Customer Reviews

Set Your Voice Free

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I'm one of those who honestly felt that I had got my $... worth and then some in the first five minutes of working with this book. I've sung in bands and theatre with moderate success but always been frustrated at the entirely hit-or-miss nature of my grasp on 'how to sing'. It's never been something I 'do', but rather something I can 'usually get away with'. Love's book helped guide me in short order to a part of my voice that I've found on occasion on my own (usually in the car, or occasionally an inspired moment on stage, but almost never simply 'on demand') which I now realize is the middle voice he refers to in his book.

Are there other ways to get there? No doubt. Is he first and only instructor to speak of this sort of thing? Of course not, but he's the VERY FIRST who managed to reach ME despite myself. Does that mean he will reach you as well? Who knows, but I'd say it's a pretty safe gamble you will take away something from this book and cd in short order if you approach it openly and with a good sense of humor.

His simple device of using the 'cry' and whatnot have proved invaluable to me in 'remembering' how to find that sweet spot instead of shouting myself hoarse with vocal groping and frustration. Think Robert Smith or Danny Elfman to get an idea of how the 'cry' can sound. It's kind of a vocal 'shoe-horn' to get you into middle voice. Once you start to get a feel for this, the goofy images like 'think of your voice as a purple mist flowing--blah de blah de blah' start to actually become useful as you start to feel and hear when you're going from chest voice to head voice and/or somewhere in between.

Good luck and have fun with the book. Really accentuate the cry when you get to that part. Let yourself be a goofy cartoon character for a bit and laugh and have fun, and you may suddenly realize that your voice is ringing more clearly and purely than ever before. If you've never experienced it before, you'll probaly freak a bit and think "What the shrieking f* was that?!" It will feel very 'unusual' and perhaps even 'un-safe' as in "I don't sound like THAT! OTHER people who really know how to sing sound like that!" Surrender a bit and let yourself continue to explore, and get a pocket recorder so you can record yourself on the fly, even while driving.

Experiment. Laugh. Have fun.

Good Luck!

About a year ago, after a severe cold, I started experiencing problems with my voice. I am a stockbroker who gives many investment seminars, and use my voice continually to make a living. Needless to say I was panicked.

I was diagnosed with a condition called Spasmodic Dysphonia (SD) and was told there was no cure. The only treatment is to have injections of Botox (a poison) into my vocal cords several times a year.

There is a school of thought that believes that SD is a mechanical problem and that it is indeed curable. I have had some relief with techniques that improve the way I speak. I purchased "Set Your Voice Free" in the hopes that I would find a little more information that would help me regain more of my voice.

To my astonishment, in only two weeks of practicing his techniques I realized very significant improvement. At times I was actually speaking better than I ever have before SD.

I strongly believe that, aside from improving almost anybody's singing or speaking voice, this book could also be a powerful tool for those who may need to rehabilitate a troubled voice.

The book is easy to read, yet very informative. I was impressed with the information relating to the mechanics of voice. When you understand how things work, you have a better idea of where your problems may be.

The accompanying disc is in my car constantly and I try to do the exercises daily.

If you are looking for a way to quickly improve your vocal capabilities, order this book!

The book 'Set Your Voice Free', by Roger Love, one of most famous and most in-demand vocal coaches in America, is a real godsend to those who rely on their voice for professional purposes (hmmm, why would a preacher need that?). Co-authored by Donna Frasier, this book explores techniques for preserving, strengthening, and extending the vocal power and range of the reader/practitioner.

There is a forward by Dr. Laura Schlessinger--whether or not you agree with her opinions, you must admit she has vocal presence on the radio. This book will not turn you into Dr. Laura (in any respect!) but it will help you achieve the voice that you are capable of having, but simply did not gain the instruction to unleash.

Why is speaking important? While this many seem a question with an obvious answer, it is usually an unexamined one. The right voice can make a business presentation or sales pitch more dynamic, and make the difference between closing the deal and walking away empty-handed. The right voice can win the man or woman of your dreams over to a first date. Even if you just want to sound better on your answering machine, this is book that will help.

