Musical Theatre Audition Technique: What's In That Backpocket, Anyway?

I can give you two of my five "backpocket" songs - songs that I can sing any where at any time, upside down and inside out - "I Want To Be With You" from Golden Boy and "Go The Distance" from Hercules (movie). Now, if your response is "Everybody sings those!" well, duh, everybody sings everything -- difference is, I just KNOW I sing those songs better than anybody else.  That's why I use 'em!

Both are very positive, self-assured tunes with great finishes - one has a big F#, the other has a big G.  Both hit their emotional high points quickly because, frankly, if I need more than 32 bars to make my point, then we already have a problem...  Here's a mini-breakdown on why I keep these two songs with me always:

"I Want To Be With You"
Use for Legit Musical Theatre (meaning: big, fat round sound)
Moderate tempo
Positive, "I Want" song (check with Stephen Schwartz and son on this one!)
Dramatic
Unidirectional -- speaking to one person, in one direction
Utilizes a "cover" on legit high notes (a cover is where you maintain the same tone while slightly changing the vowel sound and fooling the listener into believing you just sang the actual vowel - which you didn't because you "covered" it)

"Go The Distance"
Use for Pop/Rock Musical Theatre
Moderate tempo
Positive, "I Want" song (more: Stephen Schwartz and his son don't like the obviousness of "I Want" songs and are always looking for ways to mask them)
"House" number -- omnidirectional, you sing to "the house" meaning: Left, Center, Right
Utilize a rock tone (definitely brighter, edgier, more strident, sticks out in front of the noise of a rock track)

Both songs leave the listener feeling upbeat and positive.  Both songs show off the highs and the lows of my voice really well.  Backpocket songs.

Musical Theatre Audition Technique: "Backpocket" Songs

Surefire way to completely blow a vocal audition is to learn that "perfect audition song" two days before the audition....  C'mon, people, seriously....

If the audition is about getting all the right words in the right order or hitting the high note or not falling over, then have at it.  Good luck.  Working performers - most of 'em, anyway - know better.  There's no reason for them to compete with people who "just learned a song."  Working performers are there to audition against other working performers who show up just as well prepared.  So "Let the battle begin!"

At minimum, you should have five songs in your backpocket that you know inside out, upside down and can use for virtually anything (unless it's Gilbert & Sullivan - that's kind of specific).

The five songs should represent the length and breadth of roles you can play in musical theatre; whether character or leading man, character or leading lady.  If you're a kid, have five songs that were sung by kids in shows.  Be honest about your age and type, then start hunting down uptempo songs that are positive, exciting, and full of energy.  Don't pick uptempo songs that are angry or negative or explain what a loser you are.  We're trying to put together a hit show.  We really don't want to hire angry, negative losers.

In other words, sing material that says "I can!" not "I can't!"

Quick Fix: Clap The Beats To Get "In The Pocket"

Clapping to the beat might seem pretty "back to basics," we learn how to do it in kindergarten, but whether you're a pro or a beginner, it can be a huge help when trying to focus a vocal performance.  Had a minor tempo issue today with one of my favorite clients. He was "out of the pocket" (lagging or speeding up just slightly ahead of the track) singing Elton's uptempo "Fortune Favors The Brave" from Aida.  The strong downbeats appeared to be missing in his vocal.  So I asked him not to sing, just to clap to the track. Thankfully, he didn't take it personally and we clapped straight fours while the track played.  We continued clapping fours as I called out the accents (louder claps).  We accented the "1."  Then we accented the "1 & 3" (Country).  Then we accented the "2 & 4" (Pop/R&B). "Fortune Favors The Brave" can contain all three of these feels - it really depends on how you sing it.  When we added the vocal back to the song (sans clapping), the vocal performance ended up much stronger, more present and much more "in the pocket."    

Plant Your Technique

Technical performers bug the hell out of me; mostly because I used to be one.  Perfect technique, pitch, intonation, every note spot on...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Nothin' wrong with all of the above, but  imagine if every tree looked the same.
Like this:

Instead of this:

Great vocal technique is like the roots of a tree; deep and hidden underground.  The tree grows in its own unique way; finding energy; chasing sunlight with its limbs, branches and leaves.  Great technique is fundamental to artistic growth.

Haller Music Studio - Ramped Up And Rarin' To Go!

