This video is a sick-singer's guide to staying healthy when you're not feeling 100%. How much should you practice (or not practice) while you're sick, and how can you tell if it's the type of sickness that can support some gentle warmups?

This video is all about sick singing and how to avoid making the mistake of over singing when your sinuses are blocked or your throat isn't cooperating.


Lots of you have asked me, what's the best way to sing with a sore throat?

Unfortunately, the answer is....don't. Singing with a sore throat is a definite no-no.

Phlegm, a blocked sinus, and other symptoms have a bit more grey area, which I'll explain in the video.

And when you're bed ridden or feeling sick and you want to still practice your singing, the best way to stay in touch is to do some simple breath exercises or lip trills.

I hope this video is helpful! Don't get down on yourself when you're sick. The best thing you can do as a singer is not to attempt strained or uncomfortable "sick singing," but to let your sickness run its course.

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I lost my voice this week, so I decided to post a "Strategy" lesson from Singing Transformation 2.0, my elite singing training program, since it's an interesting topic that I think you'll find helpful!!

This video answers a question I get a lot which is -- "How can I tell if I'm singing something 'right'?" Lots of singers are worried about "correct singing" and frequently feel somewhat lost when practicing alone.


The video outlines three principles, which are:

1) Singing should never feel PUSHED, FIXED, or FROZEN, or like it hurts,

2) You can always use audio and visual feedback to gauge your sound and technique (i.e. record yourself, and look in the mirror!)

and, third (and most importantly)...

3) Learn to trust yourself and embrace being self taught!

Let me know what you think of this topic... I'll be back soon with a new song breakdown video!

xo Fel

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Hiya singer friends!

This video is all about riffs and runs, and how to achieve riffing as effortlessly as possible. You will first and foremost learn how to riff by practicing and breaking down certain patterns, but this video offers some key technical adjustments to make riffing easier.


When it comes to learning how to riff, there are a few measures you can take to ensure your voice is as agile and supported as possible, including:

(1) Practice your riffing on a narrow, non-breathy vowel for maximum control and focus

(2) Using "G" or "B" to seal your cord and make sure you're not leaking air

(3) Making "Fish lips" to minimize jaw and tongue tension and to keep your larynx neutral as you riff or run

(4) Using the "opposite cue" to ensure your breath energy and mouth/throat space doesn't collapse or tense when you're riffing down.

Try out these suggestions, and let me know if they help you learn how to riff!

xo Fel

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Singer friends!

My new video explains the most common reasons why singers fall or sing flat (beneath pitch) which breaks down to: (1) Not enough breath support, or, more commonly, (2) not enough space in the face and mouth to allow the pitch to resonate.


Staying on pitch for singing requires also that you anticipate jumps in notes, like ascending intervals, and it's important to get your "landing gear" out and ready BEFORE you land (sing a note).

If you've been told you have "pitch problems," don't worry. Learning how to stay on pitch is simpler than you think. Learning how not to sing flat takes some practice so your cords have more control, but it also is a mental process. And the more you can utilize these mental cues, the better pitch you will have!

Hope this video is helpful!
xo Fel

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My latest singing tips video is all about how to find a singing voice that is uniquely "yours." It offers my top 3 tips for doing so...some of which might surprise you!


1) Pay attention to the natural variation in "color" (or resonance, or tone) when you speak in the day-to-day. Become aware of all the variations that are possible, and what kind of emotional intention or context usually prompts them.

2) Start by imitating! This one might be a bit controversial, but even the seemingly most original singers had influences that turned to inspiration, that eventually led to their creating their own sound.

3) Don't be afraid to be weird and look silly! Get rid of those blocks of what you're "supposed" to sound like will allow you to experiment more freely, which will unlock tones you didn't know were possible.

What do you think about this topic? Don't forget to leave me a comment!
xo Fel

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I'm back with a brand new video!

This one answers top questions asked by you guys! Those of you who took my singer survey asked me quite often about my own experience singing and other more "personal" questions. I realized that while you may have gotten to know me through my singing lessons, courses and YouTube channel, you might still be curious about the Fel on the other side of the camera!

This video is a big departure from me, but I figured I'd give it a shot. Let me know if you'd like more videos like this or if you'll pass in the future :)


In this video I answer the questions:

(1) When did you start singing, and was it natural for you?
(2) Were you always this self-confident on camera, and in life?
(3) What drives you to be a voice finder?

