Hi Jeff, Thanks for writing. Yes, a mixed voice definitely resonates in the throat. If you put your finger on your larynx, you will feel it vibrate. However, the chest voice alone resonates in the throat as well….and this is not mixing….so beware. The true test for mixing is having ability to ascend and descend … Read more
My last post was about the tongue and how it can get in the way when you are singing. When you let your tongue hang out over your bottom lip, it cannot interfere with the back of your throat and stop you from mixing. This is a great way to exercise your voice, although you … Read more
All too often, we as singers forget about the tongue. Yes, the tongue is an important link in our efforts as singers to resonate fully and “get in the mix”. Tongues come in all shapes and sizes, but nonetheless it is BIG. Even small tongues are big. You shouldn’t move your tongue out of the … Read more
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 … Read more
What I’ve always loved about “speech-level” singing is the impact it has on the singer’s chest voice, especially for the ladies. When we sing low notes, it’s relatively easy to use thick folds, and in general we “thin out” as we ascend higher in pitch. The ability to control the thickness of the cords at … Read more
I have a female client who has been training with me for the past year. She has lovely sound. A very pretty voice. However, she is not happy with her sound. She wants to sound more like a radio singer (she names examples likeTaylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Rhianna). This young lady had previous classical … Read more
In my humble opinion, yes. I’ve had teenagers and adults (mostly ladies) who have had years of previous training, come into my studio with very pretty voices. They have perfect diction with clean smooth onsets, optimum posture and breath control. The problem: minimal chest voice and pharyngeal twang. This is not a balanced voice to … Read more
Love ’em, love ’em, love ’em! And you should do ’em, do ’em, do ’em! This is no easy task but it’s a sure fire way to find out if the back of your tongue is getting in the way of mixing from chest to head voice. So, let your tongue hang out…not forced out … Read more
Why do we love Adele’s voice so much? Or Whitney Houston, Celine Dion or Christine Aguilera? Sure, it’s because they exude so much drama and passion when they sing, but how do they do that? The ability to portray what you are feeling in a technically correct way is really what we are talking about … Read more
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 … Read more