Customer Reviews

Can You Sing a High " C " Without Straining?

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Lawrence W. Cooke, M.D.

I would like to submit my review of the book and 3-audio CD package, Can You Sing a High 'C'-Without Straining? As a physician and a singer, I was intrigued by the basic concept of the book...that anyone can learn how to sing very high notes in full voice, without having to go into falsetto, and without straining. I was always taught, and was under the assumption that people were born with a given range, and that trying to increase that range is impossible. To my knowledge, no one has ever hypothesized or proven that singing high notes is a coordinative act that can be learned....until now. By the time I was finished reading the third chapter, I knew that Appell had found the answer.

He explains why singers can extend their range by first presenting in easy-to-understand terms how high notes are physically produced, using a simple analogy of how the vocal cords change pitch by changing their vibrating length, in very much the same way that a guitarist changes pitch by fretting down the fretboard of a guitar. Appell further proves his point with some absolutely astounding vocal examples on the 3 audio CDs that come with the book...like male and female singers singing 2 octaves above middle C in full voice without going into falsetto, and clearly without straining.

The first CD is titled Vocal Examples and contains over an hour's length of male and female singers demonstrating the right and wrong ways to approach their vocal technique. The second CD is titled Vocal Exercises, and is meant for personal practice with piano accompaniment only. It contains just enough direction to get your practicing on the right track. The third CD, titled "The Secrets to Successful Speaking," explains how to protect your speaking voice from hoarseness. From my viewpoint as a physician, I found the speech techniques developed by Appell to be extremely effective and probably the best antidote for avoiding vocal nodules I've seen anywhere.

I found the book to be very well-written and the three audio CDs beautifully produced. Like any vocal training system, the exercises should be approached with sensibility. As Appell points out on the Vocal Exercise CD, if a singer finds themself singing higher than is comfortable for their current level of expertise on a particular exercise, he cautions them to stop singing and come back in again when the range of the exercise gets back to a level that is comfortable. Anyone who might be tempted to overwork their vocal cords doing these exercises would be doing so by not following Appell's direction. Speaking as a physician, I found the CDs to present a safe and effective vocal workout.

How well do Appell's training methods work? After training with the exercises that come on the audio CDs, I personally extended my full voice (not falsetto) range by 12 half steps. Need I say more?

This book describes some interesting techniques for improving the range of your voice, but it is unfortunately written in a lofty, over-my-head style that left me confused and unsure how to improve my range.

If you're not currently with a voice instructor, I suggest finding one before buying this book. If you can't read music, or you're just a casual singer, skip it. It's not really worth your time.

I wonder about people writing reviews without actually reading the book. Thomas doesn't tell you that you are going to be the best singer in the world after reading it. It was the only book I kept out of ten that I got through amazon because it made sense to me. I'm used to books with a kind of scientific approach, which means saying something, not so easy to understand, with a few meaningful words. This book tells you that you are able to sing the high C, and what you have to do for it, and how it works. It also tells you that you have to take vocal lessons since a book is no replacement for a good teacher. Like the guy from Japan, I flew all the way from Vienna, Austria to sunny California and worked with Thomas for 3 weeks 2 hours a day. I did improve 10 notes so far and I did hit the tenor C once. So all he ever said is that you can do it and I did it. He himself knows that it takes much more to become a Michael Bolton, even after practicing for more then ten years. Thomas and his book are encouraging anybody who feels stuck and frustrated with his singing like I was. It's frustrating that there are so few teachers out there showing you how it works in such an easy to understand way. So please, anybody who found the secret tell it to everybody who needs it. Dont worry, Thomas won't run out of buisness and by the way California is worth while the trip.

I agree with previous comment. The book is difficult to understand and the vocal exercises were not that impressive plus they hurt my throat.

If you are a beginner, this book is not for you. Thomas assumes you understand the many terms he uses. A good example of this is in chapter two he explains the similarities between a guitar and singing, yet I know nothing of the guitar terms he refers to. Consequently, I was lost by chapter two since he refers to the guitar referene quite frequently. It would of helped if he would of drawn a diagram showing the parts of the guitar he was talking about. So, if you already understand a lot about music, this may be the book for you. You can't help feeling that Thomas is onto something, but understanding his method is difficult.

