Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Rolling Stones -- Then and Now

1965
So this is going to be my final (for now anyway!) Rolling Stones post. I am soon going to get back to offering some good vocal information and explore ways of caring for the voice and developing the voice in ways that are safe, healthy and effective.


A Strong and Vibrant Voice

Mick more recently. 
Talking about caring for the voice, I have to say that I am quite impressed and fascinated by the sound of Mick Jagger's voice at age 69+ years old. The videos of the Rolling Stones recent (Nov. 2012) concerts in England portray a man (Mick) who, in my opinion,  has been taking good care of his voice. I would sure love to know who his vocal coach is. To me, Mick sounds better now than he did when he was in his fifties (although I loved listening to him then too -- and experiencing his dynamic energy).  To me, his voice seemed to be dropping into that lower, somewhat gravelly register that many older singers drop into. But now, his voice is clearer and higher pitched again and full of life and energy. He has clearly been working with it and oh how I would love to know what he has been doing in terms of vocal exercises!

Here are two great videos:  a very young Mick in 1964 singing It's All Over

It's All Over Now

And Mick now, Nov. 2012, 48 years later (!!) singing I Wanna Be Your Man (written by Lennon/McCartney)

I Wanna Be Your Man

Here is living proof that we can keep our voices strong and dynamic whatever our age!

Barbara









Monday, September 24, 2012

The Rolling Stones -- "the forbidden fruit"

I am still fascinated by this group, The Rolling Stones, who have stayed together and played together for 50 years -- since I was 11 years old! That was 1962 when they first performed together.  And what made them such "forbidden fruit" (in the eyes of our parents or other adults in authority) to many of us young pre teens?

Well -- I was really excited and fascinated and amazed by the inside story as told by Keith Richards -- The Rolling Stones guitarist.  I was fortunate to find the audio book at the Toronto Public Library (thank goodness for our libraries which continue to serve us despite our current mayor's attempts to get rid of some of them -- but that is another story!!). 

The book "LIFE" by Keith Richards is his autobiography -- told in frank, raw, brutally open and honest language. And humour. His humour is -- well -- really funny! He even manages to make getting arrested, with a car full of drugs, in the US bible belt incredibly humorous.

"LIFE" also goes into great detail about the music itself -- how the Stones created their unique and compelling sound. There is also great detail about song writing -- how he did it, how Mick did it, how they collaborated. I was also curious and fascinated to learn more about the details of some of their more controversial songs like "Sympathy for the Devil" (which I really like!).  The book has tons of inside info about the music business, life on the road, the inner workings of a drug addict, the challenges and pain of "cold turkey" withdrawal. And it was really fun to read the descriptions of his (Keith's) friendships with people like John Lennon, Etta James, Chuck Berry.... I came away feeling like I knew all of these people on a much more human level.

Check out this video of Rock and Roll Music for Etta James, Chuck Berry and Keith Richards together, at their best. I love this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U4x9mQ5K0s


I didn't mean to make this sound like a book review, but clearly this book was really exciting to me -- and what a treat to my inner teen age self to finally be able to indulge in this "forbidden fruit" of The Rolling Stones and their music to my heart's (and possibly other parts of my anatomy's!!) content.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in their younger days
Mick and Keith -- a little more recently!



I highly recommend the audio version of this book. Some of it is in Keith's own words and voice. He has other readers like Johnny Dep helping out since it is very long -- over 20 hours of listening, but believe me, not a boring moment in the whole book!!









That's my tribute to The Rolling Stones for tonight! For some other great Rolling Stones videos and info, check out my previous blog.

Barbara







Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Rolling Stones -- Still Together After 50 Years!!

I forgot how much I really loved the music of the Rolling Stones as a teenager. It is pretty amazing that they have just celebrated their 50th anniversary of performing together. That must be some kind of record -- I don't know of any  other groups who've performed together for so long. It got me remembering some of my favourite Rolling Stones songs: "I Can't Get No Satisfaction", "Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown", "Jumpin Jack Flash", "Ruby Tuesday". They are all very catchy tunes that make me want to move my body. And I can't deny -- I do enjoy watching Mick move and dance while he's singing! I remember when, around 1965, the Stones played on the Ed Sullivan Show and he (Ed) made them change their lyrics from "Let's Spend the Night Together" to "Let's Spend Some Time Together". I really love, in the video below, how Mick rolls his eyes when he sings "Let's Spend Some Time Together"!

I grew up in (very) small town Ontario. My mother allowed me to come to the big city of Toronto and see the Beatles, but, no matter how desperately I begged and pleaded, she would not let me come and see the Rolling Stones. She thought they were scruffy and she thought the songs they sang "weren't nice"!! Oh the joys of being a teenager in the 1960's!

So I recently checked out some early photos of the Stones, thinking I was going to find photos of these young scruffy guys (I guess her assessment stayed in my memory!) but I couldn't find any scruffy photos of them. In  fact some of them wore suits!

The following video is from the Ed Sullivan Show 1965 or so -- some great songs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7JEGcWGbKE&feature=player_detailpage

And just for fun, here they are performing in Brazil in 2006 -- some 42 years later. Mick's energetic performance is really something to watch

.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5W4k6vD2WY

My original idea for this blog post was to explore how the Rolling Stones managed to stay together and keep performing for so long while the Beatles performed for only a few short years and, although they continued recording together for awhile after that, from my understanding there was enough conflict between them that they did eventually split. I have my ideas about this  which I will share next blog post. It feels like enough to just enjoy some Rolling Stones music for now.

It is so great to be able to go back and remember and watch and listen to the musicians that so influenced our younger days. I'm finding that I can really appreciate their music and their lives and their personalities from a much deeper, more mature perspective. It feels very powerful, to me, to re-connect with the music that touched me so deeply in my teens and to understand how influential that music and those musicians were in developing my view and experience of the world.

