance, rhythm and movement of the body. This also includes
the ability to go from maximum physical output to maximum physical
relaxation in a matter of minutes. This involves activities seemingly
unrelated to catching and throwing a ball.

Do you see the T-shaped arms? A fraction
of a second earlier, his right arm was
complete stretched to be able to get the
leverage and free rotation in his shoulder.

You seldom see this in a kid this age. Why
not? Is it hard to learn? Of course not.

It’s just that most kids never discover how
easy it is. Most kids this age do as his
friend in the other photo and effectively

lock their shoulders which makes any
power quite impossible. Similarly, many
singers effectively lock their larynx.

The kids who have a hard time discovering this are not necessarily the ones

with less “talent”, but the ones who have not had the opportunity to be
coached through the process. In all likelihood they have been more focused on
the outcome of the throw than on experiencing the beautiful feeling of a freely
rotating shoulder.

Similarly, many people have not had the opportunity to experience the
process of freeing the functionality of the voice. In all likelihood they have
been more focused on the outcome of the sound, hitting notes and singing
scales than on experiencing the beautiful feeling of freely vibrating vocal cords
(vocal folds).

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See the power and balance in the right leg? A fraction of a second later his
right foot pivots, the hips snap around, still in perfect balance, creating
momentum for the upper body, making his arm the last thing to move.

His friend in the other picture does what commonly kids do at this age, and
makes movement of the hips quite impossible. Likewise, many singers
make movement of the vocal cords quite impossible.

As an example, learning to catch the ball has included seeing soft objects

coming at him in the air, studying different colored balls come rolling toward
him, studying the spin of flying objects, then stopping balls flying towards him
while calling the colors, and a multitude of other games. Catching has seldom
been part of it.

(The steps to free your voice are far simpler!)

The Art Of The Process

So…

There is never any right or wrong involved in the game – i.e the
process. There is no judgment of the result – but instead awareness of the
process. A year or so later, catching that ball that comes straight at him at full

speed is like picking an orange off the tree. Talk about confidence.

Can any child learn this? For some it may take longer, but of course they can.
In a year or so, they boy on the right may be sensational. We don’t know.
Then again he might be more interested exploring other areas.

Can anyone learn to sing? Of course
they can. Does it matter how old you
are? Not necessarily. What matters is if
you are willing to let go of judgment and

allow yourself to experience something
new.

The Great 19

th

century

novelist Henry James
mentioned awareness
as one of the essential
qualities of genius.

“A genius is a person
on who nothing is
lost.”

So a rapid learner is involved in curious
exploration and discovery. A quick-fix
mentality seeks external rewards, while

we seek internal rewards. Internal
motivation is far more powerful than
external motivation.

Since a rapid learner is involved in

the process, she is also involved in
the present moment. Anticipation

and judgment are reflections on the past and the future. Awareness is
just that; being aware of the here and now without judgment.

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The present moment is where rapid learning takes place and where peak
performance occurs. The rapid learner and the peak performer may love
results, there is nothing wrong with that, but he learns that the way to

remarkable results is to love the process.

Peak Learning And Peak Performance

Rapid learning and peak performance happen in a state of heightened
awareness in the here and now. (Actors speak of “being in the moment” and
athletes speak of “being in the zone”.) Kids are experts at this until we

encourage them to judge the result or achieve results just to get external
rewards.

So we could argue that I don’t “teach” people how to sing. I help them
discover a process in which they discover a voice they never knew they had. I

help them discover an awareness of their instrument, together with a process
of learning they never knew existed, no matter how young or old.

When we take our minds off of needing to sound good and hit the notes – i.e.
the result – we can experience true magic. And not only has it been proven
to be exceptionally effective – it is also fun.

Kids don’t see fun things as “practicing” – nor should they. To them it is all
play. It’s interesting to ponder why we adults have turned the word “practice”
into a rough-sounding chore that takes effort, instead of using the more
effective learning tool “play”.

A child will do more of what he experiences as fun, and so will you. Joy is what
creates a desire to do more of the same.

So we have spoken of curious exploration. We have spoken of the fact that

this curious exploration is a process in the here and now, and we have spoken
of joy.

