Today, we continue the episode with Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kürsch. His love of music and fantasy is pretty much evident in how he produces magic through writing songs based on fantasies and epics like The Stormlight Archives and The Lord of the Rings.

It’s amazing how a lot of albums have this continuity. And he explains how everything in the album should have the same vibe because they can only shine if they’re bound together. Making amazing music for 40 years now, Hansi gives his insights into artistic freedom. He is also involved in The Dark Tower series.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Using artistic freedom in writing a song based on a book series
• What makes a great colleague and a great musician
• What inspired him to base his album on The Lord of the Rings
• The hardest part of being a lead singer without bass
• How he got involved in The Dark Tower series

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Supporting Resources:

www.blind-guardian.com

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.  Let them know we sent you.

It’s just magic when music and fantasy are combined. And magic is what Blind Guardian creates. Today, we’re joined by their lead singer, Hansi Kürsch, who along with his band members, takes inspiration from the great works of fantasy.

Going strong for 40 years now, Blind Guardian has recently released their newest album, The God Machine. Not only is Hansi a testament to endurance, but he’s also the epitome of a powerful voice. He gives insights into how to build and maintain a four-decade career and how his understanding of vocal technique has evolved over the years.

In this episode, you will hear:

• From playing bass to singing
• Learning to become more efficient in singing through education
• How Hansi’s understanding of breath support has shifted through the years
• The different types of breathing
• Using the spine to support your voice
• Vibrato is one of the most difficult to train.
• Holding big, high-belt notes

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Supporting Resources:

Blind Guardian

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.  Let them know we sent you.

Last week, we began the conversation with some life insights and vocal nerdery with Small Town Titans’ frontman Phil Freeman. This week, we’re going to continue the discussion with more detail on vocal technique.

Phil reveals the foundation for a good, healthy voice and an excellent performance in the same way that you should breathe in. He also stresses the importance of embracing the depth of your voice and not getting easily swayed by other people’s opinions when it comes to your voice. Plus, he’s going to satisfy our ears with some pretty awesome vocal demonstrations that will blow us away.

Not only an epitome of vocal excellence, Phil is also an example of savvy businessmanship and a super dad!

In this episode, you will hear:

• Passagio in opera vs. in choirs
• What it means to “cry through the note”
• How the body plays a huge role in your voice
• Clarity and compression in doing his vocal fry
• Tests for vocal swelling
• The three pillars of vocal health

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We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

https://smalltowntitans.com/join

Small Town Titans - "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" - Official Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cUz-zAATNI

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.  Let them know we sent you.

What does it take to get to the next level? In this week’s conversation, we’re joined by Phil Freeman, the lead singer of one of the most underrated rock bands, Small Town Titans. Phil has a massive range coupled with massive technical skills that he can create all kinds of good, aggressive, powerful, and even sweet tones within that range.

Phil did a cover of You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, and if you haven’t watched it yet, then you’ve got to! He initially sounds like a low-voiced male, but then he keeps going higher and higher and flat-out screams in a way that is sung well. It’s not dangerous for the voice so it definitely deserves a jaw drop. Add to that a delectable enunciation and breath control that leaves the audience breathless – a voice that begs for more attention. After our conversation, I only realized that his rich, powerful, and direct sounds are all truly just an extension of his character.

Next week we’re going to dive even deeper into vocal technique. We’ll also trade teaching tips, talk about how babies can create better vocalizations than most adults, plus – a demonstration of some awesome high distortion!

In this episode, you will hear:

• Reaction videos have become one of the main ways for people to discover music.
• The importance of having an anchor in your life
• Giving yourself a chance to tour to test your limits
• How to get to the next level
• What you want should be quality and something sustainable

Subscribe and Review

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We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

https://smalltowntitans.com 

Small Town Titans - "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" - Official Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cUz-zAATNI 

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.  Let them know we sent you.

