Singing Tips From Susan Boyle
The unassuming nature of Susan Boyle compared to her voice stunned everybody. But what made her to be such a good singer? What catapulted her to stardom in just a few days? Before we learn some tips from her, a little about her background will be appropriate. Born April 1, 1961 to Pete Boyle, who was himself a singer, and Bridget, a shorthand typist. So we can say her talent is partly from something in her gene.
She also took some singing lessons and attended Birmingham Acting School. Short of that, all we know is that most of the singing she did was in her local church. Although the society, especially the judges of competitions tend to look at physical appearances, Boyle was determined not to hide her talent. Equipped with such a determination, she had appeared in a number of competitions.
Her not winning in those competitions was not because she was untalented, but mostly because of the false image of what a supposed singer must look like:beautiful,gorgeous and young.
This was the same in the “Britain Has Talent” competition. As she stepped on stage, everybody was expecting a squawking voice, but were geared to reality as her voice pierced through the air. Appearance, the judges came to understand, does not a talent make. What are some tips and lessons we can take from Susan Boyle?
First of all, Susan Boyle knew she had some talents in singing. Mainly for spiritual purpose of singing to God, she took some singing courses. She is also a determined lady never to give up on pursuing what she enjoyed doing. That is why in spite of her failures in previous competitions, she still entered “Britain Has Talent”, where her star really shined.
Her training showed off as she hit high notes continuously without losing her breathe or the quality of her voice. This is where most singers fail. Reaching high tones is more of a psychological trick than technique. It could be illustrated this way:
Moving a car forward requires putting it in gear 1 after starting it. But in order to continue moving steadily and smoothly one needs to almost immediately put it in gear 2, then 3 and so forth. In reaching high tone, say C, what one needs to do is reach a slightly higher tone than C. Then almost automatically, all by itself the tone will come to C.
In other words, hitting exact tone at once is disastrous, a little higher tone should be reached first. Then this way, the tone needed will be struck, almost by itself.
Another thing we need to discuss is about vocal choirds. Vocal chords are the instrumental strings of the voice. It could be illustrated with piano strings. The lower notes are longer and thicker, while the higher notes are shorter and thinner. Applying this to singing, the vocal chords need to be shortened when singing higher notes in order for the sound to come out well.
All these Susan Boyle mastered because she did not give up on her dream of becoming a good singer. She as well took steps to singing mastery by taking lessons in singing. But most important, she pushed herself to success by undauntedly stepping forward. Now she is a star, known, viewed and heard by millions.
If you think you can´t take a singing lesson because of cost or master the art of singing, you´re wrong. In my signature is the review of a resource that might make you sing like Susan Boyle in no time and it is affordable
Kenny Adeleke
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/singing-tips-from-susan-boyle-991414.html
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The Susan Boyle phenomenon: no offense, but what’s so special about her singing?
Okay I know this is not a classical music question. But if you’ve ever been to other sections in Entertainment and Music, the Twilight and Disney fans *unfortunately* have taken over. The Celebrities section, for example, is filled with tweens asking about “OMG Edward Cullen is so HOT! How can I get his number?” (thus why I’ve been abandoning the section lately). The Singing section is no better either: “I wanna be famous. Tell me how!”, “Isn’t The Jonas Brothers the most talented singer in the world?”, “How can I become a Disney star?”, “Any tips for the upcoming American Idol audition?” etc etc etc (well, you get the picture).
So, bravely enough, I decided to ask here. Hope you don’t mind! =)
Well anyway, I’m sure that most, if not all, of you have heard about the Susan Boyle phenomenon. She’s a 47-year-old Scottish woman who joined Britain’s Got Talent singing “I Dreamed a Dream” (from Les Miserables). Before she sang, both the audience and the judges appeared to express scepticism based on her unpolished appearance and awkwardness. She also said that she lives with her cat and she’s never been kissed. But when she sang, she pretty much shocked the people in the room because no one expected that voice to come out of her.