Barbara


Sunday, July 29, 2012

The Voice: Tuning In and Warming Up

Tuning In

I love how my body feels internally during and after a good vocal warm up or sounding exercise or even after singing a few songs. Sometimes, after really working my chest voice, I literally feel like I have been doing incline bench presses or flys (I used to be a bodybuilder -- in case you are not familiar with "gym vocabulary"!). I find that those lovely internal sensations are even more intense if  I have taken the time to "tune in" before hand. For me, that "tuning in" can be as simple as closing my eyes, placing my hands on my belly, and really feeling the journey of the breath as I draw air in through my nostrils and  allow it (the breath) to move right down into my belly. I try to become very aware of what is happening internally through the simple act of breathing. Oh yeah -- I also find it important to be conscious of my feet connecting with the Earth or the ground that I am standing on. Bringing my awareness into my breath, into my belly and into the connection of my feet with the ground helps me begin to settle more fully into my body. Once I really feel settled and grounded in my body and I am more internally focused, then I am ready to begin vocalizing. When I do begin from that centered, internal place, then every vocal sound I  make feels like a delicious internal vibration -- like an internal massage. 

There seems, to me, to be great benefit in allowing vocal vibrations to penetrate all of our deep internal organs and systems --both for our health and well being as well as for our singing or whatever else we do with our voices. All kinds of musical and vocal vibrations are being using in various healing practices these days. Sound healing is becoming increasingly more popular and is proving to be a very effective healing modality. More on that in a future blog post.

And I don't know this for a fact, but it seems logical to me, and has been my experience, that when the voice can be more deeply connected within the body, the more stability and depth it will have when singing. That can only make our vocalizing and singing richer and fuller and more exciting!

Plus, it is really fun to explore the possibility of making sounds that come from the depths of the belly, or sounds that come from the centre of the heart, or how about some nice high head voice sounds that create an actual vibration in the brain? (For more on that, check out my blog post  "The Resonant Voice" June 29, 2012). Nothing like massaging our own brain with that beautiful head voice! I do believe that the more we can allow ourselves to be "tuned into" and centered in our inner body, the more the vocal vibrations can penetrate internally. For me, that creates a stronger and more stable voice -- a voice that can then share what is in the depths of my being or in the depths of my heart, through sounding or singing. And it is very soothing and healing for our internal organs to receive that vocal vibration.

Warming Up
Once you have "tuned in", here are some great warm up exercises, explained and demonstrated by Singer/Songwriter/Vocal Coach Earl Harville. I find Earl's  explanations of the exercises extremely helpful and informative. These exercises are also really fun and super effective. Enjoy!

.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu1onlpF97M

This link will take you to the Part 1 Warm Up. Earl has also posted a Part 2,3&4 -- all equally wonderful and worth watching and following.

Happy Singing!

Barbara

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Women, Breath and Singing

It seems that we women do have a slightly different instinctual way of breathing from our male counterparts.

What got me thinking about this was the fact that after doing Yoga most of my adult life (which does involve a lot of various deep breathing exercises), I was surprised (and somewhat dismayed) to find that my vocal coach had to remind me several times to breathe from my belly while vocalizing or singing. Unless I was consciously thinking about breathing, which isn't always easy to do when one is concentrating on pitch, timing, lyrics and all the other things involved in doing scales or songs, I would inevitably end up taking a shallow chest breath.

So I was quite relieved when I discovered the video from Seth Riggs (link below), well known vocal coach in Los Angeles, about breathing. In it, Seth explains that he was puzzled by the difficulty that women often experience in trying to breathe "from the belly" or in keeping the breath low. A gynaecologist  explained to Seth that women breathe instinctively into their chest. That is in keeping with female biology since the female body is designed for childbirth. In the delivery process, a woman has to breathe into her chest and then push the air down through the birth canal to aid the delivery. Whether we choose to have babies or not, that is what nature prepares our bodies for.

That got me experimenting with breath and I realized that it does feel more natural to breathe into my chest and  to then allow the breath to flow naturally down into my lower body on the exhalation. That way of breathing  feels very grounding and natural to me.

On the other hand, I still want to vocalize and sing so I also make a point of consciously practicing the low breath -- or allowing my inhalation to move more deeply into my belly and allowing the exhalation to move up through my torso, through my throat and out of my mouth or nose as I would for singing.

I found this really fascinating because I do love to explore the breath in many ways and I just love how amazingly adaptable these bodies we inhabit really are.

     Seth Riggs Video on breathing      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5W3_Otvm4U 



So have fun exploring your breath. Who knows where it might take you!!


And happy singing and vocalizing.

                                                Barbara
 


Friday, June 29, 2012

The Resonant Voice

A few weeks back, I was drawn to a workshop titled  **"The Resonant Voice -- accessing your deepest truth". The ad drew me in by its reference to three voices -- The Head Voice, The  Heart Voice and The Being Voice. Always curious about new and deeper ways of working with the Voice and connecting the Voice with the Depths of Our Being, I attended. So now I still find myself playing with the ideas presented in that workshop and feeling some remarkable and exciting effects of that work.

**This work is from the "Resonant Voice Practice" developed by Jane Lindsay and Sue Guttenstein of the ADIEWA CENTRE. They can be reached at info@adiewacentre.com.

 What I present here is my own experience and exploration of the work we did (as opposed to explaining the presentation of the facilitator) and this is likely coloured by the extensive vocal work and practice and learning that I have embarked upon in the past few years.

To briefly explain what we did, the facilitator offered us various sounds to use as we toned or sounded through the three voices. The sound emerged as expected -- head voice being a high pitched and narrow sound; heart voice (which aligns with the chest voice, which I have spoken about many times previously) was   deeper and fuller: being voice was again deeper with a feeling of more stability as we toned from the depths of our bellies. Each time, before making the vocal tone or sound, we would settle our awareness into the head, then into the heart and then into the belly. From each of those three places we would then allow the sound to emerge.

Root Chakra: Core of Our Being
Following the toning, we paired up and asked each other a question which we first answered from our head voice, then answered the same question from our heart (or chest) voice and then answered the same question from our being or belly voice. Each time, the answers came out significantly different. I was fascinated by that. Simply by settling our awareness into a different part of our body, we experienced the same question in very different ways. I observed, in myself and in my partner, that "head voice answers" tended to be constricted, perhaps fearful, anxious. As we settled into the heart, the answers were more open, the feeling more trusting and expanded. As we settled into our bellies, or "being voice" the answers came with a sense of deeper connection, more stability, more trust -- in general, more depth and power.

