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Mentor: Mark Baxter

Q1: I am a developing singer who has all sorts of problems controlling my "S" sounds. When I sing, I sound like a snake. Is there an exercise I can do to help control this?

A1: Uncontrollable sibilance comes from driving the air too hard with your abdominal muscles. Your tongue is rigid from bracing against the pressure and
therefore less able to maneuver with any subtlety. Place a hand on your belly button. Inhale and feel the area beneath your hand expand. Now release the air in a very low volume hiss. Don't push. Your goal is to sustain the hiss for at least 5 seconds before you feel any movement beneath your hand, and then continue hissing for 60 seconds. Think of a balloon. When inflated, the air inside is a higher pressure than outside (same as your lungs). When you let it leak, the air will leave the center first. The walls will have a delayed collapse. The same should be true for your abdomen. There is no need to squeeze a balloon or your body -- tone, pitch, volume and the dreaded S's will all be rewarded.

Q2: I saw on an Amy Grant video where she suggested eating potato chips continually while singing in the studio, and she says all her friends in the industry now do that as well. Is this true? And why?

A2: Potato chips are salty, so they stimulate saliva. That's good for singing. Chewing and swallowing activates and then releases many muscles of the jaw tongue and throat. That's good for singing. Potato chips are concentrated, which means they will subtract water from your system when digested. That's bad for singing. The inevitable I-can't-believe-I-finished-the-bag lump in your stomach will interfere with breath control. That's bad for singing. Two points for, two against. Looks like a draw.

Every successful singer has a routine they swear by. They are all placebos. If you have yet to sell a million albums, look more towards your writing, your attitude and your business team -- chips are not the answer.

2. Don't make your first trip into a studio the first time you hear your voice on tape. Get your hands on a 4-track, a cassette or a micro recorder.

4. Don't think you have to nail the song in the first take. Get comfortable, take your time.

5. Do have someone acting as a producer. It's too hard to judge your own
performance.

6. Don't listen to your producer. If there is something you're not happy with, stand your ground.

8. Don't feel bad if you aren't comfortable enough to take chances. You'll be back.