Now, not that I have anything against her. I feel sorry & sympathy for her personal life and I applaud her for her courage to make the audition. She opens many people’s eyes to realizing that you don’t have to be beautiful to sing. But aside from that, I don’t necessarily think that her voice or her singing is that spectacular. There are many other singers who can sing better than her and with more polished/refined technique. The reason why she became so popular was more because of the “surprise” factor; no one expected her to sing like that. Not to mention her sob story which made people fall for her and hailing her as the newest underdog hero.
Her story kinda reminds me of the Paul Potts phenomenon back then. Remember him, the tenor-wannabe who sang “Nessun Dorma”? After the show, many people hail him as one of the greatest tenors of our time. *chuckle*
Tell me, what’s so special about her singing? For any of you who have watched/listened to her, what do you think of her singing? Do you HONESTLY believe that she’s THAT good? Again, I don’t mean to bring her down. I just don’t understand what the fuss is all about. It has nothing to do with her or her look. I’m just simply baffled about her singing.
p.s: You know, this is one of the reasons why I really HATE reality shows, such as American Idol, America’s/Britain’s Got Talent etc. Eventhough they claim to be "talent" competitions but most *smart* people know it takes more than just talent to run those shows. They do not represent the real music industry. So many times, the people who passed the auditions have a story/look/gimmick behind them to keep the ratings high. Singers with amazing gifts are frequently overlooked and/or rejected from those shows because regardless of how well they sing, they aren’t what the show is looking for. It’s a playing field. As much as we want to believe those shows as “talent” competitions, but it is a TV business more than anything else. If they don’t get ratings, they don’t stay on air.
And if Simon Cowell ever creates an “opera” or “classical music” reality show, God knows what I will do to my TV…
Yes I know this isn’t the appropriate section, Doctor John, which is why I have already explained myself and apologized earlier.
The reason why I didn’t post this somewhere else is because most other sections have been plagued with tween fans who aren’t mature yet.
I asked here in hopes of getting smart/mature answers from the classical music regulars here. Since the Susan Boyle phenomenon is so massive, I assume that most people would’ve heard of her. But if you haven’t, then I sincerely apologize. And I’m terribly sorry if many find this question to be inappropriately asked here.
Again sorry, and thanks for the answers so far…
LOL Thanks, del_icio…! =) Yeah, I don’t like Paul Potts either.
"…I think this shows how little Oprah knows about music…" — LOL I laugh at this statement. =D
Btw yeah I do think she’s good. I mean, I never said that she’s bad or awful. Just like most people here, I do think she has TALENTS. But I honestly don’t think she’s THAT good…. yet. Yes, she has the potential, but as of NOW, just like del_ said, she’s not exactly a Brodway material (yet). That’s just my opinion.
im with you completely. my family and i watched and were like "awwww poor lady, but whats so incredible about her singing?" she has a good voice, but its not great. she hit some bum notes, which paul potts never did, and was worse than some of the other singers on there. i think maybe because they were so predjudiced against her, they thought, wait, shes actually good, and theyre shock stopped them from hearing her singing. she was good, but i dont think she has the potential to be a worldwide star, and besides, britains got talent has been won by one and a half singers (george sampson "sang" in his video), and there are some amazing other acts, who are what BGT is all about. thats why we have the x factor – for singers. i think they should only let true opera singers into bgt, not normal singers (that sounds mean, but what i mean is poppy singers), or young kids singing.
but i agree with you the whole way. her singing – it aint that great, but it was the sob story – as you say- that touched everyones hearts.
x
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I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, and have even less idea about the person to whom you refer. Please post this somewhere more appropriate, and try not to be so long-winded in the future.
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I was watching ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ when Susan Boyle came on. Although I am always a rabid opponent of those who hold ‘image’ and looks above artistic merit, I have to confess I was at first sceptical as well. Susan does herself no favours at all in her appearance or demeanour (both of which could be vastly improved upon). However, I shared the audience’s open-mouthed shock when she began to sing. No, she wasn’t quite West End or Broadway material … yet. But the talent she has is considerable in my ‘umble opinion.
