What is Twang?

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Susan McAllister-Bee

The simplest way to explain twang, is to say that the cords do a remarkable thing when they are aligned correctly. They will stretch and thin because the larynx is tilting. There is a “funnel” created which is like having an extra resonating chamber in your throat. Your voice will “pop”! You can achieve volume without pushing or straining.

The easiest way to achieve this coordination is by imitating sounds. However, too much imitation causes all kinds of problems….so always pay attention to the smallest details.

If you listen to a baby cry, you can hear freedom and release. They are not “pushing” (or they would go hoarse!) They have twang in their voice. Go ahead…no singing, just cry like a baby and take note of what it feels like in the back of your throat!

Now, of course, we don’t want to have to “cry” every time we sing, or do we? Believe it or not, there is an element of “cry” sensation in every great singer’s voice. Try this: I have my students say “mmm, mmm” like something is really yummy. It is just a noise. No singing. There is no sound coming out your mouth. It feels like a buzzy hum. We do this sound in our low voice and carry it up and down our range. Note what it feels like in your throat and on the roof of your mouth at the back where the tongue is touching the soft palate. Be sure to keep it light, at least at first. You need to exercise this sound on the edges of the cords. It may become breathy as you go up in your range. Some singers don’t have the coordination yet to stretch those cords enough so the edges can meet. This is the exercise! Find the spot where you know you are making this sound with good cord closure, and then move one note higher. Do this every day paying attention to this small detail. The cords are small little muscles. If no sound comes out, that’s OK. Take it down one note, and do it again. You are on the right track. DO NOT PUSH. That is only counter-productive.
There are other sounds you can try such as quacking like a duck. Again, please take note that too much quacking will result in constriction! Instead, consider what that feels like in the back of your throat as you do this sound in your low, middle and high range. Keep it light. Constriction is most likely to happen in your high range, so take it easy and pay attention to the “thinner” edges of the sound. Again, it may be breathy…but this means you are on the right track!
I hope this information is helpful! Remember, learning to sing better doesn’t happen overnight so enjoy the journey!

Knowing your instrument

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Susan McAllister-Bee

We know the voice is a delicate little instrument that can easily be damaged when used incorrectly. Did you know the vocal folds (cords) are composed of three elements: muscle, ligament and an outer fleshy mucous membrane. When used correctly, this little instrument can accomplish amazing feats.

We can’t see the cords while we sing, so it’s important to understand the effort needed elsewhere to ensure the cords are being coordinated correctly for great singing. There are several factors involved: Air flow (which is your breath and involves many other factors to do with your body), position of the larynx, and maximizing your resonance. It is the attention to this balancing act that will allow the cords to stretch out, thin out, stiffen, thicken, lengthen and shorten. The control at the vocal cord level should be the goal of every great singer.

What’s your larynx doing?

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Susan McAllister-Bee

There is a lot of information out there about the ideal position of the larynx for singing.

This post is to help shed some light on the “variables” associated with your larynx.

SLS (speech level singing) teaches you that the larynx should remain “stable” or “neutral”.

I’m not a big fan of this description, although I understand why it is described that way. Let me explain.

It is typical for an amateur singer to “reach” for high notes. The sensation of reaching for high notes is a choking or tight feeling in the throat. Basically what is happening here, is the larynx is going too high, and the muscles in the larynx are “gripping”. In these cases, the larynx is not tilting, and the false cords are engaging causing a tight or squeezed sound.

Singers who mix well in their high register are doing so because the laryngeal muscles are able to stretch and thin the vocal cords while the larynx is tilted. A good example of laryngeal tilt is the resonating sound of the puppy dog whimper, or nay, nay, nay in a high mixed voice. You will notice a buzzy, resonating sensation on your upper palate and high up in the back of your mouth. Some people describe it as a nasty or brassy sound.

When a singer is mixing well, the larynx is agile and flexible. The larynx will naturally tilt forward and rise slightly when ascending in pitch, and the larynx will naturally fall back into a more neutral position when descending in pitch.

Questions? Please let me know!

Can You Feel It?

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Susan McAllister-Bee

As a singer it is important to “feel” your voice. It is a true balance of listening while you feel the cords stretching and thinning that will lead you to the next level in strengthening your vocal cords.

I like the “ng” exercise for establishing cord closure above the first passagio. It’s easy to do below your passagio, but as you go higher you may notice a dulling between the first and second passagio.

You can find the “ng” by saying the word “hung” and letting the “ng” continue like a buzzy hum. You should notice no sound coming out the mouth…..only a hum in behind your nose and soft palate area. You may feel it at the back of your upper throat and even in the top of your head…..you should not feel this hum deep in your throat or on your bottom teeth. If you do, then lighten up your “ng”.

Now “siren” this sound through your first passagio without flipping. It’s good to siren both ways….starting on the bottom and going up, as well as starting on the top and sirening down. Men, I would start with A below middle C and siren up to at least A above middle C (without flipping). Ladies, I would siren from middle C to F above high C.

If you feel you are not “mixing” (in other words, it feels and sounds like there is no chest voice in your mix), then start on a lower note, and start from the bottom going up first to establish a good mix.

You may find you need to lower your volume in order to maintain good closure on your high notes, and to stop you from flipping. This is why you need to “feel” your hum.

One more thing…..the larynx will move when you do these sirens….it has to move!! It is going to move up and tilt forward!!

Put your finger on the larynx as you do the sirens. Allow a “whiney-sob” feeling. This will help the larynx tilt as you ascend in pitch.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions below!

Learning how to “cry”

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Are you a cry baby? When was the last time you cried? If you want to learn to sing better, then you need to learn how to cry.