In the video I also mention my nonfiction book UNNATURALLY GREEN, which chronicles the time I was in the musical Wicked, and you can learn more about it here: http://www.UnnaturallyGreen.com.

Lots of love,
Fel

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Singer buddies!

My latest video addresses voice classification, or voice part (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and answers a common question I get from singers, which is: what's my voice classification, and does it matter?

Basically, it doesn't really matter. Voice classification describes the thickness of your vocal folds. Sopranos and tenors are born with thinner folds, while altos, baritones, and basses are born with thicker vocal folds. This means you are naturally predisposed to sing higher (in the case of tenors and sopranos) or lower (altos, baritones, basses), and you can usually tell which voice part you are based on the natural tone of your speaking voice.

Check it out!


What I want to stress in this video is that your voice classification is a starting guide. It's like saying: "I have long legs." It describes your body and the way you were born, but it does not determine your ultimate range or what you will be able to sing in your career as a singer. It may describe what is *easiest* for you at first -- but just as someone with short legs can learn to run fast, so can someone with thick vocal folds learn to sing high.
Loads of baritones and altos can sing high, and likewise many tenors and sopranos have impressive lower ranges. So don't get bogged down in assigning a label to yourself. Any singer can successfully grow his or her voice and learn to increase their range.

Hope you like the video! Please leave me a comment. xo Fel

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Another week, another singing tips video!

This video breaks down "Black Widow" by Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora and recommends vowel and lyric modifications that help you place the sound for Rita Ora's tone and styling, as well as pop out your belt singing voice.


The sung hook and "pre-chorus" of this song is belty and hefty sounding, it's important to know where to place the sound to be able to bust tension and get the notes to flow.

Altering the lyrics with new vowels, consonants, and phrases will help your wrap your mouth around the sounds. When it comes to singing and creating a signature sound (like Rita Ora), you don't manipulate the cord, you manipulate the resonant space in your face and mouth.

Hope this is helpful! Leave me a comment and let me know. Complete lyric modifications below...
xo Fel

BLACK WIDOW BY IGGY AZALEAN & RITA ORA
Lyric Modifications by Felicia Ricci


I'm gonna love ya
Until you hate me

UMKUNAH LAHVYA
UHN TEHYAH HEH(T) MIH

And I'm gonna show ya
What's really crazy

UNUMKUNAH SHUHYAH
WUH ZRIHLIH KREHSIH

You should've known better
Than to mess with me, honey

YUSHUHDUH NOH BEDAH
THEDUHMEH SWITHMEE  HAHNEH

I'm gonna love ya, I'm gonna love ya
Gonna love ya, gonna love ya
Like a black widow, baby

AHM GHANA LAHVYA
AHM GHANA LAHYVA
GHANA LAHVYA
GHANA LAHVYA
LAHKA BLAH KWIDAH BEHBIH

....

You used to be thirsty for me
But now you wanna be set free

YUHYUH STAHBEE THUHSTIH FUHMIH
BUNAH YUHWAHNA BIHSEHFRIH

This is the web, web that you weave
THISIH DAH WUHB
WUHB DACHOO WIH(EE)V

So baby now rest in peace (It's all over with now)
SUH BEHBIH NAHRESTIH PIH (S)

(P.S. Background track is a "karaoke" version of the song I arranged myself on GarageBand, dubbing vocals over afterward with my computer microphone. But most of the sung parts in the video are live. Kind of low budget for now but hopefully it does the trick so you can get the feel for the song.)

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This new singing tips video is a response to some of the confusion I've heard/seen around YouTube and in general surrounding singing and how to sing!


Specifically, I want to debunk three lies:

(1) That singing is "natural" and in order to sing like a pro, you just have to forget about technique and FEEL the music! While this is, to some degree, part of the art and craft of singing, so many people underestimate how much time and effort goes into finding your singing voice.

(2) That if you can't learn how to sing a song the very first time you attempt it, you'll never be able to sing it! This is a huge mental block people experience, and I want to explain how this is simply NOT the case.

(3) That belt singing or big hefty sounds require a ton of TENSIONS and EFFORT in the face and throat. This is a misconception! Even though performers make "belting faces" and emote in their faces when they hit high notes, it has nothing to do with the production of sound. In fact, when done correctly, singing should feel basically effortless (except for the breath production down below).

