Singing for the Stars: A Complete Program for Training Your Voice (Book & Online access code )

By Seth Riggs

Book Overview

What do Michael Jackson, Anita Baker, Natalie Cole, and hundreds of other professionals have in common? They have all studied voice with Hollywood's leading vocal coach, Seth Riggs. You can learn to sing like the pros with this complete program for training the voice.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0882845284
• ISBN13: 9780882845289
• Release Date: September 1992
• Publisher: Alfred Music
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.9" x 0.5" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Complete program to use with voice lessons

The principles behind this book use exercises which educate you to sing without the larynx rising up which actually interferes with good singing, and to sing with a connected voice from chest voice into head voice, without breaking into falsetto. The content is good, though too much space is given to testimonials, and more space should be given to explanation and theory. The CD's are very well laid out with instructions from the author, a singer demonstrating the exercises which are on different tracks, which makes it easy to skip to the essential bits. You can practice while driving for example. As I have been getting speech singing vocal training for over a year, I can testify to the value of the method. Unless you are already a well trained singer with good technique, you really should not use this type of course without also getting lessons. A vocal trainer can identify how to improve tone, breathing etc and point out technique errors such as overblow or too much air pressure, which you might never identify by yourself. It is so easy to damage your voice by using incorrect technique or overdoing the exercises. After using this for a few days and then applying the technique to sing along to a recording, I was able to do so without straining and hitting higher notes than usual with much less effort, which was amazing. I am now on my way to a voice that I did not dare to dream was possible. The second CD is more about applying the exercises and producing the speech level singing tone, and runs through song examples using those passage areas with very useful tips to avoid splattering your sound. For less than the cost of a voice lesson this is a great investment, which I highly recommend. You can imagine how helpful this is. The more you use this method, the more you will improve to the point where you will have the voice you have always dreamed of having. I hope you find this review helful.

I saw an improvement the first week!

I used to sing rock & roll, forcing my chest voice into my head range rather than using my head voice, and had never learned to use my head voice. I always considered myself a contralto and figured my head voice was mostly useless. After just the first lesson with this method I was able to feel the difference between using my head voice and forcing my chest voice up and was amazed at how hard I used to work to hit those notes. Now, four months later, I can actually sing mezzo soprano with quite a bit of ease. I am now able to cross my switch point going up without hanging onto the chest voice, and going down it's become seamless. And I haven't even done all the lessons yet! There are some lessons I am unable to do properly because I have never been able to trill my tongue, but there are enough lessons that muddling past those has not been a problem. I would highly recommend this to ANYONE who has trouble with their head voice and/or their switch point!!!

The best and and the fastest

I began studying with Seth Riggs in 1970. At that time I had nearly a minor 3rd wobble in my vibrato and couldn't sing above an E. I was working as a singer and my career was going nowhere and I was only 27 years old. I had studied with 13 teachers around the world before I met Seth. In just 7 months of study with Seth I regained a solid vibrato (about 6 waves per second)I was singing clearly and easily up to an A above the staff, as a baritone, and I won 1st place in both the Regional and National Metroplitan Opera auditions in 1971. I have had and am still having a wonderful career as singer primarily in musical theater, ocassionally opera, night clubs and concerts, more than 30 years after I met Seth. I have sung,as a principal artist, with the Vienna, Austria, Volksoper and Staatsoper, Glynebourne Festival, Munich, Edinborough and Wexford Festivals, Amerstam. Brussels, London, Paris, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, Chicago and Miami Operas, all because of this technique. I still study with him on a regular basis and have been teaching "Speech Level Singing" for 25 years and use "Singing for the Stars" as the text book for all my students. I was Seth's 1st Met. winner of 5 and am featured in his book "Singing for the Stars". Seth's techinique has been used by artists that have won every major vocal competition in the US and Europe and 106 "Grammy" awards.Quite simply, Seth Riggs' "Speech Level Singing" technique and his book "Singing for the Stars" is the easiest and most complete guide for singers of all ages, experience, voice type and style, ever written. This technique proves time and again that one can sing with ease and power with out having to strain or push or distort one's vowels or face to achieve vocal prowess. It shows that one can sing with the same relaxed ease as well produced speech. There is no secret, just concrete facts of good vocal production. I reccommend this book and the study of this techinque to every one that is pursuing a better way to sing whether professional or amateur. It's the best. [...].

Clear, To the point, Helpful

I studied classical voice for years but when I found a teacher certified in Seth Riggs speech level singing technique I made progress I hadn't thought possible! I got this book as an adjunct to my lessons and I found that it was clear, precise, easy to understand, and above all-- very, very helpful!The excersises will help you sing through your bridges easily and confidently. Your voice will thank you!

Singing with Freedom!

My vocal coach told me to get this book & cds and to use it between lessons. I have learned to sing into my head voice and can handle my 'breaks' with ease! I highly recommend the book..the exercises are simple and he gives demonstrations for each of them. I have made great progress because of his "Speech Level Singing" technique!