I wanted to talk about this type of voice, because the configuration to get it isn’t what most people think.
When I have a student trying to sing in this style, I quite often hear a lot pf chest register being yelled at a high pitch that usually sounds dull, painful and, to say the least, quite unpleasant.
It isn’t uncommon for singers to try and duplicate this type of sound with their chest voice…it is however, the wrong approach.
Instead, the singer needs the practise “twang” in the head register. (Try quacking like a duck, or sounding nasty like a witch). You should be able to do this easily without any constriction or tightening in the throat. What usually happens is the head voice is not able to twang easily, and the student will over-compensate with throat muscles. Sometimes the singer will “flip” into falcetto mode.
Both Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have a superb ability to twang in their head register. This gives the listener the illusion of a powerful chest register volume, when in fact, they are not using much chest register at all. They are, in fact, in a middle voice/head register configuration with a lot of twang.
Secondly, the vocal cords are under a great deal of breath pressure. In other words, the singer is able to hold back a lot of breath without flipping to falcetto. This ability allows for great mouth and head resonance and again gives the listener the illusion of great power and volume.
Two singers that come to mind that do sing too high in their chest register at times are Adele and Christine Aguilera. Even though they both sing very differently, they both sing very loud and very high in their low register. Christine Aguilera has only had trouble with this as she has gotten older. Her ability to sing in a loud chest, middle and head voice mode through her entire range when she was younger made her a superstar. She is still a superb singer, but as she gets older her cords have probably thickened from singing so hard in her chest register. Thick folds can make it hard for a singer to ascend into their head register and keep control of their voice.
Do you have any questions or comments? Please leave them here.
Btw,is Adam Lambert also using perfect twang…to give us the illusion of a pulled chest voice….?
Hi Arita, I’m so sorry I didn’t get back to your about your questions and comments. Somehow I missed them!
You are correct!! Adam Lambert is a great example of perfect twang! Twang is a very important component in the equation of great singing! But keep in mind, it is many coordinations working together that create twang. Twang is not one thing. Twang is the end result!
Hi,can u please explain why twang multiplies the resonance…and how is it different from the thin edge co-ordination..?
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!
I enjoyed reading this post. However, my question is first off, can you explain what you mean by thick and thin cords, that concept really isn’t clear to me? Second, since you posted about Carrie Underwood’s voice, I would appreeiate it if you could do a similar post on Hillary Scott’s voice as well as Martina Mcbride and Shania Twain’s. Thanks.
hello!
i’m a big fan of your blog! Have to check often if you put any new article in yet.
I have a request, if you have time, would you please write about Charice Pempengco’s voice too? I’d really like to know more ;D
thanks
Kwan
Good point taken about singing.. Is a must that we singers behave and know how to sing correctlly. Thanks