What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Leave me a comment!

xo Fel

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In case you haven't heard, my new mega singing course SINGING TRANSFORMATION: 360 DEGREES OF VOCAL TRAINING is open for enrollment this week!!

I want to quickly answer 3 of your top singing questions that keep popping up during this week of Singing Transformation enrollment --

1. How do I know if I'm singing with my OWN voice?

You already know the answer to this one: if you love singing and have some practice under your belt, you already have a voice! Done! Congrats! You have a voice!!

But here's the KEY -- to stop fighting against your sound. The best singing is the EASIEST singing. No joke. We don't need tricks or compensations. We just need to get out of the way and make way for our sound to resonate.

And we do that through: (1) supported breath, (2) a relaxed body, (3) mental visualizations that help you ready, aim, fire your sound so it hits EVERY TIME. No mystery, no surprises. It all just comes from practice, and a plan.

2. No matter how much I practice, my weaknesses never get better! Will I ever improve?

Heck yes! If you've studied with voice teachers in the past and haven't made progress, you're in the majority. In fact, voice teachers sometimes serve to REINFORCE bad habits because you meet with them every week, sing with bad habits, and they never correct you. Then you go home and practice without goals or strategies in mind, and nothing ever seems to change.

It's super common. But singing is just like any other skill - you need the right instruction and the right guidance. If you have mental or physical blocks that make it hard to sing correctly, it's time to change the conversation.

As a teacher, I'm all about the MIND-BODY connection. Saying that one thing that will get your body to react. And then pairing that visualization or prompt with your practice, every single time.

Habits are annoying, sure. But they can totally be broken. You just need a new approach. Soon, your mind and body will relearn what feels NORMAL -- and what feels normal will be awesome, relaxed, singing. :)

3. What happens when I go to learn a song and it's too hard?

Here's a freeing fact: if you can sing it in warmups, you can sing it in a performance.

So often, the act of adding lyrics, melody, and a character/context to a song freaks us out so we think we have to abandon technique. Suddenly the "big note" at the end seems super intimidating, even though we've sung the note 100 times during practice!

I discuss the Song Performance process in great detail in Singing Transformation, but a HUGE key to making songs accessible is to break them down into small, manageable chunks, and then sing one or two lines as a vocal warmup.

Similarly, if you find there's a really helpful vocal warmup or even vowel sound that gets your voice pinging out beautifully, you can APPLY those vowels and warmups to the song at hand.

Again, this is a multi-step process that I get into in more detail, but it's actually much easier to relate songs to warmups than you think.

A lot of us expect to hear a song, check out the sheet music, and BAM! sing it perfectly. But it doesn't work like that. Take it from me -- sometimes, the first time I sing through a song, I sound like a weirdo.

But once you find your groove, break it down, modify vowels, and understand that lyrics are not all that different from your vocal warmups, you'll be golden.

ALSO!
One more thing - registration for Singing Transformation is OPEN as of yesterday. The deep discounts and bonuses are good only through this week, and certain options will sell out, so please don't wait that long if you're interested in bundling in personalized instruction with me!!

the link is http://www.SingingTransformation.com



okay thanks for reading and sending your questions!!

xo Fel



P.S. I know I zipped through these 3 questions, but Singing Transformation: 360 Degrees of Vocal Training gets into all these topics, in great detail. I also address:



-How to practice

-How to know if your voice "feels" right

-Mixing your chest and head voice

-Adding power to your sound

-Breath support

-Relaxation

-Delivering an awesome performance at a concert or audition

-Self-confidence



Live written Q&A also allows you to ask me any question, any time, and certain tiers of enrollment include Google hangouts and personalized video critiques. And it's all only through Monday my friends--

http://www.SingingTransformation.com?

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Hey, cool friends! My latest singing tips video is all about Vocal Range -- and how to bust through vocal "ceilings" to sing higher, freer notes.

*Be sure to watch the whole video because it contains a SUPER SECRET ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE VERY END SHHHHHH*

**Okay the announcement is this: SingingTransformation.com !**

:) Enjoy! xo Fel

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Hey there!! I'm SUPER close to finishing my long-awaited Singing Transformation Course. (woooo!) 

