What's Wrong With That?

According to UCLA, while there are currently economic hardships in California's finance, construction and housing sectors, there is still no recession in the state or the U.S.

Even with gas prices at this level.

AFTRA and SAG have a terrific Jekyll and Hyde battle going.

Most of us are members of both unions, which leads me to believe I'm not really arguing with someone in my family as much as I'm simply fighting with myself.

Dunno how productive that is.

Gollum did it in "Lord of the Rings" and look what happened to him (may he rest in peace). I guess it was called "Mount Doom" for a reason...

So, as there is no recession and as we are swimming upstream and downstream with our union(s), where does that put we few, we singers...?

Pretty much the same place we've always been.

Unless you're a member of the Von Trapp Family or the Osmonds -- we're just like stand-up comics or actors...

We're singers...

And pretty much on our own.

That's why, for the most part, we have to create our own work by;

1. Pinching, Pimping, Prodding and Poking Producers -- Know a producer? Bake 'em a cake and tell 'em you'd like to sing for them. What's wrong with that?;
2. Auditioning and creating/building relationships based on our talent - There are actually people out there who WANT TO SEE what's in your toolkit. They even put out notices through the internet, breakdown services and actor publications to get you into the room. Why not show 'em what you got. What's wrong with that?;
3. Writing and Recording -- It's healthy to write. Write a lot. It's healthy to record. Record a lot. What's wrong with that?;
4. Church gigs -- paid/unpaid -- we get stage time and a pretty good message to begin the week with. What's wrong with that?

Hey. What's wrong with that?

You already knew the answer, didn't you?

Legit Chicks

Okay, aside from the bridesmaid dresses, "wheres-the-blowdryer?" hairdos and wild-eyed looks, here's an interesting example of "legit" (legitimate) singing from a variety of gals.

Any female who has studied with me should recognize the "home position" of the mouth(s). Big bite, tension in sides of mouth, jaw pressed down, lips pushed away from teeth, strength and flex in the major muscle groups, teeth on top and bottom showing...

Wagner (pronounced "VAHG-ner") is the Heavyweight Division of legit singing. Demanding, Big, Dark, Extreme, Dramatic....it takes everything you got.

It also takes a lot of years to get the false vocal cords to create big, fat tones like this. On the other hand, the female belt for Broadway and Pop -- using the true vocal cords -- comes very quickly.

Interesting.

Oh, hey, and if you make it all the way to the eight-minute mark, Brunhilde arrives looking like an operatic Liza Minelli.

Trippy!

Musical Theatre Prescription

One of my favorite people told me last night that she was considering going back to college to get her degree in Musical Theatre....

Uh...okay, "yipes!"

I mean, don't get me wrong, musical theatre is fun and all and if you know how to save money when on the road, it's even better....

But when colleges do so many things right (science, poli-sci, environmental science, business, law, accounting, history, chemistry, literature, phys ed, marketing) why go through the expense of something they continually do so wrong like musical theatre?

And no, I'm not talking about EVERY college -- just 99% of them.

In my one year of college, I flunked Intro To Theatre (was busy rehearsing and having fun instead of reading the book). 13 years later, I won the L.A. Drama Critic's Circle Award for Best Production.

In theatre, you don't need a degree. You need guts and a willingness to learn about everything in your theatrical environment.

Which ain't always in L.A.

But, if you're "stuck" in L.A. and you ultimately want to do musical theatre in N.Y., here's my best prescription for proactive, positive growth and development:

1. Focus on getting commercials: The pay's good and you can become a familiar face throughout the world;

2. Focus on getting in front of the camera: Any instance where you say words with your clothes on is a learning experience, so get started -- you can become a familiar face throughout the world;

3. Study acting with a teacher who has trained people who are currently working in front of a camera: Makes sense, doesn't it?;

4. Study voice with a teacher (like me) who has trained singers who are currently working on the stage;

5. Take a dance class at least once a week: It's good for you.

6. Every audition is a chance to create a positive relationship with a producer, director, casting director, musical director...GO TO EVERY AUDITION. NO EXCUSES.

You can work and you can train at the same time. Don't worry about the money. Budget accordingly, but PRACTICE YOUR STUFF.

Love on ya!

A Simple Song

Was just ruminating about how -- oftentimes -- my most accomplished singers have a tendency to look down on "simple songs."

You should see the faces I get when I assign a golden moldy like "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" to a singer who can already belt everything out of WICKED and CANDIDE.

Two realities are at play here.

When we are "accomplished," we want to sing all the stuff with vocal fireworks -- super high, super low...

And when we are "accomplished," we don't want to spend (make that "waste") the time practicing songs we believe are not challenging.

When we buy in to and reinforce those two realities, that's the mindset the production staff picks up on before declaring they need to "go in a different direction' -- which, ostensibly, doesn't include you.

Treat a simple song as if it is the most difficult song ever written.

Do that and you will discover volumes of information about the character, yourself, the show, life....

Treat a simple song as an unworthy task and you will ease yourself right out of the running for that revival of "Sound of Music."

Why We Don't Recommend Parallel Motion In Vocal Performance....

One hand at a time, folks, one hand at a time...

...uh, and don't let that hand come up above your waist unless you know how you're going to get it back down...

Points of focus (where do I look?!) are way too wide and all over the place.

In other words, this presentation is so lacking we barely hear her singing, which, oh...

Maybe they planned it that way.