Broadway, Pop and Rock singers of all ages; whether you seek a professional career or a great hobby, we're here for you.  We are so excited at the number of talented, hard-working people coming through our doors! Everybody gets the same attention and care at Haller Music and while many of Bill's vocal students are professionals in the arts and many of Nathalie's voice students are younger, everybody still receives the same professional training to rely on for the future.  We're in Lake Balboa, the San Fernando Valley, just off the 405 at Victory.  We have new rates in the column next to this item to help you budget for your professional development, including recording needs like demos or voiceovers.  Join us!

The Sweetland Link

Seth McFarlane studied voice with my beloved and highly respected teacher, Lee Sweetland; the gentleman who, when I asked him for his blessing to teach his vocal technique to other people, said, "Well, Bill, you know everything we know.  Go ahead!"  Now, Lee and Sally, his wife and accompanist, didn't call it a technique and didn't really like it when other folks called it a technique; they preferred calling it a "natural, holistic approach" to singing -- which makes a lot of sense, but also takes more time to describe until someone responds with, "...so it's a 'technique?'" At which point, I would agree and then get down to the question of "why" a potential client wants or needs to study singing.  There are always going to be writers who attack the hosts of  the Academy Awards (excepting Billy Crystal's early years and also when Steve Martin solo hosted), but the most successful hosts have been scamps -- guys with loads of charm who can "get away with it."  Seth McFarlane fits that description for 2013 and beyond.  Plus, he sang great.      

Navigating The Waters

Each one of us is the captain of our own ship.  We set sail at birth.  And if we have good parents, teachers, mentors and friends in our crew, we are more than likely to navigate a course through life utilizing the wisdom of their experience combined with our own best instincts, education and desire.  If we only experience rough waters in our youth, then dangerous seas can become difficult to determine in our adulthood; after all, the eye of the storm is placid, but an inexperienced sailor might still try getting out through hurricane gusts and 30-foot waves.  Fooled again.  Now that I'm 55, "navigating the waters" has become my mantra.  If, for fear of sinking, I leave my ship moored in the bay; I go nowhere.  My sails are never filled with the wind energy of life and the potential of my very being remains untested.  If, in lieu of all outward signs of danger, I set sail during a storm, my chances for success become extremely limited.  Not that I won't be able to successfully get through the storm, that's always a possibility, but upon that one success, the odds are that I'll continue to launch in storms only to learn too late that patience can be a virtue.

Launching a show or a career is like sailing from port to port.  The ideal situation is to leave your berth with clear maps, clear weather and the right course.  Then, as is usually the case, after a few days, the sea begins to have its own ideas -- which don't include you.  This is why we shouldn't take storms personally.  They're storms, get over it.  If you can navigate those waters, stay upright, keep the crew from mutiny, maintain the integrity of the vessel, keep your eye on the horizon and still get to your destination port; whatever treasure you claim at the end will still not be nearly as rewarding as the minute-to-minute experience of living life as a creative being "navigating the waters."

Real Drunk Audition Hangover

First audition day went far better than expected.  Kelly had a last minute, early call in time at Disney, so she was unable to see any of the auditions, which was too bad because she has a great laugh and would have been knocked out seeing the ladies dance to Amy's choreography.  I certainly was.  David came in with a ton of preparation and was in command; fun and decisive in his approach.  His great energy and attention serve to "push" performers into either stepping up and matching the intensity he brings or backing down and retreating into one's personal cave. Auditions, to me, are always an exercise in discomfort, so the sooner we take our frailty and stick it in our backpocket, the better.  Best to get to the task of pretending we're the biggest stars in the world and completely owning the (49-seat) theatre.
Wearing my "vocal guy" hat was probably the simplest task of the day.  Since we are working to track (an iPod into a sound system -- welcome to the 21st century musical audition), the primary criterion for moving forward was "we have to be able to hear everything."  Being close to the action, I got to hear some lovely voices, but if the "Streisand belt" (the way she sounded circa 60's-70's) wasn't a part of the singer's chops rep, there would be relatively little chance for a lovely voice to be heard over a disco track.  Donna Summer is a classic example of a belt that gets heard over booty-shakin'....  
David's going to take a day or two to wrestle with some casting options and then the production team will get into the discussion.  
I'm going to keep posting Real Drunk demo tracks to Soundcloud as a fun exercise.  You might be able to hear me screwing stuff up or laughing or even autotuning like T Pain -- sometimes all hell breaks loose when I layer a vocal while trying to find the right melody.  They're just demos and I continually learn from them.  You can leave comments right on the track at specific parts if there's anything you like or anything that bugs you.  Feel free.
Thanks to everybody for coming out to audition yesterday.  I really enjoyed spending time you and look forward to seeing you again!

