September’s Backstage Pass

THE VOICECONNECTION

Welcome to the very first issue of The Voice Connection! I wanted to create a place where I could connect with singers beyond social media and share the things I’m working on, the tools I’m using, and a few ideas that might actually help you become a better, stronger, and healthier singer.

Each month, I’ll bring you a new vocal hack, updates on what I’m doing, music I’m recording, new books and projects, special DOCTORVOX deals, upcoming events, and a few stories from behind the scenes. My goal is simple: give you something useful, keep you inspired, and hopefully make you feel a little more connected to this crazy world of singing. Thanks for being here, and welcome to The Voice Connection.

This Month’s Vocal Hack

The Hourly DOCTORVOX Reset

Your first vocal hack involves the DOCTORVOX. If you do not already have one, you can pick one up at DoctorVox.shop. While you are waiting for it to arrive, you can use a smoothie straw instead. I use this simple hack with singers who want to keep their voices balanced throughout the day, and it can be especially effective for singers who have dealt with vocal issues and need to reset and rebalance their voices regularly.

Set eight to ten hourly alarms on your phone. I do not care when you begin. You could start at 7:00 a.m. and continue at 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, and so on. However, you will also need a second alarm one minute after each hourly alarm, such as 7:01, 8:01, 9:01, and 10:01. When the first alarm sounds, vocalize through your VOX for 60 seconds. When the second alarm sounds, stop. Repeat this process eight to ten times throughout the day.

You can sustain any comfortable note or gently slide up and down through your range. This exercise is not about extending your range or reaching a particular pitch, so do not force anything. Allow your voice to float wherever it comfortably wants to go. If your voice frequently feels off, certain notes aren't coming out, or you are constantly hoarse, these short vocal resets can help restore balance and coordination so your voice can function closer to its maximum potential.

Where’s Jaime?

Hey, gang! There is not much to report on the touring front, and I have not done television in quite a while, which has been my choice. Getting a piece of glass stuck in your throat tends to make you reconsider doing silly things for television. Instead, I have been focused on rebuilding an older app of mine called Tuned XD. It was a vocal-training app, but it never quite lived up to what I wanted.

Thankfully, we now have a completely redesigned version called Vocal Strength Trainer, thanks to my student and now coaching partner, Ryan Wall, owner of the online school, Endless Vocals (endlessvocals.com). This app includes everything you need to train with my methodology, including my warm-ups, ISO exercises, singing to meet the 2/3 Rule, Vocal Stress Release, Vocal Stage Prep, the Ultimate Breathing Workout, Tabata Breathing, a stopwatch, timer, pitch wheel, metronome, dB meter, scaler builder, and even little wine glasses you can shatter to improve your pitch accuracy.

It's currently available for iOS, and we are already working on the Android version. So, check it out at vocalstrengthtrainer.comas well as in the App Store.

Other than that, I've been busy recording songs for future workshops. These recordings will give singers a taste of the material they may hear live, while also allowing me to break down how vocal technique, stage performance, and harmony blending are applied within an actual song. I’m working toward getting back on the road and teaching live workshops again, and I'm excited to bring more real-world performance training into those events.

Now Playing

Hello, singers! If you are putting your trust in me as a coach, you probably want to know that I still sing and do not just teach voice. For those of you who know my story, the last decade has been difficult. I’ve been dealing with laryngeal nerve damage caused by a freak accident involving a wine glass. After years of searching, I have finally found the right team of doctors. Surgery is too risky and would likely create more scar tissue, so we have been carefully working through therapy to break up the existing scar tissue and reduce the cyst that formed where the glass became lodged. I have also reluctantly agreed to begin taking medication to help calm the nerve pain and sensitivity.

This combination has allowed me to start singing again, and I am incredibly grateful for that. So, stay tuned for more Vendera & Stith originals. In the meantime, I have started a trio called VSE with Scott Stith on guitar and vocals and Tyler Evans on percussion and vocals. Most people assume VSE stands for Vendera, Stith, and Evans. However, that may not be the case. It could stand for Vocal Solo Ensemble or perhaps Very Stupid Earthlings. We may never reveal the truth, ha ha!