So as someone who is learning to sing and ultimately wants to sing from the depths and power of my being, I started thinking of the possibilities of incorporating this work into my vocal practice and into my songs. I began to explore the question of, "Instead of bringing the constriction and narrowness of my head voice down into my heart (chest) voice and into my belly or being voice, what if I could bring the stability and groundedness of my Being Voice up into my Heart and up into my Head?" One thing that struck me about that is how really difficult it is for many Human Beings to BE in their Being, as opposed to always doing and thinking and intellectualizing, which all happens in our head and gets expressed in our head voice. Imagine if we could bring the stability and power and deep knowing of our Root or Being all that way up through our Hearts and into our Head. It could revolutionize the way we think and the way we reason, to say nothing of the depth and power that we could express vocally and through our songs if our Head Voice and our Heart Voice were connected to the CORE OF OUR BEING. To me, that feels expansive and full of exciting possibilities.


That's my current vocal excitement and insight!

Until next time, I'll leave you with a lovely Vocal Affirmation:


Barbara

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes

Recently my friend and fellow Beatles fan and I (who could be considered a Beatlemaniac -- at least in my teen-age years I certainly qualified! I may have moved on and expanded my musical horizons somewhat since then, but I continue to return to be re-inspired and newly amazed by the Fab Four and their music!) offered a cool evening of mostly early Beatles music. We sang a long to many of their earliest hits. We danced like teenagers to their music. Anyone remember the Monkey??!! That was a big dance back in the mid sixties and we revived it on our return to Beatlemania on June 8, 2012.

   We enjoyed  recorded music -- singing and dancing to the actual music of the Beatles. And thanks to a new friend who showed up with his guitar, we also got to sing some of their (the Beatles) incredible songs in our own unique style!

   Now, having had a chance to re-indulge my love of the early, simple days of "She Loves You" "I Want to Hold Your Hand" "Love Me Do"...... I find myself craving the imaginative, sometimes relaxing, sometimes wild and bizarre, always colourful music of their psychedelic phase. In fact, in a recent Shamanic Healing Circle I was in, I had asked for healing for my eyes. If you have read past posts of My Other Blog: Chakra Dancer, you will know that I have had many challenges with my eyesight, including losing my sight for a period of several months a few years back. Out of that time came incredible, imaginative, colourful Artwork and some really unique beings (which you can also see in past posts in My Other Blog: Chakra Dancer ). Several eye surgeries have left me with what I had previously thought of as distortions in my sight -- double vision where images float around each other. One thing that is sharper than it has ever been is my perception of colours. Colours are bright and vivid and alive. My visual field is drastically reduced so I can only take in a limited, but oh so concentrated, view of what is in front of me.  In the Shamanic Healing Circle, The Girl With Kaleidoscope  Eyes, (from Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds) the words and the image, kept coming to me. Finally I saw myself as that Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes. And I got the message -- all of this incredible visual journey I've been on has been to help me see the world through my New Kaleidoscope Eyes. It is a world that is beautiful and colourful and constantly shifting, images come and go, they float apart and come together, they move in and around each other.

   If you want to treat yourself to another visual reality, check out this great video of Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7F2X3rSSCU

   I think it is especially important these days to spend at least some time looking at the world through Kaleidoscope Eyes or through the power of Imagination. That's the gift that the Beatles psychedelic music has given us. Just listening to the music and listening to the vocals, can take us on a magical flight of fantasy through our imaginations. And our imaginations can open the door to previously untapped possibilities.    


Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.
Albert Einstein
Read more athttp://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/albert_einstein_4.html#7yH5tPorEXHYy5c8.99
 


Albert Einstein also said, "Imagination is More Important Than Knowledge".


Thank you Beatles, for helping to open the Door to Imagination, through your amazing music.


Here is to the healing power of music,


                               Barbara

Friday, May 18, 2012

Remembering Beatlemania -- the Music and the Energy

What was that incredible Beatlemania energy that blasted through the early 60's? I find it so fascinating to look back at that time when I was 12 years old and the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time. I, like millions of others, was totally swept away by...?? Was it them, was it the music, was something else at play here? When I actually got to see them live at Maple Leaf Gardens the following year (1964) we couldn't even hear their music for all of the screaming and the hysterics, and yet being there, in their presence, was indescribably exciting and awe inspiring. And, as much as we pre-teens and teenagers idolized and revered them, it seems likely that they (John, Paul, George and Ringo) were as blown away by this amazing energy and response as we, their adoring fans were blown away by them. Was it a planetary Kundalini awakening that was being stirred up here? Who knows. Whatever it was, it was exciting and wonderful.

The Gift of The Beatles Music

The Beatles gave us incredible music. For me, being given this music was like a personal gift. When I think back, it seems a little unusual but there really wasn't any music in our house. My parents just didn't play or listen to much music. My main exposure to music and musicians and singers was through the Sunday night ritual of watching the Ed Sullivan Show. From the first note the Beatles played, I had found music!! And it felt like MY MUSIC! Wow! After the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, all I wanted for Christmas and Birthdays was more Beatles records, more Beatles magazines and books, more Beatles bubble gum (does anyone remember that bubble gum with all the beautiful cards of Beatles photos??) I really wanted to decorate my bedroom with Beatles wallpaper, but my mother drew the line at that. She would only allow me to cover one wall. But no problem, the rest of the walls were covered with Beatles photos anyway!!

To me, Liverpool was this magical place where incredible music was born.

In honour of the Beatles, their music, that magical place in England where it all began, and the music that lives in all of us, I'd love to get together with other people whose lives have been touched by this remarkable group. So for a chance to enjoy some early Beatles music and to hang out with other Beatles fans, check out my flyer below.


                                      ************************************
 Sing and Dance and Reminisce!
 An Evening of Beatles Music and Memories

  
   We will begin our evening with a Sing a Long (or Dance a Long) to some of the early Beatles music. Then we’ll just groove to more of their early music and perhaps have some time to share our own Beatles experiences and memories and explore how the music and the energy of Beatlemania may have influenced our lives.