Curious exploration + joy

Y

momentum

Yes, now we have momentum. We want to do more of it. Now we are doing
more, not just for the sake of doing more, but to discover new things. Each

new discovery creates more joy and more curiosity, leading to more
discoveries etc.

Part of that joy is of course when we experience dramatic improvements,
there’s no denying that. However, being aware of improvements is a far cry

from judging. Naturally, when we realize possibilities, these possibilities
become magnets for developing further.

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Doing with joy, doesn’t mean everything has to be fun every single
moment. Frustration can be an important part of the process. The

frustration of not being able to reach the toy isn’t seen as failure for the
infant, but it makes him want to move forward. Athletes come to enjoy

the fact that some physical and mental pain is part of growth. In
fact, growth is impossible without it.

So during a process, there is no such thing as right or wrong. There is no such
thing as correct versus incorrect. Does a child who is learning to walk
experience the falling down as “wrong” or “incorrect” or a “mistake” or
“failure”? Of course not. Falling once in a while is a natural and vital part of

the process. It is only we judgmental adults who make the errors of reacting
to that fall as if it was a “mistake”, or an “oops”.

The Old Conditioned Beliefs Of Singing Training

Unfortunately, so many singing teachers are conditioned to believe in correct
versus incorrect. This is not surprising. Volumes have been written regarding

correct versus incorrect breathing,
posture and overall use of the voice.
The tradition of singing training has
taken such a stronghold over how
singing is supposed to be taught,

that teachers still quote what was
supposedly “correct” centuries ago.

Many even go so far as to state that
singers of different styles sing

incorrectly, and the internet is
loaded with material making claims
of correct and incorrect singing.

(Note: There are surely plenty of singing teachers that have evolved their thinking and

their methodology from the old-school thinking, and this is in no regards dismissive of
their fantastic work. Yet, from my experience, the overwhelming majority of singers

have indeed been exposed to this very kind of limited thinking.)

We should realize that anyone who speaks of correct versus incorrect
is obviously only expressing their limited and judgmental view of the

matter.

So the issue is never what is correct or incorrect according to some idealized
opinion or according to a book. The only issue is what will help the person in
the most effective way.

.

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My passion as a coach (and parent) is to create a situation where the person
gets to acquire skills they want to acquire. One of my developed skills is to be
able to develop strategies to “trick” the person into discoveries of their

unknown potential. The real help is when the person develops a greater
awareness of their body and mind.

One of the tools is via The Bristow Voice Method’s Kinesthetic Awareness
Process (KAP

TM

). Through this, the person rather immediately gains a

newfound awareness of the voice. The person experiences what makes the
voice free and what restricts the voice, and can therefore easily go on to
rapidly develop their voice on their own.

To not experience significant “results” – greater range, power,
freedom, dynamics, resonance, endurance, health, etc. – through this

process would be quite unlikely, perhaps as unlikely as an infant not
discovering how to walk.

The Magic Of A Developed Kinesthetic Awareness

Why develop kinesthetic awareness?

What is kinesthetic awareness?

A skilled pianist has trained to be able to move two fingers with incredible
speed (as in a trill) while still being able to maintain complete relaxation in the
rest of the hand.

However, if a beginner piano player attempts the same fast trill, the entire
hand will undoubtedly tense up. Tension will probably even spread all the way
into the shoulder and may continue into the face, and perhaps even to the
stomach and legs.

Skilled violin and guitar players
have trained to be able to keep
their wrist relaxed even though the
fingers are involved in intricate
movements.

This seemingly remarkable feat of
being able to isolate muscles is a
developed skill. It is not something
you are born with.

In an untrained singer, the many small laryngeal and pharyngeal
muscles, together with the larger muscles of the throat, neck, face,
torso and abdomen, tend to move in a single package.

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The better we are able to separate and thus improve the functioning
of these muscles, the better and freer our vocal instrument becomes.

There is hardly any hobby or line of work that does not require the use of
muscles.

In fact, the activities we consider to be non-physical, such as monotonous
sitting activities, can be the most taxing on our physiology. As we all know,

the work force is full of back problems, shoulder problems, carpal tunnel
syndrome etc., partly created from years of built-up tension.