I hated the Paul Potts thing. I admire a lot of things about Simon Callow (we share a brutal honesty and grumpiness which makes me relate to him strongly), including, in most cases, his artistic judgment. However, like many in the ‘popular’ music world, he (and the others on such panels) is still suckered by the wannabee opera singers. Paul Potts was mediocre at best and was pretending to be an operatic tenor. That’s why I hated it. How many more Russell Watsons and Andrew Bocellisms can we take? Susan Boyle, however, sang the right song in the right genre for her – a song from a musical (one of the good ones, more to the point). I do not exaggerate when I say that I could hear in her something of the Elaine Page quality for that kind of music.
Yes, I believe that with some training, Susan Boyle COULD become a very good singer in that style of music. As long as they don’t try to get her to sing opera – that would be a HUGE mistake and she’d then lose my vote completely. There – that’s MY neck on the line! Chop away!
Edit: and why ‘no offense’? Don’t be afraid to speak your mind. There’s always somebody somewhere who will take offense at anything – for some it’s a vocation. But … no-one ever died of being offended. Never bothered me, did it?
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I don’t know what ‘that good’ in this case means, but she sure is at least quite good. That song isn’t all that easy to sing. She does have some technical problem (especially down low)… But I was quite impressed that the quality of her voice is as good and clear as it is at her age. Her voice (apart from its vibrato) can pass for that of a teenager… And even seasoned professionals would find that 4 notes bridge she sings on a single breath a little testy. It’s one thing to sing the song to yourself in a bathroom. It is quite another to sing it to that large an audience knowing that you’ll be publicly judged for it.
But you asked what is it about her that is catching people’s imagination. I must say… It isn’t all about ‘if she did the greatest rendition of the song’ or even about ‘if her rendition among the best you’ve ever heard of the song’. It is that she got out there and stood her ground… refusing to be cowed by the laughter and skepticism on everyone’s face. And she delivered the goods.
So, the fuss is more from the ‘wake up call’ most of us get watching it happened, having thought that she’d be terrible and would get shredded by Cowell and the other judges… humiliated and ‘put in her place’, if you will. It isn’t just the singing they are applauding, but the courage to go out and to perform that well to begin with. Most people who have faced repeated rejections for that long and with that look wouldn’t even still be trying to make it as a singer in the first place.
I’m glad she’s getting a lot of publicity, actually. Perhaps this will go some way into convincing young lasses that they don’t have to look like a model and starve themselves (or become bulimic) in order to be appreciated. They can just be who they are and if they’re good at what they do then people will accept them…. hopefully.
Sometimes it is ‘humanity’ that people want to see rather than technical mastery.
As to the authenticity of shows like this… I don’t think it hurts the real classical artists or the classical music industry any to have more portals of entry for potential new audiences. Lack of publicity and lack of relatability to younger folks hurt classical music and opera a lot more than cross-over singers and shows do, imho.
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The Susan Boyle phenomenon is a breath of fresh air, in my opinion. Yes, I do happen to mostly enjoy Classical and Opera music of many kinds. The fact that as of April 20, 2009 66 million people have viewed her YouTube video speaks volumes.
As a singer in church choirs and soloist upon occasion, I know the tremendous Courage it would take to sing before such critical judges!
I have listened to this video about 4 times and hear such emotion in her voice. I would describe her as "real" in terms of emotion and ability to connect with an audience. Assessing someones voice will always be a range of opinions: from pleasing to pure to beautiful….etc.
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music-lover of all types, vocal interests for many years
church musician
Forgive me if this has been covered, I didn’t read you whole question.
"Nothing" is my answer. She sounds fine for a 48 year-old woman. I think the phenomenon was the result of a chain of events. 1. She’s not a particularly handsome woman. 2. She had the presence of mind to banter with the "judges" (at their low-brow level) as she was introduced. 3. The Karaoke-Reverb guy was on his game while she sang. 4. Not bad intonation, reasonable breathing and support of her voice.
Potts was better, but (for good or ill) presented over-used tenor repertoire.
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I can’t help you here — I have tried, but I really cannot stomach watching these shows. It’s actually not the singers that bother me so much as the judges. A handful of pompous people who may or may not have any real musical talent themselves claim to be able to decide whether another person has any such talent. Paula Abdul is the prime example…here’s a dancer who had, what, two hits back in the 1980s? And has been doing nothing since then? She’s an authority? Simon Cowell? Please. As you yourself noted, none of these shows are about good music-making: they’re all about marketing a pop icon. And the marketing people would, I suppose, *prefer* it if the person could actually sing.