*If anyone would like to bring a guitar or other instrument to play and/or sing some Beatles songs for us, that would be very welcome.

                             THE CENTERING SPACE
                                    59 Cambridge Ave.
                                      Fri. June 8, 2012
                                      7:15pm—8:45pm
                         Suggested Donation $5.00--$10.00

Hosted by: Barbara Sauvé    barbarassong@gmail.com
                                   http://vocalizeandsing.blogspot.com

AND    Josef Koch: Host and DJ    http://www.aquariantimes.ca

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

How Does Your Voice Feel?

Does that seem like a strange question? Actually it makes really good sense to think about the voice and how it is feeling. After all, the voice is simply an extension or an outward expression or reflection of who we are and what we feel. For sure we would be thinking about how our back feels after helping a friend (with heavy furniture) move to a new place. For sure we would be thinking about how our legs and butt feel after going horseback riding for the first time in years!! So why wouldn't we think about how our voice feels?

Reflecting on how the voice feels is actually a wonderful, subtle way to connect the voice with our feelings (topic of previous post). And once the voice is more connected with what we feel in any given moment, it (the voice) will automatically be more connected to the essence of who we are. Our sound, our vocal expression, our singing will be more authentic and much more pleasing and touching to listen to. And the big bonus is, the more deeply connected the voice is to the essence of who we are, the less likely we'll be tempted to push the voice in ways that may damage or traumatize it. This means that the unique qualities that we each have in our voices will be more able to fully emerge.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF  CONNECTING  VOICE WITH FEELINGS
 If you have read some of my previous blog posts or attended any of my Chakras and Voice workshops, you will know that my prime interest and passion at the moment is in learning how to care for our voices and how to really listen to their messages and signals. I'm really trying to move away from the idea of "using the voice", "controlling the voice" and instead move more towards the idea of developing a supportive and loving relationship with the voice.

An Important and Profound Vocal Lesson!
And yet even with all of my current developing vocal awareness and my focus on paying attention to the signals of my own voice, I find that my vocal coach still has to remind me to ease up or lighten up, more often than I care to admit!! For all of my focus on being kind to my voice, I still have a tendency to sometimes push a little too hard as I begin a scale or sound. As I began my most recent vocal lesson, my teacher asked me how my voice was. Normally I would answer that question by talking about what I felt I needed to work on,  what I was having challenges with, etc.   This time I answered a little differently. I actually interpreted the question as "How Does Your Voice Feel?". And I simply answered, "My voice doesn't feel very strong today". As soon as I said that, I felt the connection between my voice not feeling very strong and the fact that I didn't feel very strong. I had recently been through a bit of an emotional upset and that had taken a toll on me and on my voice.That may seem simple and obvious enough. However, previously my approach to that kind of situation would have been to feel anxious about whether my voice would hold up through the lesson and that would result in my tendency to push a little too hard in order to compensate or cover up that "not very strong" feeling in both my voice and myself. As soon as I was honest with my teacher about my voice feeling not very strong, the anxiety left and I approached my lesson feeling much more relaxed. Just being honest about not feeling very strong meant I didn't have to try and compensate or try to cover up what I was feeling. And not having to worry any more about whether my voice would hold up, (since my teacher already knew that I wasn't feeling strong) really helped me ease into my lesson in a much more relaxed, connected, authentic way. And you know what happened? By the end of my lesson, my voice was coming from a deeper, stronger and more relaxed place than I had ever previously felt or experienced. It was a beautiful feeling.

And really interesting that during my lesson I felt like I was vocalizing and singing very quietly. It all felt so gentle. Yet when I listened back to the recording of my lesson, my voice sounded full and much stronger than I had thought it was. Whenever I can actually do it, I'm just amazed at the power of being truly authentic and connected.

Here's to AUTHENTICITY! 

And here's to ALL VOICES being honoured and respected and appreciated. 

Barbara

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Re-Connecting the Voice to Feelings and Emotions

For many of us, our voices have become disconnected from the deeper essence of  who we are and what we feel. It is as if our voices and our feelings and emotions have become strangers to each other. And yet, isn't part of vocal function to express emotion and feeling? Laughter certainly involves voice. Crying (unless we have perfected the"silent tears" syndrome!) often involves some vocal expression.  Joy, exuberance, excitement, enthusiasm, sadness, grief, all  show up in our voices -- not just in the words we speak, but in the actual tone and pitch and resonance and volume of the voice. Exuberance, excitement and enthusiasm are often reflected in a higher pitched, more energetic and faster moving voice. Sadness or depression may create a sense and sound of heaviness or slowness or even flatness in the voice. Anger often raises the volume and ability to project the voice. It might also result in a more constricted or pinched voice if we try to contain it.  Fear may constrict the voice altogether or it may result in a tremulous, shaky sounding voice.


So many emotions -- and every one creates a different vibration or resonance in the voice. Every emotion has its own unique vocal sound. Vocal expression of emotions is like a rich and fascinating and beautiful tapestry of sound and vibration and pitch and resonance.

Let the Children Sing!
 Except -- many of us have been consistently taught and trained to "put on a happy face" and speak nicely even if our hearts are breaking or our gut is tied up in a rage. Or imagine children that naturally get excited and exuberant and their voices reflect that excitement -- good chance they are made to tone down or, even worse, to shut up. I love hearing the sound of exuberant children, whether I'm on the subway, or I hear it in the hallway of my apartment building. I am also really saddened every time I hear parents shushing their naturally exuberant children in fear of other people getting upset or annoyed.

There are many ways that our voices get disconnected or even shut down from the essence of who we are and what we feel. The voice then becomes something we "control" or "use". But what about that precious authentic voice that was simply part of our total being as infants? As babies, feeling and expressing vocally were pretty much one and the same -- so connected were they. Of course as we grow and learn to speak, we refine that vocal ability so that we can express our needs and wants and emotions through words or maybe even through songs or other kinds of vocalizing and sounding. And if we were raised in a way that our needs, wants and emotions were respected and our vocal expression of them honoured and accepted, then good chance our voices will remain connected to the essence of who we are and what we feel.  And for those of us who were shut down or silenced vocally, the good news is, it is never too late to begin that exciting exploration of re-connecting the voice to feelings and emotions.