Many vocal disorders result from years of unaware vocal misuse. Too
often we don’t become aware of our body until it screams for help.

We could easily claim that our kinesthetic awareness – the awareness of bodily
movement (and non-movement as in tension) – is a foundation, even a
prerequisite, for maintaining good health.

The day we want to change habits, heal injuries, develop new skills, or

improve in just about any area, we must tap into our kinesthetic awareness.

The better we do it — the faster we experience results.

We could easily claim
that our kinesthetic
awareness – i.e. the
awareness of bodily
movement (and non-
movement as in tension)
– is a foundation, even a
prerequisite, for
maintaining good health.

-- Unless the computer worker
becomes aware of her habitually

tensed shoulders, a change will
probably never take place.

-- Unless the singer becomes aware
of his habitual tendencies, the habits
continue.

Awareness is always the first step
towards changing a habit and
improving a skill.

Kinesthetic awareness also goes
hand in hand with self-awareness.
Like the infant, the discovery of self
is via your kinesthetic experiences.

Your Voice As A Non-Physical Instrument

We have talked a lot about the fact that using the voice is very much a
physical activity. However, your voice is more than just a physical instrument
– much more. Your voice is directly linked to your psychology to a far greater
degree than any other instrument.

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Letting out your voice is like baring your soul. This is one reason why it feels
so incredibly good to sing and why singing has so many proven health
benefits. On the other hand, this is also why singing can be quite fearful, and

why it can be so psychologically taxing when the voice doesn’t cooperate.

Your physical voice is inseparable from your inner voice.

Your voice is you.

It is not surprising that a restricted voice goes hand in hand with a
restricted personality, a forceful voice goes hand in hand with a
forceful personality, a timid voice goes hand in hand with a timid
personality, and so on. Sometimes the relationship is obvious. Many times
we may not experience our habitual use of the voice as “restricted”. We may
not feel “restricted”. Then again, we are very adaptive creatures. We can

easily just “get by”.

However, I suspect you are not interested in just “getting by”.

Part of my work is not only to help you release and develop your physical

voice, but to simultaneously release your “inner voice”. The real magic is
when you experience a newfound freedom to your “inner voice” and you feel
freer, more confident and more empowered as a human being.

The idea is to ignite the real you – not the you that only sounds good, but

the you that becomes more spontaneous, charismatic, and compelling. In
short, you become more attractive.

The successful artist is after all the person who is in some way able to attract
an audience. You can do it too – whether that audience is one person or
50,000 people is really beside the point.

Singing is ultimately about communication. We could argue that it is
more about “interpersonal intelligence” than musical intelligence (to go back
to Gardner’s model). Then again, to be able to gain that awareness of others,
you need a high degree of intrapersonal intelligence. And to use your voice in

an effective way requires kinesthetic intelligence, and we could go on.

The Natural Singer In You

The point is that we are all different and every singer and artist is different
with different strengths and weaknesses. Artists attract different audiences for
different reasons. Some are able to sing with amazing sounds and some have
average sounds but are able to communicate wonderfully.

So who is a good singer for that matter? Is Barbara Streisand a better
singer than Bob Dylan? Is Ray Charles a better singer than Pavarotti?
Who has the most “natural talent”?

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Comparisons like these are of course meaningless. The answers are nothing
more than reflections of our personal preferences. These artists do what they
want to do and they do it with passion.

Who is a “natural singer”? The “natural singer” is someone who at an early
age, or later in life, found joy in letting out the voice without inhibitions.
Muscles developed and the sound became an extension of themselves. He/she
was probably surrounded by great role models and she couldn’t stop singing.

He/she simply fell in love with singing. Singing became an empowering
expression of the soul. Is this talent or training?

It is always interesting when a person says she can’t sing. It doesn’t take
much gentle probing to realize that a more accurate statement would have
been: “I don’t know if I can sing or learn to sing, I really haven’t tried, much

less trained to any great extent.”

Professional singers also get hampered by their beliefs and fears –
sometimes to an even greater extent than amateurs. This may include
limiting beliefs about their potential, their range, what their audience likes etc.

The greatest fear arises of course the day the voice doesn’t cooperate.

