Jaime Vendera can break wine
glasses with his raw voice, but the US-based vocal coach doesn't
consider himself special and gives credit to years of hard work for
achieving the unique skill.
"I don't feel special. I have been
taught to do this. One of my friends, Jim Gillette of rock band Nitro,
used to break wine glasses with the help of the amplifier and he was the
one who taught me to do this," Vendera, 42, said.
He has been playing professionally since the age of 16.
Vendera is today a world-famous glass-shattering and voice-strengthening expert, who has an unusual approach to vocal training. His
training allows a singer to unlock his or her voice by creating a
variety of primal sounds and unleash the power of vocal resonance and
projection.
"About 8-10 years ago, he (Gillette) called me and
asked: 'Do you want to be on TV?' I asked him: 'What do you want me to
do'? He said: 'I want you to break wine glasses'," recalled Vendera.
"I
was scared out of my mind because I wasn't special. But he taught me
and I did the show. It was 'Mythbusters' (2005) for the Discovery
Channel. I performed there with other professionals and when the
showmakers measured my voice, it was much louder than other competitors.
"They
said they wanted to see me try and break the wine glass without the
amplifier. So I practiced and I did it. I set the world record. I have
been practicing through a lot of vocal exercises," said Vendera, a
former construction worker.
He said he used to take glasses to his job site and practice there by screaming at them.
Jaime
has now become a professional vocal coach and has been training rockers
Kevin Rudolf, Dream Theater band's James LaBrie, Matt Devine of band
Kill Hannah, Clayton Stroope of band Thriving Ivory among others.
"I'm
also a vocal coach. But glass breaking is fun. I love doing it. I have
done dozens of TV shows. It helps me travel all over the world," he
said.
Vendera will now appear on Discovery Channel's new show -
"Superhuman Showdown" that tracks down individuals with unique
abilities. It goes on air from Monday.
Asked if raising his voice
to higher levels ever had any effect, Vendara said: "When I raise my
voice to higher level to break wine glasses, my vocal chords do swell a
little bit, but it isn't damaging my throat. The voice is perfect.
"I periodically get my vocal chords checked to make sure I haven't damaged my throat. It is working amazing well."
