Who Says That “Mix” Is Dead?

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

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

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

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!

Are you singing with too much breath?

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

There is a delicate balancing act happening in your body while you sing. Your breathing pattern is responding to how you just spent your last breath. This happens automatically and we don’t really need to think about it. Or do we?

Speech Level Singing takes the emphasis off of breathing technique, and puts it at the vocal cord level. The student is encouraged to make “correct” sounds at a volume that is least breathy and most manageable throughout their entire range. I like this approach because singers learn to control the voice throughout both registers at an even volume at the same time. Endurance and strength is built on a foundation of blending and smooth transitioning from the singer’s lowest note to their highest note. This blending (mixing) is a great technique for all genres of music.

Once a singer is mixing, it’s time to step up the workout and maximize effort and balance thoughout the body. The vocal cords are getting a great workout. Now the body needs to learn how to help the vocal cords control breath pressure. The better breath management a singer has, the more control is achievable by the singer.

There are many “visualizations” and exercises that can help a singer with breath control. One easy visualization is the sensation of picking up a suitcase in each hand. Notice how your abdominal muscles and rib cage engage as you “pretend” to do this. Be sure your neck and throat do not engage as well. This body anchor feeling is a great way to understand and sense how the body can help your breath control. Now, sing any vowel on a comfortable pitch without this body anchor, and then again with this body anchor. Did you notice a difference in your tone? Most likely the tone is less breathy with your body anchor (or at least it should be!)

The back, neck and head can also assist in breath management. This sensation is not tense, but simply anchored. In other words, the body, neck and head are engaged and ready to help the vocal cords do their job (which is closure). Be sure to embrace your entire “self” as you sing. There is no need to force the voice to make sounds that don’t happen easily when you are anchored well. Instead, repeat, repeat, repeat with different approaches. Try to take in more breath. Try to anchor more. Did it make a difference? Singing well is very physical………….the trick is putting the “physical” in the correct parts of the body!

The nagging “flip”

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

So this topic comes back and nags me every know and then. Actually, almost everytime I see a musical play.

Doesn’t it bother anyone to listen to a female singer with “two” voices? These singers who have a beautifully developed head voice all the way down to their belly button.

Of course, that’s the problem. The transition into mouth and hard palate resonance and the presence of “twang” just doesn’t happen very well, and these singers are left trying to figure out how to sing the middle notes around their first passagio. They are either yelling at the top of their chest register, or singing in their head voice only.

I’ve said it before….thank goodness I didn’t have singing lessons as a kid….or I could be one of them!

Resonance

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

There are three main areas of resonance for the voice. The chest, the head and what I like to refer to as the middle. This is the mouth (soft and hard palate) and the back of the throat…..also known as the oropharynx.

This resonance happens easiest when you have a balance of chest register and head register (mix). If you are too much in a chest register coordination it is difficult to get this resonance, and same goes with too much of a head voice coordination. A good balance of the two will allow the larynx to adjust for effective middle voice resonance.

Check out this exercise to hear a good example of pharyngeal resonance. When you do the exercise you shouldn’t feel any strain in the throat. Just lift the cheeks slightly, and relax the jaw. http://soundcloud.com/beemusicstudios/the-shouty-singer

Why I Admire Seth Riggs

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Seth Riggs, the man behind the incredible singing technique called Speech Level Singing. Many great singing coaches have learned from his early teachings. Teachers such as Brett Manning (Singing Success), Roger Love (The Perfect Voice), and Roger Burnley (Singing Made Simple) have gone on to create fabulous singing programs in their own right.

What makes this man so incredible is that he realized that many trained singers had a consistent and ongoing problem negotiating the middle of their voice. He realized most trained singers had only a head voice coordination when singing notes below their first passagio, and singers on Broadway would typically “flip” into their chest voice to get their speech-like belt, and end up yelling out the high notes, until they needed to flip back to their head voice coordination to continue on higher pitches.

He also realized that many untrained voices did the exact opposite. These singers would typically sing with a chest voice coordination only, and they usually ended up yelling and splatting on their high notes.

So hooray for Seth Riggs! This man has created a system of scales and awareness that strengthens the middle voice. This is called mixing!

What’s after mixing?

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Once you know you are “mixing” your voice, what is next? Is that all there is? Well, certainly not. Mixing is a good start, however!

The ability to mix your registers and sing well in your middle voice will set you up nicely with the coordination for safe and healthy resonance. But there are other very important factors such as breath control (airflow/volume), tone (vowels), cord closure (consonants), posture, and more to take into account. All these factors need to work in a balanced fashion to achieve good results. When one over-rules the other, the voice (throat) and body will likely try to compensate, thus causing strain.

Here is an exercise that you should do everyday to work your vocal cords in your mix. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTHnsyCEsHk

Let me know how it went for you!

The “Mariah Carey” Voice

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Susan McAllister-Bee

Mariah is a fabulous singer! She can do acrobatics with her voice! She has managed to sing strong and consistently for over two decades while enduring the typical stressful life indicative of a top-selling recording artist in the 21st century.

Even a balanced voice like Mariah Carey’s can run the risk of vocal damage such as nodes and calluses when over-used. No “one” voice is perfect all the time, and no “one” singer will exhibit the same limitations of what can be done with their voice at any given time. Every instrument is unique and different, and will change daily with the conditions that are present at that time.

Does that mean a singer shouldn’t sing or talk when they are not at their absolute best? Well, yes, I suppose it does. But how is that possible? If singing is your living then you have a job to do. How can you possibly stop talking and singing when you feel the slightest problem arising in your voice? You must do your job and that means using your voice.

Bottom line is a singer needs to know their instrument, and how to keep it healthy and working when it needs to. Planning ahead and scheduling time off for recouperating is imperative in this music business. Keeping the body healthy and getting enough sleep is a must. Knowing how to vocalize daily is crucial. Singing is tough business.

That being said, we can’t expect famous singing voices to never show a sign of wear & tear.

And what about the fact that the music business actually puts voices that have a “wear & tear” sound on a pedestal! What is a singer to do?

Self-awareness is key. That is why I teach about the middle voice with special attention to bridging (mixing) at the first passagio. When singers learn how to control their breath, master their natural tone and resonance, and establish their baseline volume, they can avoid many problems that come with over-singing.