Video transcript
@The Arts Unit Art Bites – Solo vocal workshop – 2. What to do when we need to sing but don't feel 100%

CHARMAINE GIBBS: Good morning, everyone. It's so great to be with you again today for this solo vocal workshop. OK.? Today, we're going to look at a bit of a tricky thing. It's what do we do when we have to sing - say we've got something for choir, or we've got a solo in something - and we're not feeling our best?

So, you'll notice that - I don't know about you guys, but where I am today, it's a little bit chilly. So, you'll notice that I've got a scarf on. I like to say to all my students, and to myself too, that the best thing to do is to keep your body warm. So, grab a scarf if you've got one, just a nice, light one. It doesn't have to be a really woolly, overly warm scarf, but just something that just regulates your body temperature. So, that's a really good thing to have on a cold day.

So, we're going to work together today on just some technique again, but we're going to work on a reduced amount of notes. We can still actually sing with good technique when we're not feeling the best. Now, obviously, if we've got a terrible cough or laryngitis and we have no voice, let's not sing then. But, if we've just got a common cold and a little bit of a gravelly throat, with good technique we can still get going.

Now, first of all, let's make sure we've got our trusty water bottle. In fact, I'm going to have a drink right now. Feel free to grab a drink whenever you need to during this workshop. OK? So, let's get started. Remember, we want to get our bodies really nicely aligned, kind of shake the shoulders out a little bit again, round them around, get them moving. It's really important - if you might remember from my first video - it's really important to make sure our whole body is ready for singing because, remember, it is a muscle.

OK? So, we're going to start with just a siren again - you might remember this from the first video too - of thinking of the word 'sing' and just then using the N-G part of 'sing'. So, we're going to do, 'nnnggg. Going to do 3 stages, and 'nnnggg'. Nice and quietly too. Think of the word 'sing.' Sinnnggg.

Then, we're going to take a breath as though we've had the best surprise ever. Nnnggg. Oh, mine cut out a little bit there. Let's do that again. Nnnggg. Let's now do one last one all together. Nnnggg. Fantastic job. Great work, everyone. So, now we're going to do that to the piano, singing the siren. OK? Let's go, and ...

[piano note]

(SINGING) Nnnggg.

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

If you need to, go back to the word 'sing'.

(SINGING) Sinnnggg.

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

Just be really gentle.

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

OK. Lovely. All right. Let's now do that exact same scale, but now we're going to do it on our 'I'. So, our 'I' vowel, but on 'I' for igloo. All right, so exactly the same thing.

Now, one of the things that the voice likes when we're singing, especially when we're not well, is - I won't go into all the technical jargon of it, but think of that surprise feel. It opens what we call the false vocal folds. So, it gets them out of the way.

Like I said, I won't go into all of it now. Otherwise, we'll be here for years and years and years together. And, goodness knows, you've probably got some other things you need to do today. But, if you think of singing on a surprise, all right? So, it seems funny to do that then on an 'I' vowel, but I want you to think you've got the surprise, open throat here - imagine that's the open part of the throat - and our mouth is like going around it. It's like a claw.

So, if you want to think of it, kind of if you look at it like that, there's our open throat here. And, the claw factor is our mouth, all right? So, let's do that scale again and ...

(SINGING) 'Iiii.'

Getting that surprise.

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

Surprise.

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

Very well done. Very well done. OK? I think it's time for a bit of a good diction exercise. I'd say it's a tongue twister, but I don't know whether we use our tongue so much with this first exercise. So, we're just going to do - remember, you might recall my running scale. So.

(SINGING) Da, da, da, da, da, da, da da, da.

But this time - oh, there's my note. So, it's going to be -

(SINGING) Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo.

Yeah, lots of really good diction, as though you're biting on the words. Let's go and ...

(SINGING) Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo.

Remember our surprise?

(SINGING) Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo.

Two more.

(SINGING) Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo.

And, then we're going to go from that point back down the scale. Ready? Let's do it again.

(SINGING) Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo.

Well, how are we going there?

(SINGING) Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo. Last one. Scooby Scooby Scooby Scooby doo.

Very good. Well done, everyone. OK? Now, this one is a tongue twister. I've been practising this one, and I'm still not very good. OK? So, it is the tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Now, we're going to do it really slow to start with. Let's see how fast we can go. I don't know that I trust myself with this one. All right. Let's go. Ready? So our note ...

