Carol Markstrom - Award-Winning Singer-Songwriter
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Vocal Preparations for Singing

1/26/2017

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I have developed my own strategies for preparing my voice for performances and it’s mostly been through a process of trial and error plus trying out ideas from other singers and performers. I also have to give major credit to my vocal coach in Tucson--Janice Jarrett.  I think it is through applying what she taught me, in part, I won the 2015 Female Vocalist of the Year Award from the Academy of Western Artists and once again have been nominated Top 5!

I am fairly disciplined in my preparations because I think every gig deserves the very best from me.  So, here are a few of my self-imposed rules and strategies.

Hydration with water is at the top of the list.  I increase my water intake on performance days and try to chug 32 ounces or so within 2-3 hours of performing.  Janice told me that it takes a few hours for water to hydrate throughout the body’s systems and most particularly the vocal chords.   During a performance, I continue to sip on water—no longer large quantities because I don’t want to feel bloated—but I want to keep hydrated.  Often venues include free drinks as part of the deal, but I always say I’m a “cheap date” because I’ll only drink water.  I avoid cold water and ice because that cools down the vocal chords and limits their flexibility in singing.  If my voice is raspy, I may add a slice of lemon or lime to the water to help clear up my throat.
 
If suffering from a cold or sinus drainage—the show must still go on!  Many tea-based remedies have been recommended to me and I’ve tried a few, but I’m not a tea drinker so generally I avoid them.  There are other cures and remedies that help and water with lemon is a standard for me in these cases. I also use throat lozenges, but make sure there is no color in them because I don’t want the audience to see a red mouth when I sing.  Another very good tool is a throat spray called “Entertainer’s Secret” which can be ordered online.  I frequently use that before a performance and during breaks. 
 
I am a coffee drinker, but that’s mostly a morning ritual so not a problem if I’m singing later in the day.  Most certainly I avoid carbonated drinks entirely on days I perform—I don’t need to feel bloated.  In terms of foods that help or hinder singing, as is the case of most of my musician friends, we do not eat large meals before performing.  When venues offer a meal, I wait to eat until after the performance.  Yes, I do need energy to perform so protein bars or eating a light meal a few hours before performing is helpful.  I avoid eating spicy food, heavily salted foods, or milk-type products such as yogurt or ice cream on days I perform. 
 
Good breath support is critical for sustaining a vocal presence.  When I feel my voice is getting tired or sense I’m not singing my best, I re-focus and concentrate on my breath support and let it do its work and that seems to minimize vocal strain. Vocal warm-up exercises are an essential tool for me.  Janice recommended a series of recorded exercises which I run through before performing and at other times just to keep my voice in shape.  I rehearse my songs and run through the set list ideally several hours before I perform so my voice can rest before I go on stage.
 
Finally, I protect my vocal chords on performance days by not talking too much and talking at softer levels.  I discovered that through overly talking before or even during performances, it seems to take something away from the quality of my singing voice.  I don’t have scientific evidence to support this theory, but it has been something learned through trial and error.  Janice also alerted me to a tendency of many people today, particularly younger people and even well-known singers, who talk in the fricative which is highly damaging to the vocal chords.  What is this?  Here is an online definition: "Fricatives are consonants that are formed by impeding the flow of air somewhere in the vocal apparatus so that a friction-sound is produced.”  A type of harshness or raspy quality is heard in the voice and I was doing that!  So, I have worked to become attuned to that in my own speech patterns and continually remind myself to always speak above the fricative, as well as speak more softly.
 