"If You Don't Let It Go, You Can't Focus On The Task At Hand."

Sports. Theatre. Life.

What the NBA Spurs' coach Greg Popovich said after a heartbreaking loss to the Lakers in a must-win playoff game says it all.

Not a bad mantra for performers, either.

No wonder he's coached the Spurs to four NBA Championships since 1999.

Performance Mantras, Part One

An affirmation isn't only defined by "yes."

An affirmation can be a statement of intention or agreement with one's self.

Affirmations can also be negative. Many people affirm their own negative feelings or attributes on a daily/hourly basis.

Typically, those negative affirmations begin with the words "I'm too..." or "I can't..."

Got any of those?

A chant is something that gets repeated over and over. Chants can be fun. "We Will, We Will...Rock You!" comes to mind.

Kobe Bryant just got the MVP.

"M-V-P! M-V-P!"

That's fun, too. Easy for others to chant along.

"Nam Hyo Renge Kyo" for Buddhists...

Just before the cameras would roll, Jack Lemmon would say, "It's magic time."

We all can use a Performance Chant or "Mantra."

My personal one before each performance is "Energy, Attention, Awareness."

Let's see...to perform, I will need a ton of energy. Okay. Good. Got it.

I will also need to pay attention to what is going on at all times so I can stay in the scene, thus becoming an essential element of the storytelling. I need to pay attention so I can stay within the context of the song (no mental drifting). When I pay attention, creativity is present and spontaneous. Paying attention makes performing fun.

Finally, awareness. My consciousness needs to be fully aware of the stage, the lights, the building, the walls, the dimension, the audience, the front row, the back row. This awareness needs to be stored as ongoing background information. We're in the business of play and pretend, but we shouldn't be in denial of our surroundings. Awareness is crucial. Thirty years ago, I was at a live show about a guy in prison for murder. It was called "In The Belly Of The Beast" at the Taper, Too! Andrew Robinson was the star. About ten minutes into it, an audience member in the front row passed out and fell on the stage. Andrew, being in the midst of a very intense monologue, yet also being quite aware, came to the rescue of this person. He didn't try to improv with the guy on the floor. He certainly couldn't ignore it. He was aware. He was aware that he himself was acting, he was aware that he was on stage and he also was aware that another human being was in distress. Andrew even asked, "Is there a doctor in the house?"

Thirty years later, I remember him and his awareness much more distinctly than I can remember the play he was in.

More later.

Addendum: If you don't have a performance today or tonight, but would like to practice a mantra anyway, say this out loud every 30 minutes:

Ready?

"It's a good life."

Hey, If You Want To Sing Louder, Flex Your Back!

Singing is only as hard as you make it.

Don't confuse that with me saying, "Singing is easy." It's not. It takes tremendous energy and the whole body has to participate.

For me, the first step in singing is: Get used to being loud. And get used to using your whole body when you sing.

Next step: Get "loud" under control.

Last step: Practice & Perform.

That's about it.

We don't need to be pre-med students to figure out that if something hurts, we're not doing it right. We don't need to have majored in anatomy/physiology to figure out that lifting 400 lbs. on our first day in the weight room is not an option.

But we do need to keep things simple. Make the "hurdles" physical, not mental. Incorporate the body into the voice first -- not the brain. "Feel" pitch with full energy, you'll never sing flat again.

Simple.

Musical Theatre History 101

If you are studying voice for Musical Theatre, it helps to have a little composer history under your "belt."

The reason being that the Musical Theatre world is not that large and if you're out there continually auditioning and improving your skills, then eventually you will run in to or, even better, work with a composer...who was influenced by this guy:

Frank Loesser was the composer of revered works such as Guys and Dolls, The Most Happy Fella, How To Succeed..., Hans Christian Andersen, Where's Charley?, and many popular songs of his time.

Loesser was a monster musician, tortured soul and hitmaker. There are some great books and, thanks principally to his daughter Susan, a remarkably honest documentary on him, but for a little background, check out this link. It's from The Johnny Mercer Foundation and was meant for kids, but it's a quick and cool little read -- http://www.johnnymercerfoundation.org/FrankLoesserLyricNotes.pdf

You can also go to:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/loesser_f.html

And if you really want to take some time:

http://www.frankloesser.com/

What's Your "When....and Then....?"

Ever heard a "Whenandthen-er"?

"Whenandthen-ers" sound like this:

"When I lose 20 pounds, THEN I'll get headshots."

"When I have every song in the universe memorized and perfected, THEN I'll go on auditions."

"When I quit smoking, THEN I'll take voice lessons."

"When I get my teeth fixed..."

"When Pilot Season starts..."

The best "THEN" is the "THEN I'll be happy..."

"When I get that series, THEN I'll be happy."

"When I make my first million, THEN I'll be happy."

"When I get a boyfriend/girlfriend, tour, new car, house, apartment, THEN I'll be happy."

There's no law against being happy right now. There's no credit card for happiness. Happiness is a bill we owe ourselves everyday. It can't be saved up for later. So, practice happiness every minute, every hour, every day. Sometimes you won't be so good at it, but if you practice it constantly, you're bound to get better.

Artistic careers are fluid things.

Artistic growth is like water in a river; it continually flows from the source.

"Whenandthen-ing" dams up the river and puts everything on hold. It's up to us to knock down our own dams and let the river roar.

Be the Mississippi River.

Forget "whenandthen-ing."

Happiness is within this very moment.

Start.