Auditions For "The Real Drunk Housewives of the San Fernando Valley"

Couldn't be happier about announcing this audition! And couldn't be prouder of the team that's been assembled. Kelly Bashar is a supremely talented actor/writer/singer -- I'm not sure about her dancing chops -- you've seen her in film/TV, around town with the Impro Theatre and is currently appearing in the award-winning hit musical parody "Fellowship!" as a big-footed singing Hobbit at the Steve Allen Theatre, for which she also served as lead writer . David Jahn, a fine working actor in his own right, directed the Sunday Show for the Groundlings for several years -- he's also amazing and the list of people he's worked with is extraordinary. Choreographer Amy Langer Schwartz has toured the world as a musical theatre dancer/singer and has performed her own one-woman shows in New York and L.A.
So where does that put you?
The door's open, come join us!

“The Real Drunk Housewives of the San Fernando Valley”

-- a one hour Reality TV musical parody/review 

Book, Music and Lyrics written by Kelly Bashar and Bill Haller

Choreography by Amy Langer Schwartz

Directed by David Jahn

Six females ages 25 to 50's, any/all ethnicities encouraged, MUST SING, look wealthy
Should have a power pop belt (a la American Idol/Wicked) Low F to High Db/E and be able to hold harmony
Great comedic timing and an ability to improvise
Excellent physical condition with strong movement/dance ability

Rene - 30's - 40's Oversexualized former bikini model, pop/musical theatre belt
Trudy - 30's - 50's A rich Brit -- or is that really where the accent’s from?, pop/musical theatre belt
Riley - 30's - 40's Plastic surgery addict, pop/musical theatre belt
Rikki - 30's - 40's Former Child Star -- Riley’s sister, pop/musical theatre belt
Olivia -  40's Orange County type -- stuck in the 80’s, pop/musical theatre belt
Pepsi - 25 - 40's Thick Hispanic accent -- from Guadalamexibrazil, pop/musical theatre belt  
Male -  Upwardly mobile producer/host, age 35 to 55 must sing a G and be able to improvise  

Previews begin Saturdays in July at The Complex (Oh My Ribs Entertainment)
Opens Saturdays in August at 10:00p with possible extension

For Appointment Times:
Electronic Submissions ONLY to rdhotsfv@gmail.com
Auditions to be held Sunday, May 20 from 12:00 to 4:00
at Oh My Ribs Entertainment
6468 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood
http://www.ohmyribs.com/#!location|csxp

AUDITION MATERIAL AVAILABLE on Soundcloud at
http://soundcloud.com/realdrunkhousewivesshow

Click on the "Show All" button just under the demos to get the audition songs...
To get the lyrics, just click on the particular song title and it will take you to the lyrics page. Show will be sung to pre-recorded track, so please look hot and have the song prepared!

Peter Husmann Starring As "Daddy Warbucks" In GCT "Annie"

All right, so we're on a roll! Cory's in Fellowship in Hollywood, Peter's in Annie at Glendale Center Theater and Monica Howe (LaMuff) is gigging in support of her new album on iTunes.  Mary Powers is debuting her Black Sabbitch all-girl tribute to Black Sabbath in June.

Wait til you hear who else is coming up!

Our voice training and vocal studio is firing on all pistons!

Cory Rouse Starring In "FELLOWSHIP!" Other People In It Too!

First, let me say that you should see this show.  It's a ton of fun, particularly if you are super-familiar with Peter Jackson's film trilogy.  I've worked with Cory (Frodo Baggins, nephew of Bilbo, friend of Gimli son of Gloim...I think you get the picture)  for years and, in turn, I've had the opportunity to work with many of the other super talented singers in the cast.  So, yeah, why are you still reading this sentence?  Go get your tickets for Friday night at http://www.fellowshipthemusical.com/!

