I've Drawn a Line

Now's a Good Time

Feelings of Mistrust

Wake Up Call

These Days

She's Under Fire

These are my original songs that I wrote, composed, recorded, produced and sang on.  I think it's important for singing teachers to be able to prove that they can do what they talk about.  When I first started singing I couldn't sing any of this stuff and had many songs written that were waiting on vocals.  It took me many years until I was able to build up the technique to actually do this stuff - especially my newer tracks that I am now doing live in one take.

If you'd like to learn how to sing live with more freedom and consistency then click here to begin.

I created this Drake Nice For What Cover in 2 days from scratch.  All vocals, instruments, recording and producing.  It was a great exercise to see if I could take a popular new song that I had never heard before, in a style I don't listen to and see if I could turn it into my own style and get it up within 2 days.  Here is the result.  I'm always up for experimenting with different sounds and ideas to see not only what I can do but also to see what sticks for people.

I'd love to hear your feedback on this!

So I recently asked 3000 singers what their biggest questions were about Freddie Mercury's singing technique.  I got back so many responses it filled up pages and pages worth of questions!  So I created this in-depth video which I am calling the ULTIMATE Freddie Mercury singing technique analysis!  If you've ever had questions about:

• Freddie Mercury's belting technique
• His high ranged singing
• Distortion technique
• Breath support
• Freddie's smooth connection from chest voice to falsetto
• as well as his vocal damage and vocal struggles

Then you're in for a treat!  The video is timestamped:

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:15 Was Freddie a baritone or tenor?
• 02:39 Freddie's smooth chest to falsetto connection
• 03:25 "Life has just begun" technique demonstration
• 04:34 Studio vs live
• 06:13 Freddie's vocal damage
• 08:10 Freddie's live vocals
• 09:37 Freddie's G#4 struggles
• 11:58 Refined chest voice (mixed voice)
• 14:45 Freddie Mercury's vocal range
• 15:33 live recordings BEFORE vocal...

Here it is - the behind the scenes breakdown of how I created the heavy, pumping RnB track I'VE DRAWN A LINE.

It's broken into three parts:

• Pt1 - I show the very early concept stage of the song, how I composed it and how the song changed over time.
• Pt2 - I show how I produced and mixed the track.
• Pt3 - I break down my vocal technique and how I was able to perform it live in one take with relative ease.  I also show some of the mistakes I did and how to improve on them.

PART 1 - Concept & Composition

PART 2 - Production & Mixing

PART 3 - Vocal Technique Breakdown

I hope you enjoyed the break down of my latest song.  If you found it interesting and have a comment or question don't hesitate to let me know and I'll try to get back to you.

If you'd like to learn how to sing with more ease and consistency then hit me up for a Skype lesson or get your hands on my self-training singing program.

Phil Moufarrege

In this singing transformation before and after you're going to see how Dane Maxwell went from:

• Being unable to sing higher than a D4.
• Giving up singing for 10 years because he thought he would never be able to get better.
• Feeling insecure about his voice.

To:

• Expanding his vocal range drastically and being able to use it in actual songs, not just scales.
• Releasing an album and building a side-business out of his music.
• Feeling confident and secure with his singing.

When Dane first contacted me for Skype lessons, I asked him about his biggest frustration he had with singing.  He said:

"Dude I just feel super insecure about my voice."

He told me he struggled to sing around his bridge area (E4-F#4 area) so we worked a lot on it.  You'll see how we did all that in the above singing transformation video.

The main thing I stress with my training is that things need to feel EASY.  If your voice does not feel comfortable and easy then you're going to really struggle...

Today's question is about how to sing higher without falsetto.  The question comes from Reed:

I'm struggling with my mixed voice/head voice. I am very comfortable in a baritone/chest range but the music I love to sing and write sounds much better an octave up.

I have gone through courses and can hit all the notes but my tone is inconsistent right around the chest/head transition. I don’t want there to be a distinct tonal difference, I want my “upper chest voice” and “lower head voice” to blend into one smooth voice. Right now my “lower head voice” is not rich at all.

Some tips on how to sing higher without falsetto

I'm sure you can relate to this: as you sing higher in your chest voice at some point you reach a point where you have to either push and strain in chest voice, or flip to a flimsy falsetto.  So you look everywhere for an answer and everyone is telling you that you need to "smoothly transition" or "bridge" in order to...

Today's question is about developing a chesty mixed voice/belting in mixed voice.  This question comes from Kevin:

Q: "How would you make your mixed voice more Chestier?  I already have a decent mix but I'd like to make it more Chestier. I'm doing it by lowering my larynx and opening up my mouth more but I'm not satisfied with my current level yet."

Tips for developing a chesty mixed voice/belting in mixed voice

So you can already sing in a mix but it's kind of light and lacks power or fullness.  How do you get it fuller and more chesty?

Before we get into that firstly let me just say that mixed voice is NOT about "mixing" your chest voice and head voice (non-breathy falsetto) together.  It is not some "inbetween" voice.  Mixed voice is simply your chest voice working the right way.  Instead of straining, it just keeps going up.  If you want to know more about that contact me anytime.

Anyway, about developing a chesty mixed voice: basically it's...

 How to develop proper breath control for singing - this question comes from Laura:

Q: "I’m a musical theater singer and my current biggest challenge is mastering breath control. I know how to breathe properly for singing, but I can't seem to find exercises that improve my breath control. I’ve tried breathing in and breathing out on a hiss, but I don't know if it is helping."

Breath Control For Singing

When it comes to breath control for singing the best way to improve it is through actual singing practice rather than breathing exercises such as the infamous "sustained sss".

Breath control for singing is developed by learning how to pace where you give your energy on a phrase - which is why you need to practice this in singing.  Just doing a sustained "sss" will not teach you how to use it in singing.

The louder and higher you sing the more you will feel a "push" from the lower abdomen, the sides (love handles) in particular if you do it right.

If you push...

If you're wondering "Why is my voice raspy?" when singing, or how to sing clearly then watch the video and read this article.  Today's question comes from Mark:

Q: "Hey Phil my problem is I can go through my Bridges, but when I hit my first bridge or beginning of the mix I get a rough tone ( Vocal fry and it crackles like crazy) I don't know if it's that I might have acid reflux, thyroid issues, or maybe allergies. I have been taking meds and no luck I am guilty of pulled up chest as well, and have trouble singing quietly.  I don't feel like I'm thinking out the voice in the right way. Thanks"

So why is my voice so raspy when I sing?

There are usually two reasons why your voice is raspy/crackly/distorted.  It can sometimes be because of misuse/overworking the voice - I deal with this a lot in pro gigging and touring singers.  However in THIS particular case today, from the singer who sent in the question, the problem is different.

The problem stems from...

Hi, I hope you enjoy my version of John Legend's All Of Me. What you see here is a single live take with no punch-ins or lip-syncing. I wanted to give this song more of a "swingy jazz" kinda vibe with the rhythm but keep the song fairly stripped back, hence the acoustic nature of it.

I came up with the chords for this about a year ago and just did nothing with it! Then a few weeks ago I recorded the guitars and started working out how I wanted to sing over it.

If you enjoyed this performance please share it with your friends and leave a comment!

Cheers

Phil Moufarrege