"I help people become the singers they want to be. It’s what I love to do, and it’s what I do well."

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Can * ANYONE * Learn How to Sing?

Can anyone learn how to sing? Or is the ability to sing well just something you’re either born with or not? As a professional singer and vocal educator for over fifteen years and counting, this has got to be the question I hear more often than any other. Especially when I ...

VOCAL HYGIENE – PART 4: Dietary “Don’t-s” – What foods & drinks are NOT good for the voice

We’ve already spoken at length about what foods and drinks can be healthy and beneficial for the voice. Now, let’s spend some time on what to avoid; what foods and drinks can be inhibitive, and potentially detrimental, for the voice. We’ll start with the obvious culprit: DAIRY. Yes, indeed…milk ...

VOCAL HYGIENE – PART 3: Dietary “Do-s” – What foods & drinks are good for the voice

In our last article on Vocal Hygiene, Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! Why hydration is important to singing , we discussed how extremely important it is to the health of our voices to make sure our bodies consistently maintain a generous level of fluid intake, to ensure substantial hydration at all ...

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Oct
24

A Greeting to New Readers

Concepts & Mindsets

by Dan Parilis

Welcome to the Vocal Brilliance blog on singing, voice training, and vocal instruction!

Here are a few notes on the way I’ve organized this blog, and recommendations on how you can get the most out of it, or how to efficiently find the information you’re looking for:

1. The content in this blog is organized like chapters in a book; each of the articles reference information that was taught in earlier posts. Try to start with the first article and read forward chronologically. Each article builds on what has come before it.

2. Got a specific question you need answered? Peruse the list of topics on the right-hand side, or do a keyword-search with the search box on the top right.

3. Can’t find any content addressing your question or subject? Fill out the Q&A field at the bottom of any article and ask me directly! As long as you’ve made sure your question is not already covered in an existing post, I’ll do my best to read it and respond. Be concise: the question field has a 300 character limit.

4. Sign up for our free mailing list, and get an email notification when the blog is updated. Never miss a post!

Rather than read them once and discard them, I urge you to revisit these posts periodically. These articles are meant to be available to you always as a reference on your journey towards becoming the singer you want to be.

Whether your goal is to get yourself to the next level as a singer and performer, or to just gain some new insight into the voice and how it works, my goal is to help you accomplish it.

Good luck, and once again, welcome to the Vocal Brilliance blog on singing, voice training, and vocal instruction!

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Nov
03

An Introduction to Voice Technique

by Dan Parilis

For many people, both singers and non-singers alike, the act of vocalizing is something of a mystical phenomenon. The mouth opens, the sound comes out, and it either sounds good, or it doesn’t. It’s something that “comes from inside of us”; either you’re “born with it”, or you’re not.

Non-singers look at people who can sing well with a sort of reverence, and often times, people who already sing well look with a similar reverence to those who seem to have more natural talent than they do.
“How the hell does he hit that high note and make it look so easy?”
“How is she able to hold that note without running out of air?”
“Why can they project like that, get such a powerful sound? They must have been born with a really strong voice…”

The fact of the matter is, like ANY ability, some people are born with more of a natural and untrained knack for it than others. But that doesn’t mean that those without that initial capacity can’t develop it.

I, personally, was a lousy athlete all through grade and middle schools. I couldn’t hit a baseball or throw a football to save my life. But some of the other kids were great at it! So, I thought that sports and athleticism were simply beyond my reach of attainable capabilities.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: guidance, improvement, introduction, lessons, music, natural, performance, personal, singing, technique, training, vocal, voice

Nov
28

Breathing Effectively & Efficiently- Part 1

by Dan Parilis

We’ve discussed alleviating tension in the voice, and we’ve discussed slowing down the process of singing to develop the correct mechanics, to allow us to achieve the results we desire. So let’s take a detour from the concepts and theory of correct singing, and focus on some of the practical and applicable details I alluded to earlier. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: breathing, diaphragm, lessons, music, performance, singing, support, technique, training, vocal, voice

Jan
28

Can * ANYONE * Learn How to Sing?

by Dan Parilis

Can anyone learn how to sing? Or is the ability to sing well just something you’re either born with or not?