So, these are my primary tools for taking care of my voice most particularly on performance days, but other days as well.  The voice is an instrument and must be hydrated, exercised, and protected. I’m always looking for suggestions, so am most certainly open to responses to this blog.
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Creating an On-Stage Space for Performing

1/9/2017

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I use the metaphor of an office to describe the space I create on stage for performing.  As a business office, my computer, printer, supplies, books, files, desk, and chair are adjusted and positioned to my preferences, ease, and workability.  These are all important factors to maximize my efforts and productivity.  Likewise, on stage, when I'm able, I like to carve out my space to get around to doing my business as a musician.  Certainly the microphone needs to be situated properly.  I like to have a drink holder for my water and a small table to set my pics, capo, and tuner. I don't use lyric sheets because my repertoire is memorized but I follow a song list that I set on the floor or elsewhere. A high sitting chair is nice for longer performances, and I usually bring my own with me.
 

Unlike a business office, however, the parameters of a musician’s work space change with every venue.  Numerous elements are outside of my control, such as:
  1. Whether or not there is a proper stage on which to perform;
  2. The nature of the physical climate (temperature inside or out and precipitation, wind, and related factors if outside);
  3. The quality and reliability of the sound system particularly if it is not my own (but I generally bring my own as back up and there are plenty of times I was glad I did so);
  4. The presence or absence of a sound technician (I’m so grateful when someone can run sound for me);
  5. The audience; for example, are they there to listen as in a concert format or am I background music as in a restaurant or bar (which is fine);
  6. Whether I can hear my vocals and guitar playing;
  7. The presence of external distractions such as irregular behavior in the audience (as the time I was playing in Bisbee, AZ and about 50 men and women walked into the venue wearing women’s undergarments). You just adapt to whatever these circumstances might be!
 
These thoughts came to mind yesterday as I was driving home after performing in a noisy bar environment.  I don't take patrons’ conversations personally because, in this case, they came for drinks, food, and to visit with friends.  They appreciate the music and listen with one ear, but I may not be the main reason for their visit. One issue for me yesterday, however, was the lack of a monitor so I couldn’t hear my guitar playing over the other noises (talking, television, etc.).  I wasn’t confident the audience could hear my guitar or if guitar and vocals were in balance, but the person running sound seemed to think it was okay.   It was somewhat distracting and not ideal, but it happens.
 
As I pondered these issues, I realized how important it is for me as a musician to create a protective space around myself regardless of the distracting parameters of the performing environment.  I need to block out the less than ideal circumstances and get lost in the songs that I already know so well.  Yet, it is essential to be sensitive to my audience because they are partners with me in the experience. Sometimes that means changing my set list when I realize certain types of songs are not going over well (e.g., too slow or fast) and I need to change directions one way or another.  Other times it means interacting with audience members, hopefully in positive, affirming ways.  Or, sometimes I may need to firmly, and ideally with humor, pull the reigns in on an overly enthusiastic audience member, as the time a man made a very loud commentary at the end of every song that was distracting to the audience members and myself.
 
Another integral element to this discussion is my own physical, emotional, and psychological states. As a matter of preparation, I try to be sufficiently rested. Keeping hydrated is of upmost importance and, for me, plenty of water is the key.  These aspects of performing deserve their own blog, so I’ll save those thoughts for another post.
 
Performing music is not simply a matter of getting up on stage and doing what we do, but it requires accounting for and dealing with numerous parameters of the context.  My goal is to entertain and give audience members my very best at each performance delivering my songs with quality, heart, and emotion. It means surmounting less than perfect parameters of any performance setting and finding a zone of comfort for myself so that I can deliver my very best efforts to audiences.  
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This was one of the more interesting and challenging stage set-ups for Jim Jones, Doug Figgs, and me while touring in Alaska Summer 2016.  It is one example of making it work in less than ideal circumstances. We were in a very tight corner in this saloon (and, yes, dollar bills were posted all over the walls and ceiling). There obviously was no stage and people were nearly on top of us.  The ATM machine was next to Jim Jones and he kept getting bumped into all night long.  But we made it work and wouldn't have given up this experience!

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    This is a new venture to blog about my experiences as a musician.  I am a writer at heart and that includes songwriting, but I write many other kinds of works and now am adding blogging to that list.  

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