[piano note]

And it's going to go ...

(SINGING) Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips.

Yes, so we're going to go slow. Let's go, and ...

(SINGING) Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips.

One more.

(SINGING) Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips.

OK. We did it. But we're going to go a little bit faster on the way back down now. Fingers crossed. Ready, and ...

(SINGING) Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. Tip of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips.

Whoohoo! Got there. How did you guys go? I bet you were fabulous. All right. Let's do one more. We're going to go back to our running scale, and we're going to do ...

(SINGING) Ooo-aaa.

Now, let's remember our surprise. OK? Excuse me. That's not a great thing to do to clear your throat. OK. Let's go, and we're going to do ...

[vocalising]

Join with me and ...

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

Going great.

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

Do 2 more.

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

Back down.

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

Remember our surprise.

[vocalising]

[piano notes]

[vocalising]

One more.

[vocalising]

Well done, everyone. I know we've spent a little bit more time this morning doing warm-ups, but that is one of the really important things to do when we're not feeling 100%. But, as you can see, the voice will still do what it needs to do. OK? So, our first one is 'Lean On Me.' Now, if I can just have my starting note ...

[piano note]

OK? And it goes ...

(SINGING) Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow.

Can you guys do that with me? Ready? 1, 2, 3, 4.

(SINGING) Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow.

The next bit is ...

(SINGING) But if we are wise, we know that there's always tomorrow.

Let's do that much together, just without any accompaniment at the moment. Ready? Let's do that again.

(SINGING) Some.

Oh, there's my note. I think I dropped a little bit. Ready? 1, 2, 3, 4.

(SINGING) Sometimes in our lives ...

Surprise breath.

(SINGING) We all have pain, we all have sorrow. But if we are wise, we know that there's always tomorrow.

OK? Now our next bit is going into another verse. And it goes ...

(SINGING) Please swallow your pride if I have ...

Oh, if I have things.

(SINGING) If I have things you need to borrow, for no one can fill those of your needs that you won't let show.

OK? So, there's a few words to remember there. But, then we come into the beat that I reckon all of you, if not most of you, will know. OK? So we go ...

(SINGING) Lean on me, when you're not strong. I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry on. For it won't be long till I'm going to need somebody to lean on.

How'd we all go? I reckon you guys were fantastic. OK? Let's do it with the track now, all right? Let's get ready. Actually, let's get a drink.

[piano notes]

Sorry, just for a moment. OK? Are we ready? OK? Shake it out. All right. Got to think of our surprise. Ready? Let's go. And ...

(SINGING) Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow. But if we are wise, we know that there's always tomorrow.

Please, swallow your pride.

(SINGING) Please, swallow your pride ...

If I have things.

(SINGING) If I have things you need to borrow.

For no one.

(SINGING) For no one can fill ...

Those of your needs.

(SINGING) Those of your your needs

That you won't let show.

(SINGING) That you won't let show. Lean on me, when you're not strong.

I'll be your friend.

(SINGING) I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry on. For it won't be long till I'm going to need somebody to lean on.

All right. Fantastic. OK? Let's do all of that again together. OK? Remember, each time you need to take a breath, surprise. All right. And then we're going to quickly get on to our last song. All right. Let's do that one more time. Remember, sometimes in our lives. Take a drink if you need it. I'm going to take another one. I'm thirsty today.

OK? Shake it out. Let's get our bodies still after we've shaken it out. Let's think about our, every time we take a breath, taking it on that surprise. Ready? Here we go. 1, 2, 3, 4.

(SINGING) Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, we all have sorrow. But if we are wise ...

We know that there's.

(SINGING) We know that there's always tomorrow.

Now please swallow your pride.

(SINGING) Please swallow your pride if I have things you need to borrow. For no one can fill those of your needs.

That you won't let show.

(SINGING) That you won't let show. Lean on me.

Let me hear you.

(SINGING) When you're not strong, And I'll be your friend.

I'll help you.

(SINGING) I'll help you carry on. For it won't be long till I'm going to need somebody to lean on.

All right. Have an awesome couple of weeks until I see you again. Thanks for joining me today. Bye.