That Resonant Zing, Part 1
As you sing, do you ever get the feeling that your sound goes out about three feet and disappears? Have you ever sung (unmiked) in a large space, and someone told you afterward that they couldn’t hear you?
Several factors could be at play, from the reflective (or non-reflective) quality of the room, to how loud you’re singing, to how well you’re getting your consonants Out There, to one of a number of elements in tone production inside your body.
One of those latter elements is often called an “inner smile” or “inner snarl.” It requires pulling to attention those muscles on either side of your face between your eyes and your mouth. They stretch upward and to the side just a bit.
Supermodels use the same technique to make their faces look more alert, more intense, more dynamic than a face that is totally relaxed. Often it helps to locate the muscles above and slightly behind your ears — the same ones you would use to wiggle (or just move) your ears. Again, try to pull them upward a bit and toward the back of your head.
As you sing with both sets of muscles fully engaged, direct your sound forward toward that Inner Smile area. This will help employ the nasal cavities there as additional resonators.
There are times — in a gentle lullaby or lush lovesong, for example — you may not want to use “The Mask,” as it’s also called. But any time you need that extra zing, that brilliant resonance that stands people’s armhairs on end, invite all those facial and scalp muscles to the party!
Stellar examples: Sam Harris, Liza Minnelli, Josh Groban, Kathleen Battle, Mandy Patinkin.
Singing Diction Tidbits #1
Have you ever noticed? Of all the special events and holidays of the year, more singing surrounds Christmas than any other. As a result, we’ve been really busy in the non-cyber world and are still speeding along piu presto (superfast).
Nevertheless, we want to stay in touch with you and reassure our followers of our commitment to maintain an ongoing dialogue about singing. So until we start answering the questions you asked us about, here’s a tiny trick about some word-ending consonants.
The letter D is what’s called a voiced plosive. Plosives have limited duration and require a miniature burst — or explosion — of air to create them; they include: B, D, G, K, P, and T. (Others like J and Q sort of count, but there are reasons they aren’t included. That’s another topic.)
Unvoiced plosives don’t involve vocal cord vibrations at all. There’s no pitch or tone to a K, P, or T. The rest of the group — B, D, and G — are voiced plosives. Add vocal cord activity to P, and you get B. Get the idea?
One of the worst things to do when you’re singing is to force extra air through a plosive to make sure it’s heard. It will explode … literally … out of the texture of the message, and in most cases it will be a huge distraction. If you’re using a microphone, it can sound like the start of World War III.
The professional secret lies in the shape of the vowel — voiced or unvoiced — inside your mouth as you finish the plosive. You need the smaller, narrower space of an “ih” instead of the more cavernous “uh.” Then you can spend less time and air getting the job done, and yet your ending plosives will be heard more clearly, without anyone having a clue why.
Here’s to passionately sung, beautifully and economically enunciated music. May you and yours find new inspiration and joy from the holidays you hold dear!
May we recommend: Andrea Bocelli, Sting, Tori Amos, Dave Koz (not vocal, but noteworthy), Jessye Norman.
Your Turn: Post Your Questions about Singing
Thanks for coming back! As promised last week, we’re rewarding you with Open Mike Week!
What’s on your mind about singing? What are your most immediate questions about technique, psyche, presentation, repertoire, or anything else relating to the art, science, or philosophy of singing?
Post your questions by clicking the Comment link (at the end of the blue Tag words). We’ll be answering them in the weeks to come.
Here are new releases of well known singers who may help trigger your inquiring mind: Michael Jackson, Danielle De Niese, Susan Boyle, Andrea Bocelli, Paul McCartney.
Quest away, friends! We look forward to your questions and comments.
Secret Paradox of Singing #1
Is it true? Are there paradoxes about the physics of singing? To the uninformed, absolutely! This one usually knocks the mental socks off new singers.
The secret is yours free, if you promise to return and help us out next week … okay, it’s yours anyway, but we really would like you to stop in and help us. We can’t pay you, and you won’t be paying us, but we pledge to make it worth your while in the long run.
So is it a deal?
Here’s the gem: how many amateur singers do you know— maybe including yourself — who tilt their chin up to reach high notes and tuck their chin in or tilt their head downward to reach low notes. That’s exactly backwards.
Honest truth. Vocal cords stretch across the opening leading to the lungs. When singing higher, the cords elongate and become thinner. (There’s more to it, but this is enough for now.)
The secret is that the cords stretch down in front. If you tilt your head back by raising your chin, you counteract a lot of the stretch already in progress, making the cords have to stretch even farther or do some other pretty nifty gymnastics to get you the note you’re wanting. — That leads to a lot of unnecessary fatigue.
Similarly, when singing lower, the vocal cords shorten and get thinner. If you “reach” for the note by dipping your chin, you actually stretch the cords out, once again making it harder on yourself.
So do we tip the chin in the opposite direction? You can if you want — it will save some fatiguing and will make the notes easier to reach. But it’ll confuse the heck out of your audience if you do it often or very far.
Better to keep your chin at a comfortable angle, slightly tipped downward, where you get a sense of your spinal fluid flowing freely up and down the spinal column. You might even feel more energized by it.
One last word: never lock your head in a single position. Tension anywhere in the body is contagious and can affect the flexibility of all the muscles you need for singing. So let your head move naturally but subtly, in response to the words, not the difficulty of the notes.
Think bouyant, think alive, and sing your heart into every note!
Okay, you’ve got the secret. Remember: keep your chin nicely down, and come back next week — promise?
Oh So Good – a Reinvitation to Enhance the Total Singing Experience
After sitting rapt in front of my monitor last night, listening to the online teleconference by über-professionals of presentation and “marketing,” my head spun with new possibilities for connecting with an audience — even bonding — while singing music already designed to stir their souls to new heights and depths of emotions, intimacy, and inspiration!
The online series recommended by November 2nd’s guest editorial had more to do with the art and science of communication than most singers ever dream might be necessary. Truth is, communication is exactly why we raise our voices in melody and words.
Last Thursday’s teleconference panel opened for me greater understanding of choosing music for a concert or recital; of setting the stage (so to speak) in a way that predisposes your listeners to receive what you’re offering; of reaching your audience in ways that subtly increase their connection to you, so they want to follow your career and attend your future events.
We urge you not to let the marketing flavor of the guest editorial sway you from registering — free and without obligation — for the next online teleseminar. You’ll come away with a wealth of ideas to apply to singing well and interfacing more successfully with your listeners. There’s no doubt in my mind that some of your favorite stars, in every realm of the performing arts, have been coached by geniuses such as these – get your free coaching today!
