Tag Archives: voice

It’s an illusion

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Don’t be deceived about the “size” of commercial voices you hear on recordings. They are sometimes produced in the studio to sound big and thick and bright. If you heard these singers in your average-size living room, you may be shocked to realize they sound nothing like they do on recordings.

This is, in fact, part of the perception problem that happens when we try to copy some of our favourite singers.  We try to mimic what we think is the singer’s vocal power, when it is actually an illusion of power created in the studio with amplification and effects. Even on our favourite shows like American Idol and The Voice, there is tons of reverb, delay and EQ effect added to a singer’s voice to make it sound “larger” than it really is.

What makes a great “big” voice is a singer’s ability to control their voice during register shifts, changes in volume, and use of correct resonators. These things can only be done well when a singer’s larynx and vocal cords are in good shape. These abilities have nothing to do with whether a voice is actually “big” or not.  (A big voice is when a person is loud when they are talking … not just singing … and this usually means they have thick vocal cord).

Amplify a voice that has great control of the above qualities, and you get one heck of an awesome voice. And yes, this voice can be “big”.

 

 

Broadway singers must demonstrate belt

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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.

Laryngeal rise versus laryngeal tilt………

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There’s a big difference between the larynx rising and the larynx tilting.

Too much raising of the larynx will only cause you grief. You are basically choking yourself into a squeezed sound with nowhere to resonate.

Tilting the larynx, on the other hand, will allow you to sing in your high register because the cords are being stretched and thinned. Good tilting will actually give the listener the illusion of thicker cords (chest voice).

One of the best exercises for laryngeal tilt is the ‘ng’ sound. Say the word ‘sing’. See how the tongue touches the roof of your mouth. Leave it there. The ‘ng’ will block off sound leaving the mouth. With two fingers, plug your nose to see if you are doing it correctly…. the sound should stop completely.

Now practise this through the break in your voice. Ladies from middle C to high C……..men from A below middle C to A above middle C.

If you can make this sound smooth and consistently through your entire range then the larynx is tilting well!

***Note, the upper range will feel and sound like a whine or whimper. This is necessary to keep the cords closed while ascending.

The voices of Carrie Underwood, Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Steven Tyler, John Mayer

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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!

Do you like this post? Why not leave me a message below!

How should I train my voice?

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So I’ve been jogging lately to get in better shape and stay healthy.

The first time around in my neighorhood is my warm-up. I start out walking at a medium pace and by the end of the round I’m ready to step it up.

The second round I’m jogging. I set a pace that has me breathing in a rhythmic pattern that I know I can endure to the next round.

By round three I’m feeling tired. I’ve reached my peak and my technique is starting to fail. I go back to walking the rest of the way home.

Why am I telling you this? Because this is a good way to train your voice.

First round is your warm-up. Second round is your work-out. Third round is your warm-down.

How long each round is can vary, and what you do each round can vary. For me, lip rolls and sirens through my entire range is both my warm-up and warm-down. My work-out is my longest round, but that’s because I’m in good shape (vocally that is, certainly not jogging!)  You may find you spend most of your time in the warm-up, and your round two of working intensely is for only a short time. That’s OK. Being a vocal athelete takes time, commitment and training….regular training, every day.

Ladies, this one’s for you

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The female voice has so much potential. Typically our range extends much farther than the male voice, and because of this fact, the first passagio (or your break) can really feel like it divides your voice in two.

Men don’t have to deal with the same sensations at the first bridge. As the male voice drops after puberty, it is usually clear to them what their “chest voice” is. Then the challenge is usually how to negotiate their register shift so they can sing higher. Without the ability to thin out their vocal cords (mix) as they ascend, they may feel strain,  or they may “flip” into falcetto. There are many great exercises available to singers who want to increase their range from their chest voice up.

However, ladies…..your scenerio can be much different.

Quite often vocal training for ladies starts with focus above the first bridge (rather than in the chest voice which is below the first bridge). In other words, from about E above middle C to F or G above high C.  This is  a common range when working with female voices in a choir. Your first bridge is around A or B above middle C and your second bridge starts around E flat. Notice that this range of pitch encompasses TWO passagios. Included with this traditional approach  is the purity of Italian-formed vowels and a low tongue (open throat).

What you might notice is songs requiring you to sing below middle C are breathy or light. Or, you might notice that some songs have the sensation of singing from the bottom and going up……..while other songs have you feeling like you are singing from the top and going down…..giving you the impression of two different voices; a low voice for low songs, and a high voice for higher-pitched songs. Does this ring true for any of you?