Think you can't carry a tune in a bucket, and that this is because you don't have musical training? Guess again. With simple exercises in this book, you will be singing along in no time with much less self-consciousness and more self-confidence, which in-and-of itself can make a difference in how you sound.

It comes with an instructional CD with vocal exercises to follow. From simple breathing exercises (yes, there is a right way to breathe) to more specific practice routine, you will have material to follow to help you unlock the hidden potential of your voice. The sound you make will be richer, more fully rounded and developed.

Roger Love includes extra helps for those who are primarily interested in singing (such a vibrato, riffs, and even stage presence), and those who are more interested in speaking (such as pacing, varying the tone, volume, even what to do with your hands).

The final chapter takes on aspects of the healing power of the voice. Remember how wonderful you felt when, as a child, your mother would read softly or sing to you, how the sound of her voice alone was a great healing comfort? There is a reason for this, not simply due to the emotional bond with mother. The voice can reach parts of the brain that the language itself cannot reach. Learn to tap into that.

Make a joyous sound! Read this book, and set your voice free!

I am a professional jazz/blues and gospel singer here in Japan. I am currently singing at a 5-star international hotel here and also have contracts in many jazz clubs and concert halls. For For jazz aficionadoes, my second CD was produced by Hugh Masekela. Aware of my own weaknesses, I am constanly looking for ways to improve my singing and be the best I possibly can. There are two books that I highly recommend, one is "Singing for the Stars", by Seth Riggs, and the other is this one, "Set Your Voice Free".

The exercises are fantastic and very easy to understand. I also enjoyed his commentary on the strength and weaknesses of singers we admire. It's so easy to think that just because one is famous and making millions that one must be perfect...not so, and Robert Love explains it. Some of his lessons are similar to Seth Riggs, but then he studied with Seth Riggs (lucky thing), so it's understandable.

My voice has certainly gotten better since employing some of the exercises described in this wonderful book. I am booked to sing spirituals(in a semi-classical style...something I thought I would never do...)in a large concert hall next year in March. I thank Mr Love because after reading his book I realized that I have many 'voices' and can develop all of them in a rich manner. My resonance has improved incredibly! I also teach scores of students and I can proudly attest thatmost of them have advanced greatly, and it is many thanks to some of the exercises in this book. The trill exercises are wondeful, don't sneer at them, an I always do the "goog" and "gug" exercises, great way to smoothen the bridge.

I highly recommend this book for pros and for aspiring singers!

I have played guitar for years, and always wanted to sing along with my playing, but the best I could ever manage was tight, off-pitch croaking. It was pretty grim, and I was convinced that I was one of those people who was born damned with a horrible voice.

I might be damned, or I might not be, but after working with this book for a month-and-a-half or so, I am definitely improving. I can't say I'm a *good* singer, but I'm certainly a better singer.
I have two other books on singing (the "...for Complete Idiots" guide, and the "Rock-n-Roll Singers Survival Manual") and this is easily the best of the lot, at least for me. The exercises on the accompanying CD are great, and start to help almost immediately. I have not seen these exercises in either of the other two books I own, or anywhere on the web.

The writing is clear and direct. Love doesn't waste page after page discussing the most minor details of anatomy, the way, say, the "Survival Manual" does. The information is organized clearly and sensibly, and the book presents exercises that help undo bad habits. You might feel funny making some of these bizarre sounds at first, but they work; I practice them on the 25-minute drive to and from work. It's time better spent than listening to the radio.

My biggest problem was--and still is--a rising larynx. Both the other books I have identify this as a common problem, but give virtually no instruction on how to keep the larynx low, and no indication of how difficult a problem this is to lick. Love does. No, I haven't licked the problem, but at least now I know HOW to lick it, and that it isn't going to happen overnight.