All good singers have a cry in their voice. You might not notice it, but it is there.

Try it. I mean really sob. Not loud…this has nothing to do with the sound…this has everything to do with the sensations you feel in your body.

Notice the ache you feel in the back of your neck. Notice your ribs expand to accommodate your breath. Notice your face and the inside of the back of your mouth lift.

If you don’t notice any of this, then relax and start over. Do not make these things happen, simply engage in the smallness of these facts.

This coordination helps to keep your larynx stable and low, and creates a perfect body support for singing. It also thins out the vocal folds and allows the thyroid cartilage to tilt.

It also creates an easily heard passion in your voice…..and this is why we love to listen to great singers. They are emotionally connected to themselves…to their voice.

The degree of “cry” can be varied. You may hear it a lot in a crooner or jazz singer, or even a country singer. It may be difficult to decipher in a rock singer….but believe me….it is there!

Light and right / Strong and wrong

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Susan McAllister-Bee

If you haven’t already subscribed to the Singing Success channel, you can get to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Iwxsw_PoiD0#!

This is Brett Manning’s most recent video about extending chest voice.

This is such an important video for those of you trying to “belt”. The first and foremost thing you must be able to do before belting, is know that you are mixing!

If you feel a ceiling as you try to sing higher, or if you have to sing louder and push harder to reach higher notes, then you are not mixing well.

Brett talks about a wide open mouth at 1:30. This is essential for safe belting. You must be able to allow the sound to reach the front of the mouth and teeth, as well as ring freely in your head register.

Brett talks a lot about results. There are many factors to extending chest voice in your mix. Here are a few details:

1. Optimum breath control. (Engage your upper abdomen and rib cage area).

2. Keep a stable larynx. (Put a sob or moan in your coordination. This will help keep your larynx from rising).

3. Optimum cord closure. (Initiate your onset with a “cry”. This will help you with cord closure. This sensation is small and light as Brett talks about at 2:00. It is challenging to keep it “light and right”. But, that is your job! That is the exercise!)

3. Optimum thyroid tilt. (The more you “cry” at the onset of cord closure in your upper register, the more your larynx will tilt. This is essential for safe belting).

4. Oral twang. (The ability to say your words in your upper register. This is like sounding like a cartoon character).

Questions? Comments? Please leave them here!

Pharyngeal sounds

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

For those of you familiar with speech level singing exercises, the nasty “nay” sound is probably all-too-familiar. This is a sound that many singers do wrong. The goal here is to feel the resonance behind the cheek bone and nasal area, not in the mouth or at the back of the throat.

In Estill Voice Technique this sound is the schoolyard sing-song taunt. Again, it can be done incorrectly if you are using the wrong coordination.

The challenge is making this sound above the first passagio.

I suggest starting with a puppy dog whimper in your head voice. This will get your cords thinned out. Close your mouth and work this whimper in a hum. Raise your cheeks and think a “cry-like” sound. If you are having trouble, take your volume down to a level where you can manage a simple light coordination of a whimper sound in your head voice. Keep your mouth closed……now you have thin cords. Your larynx may want to rise, and certainly the ideal condition is for it to remain neutral. Take note of this. To counter the raising of the larynx, consider what is going on inside your mouth at the back of your throat. Lift your soft palate as best you can.

I suggest making this your home base. Men, this will be around F or F# above middle C, and ladies, this will be around high C or C#.

Once you can master the puppy dog whimper in your head voice, then you need to work the whimper through the first passagio. For men, you need to master the whimper from F# below middle C to F# above middle C. Ladies, middle C# to high C#. If you feel a “catch” in your voice, then you simply need to do it over and over and over every day until that “catch” evens out. (If you practise everyday, it will eventually even out).

Consider taking the volume down to the point where you can master this. Do the whimper both ascending and descending. You can turn this into a continuous whimper siren if you like. Notice your head voice is clearly present. Try to coordinate a balance that works for you. In other words, the lowest notes are predominantly chest voice and your head voice needs to allow this transition. The high whimper is mostly head voice, so again you need to allow this transition. If you find this challenging, then consider your volume again. There will definitely be a level where you can coordinate this transition. You might not be happy with the sound…..but that doesn’t matter. It’s not about the sound! It’s about the coordination. This is your starting point. Do not increase your volume until you can master this transition of puppy dog whimper through your first passagio.

So, now that you have good cord closure and you are mixing well through your first passagio, you can actually begin to work on your pharyngeal sounds like the nasty “nay” or “meow” sounds.

How to Become A Vocal Athlete

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

To become a better singer, you must simply exercise. You must exercise with correct form and attention to detail. It’s no different than going to the gym to workout your body.

We have all seen people who go to gym and simply go through the motions. Their form is not disciplined, and therefore the correct muscles are not activated when doing the exercise.

This is the same situation when singing. If you are not activating the correct muscles and coordination within the throat and larynx to do the exercise on hand, then you are simply wasting your time. Other muscles are doing the job instead……..and that is what we are trying to change in the first place!

Tilting is good, rising is bad

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

The ability to tilt the larynx happens at the thyroid cartilage and the cricoid cartilage (in the larynx) which are connected at the cricothyroid joint. There is a space in between that can be either open or closed. Tilting happens when the space is closed.

Working on the ‘ng’ sound through your break will work the small muscles that tilt the thyroid cartilage. If you are breathy as you ascend through your bridge, then you need to practise the thyroid tilt daily.

Another great sound that helps tilt is the puppy dog whimper. Again, key is ascending upward through your passagio without getting louder. (Use your breath control and body anchoring from your neck down to try and achieve this sound).

How did it go? Can you do it?

Changing your sound

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

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.