Voice Matters with Johan Bester

In this chat I am really 'preaching' to myself... I do think all of us deal with this issue, however, regardless of who we are and what we do.

The reality is that we all remember the negative things people said to us, even if it was just ONE comment, and long ago. Even when 99% of people say encouraging na positive things to us, that ONE can affect us so much.

I have learnt that it is so crucial to learn: keep the few people, whose opinions help shape you as a person, very close. And take the comments of everyone else from whom it comes!

There is much confusion out there on this topic, as I'm sure you may have discovered in your own journey of trying to learn and grow. Like many other things in life, and regarding the human voice, I think people over complicate this issue, too.

It has to be said, however, that this is a super important thing for each one of us to wrok out: what is my voice type? The reason it's so important, is that understanding what our voice is in its best, most natural and most effective application, will determine what repertoire we choose to perform - when we do have a choice - and in what KEY.

I would love to hear from you, like some of the things YOU went through on your journey to discover your voice type. Please leave a comment, and also share this with someone who might be impacted by it!

The internet has 'made' everyone an expert... like, not really. Don't you also find that people so easily say stuff like, "She's really good!" or, "That wasn't very good", etc.? My counter question will always be, "Why do you say that?". If someone can't qualify their statement with some knowledge, background or frame of reference, they really don't have any right to make a statement on how good or bad something is.

I hope you enjoy listening to this episode, and that it will give you something to think about!

Also, please share this with someone who think might benefit from it. I would really appreciate it!

I have come across many performers in my life, especially singers, who simply want to continue relying on their natural instincts (their "talent"). The problem with that is that you will eventually hit a ceiling, which you cannot go beyond unless you train!

I have worked with many people throughout my career who did not have oodles of natural gifting, but they trained HARD! They were so determined to improve and to realise their dream, that they simply worked hard with what they had - and succeeded.

Then there were those super gifted individuals who did NOT want to train or work hard, and in many of these cases nothing ever came of their 'talent'. Sad, really sad.

I trust you will enjoy listening to this podcast, and that it will give you something to think about!

There is so much confusion out there about all the 'different' voices. Fact is, each one of us really only has ONE voice, and we can learn to sing through our entire controllable range with ONE action.

The thing that does change with singing higher and lower, is the resonance. This is a scientific reality that has to do with the frequencies and where it resonates in our body.

I hope you find this information helpful. And yes, be careful who you listen to on these kinds of topics - very few vocal coaches and singers understand this thing correctly!

Thanks for listening! Please share this someone who will also benefit from it!

Most people I meet never gives a second thought to their voice, and especially not to looking after it. I find this interesting, as we all rely on our voice for daily living!

In this episode I am chatting about a few basic things that every person with a voice could consider, think about, and try implement in their lives!

What an incredible experience I had earlier this year, when I saw STING live in concert for the very first time in my life! I was so mesmerised by him - everything: the vocal ability at 71 years of age, the super skilled musicianship, and then the stage craft en performance... Oh. My. Gosh!

I hope you enjoy listening to how I describe my experience, but also the analytical things I had to say in the episode. I would LOVE to hear from you if you had a similar experience at a STING concert, or any other major artist!

Over the years I learnt a very important truth regarding singers: the fear of failing, of not being good enough, of being rejected. It sounds very dark or negative, I know, but it is a reality.

When you perform music on any instrument, but especially with the voice, you literally bear your soul to whoever's listening. And it's quite frightening, particularly when it's new to you.

The question is, how do you and I go about confronting, dealing and conquering this fear of failing? How do we become more confident about ourselves, about bearing our soul.

We have to find answers to these questions, otherwise there will always be somewhat inhibited, not able to go "all the way" in expressing our artistic intention to our audience.

It depends who you ask... but many people I know, especially those working as musicians or recording artists, hates shows like Idols, The Voice, even AGT. I do understand where these people come from, however there are some other angels to view this from, too.

In this episode I delve into some different thoughts and viewpoints, which I think are relevant and could be useful to consider. I would LOVE to hear what YOU think about it, though!

This is serious... you and I HAVE to do everything we can to discover our true and authentic voice in this world - not only our speaking and singing voice.

The funny thing is that exploring and discovering our actual voice (the sound we make), leads to discovering our 'big picture' voice, i.e. who we truly are and why we are here on the earth!

In this podcast I am chatting about this very important matter: finding your voice. I hope you will listen to it more than once, write some things down, experiment and explore. The truth is that, if you don't spend the time, you might never discover your TRUE voice!

Please leave a comment - let me know what you thought about what I said. Do you agree, or not? Do you have something to add? A question? I would love it so much if you became an active member of this online community! Remember that YOUR question or comment could help many other people, who are dealing with the same things!

This is one area where most people agree: they cannot stand the sound of their own voice, especially  when they hear a playback of their voice recorded. Join me as we unpack this strange phenomenon today... Why don't you like they way it sounds, and what can be done to change that?