Getting the larynx down

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I love this video. All singers, regardless of the genre they sing, should vocalize at times with a low larynx. Watch the video and copy the instructions given by Cecilia Bartoli`s mother. The ability to maintain the larynx in this position while vocalizing will dramatically improve your overall singing ability.

I know what you might be saying; you don’t like opera, or you don’t like this sound. That doesn’t matter. That isn’t the point. The point is you need to experience and practise singing with a low larynx. Opera belting and rock belting are much closer in coordination that you might ever realize.

However, don`t deliberately depress the tongue. That isn`t necessary. Your throat will be very open and the larynx will be low with the yawn sensation coupled with the correct vowel sound and jaw position. Allow the tongue to just be.

If you are having trouble with this coordination, and you feel yourself fighting to maintain the position when singing, then start by simply making noises in this position. Allow yourself time to feel and learn from this coordination. If you have never done this before, it will feel totally foreign. However, embrace it…..practise it…….learn from it.

Broadway singers must demonstrate belt

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I’ve said before what a tough job it is for female Broadway singers these days. Most casting directors are requiring singers to demonstrate a belt, as well as show a nicely mixed legit voice. Not many auditions require a legit soprano voice anymore. Instead, they are looking for a legit voice that can sing from the bottom up without a break in the middle….a strong chest voice with a mix that can ascend into a belt without flipping.

Where are you going to find your voice teacher?

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

As I have said many times before…I’m glad I didn’t take voice lessons as a teenager!

Why? Because I would have gone to the old lady down the street who directs the church choir….that’s why! There were no other options where I grew up.

And watch out. There are still many more choir-like teachers in your city than teachers of what-I-like-to-call 21st Century Singing teachers.

So, where should you take voice lessons?

First, you need to do your research. Watch out for university trained classical singing teachers if you want to sing R&B or country or pop or rock. This is not an ideal situation. Now that being said, there are some classically trained teachers who do understand a commercially viable sound in chest voice and mix…….but I believe they are few and far between.

Remember, your goal isn’t to blend in with all the other singers……….your goal is to stand out among the other singers!

More on Belting

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Let’s be clear …. belting wrong will hurt, and if it hurts …. stop.

Let’s be clear …. belting CAN be done without harm and without hurting.

Let’s be clear … belting well takes a lot of practise. It is not for amateurs.

There have been singers belting for their entire career with no voice problems whatsoever. The problems come when singers don’t pay attention to the signs and symptoms that their bodies and vocal folds will inevitably give them if they are using poor technique. Poor technique symptoms are: hoarseness, fatigue, laryngitis, cough, tickle and breathiness when singing in head voice (alone). When these symptoms happen you need to refer back to paragraph #1…..stop and practise good technique.

The ability to belt properly can be learned….but not in a short amount of time. One must have great breath control, possess the ability to sing throughout their entire voice register without disconnecting (balance), and be able to keep the soft palate and tongue high enough to allow facial, mouth and head resonance. If you are working hard to keep your larynx down, or your tongue depressed, or the back of your throat open, (many trained singers have been taught this), then you may be working backwards. A contemporary musical theater/pop/rock belt requires your larynx to be neutral to slightly high. (Neutral as in your speech level, and slightly high because the root of the tongue is connected to your larynx. If your tongue is high, and you are projecting into your head register, the larynx is going to tilt and slightly raise. This is perfectly OK and necessary. Note the soft palate is very high, and the jaw and mouth are very open.

Have you noticed that the majority of singers who belt well are untrained. That’s because many singers are taught traits that get in the way of allowing belt to happen. Belting is a very free and expressive feeling…(and did I mention it doesn’t hurt?).

My favourite Broadway belter right now is Lea Michele. Check her out here.
Listen to her happy yell at 1:46. For those of you trying to learn to belt, this yell is something to practise. Note how free you feel when you yell like this. Notice the “cry” in her voice throughout the entire performance. Lea Michele is an Olympic vocal athlete; the creme de la creme. Do not try to match and copy her singing without knowing what you are doing. The ability to sustain a performance like this takes years of training and perfection.

Comments? Questions? Please let me know.

Adele’s new voice – Skyfall

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

If you are working on your chest voice so you can sing more Adele songs, you may be able to access your mix more easily in her latest song Skyfall.

Most of this song is under the first bridge (as are the others). But most importantly, there is no chorus repeatedly using thick folds through the first bridge, like she did in Rolling In the Deep, and others.

Instead, Adele is playing it safe (and so she should so soon after surgery).

The word “tall” in the chorus of Skyfall is a very light mix….she’s definitely holding back here. This part of the chorus could have been bigger. Instead she is using thinner cords with no pushing whatsoever. A beautiful blend.

The first time we hear any belting whatsoever is at the word “heart” at 2:29.

Listen to the “cry” in her voice at 3:43 on the word “stand”. Note her head register in the mix at 4:13 on “let the sky fall”.

The build does start to happen at 4:24 to 4:30. She has saved her chest voice for 4:24 to 4:30. This is the only part in the song where she carries her chest voice up through the bridge with very thick folds and a lot of air pressure. At 4:436 she releases into her head voice for a beautiful exit to her phrase.

Singers, lots to learn here from Adele’s singing……….listen to it again…….and notice.

Comments? Questions? Please leave them here.