Connecting the Voice with the Seven Major Chakras


My recent workshop of the same title has got me thinking about this issue. The question I have been reflecting upon is "How do we stop using and controlling the voice, and instead allow it to re-connect with the deepest part of our being and allow it to simply flow from there?"

Originally I thought about "using" the voice to energize the Seven Major Chakras -- which is often the way working with Chakras and Voice is approached. For example, in Eastern traditions, there are certain Sanskrit Sounds that are used to sound the Chakras. There are specific vowel sounds that definitely help to activate the Chakras. All of these sounds and tones and vowels certainly are powerful ways to connect with the Chakras.

The question that comes to my mind, as someone who has had a lot of (previous, but now healing!) vocal issues and vocal weaknesses, is -- what if the voice isn't ready or able to project those specific sounds of the Chakras? Or what if our emotional self is not ready or able to handle the "out there" projection of the voice?

 In my experience and in my new awareness of  respecting the voice, (see my previous blog post) that old way of "using" the voice does not always result in a natural flow that is kind and respectful to the voice and the vocal cords, and it may result in vocal strain. It may also result in a feeling of traumatizing the voice or the part of us that may have deep rooted fears or insecurities about allowing our voices to be free and expressive.

For example, the 3rd Chakra, the Solar Plexus, our Personal Power Center, (located above the navel and connected to the digestive organs) is a place where old unresolved or unexpressed anger is often stored. In connecting deeply with the Solar Plexus, we may begin to re-experience those old angry feelings. It may seem like vocalizing those feelings through vigorous sounding or even by blasting out some angry songs would be very cathartic. And it may be if the voice is really strong and able to handle those sounds, and if, emotionally we are ready to be so totally "out there" vocally. But I suspect in many cases (and I certainly speak from personal experience!) that kind of catharsis can be pretty hard on the voice and traumatizing to the emotional body.  It is too much too fast and it does not allow for a natural flow of energetic connection to develop between the Solar Plexus and the Voice.

In my experience and way of thinking about this, I believe we first need to begin developing a relationship between the Voice and the Solar Plexus (or whatever Chakra and/or emotions we are dealing with) and find the middle ground where the voice is allowed to create those sounds that feel good to it. And the feelings in the Solar Plexus are gently freed in a way that is comfortable and nourishing to the whole system (including the voice). Some very interesting sounds or songs could result from that connected place.

My next blog post will explore the idea of developing a relationship with the Voice and understanding its signals and messages.

In the meantime,

Love Your Voice!

                              Barbara



Sunday, April 15, 2012

Accepting the Uniqueness and Beauty of Our Own Voice

Acceptance is a wonderful thing!

Don't we all love to feel accepted? I know I love that feeling. To feel totally and unconditionally accepted exactly as I am. Nothing I need to change. Nothing I need to do. Just to be accepted for who I am and how I am. It is a beautiful and nurturing feeling -- and most especially when I can offer that gift to myself! It is amazing how -- in those precious moments of accepting and embracing ALL parts of myself, in all of my humanness -- I can automatically offer unconditional acceptance to all those around me. In that state of unconditional acceptance, I feel myself flourish -- like a precious flower opening, coming into bloom.

Acceptance of Our Voices

It seems to me, and I have experienced this, that the same is true of the voice. Our voices love to feel accepted, exactly as they are. In that state of releasing all pressure, all expectations and offering our voices total and unconditional acceptance, they also can flourish. They (our voices) can open and reveal their unique beauty and they can develop their special gifts and abilities. Just as every one of us has a totally unique voice, different from everybody else's voice, every one of us has a totally unique way of expressing vocally.

It is so tempting, as we listen to singers or other people who express vocally in a way that we admire, to want to do that too. But in trying to "do it" like someone else, whose vocal gifts and abilities (and personalities) are different than our own, we may end up frustrated and even with a strained voice. Even worse, we may be actually blocking or missing out on those very gifts and abilities that our own voice has.

My Experience (Before and After) Learning to Accept My Voice Unconditionally

In my own previous experience, before I began working with vocal technique and  before I started to understand the abilities and needs of my own voice, I used to attend many events and workshops which involved various kinds of "sounding". Sounding, as I understand it, is a vocal method of allowing the voice to move and play freely as it creates whatever sounds and vocals that want to happen. It is beautiful to be in a group where everyone is creating their own sound simultaneously and those sounds come together, sometimes harmoniously, sometimes chaotically. It can be very creative and very fun! Except, I used to find that being in those circles I would quickly feel a lot of strain on my voice as I tried to "keep up" to the voices that were really out there in terms of volume and power. And I would quickly get frustrated and discouraged and I kept wondering what was wrong with me, what was wrong with my voice, that I couldn't blast out those sounds like everyone else seemed to be doing. Or if I did manage to blast out some of those sounds, it would take me a few days to recover from the strain on my voice, and yes, even from a traumatized feeling of having pushed myself in a way that was not natural to me and to my voice.

What started really turning things around for me was two things.

Number one: I started taking lessons in vocal technique (3rd Voice Studio) which did help me to gently, step by step, strengthen my vocal chords. And my voice definitely is getting stronger and more stable. But even more importantly, this vocal technique helped me get to know and appreciate my voice in a new way. I'm finally leaning the very essential lesson of respecting my voice. Because I have the wonderful opportunity to work one on one with a highly skilled and knowledgeable vocal coach, the scales and sounds and exercises I learn are specifically geared to developing the unique abilities and strengths of my own voice. And my voice always feels good and energized and happy after my lesson or after I practice my lesson at home. And now I know there is nothing wrong with my voice (or me!!) because I can't comfortably make those "way out there" sounds. And I don't need to make those "way out there"sounds. I now have so much more respect for my voice and the minute I feel myself straining or trying to keep up to voices that I cannot keep up to, I just stop. And then I either just relax and listen or I find my own quiet gentle way to add my voice to the group.

