Many singers that are household names today have done their share of demo and session work. Multi-platinum, award-winning country artists Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks have put in their share of time in the studio singing for or with others. Celebrated Grammy® and Dove award-winning Christian artist Ashley Cleveland has sung backup for a variety of artists including Reba McEntire, Aretha Franklin and John Hiatt.
Click here to check out Ashley’s website for more information on this incredible singer, songwriter and entertainer!
For the demo singer the key is to quickly get the right read on a song that will please the songwriter or publisher. This can put you in situations where you work against what you naturally feel about the song. Don’t be afraid to share what you hear, but your primary goal is to deliver what the composer and those affiliated with him or her want from you. So it’s key to be flexible and open while being extremely and quickly adaptable.
Backing It All Up
For session singers who are backing up the lead vocal it can get a little tricky as well. As a vocalist you must understand your supporting role, yet likely have your own take on how to best offer that support. The challenge comes with marrying your performance with that of the lead singer. But there are some key tips to bear in mind that will help you engage and then successfully complete those marriage vows in the session.
On a daily basis listen to the backing vocals in every song you hear. Make sure you mix up the styles of music and variety of artists. Listen for subtleties in that support. What makes the song successful, the lead singer more effective or moving by those backing vocals. And also note what you feel doesn’t work and why. How would you handle things differently?
The Four P’s
Remember the following four P’s of session vocalist performance: Patience, preparation, passion and professionalism. You have to hang in there and work things through. You need to continuously work on honing your craft so that you are totally prepared to deliver the goods. You must love music and love what you do to showcase the lead singer in their best light. And you need to always be present, show up on time, stay alert, with no excuses.
The session singer and the demo singer are both vital to the song, the music industry and radio - for survival and success. For more information on opportunities for session and demo work, as well as resources for strengthening your skills, there are a number of sites to check out.
Session Vets
Session singer veteran, Kim Chandler, offers a number of articles on becoming a successful session singer. Based in the UK, she has nearly 20 years of success in the music industry and is a deep well of information and insight not only for session and demo work but for singers in general.
Her article, Session Singer Advice, is pure gold. She offers examples of all kinds of session work, as well as provides a list of critical questions that you need to consider in deciding whether or not session work would be a good fit for you. In addition to recommending links for more information, she also offers sound strategies for breaking into the field.
Another session singer with an impressive track record is Sally Rivers. The British session artist started singing professionally at age seven in theatres and in hotels in the U.K. By age 15 she was a seasoned professional theatre performer. At the young age of 12 she landed her first paying gig as a session singer. Obviously she has tons of hands on, practical information to help broaden and focus your session singer awareness.
Visit her site www.thesessionsinger.com for the full story. And check out the following article as she answers the question, so you want to be a session singer? Click here for the article.
Read All About It
There is also a book to recommend on session singer work. The book is called Confessions Of A Session Singer and is written by Makky Kaylor. His story is rich with humor, insight, advice, and encouragement for those interested in getting into session work. Visit www.singers.com/instructional/makkykaylor.html for more details. 
The book is also available through amazon.com.
The Master Session Sensation
Finally, Dave Brooks is a master session singer and Brett Manning Associate. His holistic approach to his students equips them with the ability to make the most of their unique gifts in every given situation. His experience with demos and backing vocals is priceless to artist development and finding session work. He is the master and has the credentials to back it up. Check him out at www.brettmanningstudios.com/coaches/dave-brooks. If one of your goals for singing success is to conquer session work, here’s your go-to guru!
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Great Read
Only in time will you eventually be able to coach yourself – thus avoiding damaging and improper technique. A professional trainer will make you do those last 20 reps, correctly, when it is far too likely you may not have the learned discipline to force yourself to complete the exercise. Whether it was last decade's great Jerry Rice or today's bad boy Terrell Owens, every super athlete has a personal trainer. el camino parts
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TECHNICAL VOICE PROFICIENCY AND CONTROL TECHNIQUES
I’ve been singing professionally for 40 years. During the past 15 years I was extremely fortunate to take voice lessons with a magnificent guru of the voice. His physiological knowledge of the entire ‘vocal instrument’ was physician like. And I’m sad to say he recently passed away. But the discipline he instilled in me will be with me for the rest of my life. If you don’t practice, properly, daily, diligently, for years, then you’ll never achieve the success you desire.
As much as I’ve enjoyed (and only recently) loosely perusing Singing Success’s website (and have yet to have any disagreements with the very good advice given by this terrific team) believe me, if you aren’t lucky enough to find a great teacher (and there are too many who are not) and spend time with that voice trainer (I suggest at least an hour a week no matter the cost) so that he or she has the opportunity to keep you from executing any aspect of your voice incorrectly, whether singing or speaking, then you’re apt to find that making any truly substantial improvements in your singing voice always just out of reach. Only in time will you eventually be able to coach yourself – thus avoiding damaging and improper technique. A professional trainer will make you do those last 20 reps, correctly, when it is far too likely you may not have the learned discipline to force yourself to complete the exercise. Whether it was last decade's great Jerry Rice or today's bad boy Terrell Owens, every super athlete has a personal trainer.
I think there are far too many singers today (including many of my wonderful professional friends) who lack the specific knowledge necessary to improve control of their vocal instrument. There are a few basics that I’d like to hear referred to more often from the great team at Singing Success. Breathing, locking and keeping the ‘root’ of every note firmly placed in the center of your solar plexus are, I believe, the most important aspects, technically, that any singer can do. And if you’re not taking a short, quiet, power breath at every opportunity (it should never detract from the integrity of the phrase - you should be singing every phrase as if you were speaking a sentence) then you’re cheating yourself from being able to sing and fully finish that phrase with plenty of air still left in the ‘air tanks’ - no matter how long the phrase. And you must always have substantial air left in the tanks.
I personally cannot impress enough on my students the importance of a full torso breath taken in and then locked under pressure before ever singing a single note. The mid body’s 'air tanks' should be under the kind of pressure that if it accidentally exploded it would demolish a city block. That, and only that, will enable you to sing virtually any note on your scale. With that said, from the neck up you should be totally relaxed and flexible. You should be able to reach up and with your fore finger and thumb - be able to easily wiggle the neck area (at the Adam’s apple) to ensure that your throat is not tense. And especially when singing the most demanding high notes. All the pressure and straining must be in the chest and abdomen. Those are the muscles that must become ‘Olympic’ like. There are wonderful tricks one can apply to all aspects of singing but there are NO shortcuts to attaining a magnificent vocal instrument that is ‘under YOUR control’.
Keep up the great work guys. I look forward to learning new and exciting techniques from you guys and weighing in, even more, in the days ahead.
The Poor Singer
I'd love to be a professional singer, but often am told to take lessons to make my voice stronger. Any advice for someone like myself that can't afford lessons/tapes?
thank u
HI i have been using your Singing Success program for the last4-5 months and i would like to thank u a million for this tremendous product,i am hoping after a while to eventually begin to teach vocal classes, i don't know what type of advice u can give me on that but i will be grateful for any.
sidon
To Become a Better Singer
I have been singing for a long time. I do sound fine but I cannot seem to get into a band to further myself and others along.
Do you have any insight on getting a band together? At that, getting the right band members that are on the same line as I.
I need some tips please.
Thanks!
Kelly
how can i be singer?
how can i be singer?
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