Does anyone have tips on power vocals?

I sound very airy. How do I develop that "punch" in my voice?

This is my best vocal performance to date:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqIwBkRkB0Q

I think it is still too airy.

To the best of my knowledge, an airy tone arises from either

a) Improper resonance placement

b) Not enough compression,

or both.

Resonance placement is very difficult to explain to others in such a way that they learn it too. I've gone through many different visualizations and imaginary pictures, trying to get it right. At the moment I'm focusing on not feeling anything at all in my throat, which is working well so far. Touch wood.

Compression is, well, pressing the vocal folds into each other. If you fill your lungs with as much air as you can, and then hold your breath, while your stomach is completely relaxed, your compression muscles are what's keeping the air inside you.

Ya feels me, brah?

being able to contract the vocal cords quickly is part of it. This is something that must be practiced and worked up to very slowly, or else you risk damaging your throat. Think of a string that is slack, and then is pulled tight quickly. It gets a "thwack" "twang" going on. When I say contract the vocal cords, I mean go from a lower pitch to a higher pitch.

Say you want so sing a certain note. You could just sing it. Or, you could come up from slightly flat into the note very quickly. This adds a whole boatload of harmonic content.

Again, practice slowly and carefully, doing only a little at a time.

wow. I thought someone else would have chimed in by now.

first, keep in mind that what you hear on an album is different than what you'll hear in a live performance. There is studio wizardry at work. That said, i'd recommend these four things:

1. strengthen your voice. do it slowly. there's no need to hurt yourself. practice changing pitch, and increasing volume. By the way, i know someone in the military who was promoted just because he practiced training his voice every day, and was capable of barking orders more forcefully than anyone else.

2. align your throat, mouth, pharynx, etc. your throat is a tube, of sorts. open up your throat. with practice, find what configuration produces reinforcement of harmonics.

3. look up Diaphragmatic breathing (aka belly breathing). learn it. do it. not just when singing, but always.

4. run the mic into some slight compression.

The "airiness" has a lot to do with the fact that you're wavering off pitch a lot, the two are interrelated.

Work on your pitching FIRST then your "tone" later.

Ideally, when your voice is relaxed and working well efficiently enough to pitch consistantly, tone will kinda fall into place on its own.

Having the lyrics memorized. Tight. The last thing you think about, should be completely auto pilot...

Know how to breathe between words, shouts and screams. If you don't have the air, no one will care.

Have a sufficient supply of your favorite warm beverage on hand to keep the pipes wet...

Timing of phrasing, timing of rhyming and timing of everything is crucial to high impact singin'...

This of course has more to do with the caliber, energy and delivery of the band behind you, if they are tight on or slghtly up tempo the energy level will propel you forward naturally....

I'm serious here: have a couple hot chicks in front of you scantily dressed who you know fairly well cheering you on...pay them if you have to, with blow, drinks or spunk, just make sure they look likey they are diggin' your everyword, it will send your confidence level up to where it needs to be....if I could do live what I can do in a studio with a pair of headphones over a good stereo, I'd be a rich {censored}in' sumbitch...