Singers, just as everyone else, become afraid of growth and change and
instead “play it safe” and do what they’ve always done. Successful singers fall
into this trap just as easily. Unfortunately, what they used to do was fresh and

full of life, but “playing it safe” now becomes stale and limiting. Their careers
are not only stifled and begin to deteriorate, but resistance also begins to
manifest itself in muscular function (or dysfunction).

Others, who get stuck in the “don’t fix what isn’t broken” or “I know it all”
attitude, naturally tend to operate on a level far below their potential.

Although our voice is so deeply rooted in our psychology, the beauty of singing
(and of art in general) is that we need a psychoanalysis session in order to
sing. You don’t need to fix the psychology. You don’t need to change anything.
You can instead accept what is and use it in your art.

Singing Training From a Historical Perspective

Having said all this about freeing the voice, it is unfortunate that so many
people who would like for this to happen, never get to experience it. Frankly,
part of the reason is due to how singing training has historically been
conducted.

Again: This is not to in any way meant to come across as negative towards the many
great singing teachers that are daily inspiring people to sing better. This is to address

the evolution, as well as lack of evolution, of singing training that the overwhelming
majority of people who would like to sing better are exposed to.

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As I’ve mentioned before, training methods for athletes have evolved
dramatically. Different tools have been developed. Greater knowledge has
given us the understanding that different ways of activating muscles affect

them differently. Different training strategies have been developed for
different sports. It’s not long ago since stretching was introduced. Weight
training is a fairly new concept, etc. The world of sports has also been in the
forefront in understanding the psychology of performance.

But singers still sing the same scales. The singing training that most people
encounter here in the Western world is derived from the Western school of
classical singing.

I stated in the beginning that every society and tribe sings. However,
centuries ago in Europe when opera became popular, the common man did

not sing opera. It was not music for the people. It was music for the courts.
Opera became a style, partly born out of a need to project the voice in a large
auditorium over an orchestra.

Singing opera was, and still is, a far cry from a natural way of using the voice.

It was a highly specialized technique and it was an art form for the elite few.
Becoming a singer back then was a way to go from poverty to wealth, just as
it can be today. But it was only the select few that were able to pursue it.

The chosen ones were indeed chosen because of genetic makeup. In order to

be able to create a sound of opera, you did indeed need a certain physicality
that was inborn. Today this is no longer true as singers can sound completely
different and still be “singers”.

We should realize that even within opera there were clashes among
techniques. There were differences of opinion between the German and the

Italian school, for example. However, even within the Italian school, where the
technique that got the name “Bel Canto” came from, there were many
differences of opinion.

I have to admit I find it somewhat puzzling when teachers of today claim they

teach “Bel Canto” or even as some teachers claim; “the real Bel Canto”. How
would they know how someone taught centuries ago?

Even if that were true, why would that be a positive? If you are striving for
Olympic gold, would you use the same training methods from centuries ago?

This does not in any way mean that we cannot greatly appreciate, admire and
learn from art and cultures of the past. Few contemporary singers of today,
however, have a desire to sound like singers did centuries ago.

But even so, the real dilemma is when techniques that were used then are
promoted as a “correct” way of using the voice. Perhaps such claims are the
remains of an elitist point of view.

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By making such claims we are also dismissing every other culture who sang
way before opera and “Bel Canto” was ever developed.

Breath Control – Why It Is Counterproductive

Interestingly enough, I was once criticized by a speech therapist (perhaps
because I had helped some of her previous clients) for not teaching breath
control techniques. “Since breathing is the foundation for using the voice, how
on earth could I be so ignorant as to not teach breathing?”

The fact is that my clients gain greater and freer breathing within just a
few minutes, without me ever mentioning breathing. (Remember in the
discussion about throwing the ball that I said I help people discover rather
than “teach” them what is supposedly right or wrong.)

One would be hard pressed to find any singing instruction that does not begin
by teaching the concept of breathing.

“Breathing is the foundation of singing” is a classic statement. Breath control
and breath support are standard terms we hear and read about in just about
any literature on the voice.

Obviously, breathing is of great
importance to singing. Then again,
breathing is quite important for life.

It is certainly true that many breathe far
from optimally, especially in our fast-
paced stressed society. It seems
therefore logical that if you are going to
teach singing you have to start by

teaching “breath control”. But what is
breath control?

