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, … 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
So why do all your American Idol favorites sing with huge mouths? Answer: Because the big mouth is directly related to the freedom associated with making sounds found in contemporary styles such as rock, pop, gospel, jazz, musical theatre, country, and even opera! The ability to get great cord closure (to sing high notes with … Read more
Is your speaking voice breathy? Deep? Raspy? Whiny? Twangy? Heady? Throaty? Chesty? Thick? Garbled? Thin? Muddy? Edgy? Mucky? Tight? Loose? High? Low? Brassy? Mellow? Your singing voice starts with your speaking voice. Did you ever wonder how Jamie Vendera can bust a wine glass with his singing voice? Well, have a listen here to his … Read more
For those of you still wondering if you are “mixing” with your head voice resonance, try this. Visualize you are holding a pencil lengthwise between your teeth (or actually put a pencil between your teeth!). Now, direct every note you sing above the pencil line. In other words, “think” your sound into your face. If … Read more
Times have changed, and they are going to continue to change for singers. This is a great thing! Singers now have a choice! Gone are the days when there was one, and only one, way to train the voice. There was traditional voice training, and there was traditional voice training! You could go to university … Read more
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 … Read more