What musical genres can SLS be applied to?

Because SLS teaches you how to use your voice it can be applied to any genre of music and can assist in any profession which involves the use of the voice.

SLS is used by over 120 Grammy winners and 4 Metropolitan Opera Winners. When SLS founder Seth Riggs was asked what he would call his technique, at first he simply described it as ‘good singing’. And he has defined what good singing is. “Good singing is the absolute refusal to assist/help the pitch in any way”.

 

Who has been trained in SLS?

Stevie Wonder, Natalie Cole, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Prince, Chaka Kahn, George Benson, Barbara Streisand, Madonna, Al Jarreau, Luther Vandross, Josh Groban, Kelly Clarkson, Chester (Linkin Park), Anthony Kiedis (RHCP), Anthony Warlow, Motley Crue, Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg, Tamia, Tevin Campbell, Wendy Moten and Phillip Webb to name a few.

 

 

What vocal problems does Speech Level Singing help you overcome?

As a vocalist, have you ever asked yourself:

How do I sing from low to high without my voice cracking and becoming weak? How do I gain more presence and resonance to my voice without my throat hurting? Why do I sound so pitchy/muddy/thin at the extreme ends of my range? Are the professionals just born with a special gift which I’ll never acquire? Sound familiar?

 

 

What makes Speech Level training different?

SLS instructors have been trained to develop this one (1) element not only in their own voice, but in their students. By understanding the process the instructor can guide their student using practical methods so the student can experience the correct coordination.

So what’s the difference? Okay have you heard any of these vocal training clichés?

“Sing from your diaphragm/gut!” “Project your voice!” “Support your tone!” “Sing into the masque!” “Sing forward!” “Keep you larynx down!” “Raise your eyebrows on the high note!” “Give it support!”

Sound familiar? My favorite one, when a student asked his instructor how to get the high notes, “Screw your face up and go for it!” I’m not joking.

These confusing and even dangerous clichés are rampant amongst singing instructors. The instructions are often given with the assumption that the student knows exactly what you are talking about. Here is a true story that illustrates the problem:

Chaka Kahn was a guest performer at a recent vocal camp in the USA. After giving a dynamic performance and leaving all onlookers in awe, she answered questions from the audience about her singing. When asked how she approached the high notes her response was: “To me the high notes are purple.”

Now as a singer, that is a perfectly fine description of what the high notes feel like. As instructors, however, try teaching ‘purple’. Can you imagine going into a lesson and your teacher asking you to ‘sing orange’. The problem is that most teachers are describing a feeling/sensation as if you know what they are talking about. Great singers don’t necessarily make good singing teachers.

On the other hand some teachers try to describe the voice and the muscles (vocal pedagogy) you are using as if you can see them. Problem is you can’t see your voice, you can only feel it. See the confusion?

 

 You don’t need to think about 20 different things before you sing. What if I told you that as a vocalist you have control over only three (3) things? What if I said to you that in most cases you only have to address one of them to develop that one (1) element of your voice I mentioned earlier? Hard to believe it’s that simple? Well that is what SLS does.