Reading "Can You Sing a High 'C'?" is the first step on the way to extending your range. His approach is consistent, his explanations detailed, and his analogies with other instruments are excellent. After reading the book and practicing on my own with the accompanying CDs, I did extend my range a couple of notes, but not nearly to the extent that I would have hoped for. So I decided to put his theory to the test. I flew from Japan to California and trained with Thomas himself for 6 days. To be honest, I've never had vocal training in my whole life. I'd been singing my whole life but had never taken lessons from a vocal professional. Before leaving, I could only sing up to an 'A' below Tenor High C; but with only 6 days of intense training with Thomas, I was able to sing a 'G#' above Tenor High C. I'm no Michael Bolton yet, but the possibilities for this method are limitless and will benefit anybody who is willing to take the time to read and study it. I would like to add that as I said, I had never taken vocal lessons prior to this, so I was not so familiar with some of the terms he uses in the book. Thus, I am inclined to think that for those who are better acquainted with such terms and techniques will have no trouble progressing a great deal from just reading the book.

I read the book, listened to the accompanying CDs and practiced the vocal exercises. I admire the author and what he has accomplished, and I have very little doubt that he is an excellent teacher of his method, and one could benefit greatly from his instruction. However, it is not his personal instruction that we are called upon to review here - it is the book and the accompanying CDs that are under review.

Now, this material is good - I do think that a little more detail could have gone into the explanations around some of the vocal exercises, because I found these explanations very brief, and I had to guess exactly what I was supposed to do. Having made that point, I will say that even if the explanations were made clearer, I should still have given this material the same low rating, for the simple reason that one cannot learn to sing from a book. Yes, I know that everyone knows that, but do they really? If everyone knows that, why do so many people (myself included) buy such books in the hope that they will make singers of us? The only way one could really understand the techniques and exercises in a book on singing, is if one had personal lessons with the author - and, I venture to say, this would make the book redundant.

So, what I am saying in a nutshell, is this: If you want to learn to sing, find a good teacher - if you buy a book on a specific method, and this book convinces you that this method is for you, take lessons with the author - if for any reason you can't take lessons with the author, forget that method and take lessons with some other voice teacher, because a method you don't really understand could be worse than no method at all. I know that that is probably not what many would-be singers want to hear, and they will almost certainly go ahead and try to learn singing from a book regardless of what anyone says - you can save money by learning from my experience, but each person learns from his own experiences - that is simply the way it is.

I believe that Thomas may have good intentions, but results speak greater volumes. Thomas is a gentleman, with a committment to helping singers, but his pedagogy ignores and opposes the success of all the great teachers of this generation. Richard Miller, Seth Riggs and Adrienne Angel, to name a few. I think that if the general quality of Mr. Appell's voice met basic standards of tone production, i.e. depth, balanced resonance and a released compression, his 'observations' could be taken with more than a grain of salt.

Can You Sing a High "C"- Well after reading this book I know that I can. This book is easy to follow, and shows you how and why you can sing high notes with power and without straining. He separates Myth from Fact,and explains why. It's also hard not to trust a vocal teacher that has been teaching for 16 years, and has given over 44,000 vocal lessons. After reading this book and applying the technique that he teaches,I have power, good pich, and very good range. ALL I CAN SAY IS READ IT. It's helped me so much, and it will do the same for you. Thank you Thomas Appell.

I was learning on my own to sing with the radio and some tapes from artists that had a style and a good voice with technique. However I came at a level that I needed help. Being very fortunate reading Thomas Apell's "Can you sing a high C without straining" and also coached by him was a pleasant experience. One can read the book and understand how the voice works to get an increase in range. However once captured the concept, it will benefit him or her to get some voice coaching. It is the same like any form of art or athletics in order to execute the ability one has to have some form of instuctions. I used to do spring board and tower diving and a book with a coach was the right combination. I thank Thomas Apell for creating the ability for me to sing with correct technique and the increase of my voice range. Thank you again Thomas.