Breaking Down A Vocal Breakdown: Adele

For a young singer like Adele, there are few things worse than chronic vocal problems.  For the second time in the last year, she has had to cancel or reschedule tour dates due to vocal issues.  It almost becomes a pyramid of problems; from the artistic one of not being able to consistently re-create the vocal sound in concert that she created in the studio to the business/livelihood side of jobs and money (possibly millions of dollars) lost due to cancellations and a resultant mistrust of promoters and fan base alike who can never be sure if she's going to show up or not.
Add in the fact that, somewhere along the line, there have to be some well-respected Ear Nose Throat (ENT) doctors who would recommend surgery or "cutting the cords" (Elton John and Julie Andrews immediately come to mind); which becomes another awful decision to make, particularly when recovery takes more than a year -- or never.
I'm hardly anti-doctor, I'm probably more anti-cough drops, honey, lozenges, etc. used as "get-bys" for thrashed cords.
The human voice is a living instrument.  If the reed on your sax breaks, you don't just glue it together and keep playing.  That reed will never be the same.  Just like if a string breaks on your guitar, you don't stick a knot the middle, re-string it and keep plucking away.  Twist an ankle or sprain a ligament, stop running.
In rehabbing a voice (and, yeah, I've rehabbed quite a few of them over the years), it's best that the cords are put on complete rest so the body can recover.  If your career is at stake, you probably shouldn't even whisper.  You shouldn't vibrate the cords at all or try to "work around" your voice by speaking in a shallow manner.  Truly, silence is golden in vocal rehab for singers with damage.
After a few days, maybe even a few weeks, that's when rehab begins.
But it's not the voice that requires rehab, it's the body that requires vocal technique to support the voice.
Watch the interview and listen to Adele's speaking voice.  She's charming, speaks quickly, in long sentences, and has a tendency to breathe either shallowly or not at all before she starts speaking again.
Adele mentions that she recently gave up smoking --  which is something she loved to do.  Anybody who's familiar with the sound of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella, Billie, Etta, knows that smoking gives you a thicker, "gravelly" sound, which is cool for nightclubs, lounges and studio recording, but is hell to pay when the "industrial" job of singing comes up; sustaining a national tour.
So the first job is rest.
The next job for a belter like Adele is learning to breathe deeply, to the bottom of your lungs, not to the top of the collarbone.
After that, take the pressure off of your cords when you sing by putting more pressure in your back (press the ribs out when you breathe in) and expanding your breastplate out (the area right under where the ribs meet in front).  That's a deep breath.  Hang on to that air.
Now that the "roots of the tree" are taken care of, give the voice a pressurized exit out of the mouth by using a strong bite so there is a tightness, a flexed strength in the muscles of the jaw so the vocal cords can do their job and achieve different degrees of tension/tightness to hit a variety of pitches.
The body leads the voice.
And if the body commands enough energy, the voice will follow obediently.
It's the key to eight shows a week on Broadway, four to five hours a day in the studio or even six shows a day at a theme park.

Vocal Performance: The Eyes Have It, Pt. 2 -- Maintain An Even Plane

Now that you have practiced your points of focus: start Center, look Left, look Center, look Right, look Center, etc. (always coming back to center between Left & Right), you want to make sure that you "maintain an even plane."
In other words, don't let your eyes go over the audience's head and don't let your eyes look down at their shoes, either.   In an audition, you might have three people sitting at a table.  Not a problem.  When you perform, don't look your auditioners right in the eyes, that can be fairly uncomfortable for everybody.  Better yet, create/imagine a friendly face right next to the face of the person in the middle.  Imagine your new friend sitting at that table.  Look them in the eyes.  This will be your center focus.
Now imagine a friendly face just next to the face of the person on the left at the table.  Left Focus.
Now imagine a friendly face just next to the face of the person on the right at the table.  Right Focus.
There you have it.  Three simple points of focus that don't invade the casting people's space, but that share the same eye plane for all to see and feel your vocal performance.
This works for all singers from the stage whether it be Pop, Rock, Cabaret or Broadway.
Another issue for those of us watching you; if you close your eyes to show us how moved you are by your own performance, you've lost us.
Next: WHEN to change your point of focus.    

Pirates in the Studio, Robot at the Roxy, Powers in the Dawghouse

Here are some quick mid-week updates on a few of our voice studio clients:

Royal Pirates fans, I had the opportunity to sit in with Moon, James and Sooyoon last night at their rehearsal studio.  Got to hear their newest stuff and, while I am sworn to secrecy, I can tell you that not only will you not be disappointed, you will be OVERWHELMED when you hear it.

Katherine Pawlak and Sad Robot will be at the Roxy next Friday night 5/20.  Tracks are up on iTunes.  Bunim/Murray just picked up Sad Robot's music license for Bad Girls Club.  Congrats, KP!

B.K. Cannon will be guesting in a non-singing role on the season finale of Law & Order: LA.  Looking forward to her scene with Alfred Molina.