The Evolution Of Breath Control

Being “out of control” is generally seen as something negative. The word
control and the desire for control has been a natural progression from an

evolutionary perspective. Our ancestors’ daily life was about eating or being
eaten. The neurological “fight or flight” response has evolved out of a need for
survival.

As tribes and societies formed, control was necessary. Civilizations have

evolved on the basis of control and assuming power over in order to avoid
chaos – in order to not be “eaten” from within or from outside threats. It has
been necessary for survival and order.

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Religious institutions and political systems have many times been about
controlling and assuming power over. Educational systems and parenting were
built on the idea of teaching and learning specific skills and to be obedient.

Obedience and submission was in fact highly valued, whether in a family,
workplace, church or society.

The obedient worker was the valued worker, and a worker accepted to be

subjugated to the powers above. Children were subjugated to the adult world,
and were taught to assume their place in society. It was not long ago that
children were assumed to do what their parents did. To “dream of success” or
strive for something different is a quite new concept.

To not be obedient was disruptive and not seen as beneficial for the greater

good.

As our level of consciousness, technology, society and our understanding of
ourselves have rapidly evolved, we have become more aware that we have
the ability to control. Being able to control our emotions, our mind and our

lives has been seen as ultimate mastery.

So in relation to having no control and being subjugated to outside powers,
the idea of being able to better control our lives has naturally been seen as
significant progress The pharmaceutical industry was revolutionary in that it

first saved lives and then achieved the perceived mastery of being able to
control and suppress symptoms and assume power of the body.

However, today as we have evolved further, concepts of control have begun to
shift.

Where mechanical workers where highly rewarded in the past, mechanical
obedience has very little value today. In the workplace the worker who just
“does his job” is minimally rewarded, whereas the worker who is self-
sufficient, creative, communicative and proactive is highly rewarded.

The evolution of consciousness has today brought the insight that
even greater benefits are gained by empowering others rather than
assuming power over others.

The successful, thriving corporation of today is the one who empowers
its employees rather than attempts to control and assume power over.

The successful child is the one who is empowered to discover his own
abilities.

The healthy body is the body that is empowered to be alive and to flow
with energy, rather than being controlled.

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The thriving society is the one who empowers its citizens, which brings
greater productivity and greater peace than assuming power over.

The thriving schools are where students feel empowered to research,
discover, create, work in teams, etc., and the thriving schools are the
ones who are moving away from rote learning and lecture style
learning.

-- The old male ideal used to be the one
who controls emotions and who doesn’t
show emotions. Today’s strong male is the
one who isn’t afraid of hiding his emotions.

-- The old ideal of a strong woman was the
one of obedience. Today, the ideal woman
is the empowered woman.

-- Old school acting was not about

experiencing true emotion. The skill of an
actor in the past was to control emotions
and with gestures and voice inflictions
illustrate emotions. What was seen as
highly skilled yesterday is in today’s world

seen as fake.

Actors of today want to let go of the need to act and the need to control. The
top actor of today seeks to experience the truth, and to be completely
spontaneous and authentic in the moment.

To Release Restrictions

The need to control really implies the fear of being out of control. For
example, it is only the person who lives in fear of his emotions who feels a
need to control his emotions.

It is the singer who lives in fear of missing notes who needs to control the

notes. It is only the singer who fears the voice will crack who feels a need to
control it.

To control implies holding something in check.

Breathing is movement – movement of air, movement of muscles and
organs, movement of energy. A healthy voice means free movement of
air and all the muscles involved in breathing, and free movement of
vocal cords (vocal folds).

A phobia is a
persistent and

irrational fear of a
particular object or

situation

The underlying feeling

with all phobias is a
fear of being 'out of

control'.

Free movement cannot be achieved when restriction is present. Sound
is movement and life is movement. Why would you ever want to hold
your life?

It’s not surprising to observe that people who have been trained in the
concept of controlling their breath also have the most restricted breathing
patterns, (although they don’t experience it as restricted until they experience
a newfound sensation of freedom).

For many people fears such as “if you don’t control your breathing you will
damage your voice” are deeply ingrained.