Number two: Part of this learning to accept and appreciate my unique, gentle voice in the midst of loud and powerful voices was inspired by a writer and now speaker Susan Cain who wrote the book "Quiet. The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking." Listening to her views on Introversion helped me to understand and appreciate and accept the power and specialness of my own quiet, reflective nature and, in turn that really helped me appreciate the specialness and power of my own quiet, reflective and gentle voice.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts.html

The really cool thing, for me, about accepting my voice exactly as it is, is that it has helped my voice to relax. And coming from that vocally relaxed place, my range has automatically expanded (with no "effort" from me). And I suspect that is only the beginning of what might be possible as I continue to work with and deepen that sense of acceptance of my voice (and of myself!).

So I still really appreciate and enjoy and admire the voices of those singers who can really blast it out and do all kinds of vocal "acrobatics" or those beautiful and powerful voices that I hear in the Sounding groups that I go to. And I really appreciate and enjoy and respect the quiet power and the unique abilities of my own voice.

I love the stability and gentle power that I experience in listening to Anne Murray's voice. So I'll end this with a link to one of her beautiful songs -- Just Another Woman in Love. This is my favourite Anne Murray song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rr3g34Y6XM&feature=fvsr

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Connecting Voice with the Seven Major Chakras

Hi All,

   In our March 24 workshop, we explored connecting the Voice with the Soul and it was pretty incredible and touching and at times, really hilarious, allowing the Soul to "give voice" to its desires and dreams and longings through our voices. Amazing and beautiful and Soulful sounds were bursting forth!

   This months workshop on April 28 will be a chance to explore the possibility of connecting the voice with each of the Seven Major Chakras. So...a new adventure, another journey of discovery. And...because we will be allowing the voice the freedom to vocalize as it wants to, through all of the Chakras, we will be exploring, and very possibly expanding, the full range of the voice. Most of us have a much greater vocal range than we think we do. It is really fun to play in that deep, rumbly, earthy chest voice range and to reach for the "heavens" or the stars (or whatever "up there" is for you!!) through the high vibrations of the head voice.

Here's the info.

Chakras and Vocal Expression                   

Connecting the Voice with the Seven Major 
                         Chakras

     Through reflection, movement-meditation and vocalizing, we will explore the possibility of connecting our Voices with each of the Seven Major Chakras. This will be an opportunity to use our vocal vibrations for healing and energizing, as well as a chance to discover or create the sound or song of each Chakra. There will be a guided vocal warm up and an exploration of what it means to “really listen to” and care for our voices.

                      The Centering Space
                    59 Cambridge Ave.
               (Broadview and Danforth)

                      Sat. April 28, 2012

                            2pm—4pm

              $20.00 suggested (or PWYC)

Fro info or RSVP contact Barbara barbarassong@gmail.com    416-944-0540

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Connecting the Voice and the Soul

Always, before doing any kind of deep work, it is really essential to create a beautiful and safe container for ourselves. For one little exercise in creating a safe and supportive container, refer back to my Feb. 8 post The Relationship Between the Root Chakra and the Voice. Feeling supported and connected is beautiful. Acknowledging and feeling gratitude for all that supports us in our life's journey is beautiful. To create even more beauty in your personal container, check out my previous blog and video of Dr. Emoto's work with water crystals and the vibrations of positive, healing words. Imagine filling our aura (our container) with the vibrations and crystals of LOVE and PEACE and TRUTH and JOY and COMPASSION and whatever else you desire to have in your own container. The possible combinations of colours and vibrations are endless. What colour(s) is your container at the moment? Are there other colours you would like to add?

Once we feel safe and supported and nurtured in the beauty of our container, it is nice to do a little movement meditation to connect with all 7 Chakras. That can be as simple as connecting first with the feet and simply shifting the weight from one foot to the other. As you get into the flow of that shifting weight, allow, or imagine the energy being slowly drawn up the legs, into the Root Chakra (tailbone and external genitals), then into the Sacral Chakra (pelvis), up into the Solar Plexus (above the navel), Heart (centre of the chest), Throat Chakra (centre of the Throat),Third  Eye (point between the eyebrows) and the Crown (top of head). Allow that energy within you to find its own dance as you allow your body to move with it. This is a great way to free whatever tension may be lurking in your body. It is interesting to allow this dance to just happen quietly, from inside (as opposed to following the beat of some external music). And it is good to end by drawing that energy back down from the Crown to the feet and to re-establish that sense of being grounded and supported.

And since this is about connecting Voice and Soul, it is nice to spend a few minutes breathing into the Throat Chakra and just allowing gentle sounds like humming or ahhhh... or whatever sounds the vocal cords may need or want in order  to get warmed up in preparation for this Journey into the Soul.

Then comes the really juicy moment of sitting quietly and breathing our way into deep connection with the Soul. Creating an intention of breathing into the Soul will likely help to connect you to that deeper essence of yourself. From that place, a good question to ask might be something like "What is the deepest longing or desire of my Soul?" What might that longing sound like? Imagine the energy and sound of that longing rising from the Soul, travelling through an open channel up into the Throat Chakra where it can be expressed through the Voice, through sounding. It is good to give this sounding as much time and space and freedom as it needs and wants. When it feels complete, draw that energy back into the Soul and from there, a good question to ask may be something like "What is one step I can take towards manifesting the deepest longing of my Soul."(Always good to have your journal nearby!!)

To come to completion, it is important to re-connect with the Root Chakra and the Earth. Dancing to some drumming music is an excellent and fun grounding exercise.

And by the way, I know many of us have come from many traditions that may view longings with suspicion or we may think of desire as something that wants to "lead us astray". I believe that if a longing or desire comes from the depths of the Soul, then it is a SACRED LONGING or a SACRED DESIRE. Those Soul longings and desires can actually point us in the direction of fulfillment of our life's journey or purpose. If you need more convincing or clarification, check out the link below -- another gem from Rob Brezsny and his book PRONOIA. It is well worth listening to.


soundcloud.com


Until next time,

Barbara

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Re Balancing the Chakras for More Vocal Freedom

Sacred Haven
Two blog posts back,(Relationship Between the Voice and the Root Chakra Feb. 8, 2012) I explored  the possibility and importance of creating a safe space for ourselves and our voices through some Root Chakra reflection and writing. I do believe that the first step in freeing our voices, be it for singing, vocalizing or for speaking our truth, has to be in creating a safe, nurturing, grounded, supported space for ourselves. This was part of my Jan. 28, 2012 Voice and Chakras Workshop. And we will explore more of that in the upcoming March 24 workshop.

