HowtoSingusingSpeechLevel

Singing:ProsandCons
June17,2014byChuckR.Gilmore8Comments

HowtoSingUsingSpeechLevelSinging:ProsandCons
IteachhowtosingusingtheSpeechLevelSingingtechnique.Imgoingtotalkabouttheprosand
consofthetechniquesoyoullknowwhetheritsrightornotforyourvoice.

WhatisSpeechLevelSinging?
HowtosingusingSpeechLevelSinging(SLS)isawaytosingthatsnaturalandeasylikespeaking.
Yoursingingsoundslikeyourvoice,withoutstressorstrain,witheasytounderstandwordsand
beautifultonequality.
WhenwespeakwedontworryaboutpitchorloudnessandsoftnesssoSLSdoesntmeanwesing
exactlylikewespeak.Butitdoesmeanthatoursingingisasrelaxedandeasyasourspeakingisor
shouldbe.

SethRiggs
SethRiggsofLosAngeles,CAcreatedSpeechLevelSinging.Asof1985Sethsstudentshadwon
over120Grammys.HisstudentsincludesinginggreatsMichaelJackson,StevieWonder,NatalieCole,
BetteMidler,JoshGroban(firstalbum),RayCharles,and100smore.
InadditiontopopstarsSethhashad4MetropolitanOperaRegionalWinnersandmultiplestudents
performingonBroadwayandinfilm,includingBernadettePeters,RobertGuillaume,CarolBurnett
andAnnMargrettonameafew.

WhataretheConsofSpeechLevelSinging?

Afterthequick,positiveresults,progressthoughsteady,slowsdown

Breathcontrolanddiaphragmaticbreathinghasnotbeenaprimaryfocus

VocalstylecoachingisconsideredseparatefromtheSLStechniqueandisnotaprimary
focusinlessons

TeacherknowledgeofClassical/Operarepertoireisinadequate

WhatareothercriticismsofSpeechLevelSinging?
ImseparatingtheConsfromCriticismsbecausesometimescriticismsaremotivatedbyangeror
jealousy,whichcauserumorsandmisunderstandingsofSLS.
Criticismsare:

SLSisinadequateforasingerwhowantstosingclassicalmusicoropera

SLSteachersaretooexpensive

SLSdestroysthevoice

SLSistooslowindevelopingapowerfulvoice

SLSteachersthinkitstheanswertoeverything

SLSisacult

Imsuretherearemore.

2012SLSTeachersConference

AnswerstoCons

AlloftheseConsandcriticismsmayhavesomemeritforthefollowingreason:Thereareliterally
100sifnot1000sofpeoplewhostudiedwithateacherwhostudiedwithanotherteacher,whostudied
withanotherteacherwhosaidtheyteachtheSLStechnique.
TheresultisatbestawatereddownversionofSLSandatworstatechniquethatisnotevencloseto
SLS.
AsasingerthenegativeofSpeechLevelSinginghasbeenthataftermyinitialrapidandlifechanging
progress(increasingmyrangebyanoctaveandgettingvibrato),myprogressseemedtoslow.
ThismaynotbesomuchthefaultofSLSbutofmyowndedicationtomyownprogressandlearning.
Frankly,IwassoamazedbygettingvibratoandincreasingmyrangeIdidntrealizetherewasstill
muchmoretodevelopinmyvoice.
SLShasnotemphasizeddiaphragmaticbreathingandcontrolinthepast.Sethrecentlytoldmehes
givingthismoreattentioninhisteachingnowandIvebegundoingmoreofthisinmyteachingas
well.However,itsnevergoingtobefrontandcenteraswithsometechniques.Goodbreathingismore
aresultthanacauseofgoodsinging.
SLSisnotaboutstyle.Ratheritisaboutsingingcorrectly.Youcanhavegreatstyle,butstillnotbe
abletohitthehighnotes.SLSgivesyouthesingingtechniquetobeabletohitthehighnotes.
Iteachyouhowtosingnotwhattosing.IfyourmainobjectiveistogetaknowledgeofrepertoireI
canmakerecommendationstoteacherswhocanhelpyouwithrepertoire.Iwillteachyouhowtosing
operaoranyothergenreofmusic.

AnswerstoCriticism
BecausetherehavebeensomanyworldfamouspopstarssucceedusingSLS,itgoeslargelyunnoticed
thatSethRiggscamefromtheclassical/operaandBroadwayworldofperformingandteaching.Speech
LevelSinginghaditsbirthintheoperaandclassicalgenre.
EveryprincipleintheSLStechniquetaughttoSethsoperasingersarealsotaughttohispop/rock
singers.Generallyspeakingateachercantmakealivingjustteachingopera.Sotosupportalarge
family,Sethstartedteachingpop,gospel,rock,jazz,Broadwayandothergenresinadditiontohis
operastudents.Thetechniqueappliessuccessfullytoeach.
Improbablymoreexpensivethansometeachersandlessthanothers.Inmyexperienceasastudent,I
getwhatIpayfor.IfIdont,Ichangeteachers.

ChuckGilmoreandSethRiggs
SLShasrevolutionizedmyvoice.MystudentsandmanyotherswhovestudiedSLShaveamazing
storiestheyfreelyshareaboutthetransformationoftheirvoices.
AfterbeingveryinvolvedinSLSsince1996,IveonlyhadonepersonsaythatSLSruinedhisvoice.I
couldntgetaclearunderstandingofhow.Atthetimewewerebothinleadsingingrolesofa
BroadwayMusicalinalocaltheaterinourcommunity.
ItsmybeliefasanSLSteacherthatastrongvoiceisdevelopedafterthecoordinationofyourinternal
vocalmuscleshasbeenestablished.Othertechniquesmaygetloudnessusingexternalmuscles.Itsnot
worthitifitcauseslongtermvocalproblems.SLSdevelopstheinternalvocalcordstrength,which
producesvocalpower.Sometimesthistakeslonger.
IdontthinkSLSistheanswertoeverythingandIdonthavealltheanswers.Imapractitioner.Im
continuallylearningandhopefullyimprovingalwaysanapprentice,neveramaster.
IunderstandwhysomepeoplebeliefSLSisacult.Itslargelyduetotheamazingresultsitsprovided
forsomanysingersandwhenweveexperiencedsuchapositivechangeinourvoices,wetendtoget
ratherfervent.Thissometimesannoysotherpeople.Sorry!

WhataretheProsofSpeechLevelSinging?

Provensuccessfulintheworldofprofessionalsinging

Itsasimpleapproachtosinging

Yourvoicewillbehealthyandstrongintooldage

Youcansinganygenreofmusic

Theexercisesstrengthenyourvoice,increaseyourrange,eliminatebreaks,enhancevibrato
andbeautifyyourtone

Ithelpsyouunderstandyourvoice

Yourconfidencegrows

Certifiedteachersaretrainedtoassessyourvoiceandgiveexercisesthatbenefityouquickly

Theresnoagerequirement,theveryyoungtotheveryoldbenefit

Studentstypicallyexperienceearlyandrapidprogress

MypersonalexperiencewithSpeechLevelSingingasasinger,studentandteacherhasbeen
tremendouslypositiveandsuccessful.Itincreasedmyrangeoveranoctave,enabledmetogetvibrato,
renewedmyconfidenceinmyvoiceandimprovedthebeautyandpowerofmyvoice.

IloveitandImgratefultoSethRiggswhopioneeredthisamazingtechnique.Itisaprivilegetobe
oneofhiscertifiedteachers.