Customer Reviews

The Professional Singer's Handbook: The Complete Guidebook for Becoming a Successful Singer

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Gloria Rusch's book "The Professional Singer's Handbook" is a must for anyone seriously pursuing a career as a singer. It addresses all the questions that the average singer with a dream wonders about. The music industry is such a mystical unknown for those of us dreaming of becoming part of it. So often we are left to trial and error to discover the road to success by falling in our own potholes (and many of us are left in the ditch, downtrodden and discouraged). Gloria speaks to the reader as though she is speaking to one of her own students, taking an active interest in seeing you succeed and laying the truth out on the line when you need it. She discusses topics such as how to know if you have what it takes, selecting a vocal coach, stage presence and how to develop it, how to stay healthy including specific remedies when you need to sing sick, how to select microphones and equipment, the difference between singing live and singing in a studio and how to be successful at each, as well as the business side of the business--selecting a manager (when to and how to), the ins-and-outs of getting a record deal, different ways to make money with your voice and who to contact when you're ready, etc. Gloria also recommends other books she found helpful as she made her way in the industry which will explore specific topics in more detail. Finally, the book includes interviews with other successful people in the industry from singers to managers, songwriters, producers, etc--all aimed at helping the reader "make it". Gloria speaks in a very down-to-earth manner that anyone can relate to and understand. After reading this book, I felt I had a handful of friends in the industry willing to give me a chance. I found myself mesmerized, absorbing her information like a sponge, thinking "so THAT'S how you go about it!" This book doesn't go into super-specific detail about each subject, but it gives you a solid foundation with specific instruction on where to go next. The perfect foundation to help you CREATE your own success rather than waiting to be one of the lucky few who magically get "discovered". As I said in the first line, this book is a must-read for anyone serious about making it as a singer.

This book is a great introduction to what it takes to be successful as a professional singer. Covers topics such as:

*Getting Started as a Singer *Finding the Right Vocal Coach *Handling Breathing Problems *Improving Vocal Technique *Improving Microphone Technique *Improving Musicianship *Knowing and Captivating Your Audience *Choosing the Right Microphone *Find a Band *Working in a Recording Studio *Getting a Record Deal *Dealing With Record Companies

The last third of the book contains interviews and advice from successful recording artists, producers, backup singers, etc. There is also ordering information for the author's vocal exercise tape series for further building the voice. This book is a great resource and I would highly recommend it to anyone sercious about performing as a singer.

*For independent vocal study, I would also recommend "The Contemporary Vocalist Improvement Course" by Jeannie Deva. (Also available from Amazon). That course is the best non-classical training course I have found so far. That teacher is from Berkley School of Music and uses a rib-cage expansion method for singing popular styles. The information in there was something no other voice teacher has ever told me. Check it out!

The way I gauge the practicality of all my vocal text is obviously to see how often I implement the techniques into my 'arsenal' of vocal practices or performances. To make this a book of 5 star calibre rating however I would have extremely liked an accompaniment CD to obtain a better understanding on some of her concepts. In addition, as stated before, the chapters do not go into in depth detail but provide general overviews. Nevertheless, I've been using the Rusch techniques in this book for 5 months now, and not only have I been able to hear a difference in my ability but companions that have had the chance to hear my have noticed a steady improvement. Three sections I found most useful are the Record copying, breath control and health tips on caring for your voice; of which I found the breath control technique being the most effective and quick to in getting results. In addition, this book was fairly entertaining to read as well, as Rusch pulled from her own personal experience without a sense of haughtiness. Definitely a book to encourage all singers on becoming more serious in approaching singing and the performance of singing a bit more professionally.

The book has interesting stories of personal experiences, but I often felt that Gloria Rusch was using the book to showcase her accomplishments and to name-drop her who's-who list of students.

This annoying self-aggrandizement was evident in comments like, "I used my knowledge of audience emotions to get the audience's attention... In fact I mesmerized them with that song!" (P. 59). This comment would not have been totally out of place if she had explained what she actually did to "mesmerize" that "unruly" audience, in a section giving advice on how to perform in front of such crowds.

The book is a very general overview, and some of her advice/instruction is simple common sense, or is just plain weak. How to talk to an audience? "Speak to them the same way you speak to anyone." How can I find a good manager? "Start a buzz in the industry about yourself. Managers will soon be knocking on your door..." How do I get a record deal? One step is to "make a very good demo." But what is considered a "very good" demo? The author doesn't give details.

The book is saved by the fact that, admittedly, it is well-written and includes interesting anecdotes (although most often these personal anecdotes end up sounding boastful). It has some helpful advice (when catching a cold or buying equipment). The interviews with industry professionals are also interesting.

However, the book is really for amateurs and possibly semi-pros, but definitely NOT for working/gigging musicians. Professional singers do not need an explanation of what lip-synching is.

As for ranking this book, I would have given it 2.5 stars if allowed. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't find it as helpful as I had hoped, given its title. It was disappointing, and would not recommend it. The title should be changed to "The Singer's General Handbook."

For professional singers, this book is a waste of time and money. The title is horribly misleading. The information so basic, you don't need to spend money on this book! The only g part I liked was the information about how to deal with a cold. But then, I could have gotten the advice from a Health Store not a "Professional Singers Handbook!"

This book contained helpful information, such as what to do when you fall ill and need to perform, microphones to purchase, etc. However, it did contain a lot of information that is plain common sense, such as to show up on time to auditions and voice lessons classes and to practice sufficiently, etc.

This book is only about basics -- somewhat arbitrarily selected and not well structured. There's endless pushing of the hubby's keyboards book w/o disclosing the conflict of interest. Maybe Novello's book _is_ good, I don't know, but a disclosure would be nice, purely ethically sort of thing.

Some information in The Handbook is highly questionable, especially when it comes to all kinds of 'home-made' recipies and health advice. The bibliography contains pseudo-scientific garbage like Walker's juices book, and even a tome by -- you'll never guess this one -- L. Ron Hubbard. This guy clearly knew everything about everything, no wonder he'd set up his little cult to rip off the morons from among the world's populace. Well, I get my Scientology only from Tom Cruise; accept no substitutes, you know.

Not all's bad though: the second (larger) half of this book is a bunch of interviews, most of which are kinda drivelous, but one -- with Janice Siegel (of Manhattan Transfer fame) -- is interesting. I like the group, so maybe it's me, but I did think it was articulate, honest, and informative. So, since the book's cheap you may want to buy it for the interviews' sake.

Overall, while not terribly bad, this book isn't good either: arbitrary selection of topics, overall unstructured, and at least somewhat untrustworthy advice make it questionable as a source of information. I say, unless you want the interviews, pick something else; there's tons of stuff available on singing.