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Vocal Point
Singing on Your Speaking Level
Nov-01-2000
©2000 iBluegrass.com. All rights reserved.
This month I'd like to share a concept that helped me a great deal in terms of freeing up my voice. Hope you can get something out of it as well.
A fundamental problem that we all experience from time to time is that uncomfortable tightening or tension in the throat that limits range and pinches the tone. To really bring out the beauty and excitement of those high baritone and tenor parts we need a lot of vocal freedom or 'elasticity.' With this in mind I'd like to talk about a very helpful concept we'll refer to as 'singing on the speaking level.'
Let's get right into it:
Finding Your Speaking Level
When we sing, the words should be placed in the front of the mouth where they are when we speak. Speak a few syllables as gently as possible and place them in the front of the mouth. Use the sound meh, meh, meh. Repeat it several times, then find the tone of the note you are speaking on an instrument. (move up and down the scale until you find it). This is your speaking level.
Now let's talk about: Singing On the Speaking Level
Think of some lyrics and gently speak the words forward into the front of the mouth. As you do this you should clearly feel a buzz or humming sensation in your head and chest cavity. This is resonance. This is also your singing tone, so become good friends!
You now have words spoken gently in the front of your mouth and the singing tone resonating in your head and chest cavities (notice how effortlessly you can now produce a tone).
Most of us unconsciously put the words on the notes of the melody line rather than on the speaking level (and find ourselves physically reaching for the high notes or scooping our chins downward for the low). A good trick is to picture the words in a straight line underneath the wavering melody line as in printed music. That straight line represents how the words stay stationary, so to speak, in the front of the mouth.
Lastly, look for the feeling of resonance in the head, above the words, and in the chest, below the words. Now picture this in your mind.
With the words on the speaking level and the singing sound resonating freely in the head and chest, your throat is free from constriction and you are free to beautifully express your song the way you truly feel it!
Good luck! See you next month.
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