I draw attention to this because knowing how to negotiate the first passagio from the bottom up is important when singing certain styles of music including pop, musical theatre, gospel and R&B. Working from the bottom up will usually have you using less air, and work muscles that require the larynx to tilt as you sing higher, which in turns will let you move through your passagio without flipping into your “other” voice.

Do you experience this? If so, please leave a comment. Tell me what it feels like and how you handle this break in your voice. Susan

 

More on Belting

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So, I used my cricoid muscle extensively on Saturday night. Yes, I was more shoutier than usual. Since my workshop a couple of weeks ago, I have been revisiting some of my repertoire in a beltier way. This is similar to the way I sang about ten years ago, but also much different. Yes, this time was much different. It was interesting to see how the audience reacted. I had one gentleman come and ask me if I had ever sang opera. He said that my voice reminded him of many textures…many subtleties.  The audience definitely seemed engaged in a different way…..or maybe it was just me….knowing that I was singing more on the edge….the edge of right and wrong….the edge of freedom.

What has changed?  Quite a few things. Knowledge is power.  For one thing I made sure the mic stand was a little higher, and the microphone was angled slightly downward so that I could tilt my head back for the belt. (I don’t hold the mic because I am playing keyboard).  I would usually do this angle with my head anyway, but now I know why I’m doing it and why the placement of the microphone is so important. I notice that it indeed is necessary to free the voice from constriction. My soft palate was raised as high as it could go. My tongue was well placed and my mouth was big. My body was engaged like at no other time in the song…..yes, that feeling of certainty and strength is a familiar posture that keeps me aligned with the phrases and momentum of the music.

I experienced no hoarseness, no raspiness, no uncertainty. I experienced the maximum energy my body and voice had to give that evening. I experienced an audience who reciprocated with applause and awe. I experienced a sensation of total release and freedom. I experienced the ability to be able to do it again tomorrow.

 

Let’s talk Justin Bieber’s voice

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I can’t diss this young man. After all, he grew up in my province of Ontario!

My concern is the care and development of his voice, now that his voice is changing. I heard him on The Voice recently, and I wasn’t all that impressed. The middle voice didn’t sound “easy” and effortless, and he was reaching for his high notes.

I do believe he has the potential, but I’m not sure that he is getting the vocal support he needs at this stage in his career. He needs to be vocalizing everyday through his entire register. Otherwise, vocally he will be out of shape, and he will suffer by having to reach and strain for his high notes…in other words… his larynx will rise. If his larynx is rising then he will likely face troubles such as hoarseness and laryngitis.  In the studio, miracles can be done…..so that doesn’t count. He will sound great in the studio. Live performance is the only indicator that will tell us whether Bieber is mixing well enough when he sings.

Time will tell……….

The “Mariah Carey” Voice

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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.

 

Ladies, I’ve been there!

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While growing up in my small town, I always sang in the church choir. And, there was the school choir as well. I was considered an alto because I couldn’t reach notes as high as some of the other girls.

When I was 12, I think, my favourite artist was Olivia Newton-John. If any of you remember her when she had hits on the radio in the 70’s then you can likely guess how old I am!  Other favourites at the time were Helen Reddy and Anne Murray. I also loved The Captain and Tenille and Linda Ronstadt. Oh, and how can I forget The Carpenters! Oh yes, they were my absolute favourite!

So, during the day I was a choir singer and at night I was a pop singer! It didn’t take me long to start noticing that I was singing two different ways with two different voices! I went on doing this for years!

I joined a band when I was 16 and we toured around the towns in my local province. At times I would have trouble hitting the high notes the way I wanted to, and sometimes it would be so difficult that I would go hoarse, or actually lose my voice, by the end of the night.

This never happened when I was using my “other” voice. You know, the voice I saved for Sunday and the school choir.

In my 20’s and 30’s I took loads of singing lessons from a variety of teachers. I went on to achieve my Western Conservatory grades. You know, the songs where you sing in every language but your own. I was still rocking out on the weekends with my band. It was a bizzare thing to be singing with two different voices in the same day. I still hadn’t found my true voice.

It wasn’t until I was almost 40 when I ordered an online singing product written by Seth Riggs. OMG, is all I can say! I did these exercises every day and my voice blossomed. No longer did I have two voices but one voice that extended from the bottom of my range to the top of my range. And guess what? My bottom note extended down to E below middle C, and my top note extended to C above high C! I had never before even made a noise on these notes!

The rest is history. I have continued to study and train my voice, as well as helped 100’s of students here in my studio.

I’m in the process of putting singing exercises online at www.soundcloud.com. Keep an eye there for useful exercises that will help your voice gain strength, endurance and power. Please let me know if you have any questions! Susan