With all of this in mind, isn’t it interesting that we are so often still taught
concepts of control when it comes to singing, when singing is perhaps the

most natural form of expression?

The result from training with the mindset of attempting to control and do
things “correctly” is that, although you may now have a person who sings
“well”, can hit the notes well, and has good tone according to the old

standard, this singer has no greater ability to truly attract today’s audience.

Her true inner voice is no freer than it was when she started her training. This
singer is no more empowered by virtue of his training, and has not yet
discovered the true, unique, authentic, and influential inner voice that lies

within. We could argue that maybe he hasn’t discovered his true “talent”.

It is not surprising that many rock singers shy away from singing
lessons out of fear that it will ruin their style. This fear is well-
founded. Old-school training may very well change their style, just as old-
school acting training will not release a truthful actor of today’s standard.

The Power Of Letting Go

When I lead a client through a series of
specifically designed experiments, they
suddenly experience a profound shift.
Rather than being shown anything that is

right or wrong, they experience a
newfound sense of release – release of
sound, release of air, release of
control.

They immediately experience that non-restricted breathing – i.e. non-held
back breathing – enables them to in fact sing far longer phrases than
they had before. Far longer compared to when they attempted to control
their breath.

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In addition, they experience far greater power and freedom but with
much less “work”. It is not surprising that the voice suddenly soars with less
effort than ever before.

Imagine the ultimate freedom of being able to let go – to let go of the
need to control…

Imagine when fear is a thing of the past and the need to control is

replaced with trust…

Imagine discovering a newfound freedom where “control” is no longer
desirable… where mental and physical tension is released… and your
breathing, as well as your voice, becomes freer, fuller, warmer, more
dynamic, and more powerful.

It is not difficult to realize how this directly translates into a freer, warmer,
more dynamic, powerful and compelling human being.

Do you think this could happen to you? In fact, even people who have gone
through this via the home-study course experience this newfound sense of

freedom. It isn’t hard. It doesn’t take years. In fact, once people have
experienced it, it seems so simple. The truth is that it is simple. It only
takes minutes to get there, and it certainly has nothing to do with talent.

As you realize, it is impossible for me to explain the experiments or the

process in writing since they have to be experienced. That’s not the purpose of
this report. My hope here, however, is to inspire you to let your unique voice
blossom. My life is about empowering people. My desire is to empower you
to realize a greater version of yourself.

Now let’s look at some common traps:

The “Slow Learner’s” Trap

The slow learner is the one who operates with a judgmental voice that is so
loud and so frequent that the person cannot experience the “now”.

The slow learning singing student is the one who will not allow herself to
sound anything but “good”, and she will readily point out and subconsciously

prove how bad she sounds. (It may seem like an oxymoron since she already
believes that she doesn’t sound good.)

Naturally, this habitual inner critic will produce anything but a free and
resonating sound which, for example, is necessary to make it possible for the

vocal cords to vibrate on pitch.

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It is the “fear” of sounding bad that makes the singer sound tense, off-key and
indeed “bad”. This has nothing to do with “talent”. Once again, life shows us
that we are who we believe we are – we are indeed masters of self-

fulfilling prophecies.

The perfectionist operates in the same fashion. The true perfectionist, in
stark contrast to the high achiever, cannot allow herself to do
anything that isn’t perfect. This fear of being less than “perfect” only allows

her to operate on a level far below her true potential.

This is the person who rather than try
something new insists on a preferred method
of learning. It’s like the c student who
adamantly proclaims “this works for me” when

explaining his studying method.

It is the fear of
sounding bad that
makes the singer
sound restricted,
off-key and indeed
“bad”

A high achiever on the other hand allows
herself to experience the unknown.

A high achiever also allows himself to

experience what others might seem as failures and mistakes, but what he sees
as necessary and valuable discoveries to reach the next level. (Remember
when you were learning to walk?)

Many beginning singers truly believe they have problems singing on key.
More on the ability to sing on pitch/on key another time, but let’s just say this:

A restricted voice has a hard time singing on pitch, but when the voice
becomes freer, singing on key becomes a piece of cake, even for the “pitch-
challenged”. The deeper this belief is rooted, the harder it is for the student to

allow himself to be in the present moment.