I've been designing this mega singing curriculum for more than 2 years, and I'm finally on the verge of wrapping it up (plan is to release in early September...thank you for your patience during the process).

In the course I'm going to cover everything you need to know about CONSISTENT, POWERFUL, and CONFIDENT singing. It will include instruction videos, sequenced warmups, daily conditioning, audio downloads, and even some word-and-image PDFs of me doing singer stretches and lolling and other crazy stuff like that (you know how I roll).

Plus a select number of enrollees will get to work with me one-on-one (more details to come...) :-)

Badass singers who are famous today started off just where you are: with questions, concerns, and confusion. You deserve to stop being confused and reach your potential. It's my sworn goal to help you demolish bad habits and prove that you don't have to be born "gifted" in order to sing beautifully. Truth is, the hurdles and roadblocks we build for ourselves are so often imaginary.

I want to show you (1) how simple good singing really is, (2) how powerful it is to KNOW your own voice better than anyone else does, (3) how integral CONFIDENCE, self-talk, and mental imagery is to good singing.

BUT! Before I finalize everything, I need to make sure I've covered all your questions. This is where you come in, my friend!! Please take a few minutes to answer this super-short survey (it's totally anonymous, and literally one question haha) --

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Hiya! If you're a singer, please check out the trailer (above) I made for my exciting new Online Video Critique service, which is really picking up some steam via my website. It's an amazing way for me to connect to singers across the world -- I love to hear and see you sing!

How It Works: All you have to do is film your video, fill out the form on my website, checkout with PayPal, and we're in business for a quick 1-3 business day turnaround, in which I send you a filmed video of me critiquing your performance and vocal technique (and whatever else you're working on). Check it out and let me know what you think!

Sign Up Today >>

On a related note, there's a prize in order. Those of you who were generous enough to take my nifty little singing survey this past week (see previous post to get up to speed) were automatically entered to win a free Online Video Critique. I received 78 responses and all your answers were incredible -- detailed, open, honest -- the works! Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. This will help me tremendously as I continue to hone my teaching style and offer more or more online resources for you guys.

I'm pleased to announce that the winner is.... Justin C.!

Look! I made some nifty #charts

Justin, I've sent you an email letting you know and also listing the next steps. I'm psyched to work with you! Wooooo!

As for any possible one-on-one phone chats to discuss your answers, those still might happen in the next several weeks, so look in your email inbox for a message from me. I'll email you all a thank-you note regardless, but will also set up chatting time via email when I'm ready to get the ball rolling.

I'm so thrilled to be part of such a cool community of singers, actors and theater-lovers. Everybody, let's do a virtual dance together. [Does virtual dance.]

See you soon!

Love,
Felicia

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Hello! I'm excited to release my latest YouTube video: How To Perform a Solo Song In Concert! Unlike many of my videos, this one doesn't address vocal technique, but rather attempts to deconstruct the art of preparing for, approaching, and executing a solo song in the context of a concert, recital, or talent show. Because, believe it or not, performing in a concert requires a skill set that's in some ways very distinct from performing a role in a musical.

It's a vast subject that can't possibly be covered in one video, but there are definitely some strategies and approaches that will help you to deliver your best solo performance. Check it out below! (And don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel!) (And to belt your face off!)

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YouTubers who watch my Super Short Singing Lessons (a video series I do on my channel) have requested a vocal warmup video. And behold! I have done it!

Guest teacher, singer extraordinaire, and all around handsome dude Sam Port (you may recognize him from other such riveting videos as this or this) joins me as we discuss what exercises will help you to hone singing technique, why you should celebrate "crack," and how you can prepare for your next performance. Hope you like it!

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Greeting, blog readers! The end of summer is nigh! I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to fall, a.k.a. the season in which I can wear clothes not solely to avoid nakedness (which would be preferable in the oppressive heat) but rather layered outfits with an eye toward style!

On a completely unrelated note, here's the latest installment of my Super Short Singing Lesson videos! It's about palate and tongue placement and mouth shape when you sing.

(Also, I decided to intersperse Baroque-inspired title cards, on a whim.)

Enjoy!

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Yo dudes and dudettes! I just posted a new SINGING TIPS video about singerly breathing on my YouTube Channel. Check it out below or visit my channel here!

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