1. Add/ embellish one note at a time- take the song one phrase, one section at a time and once you’ve learned it phrase for phrase, experiment by adding a note or two to add color. You may find that you need less than you think for successful adlibbing.
2. Focus on one vocal line to embellish- find your ‘sweet spot’ in the hook of the song and sing along with that. once you have figured which part is most comfortable (melody or harmony) embellish those.
3. Memorize chord structure to anticipate more complex or transitional adlibs.  Once you’ve understood your phrasing, you can play with a transition, say from verse to hook or hook to bridge and find ways to link them vocally.

The main goal is to sound ‘clean’... No need to slide all over the scale to show that you can sing. Precision is much more important.

There are a lot of talented singers in this world. Every year there is a new generation of singers graduating from performing arts high schools and pursuing a music degree or jumping into a music career. Moreover,  it’s easier  now than ever before to record, package and sell music, but the question remains, how can you make yourself stand out as a singer? How can you find your own voice? One  major way to find your own voice is to develop good listening skills.  This includes:



1.           Listening to the skeleton of a song. Listen to a song for its sequences. and try to imagine a song without the original artists’ vocals on it. Explore ways to play with the melody and phrasing. Does the song sing itself , is the melody stuck or are there things that may be more natural for you that the artist doesn’t do?

2.           Learn to play with different keys when singing. Song keys are not set in stone. If there is a song you like and you feel it would fit your voice perfectly except for it feeling a bit high or low, don’t be afraid to change it. Adjusting a song up or down by a half or whole step is not a negative reflection on your vocal skills.

3.           Examine vocal affectations that are authentic to your voice. Vocal affectations, such as a unique way to attack a note (think Christina Aguilera) or a vibrato or run ( think Luther Vandross) or a ‘lick’ as I call it ( think Michael Jackson’s ‘hee hee’) sound good on some people’s voices but sound out of place in others. With the help of listening to diverse musicians, learn and develop the ones that are authentic to you and your voice.

        While you do these exercises, don’t be surprised if you begin to see flaws in your favorite artist’s singing. Remember that they are limited to only do what is in their skill set as well. If you find yourself thinking ‘geez, that was ugly’, or ‘why did he/ she  do that? Then you are learning to find your voice. If you follow these steps to find your voice you will find that it will become more than you had imagined. You will develop a gift for interpretation which will make you unique amongst the crowds of singers out there.