There are also the people who are so conditioned to believe that singing is all
about emotion and will do everything to “emote” - i.e. try to convince the
listener that they are expressing emotion. There is nothing “wrong” with this

behavior. It is in fact what we all tend to do as beginners.

The goal of today’s acting schools is to train the person to let go of the need
to produce emotion (or the result) and instead allow the emotion to happen.
The great actor learns to trust himself and does not need to artificially

produce emotion or control emotion. Instead, he allows emotion to flow
spontaneously in the context of the circumstances.

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Some people are unable
to recognize when an

exercise leads to
enormous improvements,
because their mind is still
whispering “that still
didn’t sound good”. We

might subconsciously be
asking “did that sound
good?” or “am I doing it
right?” or have other
similar judgmental
thoughts.

What is the relationship between
acoustic resonance and the ability
to resonate with other people?

What is the relationship between
the energy you emit and your
ability to attract?

What is really charisma?

Our mind is then constantly refusing to acknowledge the present moment. It is
constantly juggling between past and future, and we are measuring ourselves
against some perceived idea of an ideal result.

Naturally, this person develops slowly. He has a hard time acknowledging his
kinesthetic awareness, not because of lack of motor skills or “talent”, but
because his mind won’t allow him this awareness.

Luckily there are ways to transform this person as well. All of us, whatever

habits and beliefs we may have lived with, experience transformation when we
discover something new that has a profound impact on us.

Why Practicing To CDs Slow You Down

One example of a classic trap, that affect the majority of beginner-
intermediate singers, is the need to practice to a pre-recorded CD (or tape).
The reason why this becomes a slow development process is simple:

1.

The singer is led to believe that singing a series of notes is the mark of
a great singer. You automatically shift to a mindset of following and
doing it right.

2.

You shift to auditory learning and your mind is on hitting the notes and
sounding good – or sounding in a certain way that the instructor

promotes.

3.

You become less aware of “how” you are doing it.

4.

Your CD never changes and next time you are doing the same thing in
the same order and in the same tempo

You are simply not in charge of your practice when you practice to pre-
recorded CDs. You are not in charge of what you are doing, of how you are
doing it, and of what you are trying to accomplish.

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Just “doing it” certainly has its merits. There is no denying that repetition is
the mother of skill, and there is certainly value in accompaniment. However, a
violin player, or any instrumentalist, would consider it foolish to always

practice by following the same exercise CD that always plays the same
exercises in the same tempo in the same order.

Only the athlete destined to plateau after two weeks trains the same
way day in and day out in the same sequence and at the same tempo.

Which basketball player who just missed a free-throw in practice wouldn’t
want to stop and try again, rather than being forced to move on to the next
exercise?

So many singers have come to believe that vocal training is about following

pre-recorded scales. It is completely understandable since there are very few
alternatives available to the general public.

To Practice Effectively

Singers in bands sometimes make the mistake of using the band rehearsal as
their only vocal practice. Your awareness is quite limited when your mindset is

on trying to perform the song in the best way possible for the sake of the
band. You are then focused more on the result than on developing your
instrument.

You aren’t given the opportunity to, for example, sing the song in a different

key, even if it’s just for practice. You aren’t giving yourself the chance to plant
good habits in your muscle memory, which, for example, will enable you to
sing those high notes with less strain and more true passion.

The strategy of “just going for it full blast” is as slow and limiting as

that of the high-jumper who every day sets the bar at the world-
record height and thinks that by just trying it over and over, he will
one day succeed.

On the other hand, if you are in a band where experimentation is part of the
philosophy, and you develop a greater kinesthetic awareness, then yes, you

can absolutely make leaps in your development even during band practice.

Always remember this: Practicing is not the same as rehearsing.

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Five Ingredients To Rapid Improvements

So, to return to the start of our discussion…

You change habits and rapidly improve skills by tapping into your…

desire for kinesthetic discovery

Then add..

Curiosity

Fearless exploration involving all senses

Freedom from judgment

And…

Joy!

In essence…

Give yourself permission to tap into the same insatiable appetite
for exploration and growth that you had when you entered this

world.

Give yourself permission to experience something new.

Doing so unlocks the door a magical world!

Sincerely,


Per Bristow

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