This book doesn't contain instruction on sight reading, but that doesn't bother me, since I have no interest in it--I just want to get to a point at which I will not embarrass myself singing along with guitar, and I feel that this book has set me going in that direction.

I'm one of those guys that only sings in the shower or his car, so this was my first foray into singing for real. The thought of removing vocal defects and bringing forth my "true" voice was simply awe-inspiring, and for several months I was serious about practicing the material every day.

I mastered the breathing exercises, and can "slow leak" (make a hissing sound for as long as possible) for roughly 45 seconds without difficulty. I can match his pitch on all but the highest parts of the exercises, and I have a fuller chest voice now. I don't claim to have "finished" the material, by any means, but there has been some progress.

So I'm thinking that if I'm able to hit the higher notes (I loves me some Coldplay), then everything's good. Right? As far as this book teaches, if you can follow the piano, then it's all you'll ever need to do, and that's patently false. It doesn't emphasize the nuances of supporting your singing with proper breathing, only says that it should be effortless. When I take a moment to hear myself singing, I notice the range is wider, but the sound (whether it be my tone, sustain, or something else) is still unpleasant, and this book has no remedy for that.

Roger goes into great detail about the types of vocal defects, like the brassy, gravelly, airy, or nasal voices, and delves into how they're created and fixed... but I don't have any of those. He talks about how to add more color to your speaking voice, so that you don't sound so monotonous... but I don't need help there.

Essentially, he covers more bases than most voice books, but for people who just want to know how to sing pleasantly, his techniques are lacking. Out of 30 tracks on the CD, I probably listened to three, which were the exercises themselves. The rest of it (including a primer on rhythm that involves clapping on beats one and two) was less than useful, and felt like filler.

Roger also spends an ample amount of time using anecdotes that involve famous people to convince you that he's going to change your life (not just your voice!). By all the testimonials from quoted singers and actors, you'd think that this was the most popular guy in the vocal training business. Quite frankly, I could have done without most of the self-touting.

As others have mentioned, his "understanding" of anatomy is also flawed. So if you skip those parts, and you skip the self-touting, and you skip the "fixing defects," and you skip the motivational speaker stuff, then you wind up with a text that provides a few breathing and vocal exercises, and little else.

In short, if you really want to learn to sing (and not all that other stuff) from a book/CD, then this package doesn't fully deliver because it wastes too much content on irrelevant topics.

Mainly, I'm using a couple tracks on this CD as my vocal "pitch pipe". There are mildly helpful hints throughout the book and CD, but I didn't find anything remarkable in his program and his pacing on the CD seems rushed to me--sometimes he barely finishes a scale before he charges into the next one. Since I don't play piano and many books on vocal technique have no musical accompanyment, this is the most valuable part of the package for me. But I wish he would tone down the name-dropping, it's gets old quick.

In case this helps anyone: I'd been having difficulty learning diaphragmatic breathing and I'd hoped this book would assist me, but it didn't provide anything I hadn't read before. As luck would have it, one night I was laying in bed very relaxed, almost asleep, and I suddenly realized I was breathing smoothly and easily from my diaphragm. So many discussions on breathing call diaphragmatic breathing "belly breathing" or "abdominal breathing" but that's misleading you to think your gut should be moving in and out if you're doing it right. It's the area right below your last rib and just above your navel that will rise and fall as the diaphragm fills and empties. I'm sure many, many of you already know this, but for me it was a brand new discovery. When I sat up in bed and tried to continue this breathing it was elusive--I was breathing mostly in my chest again--and so I did the next several weeks of vocal exercises while laying on my back, legs bent at the knees, and, for me, this was the ticket to relaxing whatever it was I needed to relax in order to consistently breath from my diaphragm. Now I can sit or stand and maintain my breathing.

This is the first book I have found that actually has enabled my voice to find some new life. After too many years sounding like Mark Knopfler, I am finally finding more range, color and most importantly reliability in my voice.