As a professional singer and vocal educator for over fifteen years and counting, this has got to be the question I hear more often than any other. Especially when I meet brand new people at parties and social events; the moment they find out I’m a voice teacher, dollars to donuts, the above question is inevitably the first to pop out of their mouths. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: diligence, lessons, music, performance, singing, technique, training, vocal, voice

Nov
21

Mechanics First, THEN Results

by Dan Parilis

The biggest mistake prospective singers make is that they try to manipulate their voices into sounding a certain way right out of the gate. They hear a performer to whom they relate, to whom they strongly respond, and they try to twist their voices into resembling that performer when they sing. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: lessons, mechanics, music, performance, results, singing, technique, tension, training, vocal, voice

Nov
13

Singing is an Athletic Activity, Plain and Simple.

Concepts & Mindsets

by Dan Parilis

What is an athlete, exactly, anyway? An athlete is someone who can perform a feat of physical excellence by using developed musculature, and coordination of that musculature. An Olympic runner isn’t only fast because he or she was born that way; they are fast because they’ve been taught how to conserve their motion while running, how to alleviate tension in their bodies, how to breathe a certain way that will help their success, and not hinder it, etc. Behind every great runner, you’ll find the person or persons who taught them the skills and techniques they needed to enhance their latent abilities Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: athlete, coordination, emotional, lessons, performance, singing, technique, training, vocal, voice

Dec
10

Singing is “Melodic Speaking”

by Dan Parilis

We talk every day of our lives. Whether engaging in an elaborate and time consuming debate, or simply ordering a cup of coffee at the local deli, we speak without thought or trepidation. The basic act of verbalizing our thoughts, in and of itself, places upon us no anxiety. And why should it? Speaking is as simple as walking, reading, or breathing. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: education, lessons, music, performance, singing, technique, training, vocal, voice

Dec
18

VOCAL HYGIENE – Part 1: What is “Vocal Hygiene”?

by Dan Parilis

We’ve spoken at length about many of the concepts and philosophies associated with developing correct voice technique, we’ve discussed some of the emotional elements that are integrally associated with the act and art of singing, and we’ve begun to get into some specific applicable methods and exercises to help you develop into the singer you want to be. So, let us now take a few moments to address a subject that is often neglected by most singers: VOCAL HYGIENE. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: care, cold, drinks, foods, harmful, health, hot, hygiene, lessons, music, performance, singing, technique, temperature, training, vocal, voice

Jan
02

VOCAL HYGIENE – Part 2: Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! Why hydration is important to singing

by Dan Parilis

The first and most fundamental aspect of vocal hygiene is HYDRATION. Plainly stated, the more fluids you drink (within reason), the better your voice will be.

Hydration allows the vocal folds to stay limber, and helps us maintain the protective mucosal lining which coats the vocal folds and protects them from the natural friction that occurs during vocalization. Conversely, without the moisture, the flexibility is hindered, as is the vocal folds, which can cause an unhealthy swelling of the folds. Swollen vocal folds do not vibrate as freely as healthy folds do, thus hindering the voice’s potential. And swollen vocal folds, like any condition or injury to the body, are potentially vulnerable to further, more serious, and possibly permanent, damage. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: drinks, education, fluids, harmful, health, hydration, hygiene, lessons, moisturize, music, performance, singing, technique, training, vocal, voice, water

Jan
15

VOCAL HYGIENE – PART 3: Dietary “Do-s” – What foods & drinks are good for the voice

by Dan Parilis

Tags: digestion, drinks, education, foods, harmful, health, hydration, hygiene, lessons, music, performance, salivary, salivation, singing, technique, training, vocal, voice

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