Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26042 in Books
• Published on: 1992-12-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Customer Reviews

Real help for the vocally perplexed
This book really gets quickly to the heart of the matter for people who can more or less carry a tune but long to do more.The focus is on exercises,some of which are quite wierd,on the face of it.The technique is designed to relax the singing voice so that it uses only the muscles intended for it.The promise is that the top end of your voice will get freed up,and your range will increase.It's early days yet for me but the exercises are definitely doing the business. The instruction in the book is to do each step till you get it right before moving on to the next bit.For the impatient and the unsure (myself) it would have been useful to have some indication of how long the average punter needs to work on each stage,plus a bit more guidance on how to know when you've got the exercises right.Otherwise,the book is really useful.

Fantastic Technique but the book's not very User friendly
When I first saw that term "Speech Level Singing", I didn't think I could learn to develop a strong or powerful voice because the term itself SUGGESTS a technique designed for a thin and easy voice. The truth is that SLS is designed for all singers and all genres from Opera to Pop and all the in between styles as well. So don't judge a technique by it's name.

The reason I've been using this book is because Billy Purnell recommended it for further study in his program "The Ultimate Voice Training for Singers", also a Speech Level Singing based home-training program. I've occasionally gone back to 'Singing for the Stars' as it's jam-packed with information on the technique and it did help me at times when I felt I was going wrong in the other program.

The average singer should be able to get through the first CD within a few weeks (practicing about 4 times a week) once a good effort is made and you understand the "head voice" concept. Your voice will sound like a girls voice....unless of course you ARE a girl (: in which case it will sound..well, weak and wimpy.You've got to get used to that and accept it.

The second CD is where you are likely to experience some challenges to say the least. You'll feel like you've hit a wall and there's no way around it. I've hit a lot of walls and I've somehow been able to get around them and move on. I'm still hitting them but now I can see the last one or two.This is why I advise a few lessons at this point. It will put a smile back on your face and you'll be nearing your speech level posture as Seth calls it. Even if you keep it a mix of 75% your own home study with the program and 25% lessons, then you're still bound to save a lot of money.

Overall I would like to say that this book could have been a lot more user friendly. The author should have anticipated problems, the student is likely to have with the exercises, and given solutions on how to overcome the problems. Instead it is presumed that you will have no problems which is very wrong.

If you want to try go it alone then I recommend the Speech Level Singing programs: 'Singing Success' or 'The Ultimate Voice Training For Singers'. These programs are far more user friendly. However, you've still got to practice a lot and stay positive.

A Good Buy
I've just started speech level singing and bought this book to help me between lessons with a teacher.

The book has a good base knowledge in the technique, however obviously it cant tell you if you're doing it wrong. Due to this I would recommend using this product in conjunction with lessons. It can also be confusing in that it isn't very user friendly and it leaves some questions unanswered (another reason to get a teacher).

I have found this book invaluable in that I have been able to practise effectively at home. It lists all of the exercises with examples and scales on the cd to practise to which has made rehearsal a lot easier.

I think that this book is usful and is definitely worth the money!!! However it is a resource rather than a teacher. You will progress more easily with a teacher and it will motivate you to practise as this technique takes a while and can sometimes be disheartening when you cant do it straight away. I always feel remotivated after seeing my teacher which encourages me to practise. I am really enjoying this technique and the lessons and would recommend it to anyone.