After we created this safe and supportive space for ourselves in the  workshop, we took a  meditation/movement/sound JOURNEY THROUGH ALL OF THE SEVEN MAJOR CHKARAS. I find it helpful, as we journey through the Chakras, to bring in positive words and images to help with the re-balancing and re-energizing of the Chakras. I continue to be very inspired by the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto from Japan. He demonstrated that Water Crystals respond to the vibration of positive words like love and gratitude and joy, by developing beautiful symmetrical patterns. Those same water crystals, when "fed" negative words like hate or anger, or if they receive the vibrations of dark, discordant sounds,  would turn murky and the patterns will break up into really disturbing and chaotic non patterns. These days, with pretty much unlimited access to media, we are constantly being "fed" images and sounds of fear and anger and despair and abuse. That is the vibration that gets into our energy centres, our Chakras. And into our body's physical organs and systems. So it is not that we are trying to bock out the awful stuff (which is happening and it is important for us to be aware). By feeding images and words of strength and beauty into the Chakras and into our body's organs and systems, we are simply aiming to bring dark and light into a better balance -- for the sake of our health and for the sake of the health of our planet and its beings.

Check out this amazing video of Dr. Emoto's work with water crystals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAvzsjcBtx8

Just as an interesting little exercise, I suggest 'feeding' some beautiful and loving words and/or music to some part of you or your physical body that may be feeling "out of sorts". Who knows what kind of incredible healing crystals might start to form right inside your own body?

Stay tuned for the next installment: Connecting the Voice with the Soul.


With love, beauty and truth,


Barbara.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Entertainment World Tragedy Through the "Eyes" of the Chakras

Voice is an amazing and beautiful and transformative instrument. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Voice has the power to comfort and soothe and nurture and energize. Those vocal vibrations, especially when we are chanting or singing or sounding, have tremendous power to heal and transform, both the giver (or the singer) and the receiver.

So what is happening in the Entertainment World when so many incredible vocalists and singers are being tragically struck down by addictions, abusive relationships and sometimes, all too often, meeting very tragic and untimely deaths? This question has been on my mind since my own fairly recent foray into the world of vocalizing and singing which began shortly before Michael's Jackson's death. Curiously enough I had just begun taking singing lessons with a teacher who had had vocal training with Michael Jackson's vocal coach. So I was feeling somewhat connected to that world of entertainment and amazing voices. And now, sadly, the awesome voice of Whitney Houston has been forever silenced. And Amy Winehouse. And from my younger day is the tragedy of Janis Joplin's untimely death. And how many more have struggled and continue to struggle, through horrendous addictions and abuse and mental illness and who knows what else. It is just not enough to criticize these singers for drinking or taking drugs or for falling into abusive relationships. That kind of criticism is really nasty and clearly coming from those who have no idea of the toll that kind of entertaining and vocalizing can take on a human body. Constantly being pushed to vocalize or sing at full force can blow the human nervous system right out of the water. The voice is directly connected to our nervous system. In addition to that I'm sure none of us "regular folks" can even begin to imagine the pressure that is put on these singers -- by producers, managers, advertisers and yes -- even by us, or maybe most especially by us (the audience) to keep producing more and better. How must it be to, night after night, tour after tour, album after album, have to try and satisfy an insatiable audience?And insatiable managers and producers? Or, in Michael Jackson's case (and I'm sure many others) to have to try and satisfy an insatiable and demanding father?

Adding that stress on top of the kind of emotional or spiritual, or maybe even physical woundedness that many of these folks have suffered in their young lives, how else could they cope, except by falling into addictions or other kinds of self destructive behaviours?



Through the "Eyes" of the Chakras

And now, back to my favorite topic -- Chakras and the Voice. Looking at the Entertainment World's destruction of human lives from the "eyes" of the Chakras -- here is my theory!!

According to ancient yogic philosophy, we all have an immense spiritual energy coiled up in our Root or Base Chakra (see my previous blog post). That energy is called the Kundalini and it is related to our Creative force and  our Life Force. Awakening our Consciousness (or our journey into Enlightenment or Higher Consciousness) involves drawing that Kundalini energy from the Root Chakra, up through the whole Chakra system - one Chakra at a time until it reaches up into the Crown Chakra. That journey through the Chakras can be an exciting, dynamic, creative, inspirational and sometimes euphoric process. However,  in order to safely draw that energy up, it needs to be done slowly while we simultaneously do whatever we need to do to heal and strengthen our physical, emotional and spiritual bodies.  As the Kundalini awakens more and more, we need a nervous system that can adapt to the increasing energy that is moving through our system -- hence the development of Yoga postures way back in ancient times. The original purpose of yoga postures was to prepare the physical body's systems to handle this awakened Kundalini.

The lower three Chakras (Root, Sacral and Solar Plexus) involve our lives and our physical bodies here in this material reality. The upper three Chakras (Throat, Third Eye and Crown) takes us more into the etheric realms, or the "unseen" dimensions. The Heart is the connector between the two realities. The vibrations of the upper Chakras are very high and rapid, just as the vocal vibrations of head voice are much higher and more rapid than the deep chest voice, which connects us more to the vibrations of the lower Chakras.

