The New Voice: How to Sing and Speak Properly

If you're looking for a book that is just as good at COMMUNICATING what you need to do as telling you what to do (with poor articulation how to do it) this book stands well above the crowd. - - People who intuitively pick up the concepts in the book might not need it, but my experience prior to reading this book was "general advice" from music teachers who probably were only repeating what their teachers were telling them, but didn't understand it themselves, "Don't sing through your nose... sing from the stomach!" (True, but what does that mean... I don't have a mouth, lips and throat in my stomach!)As for the approach, Greene presents the physiology of singing and shows you how to feel the different muscles and parts of your anatomy and use them... some of the advice helped me almost instantly, others took time to develop. - - An example includes pretending to yawn when you produce a tone (without yawning) or sighing rather than forcefully expelling the air (this gets your adam's apple into the position it needs to be to sing. He even suggests wearing a bow tie to feel where the adam's apple is... though, of course, nowadays few people actually have bow ties. - - This physical approach really gets to the point.All in all, I have recorded as a pro musican, but haven't done a vocal CD... recently through I've been sharing my singing with other musicians and they've been REQUESTING that I do more singing... not complimenting me, but ASKING me to sing... that says a lot, especially for a person who up until a few years ago couldn't carry a tune or try to sing without coughing and gasping for air.A one of a kind publication... Seems dated with a forward from Harry Belafonte and Walter Matthau - - hope it will not fall by the wayside... deserves immortality! - - Not a gimmick, but full of techniques that are so good they almost seem like magical gimmicks, except for one thing... They really do work !

If you follow the instructions (Carefully) and take as much information as you can from this book it will do wonders for you! I have noticed my voice get naturally deeper and louder from repeated practice of the exercises in the book. For anyone seriously interesting in singing (or having a strong voice overall), I'd recommend this book.

I previously posted a 1-Star review (see below) due to my concerns about the author's idea of creating vibrato using muscle; however, after returning to the text a year later (March 2021), I've come to accept that "The Basic Shape" component is quite applicable and dependable. I recommend taking this text with a grain of salt and adjusting it to accommodate your vocal needs and preferences. Nothing is universal, so do what works best for you!Previous Review: I was quite interested in this text, and I was applying the Exercises daily, while reading further along in the text to better understand what I was working toward. And I’m glad I read ahead. When I got to the chapter about Vibrato, I was shocked to find that Greene explained how to create Vibrato using muscular posturing. A healthy vibrato is a natural occurrence, where a singer allows for an open throat, while their vocal cords come together seamlessly without unnecessary holding or tension. For this text to imply that vibrato is created by quickly tensing and releasing muscle is mind-boggling.As the Exercises from the start of the book are simply working toward building up the muscles in order to create this artificial vibrato, I’ve abandoned this book and technique immediately and completely.I am sorely disappointed.

I think this book would have been much better if it came with a CD.

Whenever I practice this "perfect shape" my throat gets all swollen. I know that he says my muscles are building.. But the thing is that the irritating feeling won't go away until I stop trying to make the basic shape for weeks at a time. The tongue thing working for me, but bringing down my larynx like that is killing my throat. I hate it. Over this!!

Great book! Very Insightful and learning very much from it - Highly recommended!

Great book condition fine

Practicing the detailed exercises in this book is dramatically improving both my singing and speaking voice. The exercises are described and I appreciate the other verbiage in and around them.

This is an excellent, if unusual book. I have been studying signing and singing professionally for 15 years and have never come across anything like it. Alan Greene's theory is that the voice as an instrument needs to be created before it can be 'played'. He gives a number of (strange seeming) exercises to do, which progress from creating a 'basic shape' for singing through to theories on bio-mechanics (a fascinating section) to finally, breath and uniting the basic Shape with the voice. I found this book to be excellent. It explained things incredibly clearly and I trusted his advice. I read a number of reviews and recommendations from teachers that I respect and this book is definitely one for the collection. Be warned: You have to commit to reading it fully and taking the time to do the exercises. But as they are silent there is no wear and tear on the voice. This book is not a substitute for singing lessons and, of course, does not mention text or acting or mental game - all vital additions to technique and singing.

Una guida specifica e didattica completa e perfettamente pratica che non si dilunga in inutili esempi o descrizioni. Utili gli apparati grafici.i