I’ve heard Susan Boyle’s name, and my mother thinks she gives a very moving performance. I’m sure I’ll be fine living the rest of my life without hearing her sing.
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The phenomenon of her success is that she does actually possess a modicum of talent; whereas 99% of contestants who appear on such shows, have none.
The whole point of such entertainment programs, is to have idiots get up on stage and expose their total lack of talent; so that then everyone can laugh at them; the whole thing is a charade.
How much more cravenly gross and sick, can the culture of "media-entertainment" become: God, perish the thought.
You couldn’t pay me enough to witness such garbage; having seen brief glimpses of the program before, I only watched this particular video as a news item.
Alberich
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I do not think she is THAT good, but compared with the other contestants on that show, she is fantabulous!! (my new word) She is good now, but not great. I am sure she could be great… whether she ever becomes great is up to her. (She could take voice lessons, do something with her appearance. Its like even if you are not attractive, you can at least try!)
I think maybe she could appeal particularly to those singers who are either middle aged, unfortunate looking or mediocre. The whole thing with her is people think to themselves "See shes fugly yet she doesnt care and she is good." I dont think there is a problem with that.
Anyway, for what she is singing she does well. If she ever sang opera I would hurl. Thank god this hasnt been shown on TV here in Australia!
Paul Potts… I recall that he went onto the Oprah Winfrey Show! I think this shows how little Oprah knows about music. How anyone in their right-mind could consider him to be one of the greatest tenors of our time is beyond me. (Wasnt Pavarotti still alive then?)
Have you read Chart Throb? If not I suggest you do, it gives great "insight" into the world of reality TV. Whether or not it is true, you can decide, but it is entertaining and does make you think of the "reality" of these shows.
Cheers!
MLL
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Great postings already, but I want to put a different spin on it.
If Susan was average looking, she would have been judged as ok and probably wouldn’t have made it to the audition round in front of Simon and the others. See, these reality shows are for entertaining. Not so much finding phenomenal talent. People who look the part and sing the part get rejected from these types of shows all the time. WHY? Because they have no story. If you don’t have a story behind you, even if you sound like heaven on earth, you will not make it to the second round.
Paul Potts (and del_ was truthful on that) was technically a mess. However, he did have a good instrument. His gimmick was that he looked "different", and who would think a guy like him would sing opera. In the real world, if he had gone on a real opera audition or competition for classical music (even with a small company), where all types of supposed "unattractive" singers but incredible on stage sing every year, he would have been crucified. But, that wasn’t his medium. People who aren’t opera buffs were amazed. And I must say, I don’t blame him for riding the wave. Who would turn that down?
Susan, to me, in a better place than Paul Potts. She seems more comfortable with her instrument. I could actually see her doing musical theatre and doing well AFTER training. It wouldn’t take as much work. Now, is she amazing? No. There are unattractive people out there that I am sure sing better, but they didn’t have the courage to do what she did. And that is what I give her props for. But these TV shows prostitute people’s adversity sometimes. But again, I am not mad at Susan. If I were her, I would ride the fame to my advantage too.
I’m not a talent reality show fan. I am still confused as to how Paula’s non singing self can judge a singing competition. Dancing, yes. Singing, no. She is just there as entertainment, and people aren’t bright enough to know it. It baffles me that people don’t understand that. If they were looking to judge singers fairly vocally, she would be the LAST person on the panel. These shows are for entertainment purposes only. Even if it eventually helps a singer, the industry is out there to entertain…not so much embrace a real phenomenon.
I can’t be upset at the "normal" people. I get upset at the behind the scenes judges (the preliminary judges) who let great singers slip by because their lives are too BORING. If I were to audition (which will be a cold chance in hell), I would milk a poor me story, wear some ghetto attire, and blow them away once I opened my mouth. That way, I know I would get through the finals. I know with how I usually dress to perform and speak proper english, I would never make it through because I would be too boring. lol
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