When the whole Chakra system is in balance, the Kundalini energy can move easily from Root to Crown. If there is any weakness or wounding in any part of the system (as there is in most of us -- that is our human journey and challenge) the Kundalini cannot move freely. If one is constantly energizing the upper Chakras, for example, the Throat as singers do or the Crown as serious meditators do or those looking for a "spiritual high" may do, or if one simply preferes to "hang out" in the spiritual realms as an escape from the "real world" or the material issues in our lives, that Kundalini energy will be drawn up through the lower Chakras, but at great cost and possibly damage to the unprepared nervous system and the unhealed lower Chakra wounds. It is very common at this point to fall into chemical or behavioural addictions or abusive relationships. At this point, it is not a matter of choice, but a desperate need to somehow get grounded and cope with the unbalanced power of the Kundalini energy. I speak about this from first hand experience -- not as a singer obviously, but as someone who dived full force into spiritual practices like meditation and developing psychic abilities (Third Eye and Crown Chakra). I know what it is like to experience the full force of that awakened Kundalini energy without having understood the importance of developing a strong physical body and nervous system and doing the emotional healing work first or at least simultaneously. It can throw one off balance and out of touch with reality.

I believe that might be what is happening to some of these people with the amazing supervoices. They may well be unleashing powers within themselves that they are not prepared for and have no way to cope with.

After Michael Jackson's death, someone commented that his singing and his dancing and his amazing energy (from his own awakening Kundalini) was actually awakening the Earth's Kundalini as evidenced in the way that his music got hoardes of people energized and singing and dancing. What power, what amazing creativity -- but what a cost to that human being. We don't have to look very far to see the struggles and the pain of his existence.

I love the fact that, since Whitney Houston's death, I have heard comments on CBC radio like "What does this say about us as a society, that we are simply watching these people struggle and suffer and die?"

I recently attended an amazing and life changing presentation on the topic of "The Power of Self-Care in Health Care" given by Larry Nusbaum, a Toronto based Physician, Psychotherapist, Musician, Storyteller and I would add Magician and Shaman. Way too many health care providers are also succumbing to addictions, burn out, illness and even suicide because their whole focus is on taking care of others.

So now my question, or reflection is:
"How can we bring the Power of Self Care into the Entertainment World?" 


How can we help these gifted, creative, inspiring people to care for themselves so they will not have to succumb to addictions and burnout and untimely deaths? 


And one last thought....
                                 Maybe, instead of us (the audience) demanding more and more (music, entertainment, etc.) from these gifted entertainers, we could simply appreciate their talents as an inspiration to awaken and develop our own special gifts and talents.  


That's my passionate rave for tonight!!

Keep singing, keep dancing, or doing whatever you love to do!!

Barbara

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Relationship between the Voice and the Root Chakra

Root Chakra Symbol
One thing I have discovered in my current dedication to developing and freeing my voice, is the importance of feeling supported. And feeling safe. And feeling grounded and stable. All Root Chakra qualities.

(Root Chakra is the energy centre that lies at the base of the spine and connects us with our primal and animal energy. The Sanskrit name is Muladhara -- Mula meaning Root or source. Dhara meaning support, vital part. This energy centre relates to our physical and material consciousness. It is the first center to develop and open when we are infants and it is that initial experience of the infant which largely determines if the world feels like a safe place where we can count on being supported. If the infant immediately experiences that sense of safety and support, then that Root Chakra will be strong and vibrant and we will trust our instincts. If, as infants, we are not supported and needs are not met in the way that we need them to be, the Root Chakra will not be  as strong and vibrant and we may move into our adult years still feeling like we can't get what we need and that our experience of the world is not so safe.This, of course, can lead to self-esteem issues, fear of standing our ground and feeling not deserving. This, in turn can make it more challenging to "voice" our needs and desires. The ability to speak one's truth is pretty connected to how safe and supported we feel.The ability to sing can also be very connected to how safe and supported we feel.)

Recently I have been thinking a lot about those times when my voice feels free and strong and flows from the depths of my Heart and Soul. And I've been thinking a lot about those times when my voice literally "goes into hiding" despite all of my hours of dedicated vocal practice.

Safe Haven
When I am in a situation that feels safe, or if I can create a safe space or container for myself, then I feel my voice flowing from my Heart and Soul. If I am in a situation that doesn't feel comfortable or that triggers some old  childhood insecurities or fears, my voice retreats into what feels to me like "a dead zone". I don't actually know where it (my voice) is at that point. I only know that to speak from that place takes huge effort and to speak with any kind of expressiveness in my voice requires a real "push" that does not feel authentic.


So I believe that if there are vocal issues present, one might have to dive a little deeper to find and heal the "Roots" of the vocal issue. It might not be directly related to the Throat Chakra or to the Vocal Cords (although we would certainly want to also be supporting and developing the vocal cords and the Throat
Chakra in whatever way we can.)

At a workshop I offered on Jan. 28 based on an Introduction to the Chakras and Vocal Expression, I began the workshop with a little reflection and writing exercise. I offered the question of "What and who supports you in your current life's journey?" I made the suggestion that we consider not only those obvious supports, like friends, family, partner, healers etc. but that we also reflect on the not so obvious supports that are all around us. An example I gave is "My breath supports me and my life. Which means that AIR supports me. And that means that the EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE supports me. And (despite all we have done to her) MOTHER EARTH herself continues to offer me support in terms of giving me good Organic food and offering me the soothing and healing powers of nature." Etc.!!! There truly is so much support for our lives here on this planet, and in the midst of all of the current crisis that are happening around us, we can sometimes forget to honor all that supports us. It is easy to fall into those old feelings of abandonment and insecurity. I think making ourselves a Support List can help us remember and honor all that supports us and can help us shift into that more positive space of knowing and feeling that we are safe and supported. In the workshop, those who felt inspired to were encouraged to share some of what supports them. Sharing is nice way to affirm and honor, out loud, what feels supportive to us and it is a nice way to "feed each other" in terms of realizing that there may be many more supports that we hadn't even thought about.

I believe it can be really helpful to spend some time once in a while reflecting on, and offering gratitude, for all of those things and people and beings that do support us.

The more supported and safer we feel in our own being, the more the Voice can flow freely from the depths of our Heart and Soul. Speaking or singing from that authentic place inside ourselves requires trust. And trust comes from feeling safe and supported.

So I encourage you to consider that question
                         "What and who supports you on your current life journey?"


I would love to hear any thoughts you might have either as a comment or as an e-mail barbarassong@gmail.com

And a reminder to "Sing your own special song in your own special way"


Barbara