Peter Husmann is back in the studio prepping for the lead role of John Adams in 1776 at Glendale Centre Theatre.  Nice to have you back, Peter!

And Mary Powers (who now goes by "Bloody Mary" Powers) will also be gigging with The Modern End on 5/20 at Dawg House.  You might remember Mary from last season's American Idol:



Oh yeah, and our young friends Inversion will be making their debut this Sunday at AmplyFi.  Keep a watchful ear and eye out for Molly Kirschenbaum on vocals and keys and Keaton Applebaum on guitar.  P.S., they ain't even in high school yet...

Vocal Performance: The Eyes Have It, Pt. 1 -- Points of Focus

The eyes do have it.  While your voice can fill a room with energy, it is the eyes that bring it all into focus.

Points of Focus (Left/Center/Right) are crucial in vocal performance; in sharing your eyes or line of sight with the audience.

Some people read lips.  Everybody reads eyes.

Simplest approach (for now) is to:
1) Stretch out your arms in a "V" in front of you.  It should look like you're about to hug someone. Eyes are already at Center.  Pick a point about 15 feet in front of you and "see" it.  Really see it.
2) Turn Eyes and Face (just your eyes and your face, not the whole body) left along the left arm.  Don't go beyond the left arm.  Let the eyes lead the face, don't go all robot on us...Pick a point about 15 feet in front of you on the left and "see" it.
3) Back to center.  Eyes first, face follows.  Center Point of Focus.
4) Eyes lead face to right along right arm.  Pick Right Point of Focus (15 ft., etc.)
5) Back to center.  Eyes lead the face.

That's the start of it.  More tomorrow...

Sneak Peak: Royal Pirates at Wokcano Thursday Night

Royal Pirates will be playing a short set at 8:45p at an open charity fundraiser Thursday night, May 5 at Wokcano -- no age limit, no admission charge, what's not to like?  Yeah, I know it's right in the middle of your Cinco de Mayo celebration, but if you're in the area, take a break from the salsa and cerveza in favor of sake and sushi and the Royal Pirates!  See you there!

Find more ROYAL PIRATES songs at Myspace Music

Being Present

I talk about this all the time....

But it does bear repeating.

In an audition, many things are out of our control.  We usually don't control who our scene partner is when we get paired up to read for a musical.  Today's economics pretty much dictate that we don't hire and bring our own accompanist to a musical audition anymore. We certainly can't control whether or not a production team sees us as having the right look or image for the characters and matchups they have in mind (even if we do wear an original sailor's outfit from Dames At Sea to the first audition -- btw, don't do that...).

But we can certainly control whether or not we are "present" when we audition.  "Present" means simply being there.  When you walk in the audition room, be there.  If they say hello, say hello back. Don't prepare a speech or a witty line for when you first walk in -- that moment of inspiration is long past and you might not have their immediate attention if and when you do say it; you may unwittingly appear controlling or just loud and obnoxious, possibly interrupting their conversation about the singer who auditioned just prior.

We flip the switch when we are asked to perform.  At that point, we must let go of all self-observation as it is most important that we are present and focused on not just how we sound, but what we are saying, who we are saying it to, why we are saying it and thinking all the thoughts that go along with the freedom of being present.

When you can walk away from a vocal audition and honestly say, "I felt present when I sang," then you truly did your work as an artist.

Musical Theatre Equity Auditions For May 2011

The Wedding Singer May 9 at Musical Theatre West Rehearsal Hall

Palm Canyon Theatre/Palm Springs May 9 at Screenland

Great American Trailer Park Musical May 13 at San Diego Rep

Featured Vocal Studio Artist: Katherine Pawlak and Sad Robot

Aside from the fact that she's creative, motivated and works her ass off, Katherine's true talent lies in her authenticity.  Cameras rarely lie and a detached, "pose-y" or unauthentic performance in a video is painful to watch.  Katherine's enthusiasm for the material, even after hundreds of live performances never flags, never dies.
If you're looking for the formula:
Energy + Enthusiasm = Authenticity
That's Katherine Pawlak.  That's Sad Robot.
Check out Sad Robot
Or just buy their new album on iTunes...

"Every time I get on the mound, I pitch like it's the World Series..."

Just heard that on Sportstalk tonight from one of the game's top pitchers.

What would it feel like, if every time you opened your mouth to sing, you sang like it was opening night on Broadway?

Try it!