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?
The Successful Singing Mindset
A heartily approved guest editorial about the one thing – or maybe 54 things – that may be missing from your successful singing mindset:
When you’re learning How to Sing Well and How to Sing Better, plowing through all the negative thoughts and mental roadblocks can be tough. Sometimes, really tough! So, here is a quick question:
If you could do one thing to permanently instill the mindset of no-limit success into your life, and into your singing practice, what would it be?
Truth is, we know what you’re going through. We’ve all been there. Dismantling negative thoughts and steering past mental roadblocks is tough, and has everything to do with freeing up your inner singer.
Issues and challenging developments will always pop up – things you don’t expect, things that will try to drag you down and crush your dreams. People who don’t have a similar success-oriented mindset simply don’t understand. So when you have detailed questions or need direction, they either hand you a canned response or simply shrug their shoulders and walk away.
But we’ve got good news for you singers and non-singers: We know of some personal development experts who DO understand. They’ve been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt.
In fact, there are 54 of them. All right here, and all waiting to answer your questions.
Inside the League of Extraordinary Minds, you’ll have the opportunity to “virtually consult” with 54 of the world’s foremost personal development, business, and marketing authorities – marketing you can apply to getting your improved voice heard.
During these intense, ultra-focused panel sessions, these experts will address the biggest problems you’re facing in your quest for success, and hand you the breakthrough solutions you’ve been searching for.
People like Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey, Brian Tracy, Michael Gerber, Jay Conrad Levinson, Robert Cialdini and a host of others will be on hand to lend their assistance and guide you toward the winning mindset and lifestyle of your dreams.
Did we mention that it’s FREE?
You read that correctly. For five more weeks, you can be a part of these game-changing online panel sessions. And it won’t cost you a single penny. This free Big Picture training helps build a positive mindset to support all the great tips and techniques we teach.
We can’t stress enough how amazing this opportunity is. You can get the wisdom and expertise you need, directly from the same brilliant minds who have helped to shape the success of billion dollar companies like Microsoft, Google, Coca Cola, Proctor and Gamble, and many, many others.
Those companies put these gurus’ knowledge to work building huge successes. We want to offer this positive support for individuals seeking to develop their own success, to find their voice, and have the confidence to share their talents with others.
Can you think of a better (and easier) way to transform your mind … and your life? Remember, it’s free, with no obligation or spam fallout. Please take a few seconds to check it out.
P.S. With only five sessions to go – all pure platinum – you’ll want to act quickly. The first call with Tony Robbins was so popular. Your window of opportunity is closing fast.
Go here NOW and get registered for these FREE online panel sessions. You’ll thank us and every lucky star you can find.
And be sure to come back and comment on your favorite takeaways, and how they are going to help you Sing Well and Sing Better!