Last week we started to uncover the shy persona underneath Jinjer’s fierce frontwoman, Tatiana Shmayluk. We talked about the artists that piqued her curiosity in harsh vocals and how she developed her monster-esque screams. We also discussed her writing process and how deadlines can be more inspirational than diamonds.

This week, we’re going to continue the story by taking a look deeper into her growls, to better understand how she delineates between a good growl and a bad growl. We’ll also talk about her practice habits and what Tatiana thinks of the band’s name.
If you'd like to support both the band and charity at the same time, take an extra moment to consider buying some of their merch.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How she relies on the frequencies of vibration when making a growl
• Your voice as part of your body and how her voice depends on her mood
• The meaning behind their song, Perennial
• Her music influences
• The origin of the name Jinjer

Subscribe and Review

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We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

www.jinjer-metal.com 

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.  Let them know we sent you.

Tatiana Shmayluk is the lead singer of the Ukrainian metalcore band, Jinjer. But don’t let that trick you into thinking that she’s a gentle performer.

Tatiana packs a punch with her vocals – both clean and harsh. In fact, she was the first female singer that I’ve ever heard going into full death growl mode. The song started off with a groovy, almost jazzy punk feel, and then dropped into this intensely heavy section. And at that moment out of Tatiana, a boss monster just seemed to spring. It’s insane! It’s also one of the reasons I just nerd out about voice science.

In this episode, learn about how she visualizes her voice. Also, be sure to tune in to the second part of this series next week as Tatiana shares how she determines if a growl is good or bad. We’ll also talk about touring and how to support the band during these incredibly tough times.

In this episode, you will hear:

• What makes a good band member
• The process of writing a song for a band
• The process of writing lyrics
• Working well under pressure
• How she developed the harsh vocals

Subscribe and Review

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We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

www.jinjer-metal.com 

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.  Let them know we sent you.

This week, we continue the conversation with Peter Hollens, American singer/songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur. Known for doing acapella videos of just him – and his multiple voices, Peter is his own engineer and singer. That’s not to say that he hasn’t done any collaborations because Peter has collaborated with other great artists – including one video that he wished could have picked up more audience (on top of its two million views on YouTube.)

In this episode, Peter talks about his vocal technique, his love for acoustic music, scatting, and some tips on how to become a better creative entrepreneur. He’s also going to give some suggestions for how you can explore and expand the sounds that you make and his thoughts on artistic integrity and how far can you go without losing the essence of the original music.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How acapella singing differs from classical singing
• How Peter approaches his singing
• The ONE video he wished could have gained more traction
• How the pandemic affected him
• Some tech and plug-in recommendations for great recording sessions
• The best and worst thing about being a singer
• Peter’s take on scat singing

Subscribe and Review

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We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

www.peterhollens.com 
https://www.youtube.com/c/PeterHollens 
https://www.patreon.com/peterhollens 

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know we sent you.

If there’s one artist who has inspired my current vocal endeavors more than any other, it’s Peter Hollens – THE GUY who made multiple layering of the same human voice popular on YouTube. Peter now has 400 videos on his channel. Some are elaborate collaborations with well-known artists and some are just him, multiple times.

While many singers only need to think about singing one line and maybe a few harmonies, Peter has to think about singing tons of lines. Just imagine the additional time it takes for him to create a song because he is the whole band. His songs are also released with music videos of high production value. His channel has been going strong since its debut in 2011, it’s amazing how he’s able to keep up his pace – even with a team in place.

Now actively taking a role beyond singing, Peter offers consulting and advising services for creators and creative companies. Today, Peters talks about his influences and mentors, how he’s able to release music videos consistently, and his process of producing high-quality videos.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Voice type he prefers in acapella
• Sound engineering and techniques for layering the voices
• Peter’s music influences and mentors
• Educating creators on true value
• The process of making a video and how he’s able to release videos consistently
• The power of professional video editing
• What makes a good collaborator
• Tips for collaborating with your spouse in music and life

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

www.peterhollens.com 

https://www.youtube.com/c/PeterHollens 

https://www.patreon.com/peterhollens 

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.