A vocal journal will allow you to keep track of your exercises, how much time you’ve spent on them, and which dimensions you’re working on. More importantly, it will help you to stay motivated and prevent your from getting stuck or leveling off in your development. To begin, download the two following templates:
Every exercise has at least one component that makes it different from the others. As a result, there can be an infinite combination of exercise possibilities, each affecting the 7 dimensions uniquely. As you continue to add more exercises over time, this will become a personal resource of your favorite exercises to help you target your goals.
Template Fields: Exercise # | Formant | Feature | Pattern | Volume | Tempo | Variable | 7 Dimensions
Once you have a small collection of exercises, you can use the the journal template to keep track of your training in order to maximize your practice time. To do this, simply write down the date, the name of the exercise practiced, any modifications made during that practice time (such as adding a variable or changing the tempo), the dimension being focused on, and how much time was spent on it.
Template Fields: Date | Name/# | Modification | 7 Dimensions | Time
Always begin your day with at least 10 minutes of flexibility-based exercises in order to warmup, then rotate in others. You can spend time on all 7 dimensions every day, or focus on the one or two you need to develop the most. Regardless of your focus, the more time you spend training, the more developed and consistent your skills will become. It’s recommended to vocalize at least one hour every day to see real growth in a relatively short period of time. However, if an hour a day seems like too much, even just 20 minutes a day can still make a real impact on your voice.
Aside from seeing growth in your Vocal Profile, you will also notice progress through increasing successful moments in your singing. This can include feeling less strain on high notes, matching pitches more consistently, being able to sing for longer periods of time, and even receiving recognition from others. If you don’t notice any positive changes in your voice, make sure you’re not skipping any of fundamental factors such as:
Another way to measure progress is to archive recordings of yourself singing and listen back after a few months to compare. From there, you can examine which dimensions may need more work and adjust your routine accordingly. The more time you spend journaling, the more precise your practice will become.
WELCOME TO THE GLOSSARY
This glossary is designed to be used as a resource when working through the Vocal Gym Course. Many words in this glossary include images. Note that the term being defined will be colored in blue, like the word “brain” is in the image below:
