Singing well is a balancing act.
Is your pendulum leaning to chest resonance or head resonance.
Or, is your pendulum nicely balanced in the middle with a nice balance of “split” resonance.
Mixed resonance
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Category Archives: Singing Instruction
Mix comes in many colors and textures…..
Adding color and texture to the voice is a sure-fire way to add life to your singing. The best way to get full control over texture and color is to master control over your breath. The best way to get control over your breath is to master good cord closure. The best way to get good cord closure is to do your exercises every day!
Knowing your “unique” voice
One of the best things you can do as a singer is know your voice. Know your strengths; know your weaknesses. These two key points will save you time and anguish as you strive to sing your very best. That being said, we are talking about knowing YOUR unique voice. Not the voice you are trying to emulate. Not the voice you would like to have. Simply, your voice. The one you were born with that has developed day after day leading up to today. The natural voice you have this very minute.
This is the voice you need to know and love. If you embrace “YOUR” voice, then you have the best chance of improving your singing. It is never a good idea to “copy” another voice in terms of duplicating sound. However, there can be a lot to learn by listening to the intricate way singers make sound. But that comes with experience and knowledge.
Types of voices:
1. Breathy.
2. Non-breathy.
3. Thick folds.
4. Thin folds.
These
The voices of Carrie Underwood, Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Steven Tyler, John Mayer
Chest voice and head voice are terms for describing where the sound resonates in your body when you sing. In other words, the sound timbre or “color” of a voice quality at a certain pitch. Singing teachers have argued for centuries over these concepts, and continue to do so.
Most singers have experienced these sensations, and know what true chest voice and head voice feel like. Singers usually recognize they feel very different. To some singing teachers, this is how the voice is taught. They teach you to sing in one register or the other.
With Speech Level Singing, and here at Bee Music Studios, students learn how to sing throughout their entire range while negotiating the transition from their chest voice to their head voice. This is called mixing. Singing in a mixed voice means the singer has the ability to maximize their chest resonance on low notes and head voice on high notes.
At Bee Music Studios we take mixing a step further. Once a singer can ascend and descend throughout their entire range with ease, a singer can learn how to maximize the “illusion” of chest voice on high notes. This is a voice quality frequently heard in rock, pop, country, R&B and opera! (Just listen to Pavarotti). This illusion is created when the thyroid cartilage in the larynx tilts forward. Tilting of the thyroid cartilage causes the vocal cords to thin and stretch. This is a very healthy way to sing high notes.
Some singers can actually tilt their cartilage and sing with thick folds. This is not recommended for amateurs, and in fact, takes a great deal of self awareness to achieve this balance without vocal trauma.
Here is a link to Carrie Underwood who does a fabulous job of singing with thick folds and a tilted cartilage. She can manage this because she has great breath control and self awareness. Notice the chin rising for the belt notes. There are other coordinations going on as well here, but that’s for another post! The action really happens at the one minute mark. (FYI Kelly Clarkson is a master of this as well).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvTwFl6OIAk
So what’s the difference between Adele’s voice and Carrie Underwood’s voice?
The issue with Adele’s voice is too much air passing through the vocal cords on high notes. This can be damaging to the vocal cords.
Adele’s voice is “chestier” and that’s why we love it! She has a lot of breath escaping and that adds character to her sultry, smoky voice. The problem is, all this breath passing through the cords can cause havoc to a singer’s vocal cords when trying to reach high notes. The more air coming through the vocal cords, the harder it is to control. Maybe with more tilting of the cartilage, Adele can still achieve the sound we love to hear, without all the breath.
This is a prime reason why John Mayer has already had trouble with his voice, and yet Steven Tyler continues to scream regularly with no issues whatsoever after 40 years!
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Why not give it a “cry”
This amazing little coordination can do wonders for your voice. You will notice that if your habit is to sing too loud, it will automatically take you back to a volume where you can manage this sensation. What sensation you say? The sensation of a cry…..or a moan…..or a sob……or all three!
First, the “cry” is doing something very helpful to the vocal folds by “thinning” and “stretching” them. It is helpful to be able to control your air through this vocal cord set up because you helps you sing higher pitches without flipping into falcetto. You can also get this sensation by doing a high pitch puppy dog whimper.
Second, add the “moan” or “groan” sensation with the “cry” and you get the added benefit of keeping a neutral larynx. Sometimes the “cry” sound makes you raise your larynx too much, which can block the sound and create tension and tightness in the throat. This is not ideal. Instead, try an even balance of the “cry” with a “moan” or “sob” feeling. This is a great way to learn how to sing higher in your mix. Don’t push it. Feel the balance and practise at a volume that you can manage through your entire range.
Questions? Why not drop me a line!
Who Says That “Mix” Is Dead?
I’ve heard it said that “mix” is dead.
I beg to differ. In my world mix is alive and well.
The term “mix” stems from the speech level singing technique. It’s not some new-found idea for learning how to sing, it’s simply a way of describing balance of resonance when you sing.
Singing in the mix simply means you have the ability to allow the shift of resonance from your “chest voice” to your “head voice” while ascending (and descending) through your entire range.
You can think of mixing as simply allowing the voice to freely move throughout each register….and especially being free in the “middle voice”. This is where register changes (gear shifts) can sometimes cause havoc to a singer. Learning how to control these register shifts simply means you can “sing in your mix”.
Questions? Are you finding your mix?
Easier way to access your mix
With speech level singing, one of the main directives is to sing in your mix. Your mixed voice is simply the ability to sing from the bottom of your range to the top of your range without flipping, without raising your larynx, without shouting, and without laryngeal constriction.
There are some sounds that set you up nicely for finding your mix. Try this. Make a puppy dog whimpering sound, or a small child whining sound. This will stretch the vocal cords by tilting the thyroid cartilage forward. Move this sound up slowly into higher pitches. It may feel as though you are still in your chest voice because the cords are not necessarily thinning (although they may thin as well), but they are stretching. This is a necessary set up to get “in the mix”. If you have trouble doing this (because you feel your throat tighten up), then add the feeling of a moan or a groan. Think and say to yourself “oh, poor me” in a whiny higher pitched voice 🙁
Don’t do this loud. Don’t sing it…it’s simply a sound. This coordination will help tilt the cartilage which helps you achieve higher notes. This is the mix. This is stretching the vocal cords.
There is the risk of false cord constriction when making these whining sounds. That’s why you need to practise at a medium volume that matches the volume of your speaking voice. If you find yourself getting louder as you get higher, then stay in the range where the volume is maintained.
You need to visit these sounds everyday! The laryngeal muscles will learn new movements but you need to take it one baby step at a time. If you force the sounds then you are using different muscles, and that isn’t achieving a good mix!
Try it! Questions? Let me know how it goes!
Good technique starts where you speak
Are you aware of your vocal habits? Do you have a breathy speaking voice? Is your voice too loud, too soft? Do you speak with a monotone sound that isn’t very interesting?
Take the time and analyze your speaking voice. This is a great precursor to singing well.
Being self aware of how your voice “feels” can help you achieve ideal changes…..changes that happen one little step at a time.
Taking your speaking voice to the next level means knowing your default and working on the opposite to achieve balance.
If your voice is breathy, try focusing on your consonants with good enunciation. Put your effort into defining your words and using your entire self to articulate. Stand tall and strong. Be confident. Take charge.
If your voice is loud there could be a few reasons. Being reasonably loud is a good thing. Being too loud and breathy can be problem.
Try forming your sentences with a more sing-song like approach. In other words, vary the ups and downs of the pitches you are speaking on. This is a great approach for all voices. Remember to enunciate well and articulate your consonants with precision. Being self aware is the first step to controlling your speaking voice. Don’t let your words simply “fall” out of your mouth. Take the time to control the flow and manage the small pitch changes in your voice. This adds interest to your speaking voice. It’s a great way to draw attention and make people listen.
Take note of how you shout, yell and cheer. Careful here….bad habits can take over. Here is a great time to use a more sing-song like approach to your voice. A slightly higher pitch will possibly stop you from releasing so much air when you yell and speak. Consider if you were in a loud environment and you wanted to tell your friend something funny but you didn’t want anyone else to hear you. Notice your body energy that you are using to keep your voice controlled so no one else can hear you.
A great exercise for all speaking voices is the word “goog”. It’s a bit of a tongue twister for some people, and that’s another reason why it’s such a good exercise. Say it up and down through your entire range. Pretend you are a little baby or a cartoon character, or an annoying bratty child. Replace all the words in your favourite song with the word “goog”. Do you notice the edge, clarity and precision to the sound? If so, then you are doing it correctly. If you can’t determine if you doing it correctly to get the preciseness of the sound, then do it over again a little quieter but with the same intensity (enunciate well and focus on the “g”). But, never whisper! Whispering is not a useful tool for improving the voice. A whispery voice is not a good quiet voice. Instead, use your entire body energy and practise with controlled effort. This will allow you to decrease your volume and maintain your intensity in a healthy.
Have fun and let me know how it goes? Do it consistently every day and you should notice some positive changes in your voice soon!
Changing your sound
There are many variations in sound quality you can make simply by altering the shape of your vocal “tube” or tract.
Your tube is the length and area where your breath passes as it blows through your vocal cords. Moving the “house” or “voice box” gives you many options. Knowing how to move it up or down will instantly change the sound of your voice. When your voice box (larynx) is lower in your throat, you have lengthened your tube creating a darker, more robust sound. Move your larynx up, and you have shortened your tube to create a thinner more piercing sound. The entire voice box can tilt as well.
The tongue, soft palate, and shape of the mouth will give you many vocal colors to play with. When the soft palate is low for instance, the breath may escape through the nose changing the sound. If the tongue is high there is added resistance to the breath creating a pressure change which is essential for the “belt” sound.
These are just a few options that can add texture and interest to your voice.
Mystery of the mixed voice
Mixed voice simply means middle voice. The overlap of the chest resonance and the head resonance.
A great exercise for finding your mix is the cat’s meow sound…….or change it to neow to make it a little easier.
Pay attention to the feel. The “e” should feel near your nose…or your front teeth. The “ow” will follow through with more sound coming out the mouth.
If you feel strain in the throat you can either lower the pitch, or decrease the volume.
Find the spot in your voice where you feel comfortable making this “neow” sound and take the sound higher. Notice I say it is a sound……you are not singing.
Try gliding from a comfortable “neow” into a higher pitch. You should be in a mix if you can do this.
Ladies, aim for G above middle C to the B flat or high C. Men aim for a D above middle C and glide up into the G.
How did it go? Can you do it?