How does Jamie Vendera shatter a wine glass?

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Is your speaking voice breathy? Deep? Raspy? Whiny? Twangy? Heady? Throaty? Chesty? Thick? Garbled? Thin? Muddy? Edgy? Mucky? Tight? Loose? High? Low? Brassy? Mellow?

Your singing voice starts with your speaking voice.

Did you ever wonder how Jamie Vendera can bust a wine glass with his singing voice? Well, have a listen here to his speaking voice.
Note the edge and brightness to his sound. He is resonating like crazy while he speaks.

This guy has it all together. He knows the voice inside and out, and his speaking (and singing) voice proves it.

The likely reason his speaking voice is more “defined” and “buzzy” compared to that of Brett Manning, is because he is also a screamer. And, he is obviously able to resonate at a frequency that is able to shatter a wine glass.

There’s good belting….and there’s bad belting

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Bottom line…..good belting doesn’t hurt. It has a sweet edge to the sound. The larynx is tilted allowing the cords to close and stretch while remaining thick.

On the other hand, bad belting is usually pitchy and lacks “emotion”. A bad belt is simply yelling on pitch. There’s nothing musical about yelling on pitch without control that comes with proper belting. When you belt with thyroid tilt and just the right amount of breath pressure and emotion, you get a fabulous sound that you can control from the softest of soft to the loudest of loud.

My favourite theatre belters … Lea Michele http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNHVwwIIJXc

Check out Ted Neeley … watch at 6:00 minutes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rEVwwB3Iw0

Note: He`s over the top here with distortion and extreme sounds….but this man can handle it. I`m sure he has built himself up and saved for this moment of such raw emotion.

Favourite pop singer belters: Adam Lambert and Celine Dion.

Favourite country singer belter: Carrie Underwood. I can`t think of male country belters right now………Hmmmmm, who do you think. Let me know.

Favourite female rock belter: Ann Wilson from Heart

Stay tuned …. more on belting on future blogs:)

Check out Dave Brooks

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

I highly recommend Dave Brooks from Nashville for singing tips. Check him out here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE_yUawJdBU&feature=relmfu

Notice his emphasis on the “sob” and the “whine” to get cord closure. This can’t be stressed enough for commercial “contemporary” style music like country, rock, gospel, pop, and even opera…….yes opera. This coordination will get the cords closed on the attack and keep the larynx “neutral”.

I love his sound at 2:0e minutes. Because he has started with a mid to low larynx, he is achieving a beautiful mix with reasonably thick folds at his 2nd break (A above middle C). This is a coordination used by great country singers as well as opera singers! Note: If he started with a slightly higher larynx, he could still bridge into his 2nd break with a more pop-like or rock sound….. a little thinner with some bite…..again, another fabulous coordination used by singers.

Speech Level Singing versus Estill Voice Technique

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

One of my goals is to share with you the similarities and differences with Speech Level Singing and Estill Voice Technique.

They are both great voice methods, and there is something to be learned from both. In its’ simplest form, SLS is one recipe among the many Estill Voice Technique possibilities.

I love SLS because it balances the voice, which I think is an important element of good singing. What I don’t like about SLS is that it doesn’t allow the commercial singer to learn how to belt or to have more “chest” in the mix. My SLS lessons strengthened the overall balance of both my registers…chest voice and head voice. But, my coach continually had me cutting back on my chest voice in my mix (near high C for instance). I could do this at his request, but it left me wondering where is the “me” in my voice. I needed to “belt” out my high C’s (and I’m in a mix!) when I wanted. I really felt the SLS method let the performer in me “down”.

With Estill voice training, you learn voice qualities….speech, sob, twang, opera, belt, and falcetto. SLS talks about a “neutral” larynx, while Estill recognizes that the larynx moves up and down and tilts according to the sound you want to make.

This is an important point. The larynx can tilt and move up and down safely, depending on the sound you wish to make. SLS leads to confusion about the larynx when they draw so much attention to it remaining “neutral”. The larynx cannot remain neutral in rock singing or musical theatre where the singers needs to give a belt sound (*note: I am not referring to the Estill version of belt here). These sounds can be done with freedom and good technique, but the larynx is slightly raised. Note: that if the larynx is too high, you will not be able to transition well into head voice, therefore, you cannot mix.

But, singers beware. Belting correctly is not easy to do, however, it is possible! Lea Michele (musical theatre), Steven Tyler (rock), and Carrie Underwood (country). All these singers have something in common. They are balanced, and they are able to take their singing voice to the extreme …. called belting.

Belting well simply means a singer is using relatively thick folds, possibly has a sob quality in their voice, and their tongue may be slightly raised (this may alter the vowel sound). Belting requires optimal breath control. In other words, the ability to control the release of breath under great pressure while resonating in both the head voice and chest voice with thick folds. Belting is indeed a great “talent”.

Questions? Comments? Please leave them here.

Sing above the pencil

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

For those of you still wondering if you are “mixing” with your head voice resonance, try this.

Visualize you are holding a pencil lengthwise between your teeth (or actually put a pencil between your teeth!). Now, direct every note you sing above the pencil line. In other words, “think” your sound into your face.

If you are pulling chest, you may notice that it helps you relax in the throat. Indeed, sometimes this is the only thing that needs to change in order to “allow” your head voice to join your chest voice…………Voila! You are mixing!