For our first release, we recorded a cover of Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire.” Check it out at https://youtu.be/Q5PLwYd1hkg?is=b9DdDSqpNoAz-yT9. If you follow me on YouTube and browse through my playlists, you will find a mix of old performances and brand-new material. I am also working on releasing these recordings on Spotify. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter of my musical journey, because after ten years of fighting to get my voice back, it finally feels great to hit “play” again.

Fresh Off the Press

If you are reading this newsletter, it means you are on my mailing list, which also means you received a free copy of my e-book, Can I Really Sing Higher? This year, I revised that book along with its companion, Can I Really Sing with a Cold? I’ve also released two brand-new books on songwriting: Lyric Lab, which focuses on writing stronger lyrics, and Super Simple Songwriting, which walks you through building the actual song. I’m super proud of these books. And wait till you see the interior design.

My Publishing partner, Karisa DeLay, has handled cover and interior design for these books. I wanted them to be similar to comic books or graphic novels for all the future vocal books we're working on. And I believe she knocked it out of the ballpark.

I've always been a very organic songwriter, and over the past few decades, I have helped hundreds of singers fine-tune their original music. Sometimes that means finishing or rewriting lyrics, changing a chord progression, strengthening a chorus, adding a bridge, or hearing a piano part that the artist never imagined for the song. I've done all of this as a song editor rather than a co-writer, and I never take publishing credit for work we do during a voice lesson.

Many of my students have asked how I can come up with new chord progressions so quickly, reshape a lyric, or hear an arrangement that is not there yet. These two books go hand in hand and show you exactly how I approach that process, from the first lyric idea to a finished song that feels complete.

You can see them (and all my other titles) at https://www.jaimevendera.com/e-books

or get them for Kindle at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HC9VZ1DG?binding=kindle_edition&qid=1787567898&sr=8-2&ref=dbs_dp_awt_sb_pc_tkin

And wait, there’s more;) What happens when a singer who has spent his life on stages, in studios, breaking glasses, writing books, and generally making too much noise teams up with a killer T-shirt designer? Rock & Roadie Shirt Co. happens.

I’ve teamed up with my longtime T-shirt designer Sean Daniel to launch RockandRoadie a new home for shirts inspired by the wonderfully strange world of Jaime Vendera. We’ll be rolling out designs connected to the music, the voice, the glass-shattering madness, inside jokes, rock culture, and plenty of things that probably shouldn’t exist on a T-shirt… but absolutely should.

This is just the beginning. New designs will keep dropping, so turn it up and wear it loud at RockAndRoadie.com.

This Month’s Deals

To celebrate the launch of The Voice Connection, I reached out to my partners at DOCTORVOX and said, “Why don’t we give singers a break?” So, now you can receive 20% off every order through September 10th when you use the discount code: THEVOICECONNECTION at checkout

This is a great opportunity to stock up on your favorite DOCTORVOX products. If your preferred color is temporarily unavailable, please bear with us while our partners work hard to keep up with demand and streamline production. You could always do what I have done and start collecting every color, ha ha! Don’t worry, though, because I will be bringing you more special offers and discounts in future issues..

Upcoming Events

While my calendar is relatively quiet at the moment, that is beginning to change. I'm currently working on putting together future vocal workshops and live events, and I hope to announce dates in the coming months. After spending the past several years focusing on my health and rebuilding my voice, I'm excited about the possibility of getting back in front of singers again.

If you’ve ever wanted to train with me in person, keep an eye on this section of The Voice Connection. When workshops, appearances, and special events are announced, newsletter subscribers will be among the first to know.

Off the Record

People often ask me what I would have done if I had not become a vocal coach. The truth is, I have no idea. Ever since I was a kid, I have been obsessed with music. I was the guy wearing out cassette tapes, rewinding songs until the tape stretched, and trying to figure out why certain singers could make me feel something with a single note.

These days, I still spend a lot of my time doing the same things, just with a little more gray in my beard. I collect records, write books, tinker with keyboards, and chase ideas that keep me awake at two in the morning. My wife has learned that if I suddenly disappear into another room, there is a good chance I have either written a new chapter, come up with a new vocal exercise, or convinced myself that I need one more synthesizer.

Life has a funny way of changing your plans. Twelve years ago, I never imagined I would be fighting to get my voice back. Yet here I am, singing again, writing again, and connecting with all of you through this newsletter. I suppose that is the lesson: life rarely goes according to plan, but if you stay in the game long enough, sometimes it gives you an even better story to tell.

See you next month,

Jaime Vendera