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Summary: Best Book/CD combo for teaching yourself...
Review: Excellent book and CDs to teach yourself. He is TOTALLY right about most classical teachers telling students to do 25 different things at once. My classical teacher tells me so many things do to that I end up tensing up and making everything worse. SLS is the exact opposite...says that resonance, support, etc. will occur as a byproduct of singing in a relaxed speech like manner. Worked much better for me than trying to think about resonating in certain areas, placing vowels, support, etc. Definitely worth it....at half the price of a lesson.
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Summary: This technique is a revolution for the singing community
Review: Finally somebody came up with a technique that actually works almost instantly and doesn't include any of those blurry explanations most classic techniques have concerning the functionality of scales or sound of voice. The author adds a little comment to each exercise to detail what exactly happens in your throat while you do the scale and what its purpose is. Everything he says makes prefect sense, and all in plain English. At last I have the sound I wanted while feeling totally loose at all times and never ending up "belting", hoarse, and frustrated. A Book and a Technique so fascinating you'll read it cover to cover immediately. Speech Level Singing... the Golden Key to every voice.
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Summary: SLS is the only way
Review: First of all, I don't know what that reviewer is talking about with Madonna and vocal nodules. Nodules are produced by continuous abuse of one's voice and definitely not by speech-level singing. In fact, the SLS concept of "head voice" and "mix" registers are methods to PREVENT vocal nodules. If you take your chest voice all the way up to the high notes (if you can), then you will cause permanent damage to your vocal cords. Either Madonna is not using the techniques correctly, or she is just abusing her voice. Though I will say that Seth Riggs assumes too much of the reader's knowledge about singing. The reason he doesn't overemphasize about breathing with the diaphram is because this book was written for those who have an idea about singing. The ABSOLUTE vocal beginners will be overwhelmed. Other than that, SLS is a brilliant singing method and is the only method worth pursuing.
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Summary: good
Review: good. Not so bad. But the testimonies from prior students is pretty pathetic and excessively annoying
Rating: 
Summary: user friendly
Review: great method with a great explanation of how it should work. demonstrations were superb, but is was set up kind of random in it's arrangement of exercises. the 'how to' isn't really clear and i just don't find it very user friendly. also, it seems to not recognize any teachers outside of his "associates" listed in the front of the book. i've found fantastic teachers who produce great results outside this method. i find it very arroagant to not recognize any teachers in any other method just because you all feel like you have "the truth." great method, but not the only method. i also think there is more to singing than just finding a 'connected voice.' very narrow in it's vision and somewhat incomplete. overall, a good addition to one's pursuit of vocal excellence.
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Summary: the only book worth buying on singing
Review: Having gone through pretty much every current book on the topic of improving your singing technique, I can tell you that this book is the only one worth buying. The Rock Singer's Survival Handbook a close second, written with the right spirit and is worth reading, especially the concepts on pitch and overall voice health, but it makes singing seem harder than it really is, which is why Seth's approach is so great. Singing is simple and you already know how to do it, you just need to stop trying to push your voice to doing things it won't. You know what your voice can and can't do, and the displine is more in accepting and maximizing this than doing "breathing exercises" or developing "mental pictures" of your tone or lord knows what else.Granted, all the praise lavished on Seth on practically every page is purely nauseating, but let him have that, and learn from what he has to say. He didn't get to be the most in demand vocal instructor by doling out crap. The CD's that come with it are awesome, and will really make you work. Overall, a bargain at twice the price.
Rating:
Summary: the only book worth buying on singing
Review: Having gone through pretty much every current book on the topic of improving your singing technique, I can tell you that this book is the only one worth buying. The Rock Singer's Survival Handbook a close second, written with the right spirit and is worth reading, especially the concepts on pitch and overall voice health, but it makes singing seem harder than it really is, which is why Seth's approach is so great. Singing is simple and you already know how to do it, you just need to stop trying to push your voice to doing things it won't. You know what your voice can and can't do, and the displine is more in accepting and maximizing this than doing "breathing exercises" or developing "mental pictures" of your tone or lord knows what else. Granted, all the praise lavished on Seth on practically every page is purely nauseating, but let him have that, and learn from what he has to say. He didn't get to be the most in demand vocal instructor by doling out crap. The CD's that come with it are awesome, and will really make you work. Overall, a bargain at twice the price.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, I can stop looking for more!
Review: Hi all! I highly recommend this book. I've been buying a lot of books on the subject, but Seth knows what he is talking about: and when you get to meet voice teachers, this is not something common, unfortunately.
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Summary: The best and and the fastest
Review: 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. [...].
Rating:
Summary: Very worthwhile
Review: I bought this book a few years ago after joining a community choir. I noticed an improvement in range and control in a few weeks. In a few more weeks, I found that I could sing longer without tiring and my singing and speaking voice didn't crack as often. Learning to move smoothly between head and chest voice took much longer -- about 2 years to really start to get the hang of it. Pros: The CDs are great for warmups and review without excessive lecture between lessons. It teaches a safe and effective method of learning to move between upper and lower vocal registers. It has exercises to isolate and correct muscular tension, incorrect larynx positioning, breathing problems, etc. so that you can sing without stress or injury to your voice. Cons: It's a little light on technical explanation. It could use more examples of what things sound like when they are done incorrectly. Overall, it is a very worthwhile book and a solid technique. It could be used alone, but progress will be faster if used in conjunction with a voice coach to make sure you're on the right track and to answer questions.
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