While the voice exercises themseleves are workable, it is really the basic advice that seems to have made a difference in my case, namely breathing and drinking regimens. Diaphragmmatic breathing is difficult to perfect without some supervision, and I would recommend getting someone who knows about these things to ensure that this is in place. Any voice coach should be able to do this. As for drinking sixteen glasses of water a day, it takes a little getting used to but definitely keeps those cords hydrated.

The CD is a terrific feature and really allows you to home in on particular problems, and then focus on eliminating them. (My goog and gug were fine, but I ran into problems on the moom and mum). I also lowered my larynx, raised my base register and regulated my breath.

This book was a wonderful discovery for me. I would happily recommend it to anyone who wants to rid themeselves of bad habits. While not all this material is suitable for everyone, you'll be surprised how effective some of the simplest exercises can be.

I have always loved to sing, but was very inconsistent. Breathing from my diaphragm comes naturally to me, but the only way I knew how to sing notes was to use power to reach them, so I was hit and miss. I also had no chest voice to really speak of and was sure that I could only sing high.

Desiring to be on the worship team at my church and wanting to improve my singing and finally having the money and the time, I started taking lessons about 3 years ago with a private teacher. She is great! From the beginning of my lessons with her I had to tone down my power dynamic as it interfered with learning her technique. I kept pushing my notes.

Studying with her I greatly improved my high voice and developed my chest voice, which we were both surprised to discover I had. Still, there was that bothersome range that frustrated me. My husband kept telling me that my mid range notes were often flat. Also, with songs that had notes in that range I found myself either straining in my chest voice or popping into my head voice, neither of which felt or sounded all that great. No matter how hard I tried I could not bridge that gap smoothly.

A few months ago I decided to read books on singing to see if I could pick up some more tips. This is the third one I have read, and so far it has been a gold mine for me. It is easy to read and not overly technical, as the other books were. Some other reviews are critical of the science, but I never really read the science part anyway. ;-)

Roger's exercises really helped me with those pesky notes that are right in between my high and low voice. His exercises really showed me my flaws there. The first time I did them I was so bad that I wanted to quit! But I persisted and the second time found that they were easier to do. His description of the middle voice being a blend of high and low voice and his demonstration on the CD makes it easy to understand and grasp.

It explains breathing in a way that I can easily understand, and from what Roger wrote I realized that I needed to bring my power dynamic back. I had shackled it for so long learning my teacher's technique that I had lost touch with how to use it. My husband told me that my voice had lost it's passion, and by giving myself permission to really let my breath go again, I am re-discovering it.

I realized that when I let my natural breathing ability fly the way I had before I took lessons that I discovered this middle voice. I taped myself as he recommends (you really need to do this to hear the improvement) singing songs that used to give me fits and found that I kept sounding better and better on them. I am glad I taped it because it feels weird at times singing that way and I was sure it did not sound good until I played it back.

I am not sure though, if this book would be helpful to someone who never took lessons. I cannot say for certain, but I really don't know if this book would have been as helpful to me if I had not already developed the technique I have with my private teacher. This book helped me improve on her technique.

I suppose it is possible that someone can grasp the concept without the benefits of private instruction. The book is inspirational and fun to read and the exercises are fun, also. I highly recommend!

I picked this book up on a whim, and I was very pleased to read that someone had put together a book that contains much of my own philsophy of teaching voice. I'm only giving it 4 stars because the name-dropping throughout the book is irritating at best, and as some others have noted, his descriptions of what the vocal folds are doing during vibrato, etc. are not very scientific or accurate; however, the descriptions do help with visiualizations and it truly isn't necessary to know the science to learn to sing well.

Other things I like about the book are:
-connecting the speaking voice to the singing voice
-encouraging people to train their own ears by recording themselves
-exploring the middle voice
-the "do-it-yourself/imitation" approach; this works for many people

It's good that a CD is included; it really helps people hear the difference between doing it wrong and doing it right.

This is a good place to start if you want to learn to sing.