Hello World, Hello Singing Success

I've been thinking about whether or not I should blog. Honestly I'm not very good with words and I don't have much to write about. Luckily I'm trying to change both of those. With a written history of everything I've accomplished here, I'll hopefully accomplish more things. In an effort to fill this blog with enough memories so when I'm old, or 5 years later, whichever comes first, I'll be able to read through everything and remember everything. We are our memories, are we not?

What I've been doing:
There's an audio program called Singing Success by Brett Manning. Its 12 discs featuring analysis, discussion, and explanation of techniques that are supposedly proven to increase range, accuracy, tone, and quality of voice. I've been writing songs for awhile now and my vocal range frustrates me. I'm 6 days into the program, on the second technique disc, and so far I have not noted any remarkable progress. I plan to finish the whole series. Too many times I'll begin something and I won't finish it. Don't be a dilettante, be a closer. The world needs more closers.

My singing faults:
is not full sounding
lack stamina
insufficient vocal range
inability to bridge the gap, or break, in my vocal range
uneven sound

My natural range is lower than most people's, this is bad, because its harder for me to sing popular songs, and if I write popular songs, harder for people to sing along.

Lesson 1:
Objectives:

1. Develop consistent and evenly produced vocal sounds
2. erase the breaks
3. extend the vocal range
4. alleviate tension caused by trying to reach high notes

Techniques:

1. Warm up - humming on a 5 tone scale
2. Lip rolls on a 5 tone scale. (Sounds like a man going "brrr" in winter, but with a dopey umph undertone)
3. Lip rolls on an arpeggio scale
4. Tongue trills on a 5 tone scale (sounds like rolling your r's)
5. Tongue trills on an arpeggio scale
6. Nay nay nay on an arpeggio scale, really whiny like a child crying "wah." The crying sound keeps the vocal chords together through the break. Thinning out your chest voice to meet your head voice

I have the most difficulty with excercise 6. I feel as though I keep going into my falsetto, or I keep pulling up chest and I never get into head voice