Dena Murray

I have been teaching Vocal Technique for singers for over 25 years. I spent 12 years as head of vocal technique for the vocal department at the Musicians Institute In Hollywood, CA from 1994 - 2006. I have written three books. My first book, "Vocal Technique: A Guide to Finding Your Real Voice" was a Musicians Institute Press book that was published by Hal Leonard Corp. in 2002. I wrote this book as if the computer was my student. My personality and humor is evident throughout the book. It's a very easy read. The first exercise in this book is one that many pros and colleagues love and use all the time for warm up. One of the best reviews I ever got about this book was from a magazine that said it was like "carrying around your best friend", and that is how I approached the writing of it. To this day it is still my best selling book.

My second book, "Advanced Vocal Technique" was co-written by Tita Hutchison. This is an in depth analytical book on all the feelings and sensations for placement, bridging the voice, and different styles of singing. There are a lot of exercises in this book and they are especially good for bridging the voice. Tita is an expert with styles. She is an in-demand working pro, and that section of the book is totally hers. I myself learned a lot from that section.

My last book," Vocal Strength and Power", is a culmination of all my years of experience with Vocal Technique and contains two little known secrets to the art of breath technique. It is all in the inhale. If you do not take your breath in properly, you will find yourself struggling to manage, manipulate, and control your air and sound. This book teaches you how to take the air in properly and leads to a much easier way to sing. It also offers techniques on how to keep the throat open as well as how to get into the emotional content and story of a song.

When I decided to tackle the subject of breath technique, my idea about the inhale was only a theory. 5 of my students were willing to become my guinea pigs for testing this theory out. Those students, and what happened with their voices as a result, was all the proof I needed to write this book. I am forever grateful to them.

I hope that as you continue on your journey to finding your real voice, that one, or all of these books, prove to be as helpful to you as they have been to so many others.