Stop Straining on your Lower Notes
Are you straining on your lower notes? Here’s why and what you can do about it.
Read More7 Tips for a Healthy Voice
Vocal health means taking care of both your physical health and your mental health. And, we all know how quickly things can get out of control.
Read MoreClassical VS Contemporary Singing: What’s the difference?
THIS BLOG HAS BEEN MOVED TO OUR NEW WEBSITE. GO READ IT HERE.
I was a trained classical singer. The thing was, I didn’t want to only sing classical music. I wanted to sing Pop, Blues, Folk, Jazz, Musical Theater, and all kinds of contemporary music. So, I started singing Sarah McLauchlin, Tori Amos, Alannis Morrisette, and Fiona Apple. Yup, it was the 90’s.
As hard as I tried, I couldn’t seem to sound like them with their strong, warm lower voices and their belty middle voices. In fact, my voice would crack quite a lot, I strained on the middle-high notes, and I had NO IDEA how to fix any of it.
But, I didn’t give up. I found the right training, and I reconditioned my voice.
Turns out, now, I help a lot of singers who had classical training. Whether they started in choir, majored in classical voice, or legit musical theater.
If this is you, you can do it. You can learn how to sing in other styles. You can uncover your natural, authentic voice.
Start by learning both the mechanical and stylistic differences.
Classical vs Contemporary: Mechanical and Stylistic Differences
CHEST VOICE
In classical singing, it’s considered garish to use a heavy chest voice in the lower range. This is especially true for sopranos.
This avoidance of being too heavy can lead classical singers to have a tendency to be too light in their chest voice. In other words, they bring too much head voice down into the bottom of their range.
The production of chest voice in contemporary singing is more balanced. It doesn't have too much head voice in it, and it's very much like the speaking voice.
Tip: Try speaking the words first, and then speaking them on the pitch. This will help you find a natural sound that isn’t too different from your speaking voice.
Check out my VoiceTalk blog on chest voice to learn more on how chest voice works.
HEAD VOICE
Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
I often see classical singers reject their head voice when they begin learning to belt. They think that using their head voice is bad because it doesn't sound strong enough. Head voice is NOT bad. If you have a developed head voice, you’re already halfway there.
We need both chest voice and head voice to blend together to produce MIX voice! Check out my blog on Mix Voice HERE!
VIBRATO
Think of vibrato like a texture. It occurs when the voice is in balance.
Classical singers use vibrato on almost every note. In musical theatre, you’ll hear it used in a variety of ways depending on the style and era of the musical. In musical theatre, a sustained note often starts out on a straight tone and then the vibrato comes in at the end of the note.
Pop and contemporary singers use a lot less vibrato than classical styles.
If you use a lot of vibrato, experiment with using no vibrato at all and then add it back sparingly. Listen to other pop and contemporary singers. Notice how much vibrato they are using to give you some inspiration.
ONSETS
The onset is how the vocal cords come together at the initiation of the sound.
Contemporary styles tend to have more edgy onsets. You might hear a pop singer use vocal fry as they begin a note or use a bit more attack at the beginning of the notes.
Classical onsets are very balanced.
A balanced onset is when there is a balance of airflow and muscle when the sound begins. Try saying UH-OH with a very easy spoken way, and see if you can do it with a balanced onset.
A soft onset is when the vocal cords do not have complete closure at the beginning of the onset. This results in a breathy sound like hhhhhhhheeeeeee.
A hard onset (or glottal onset) is when there is when there is an over-compressing of the vocal cords as the sound is initiated. When there is too much muscle and not enough airflow this can cause a pressed phonation. There are varying degrees of this. If the onset is very hard and there is too much attack, over time this can be damaging to the delicate vocal cord tissue.
RESONANCE STRATEGies: CONVERGENT VS DIVERGENT
The vocal tract (the space from the vocal folds to the tip of the lips) is a resonating tube. It refines, shapes, and reinforces the sound wave produced by the vibrating vocal cords.
The vocal tract can have a convergent or divergent shape. This shape is primarily influenced by the way you form your vowels.
Convergent is when there is more space at the back of the throat and less at the opening of the mouth. A classical sound resonates more in the back of the throat versus in the mouth. When that space is bigger, it will boost more of the lower frequencies and less of the upper ones. This gives us that warm round classical sound.
Divergent is when there is less space at the back of the throat and more at the opening of the mouth. A pop or contemporary sound uses a divergent shaped vocal tract. This boosts more of the higher frequencies, producing a more bright, “in your face” kind of sound.
THE LARYNX
The larynx is where the vocal folds reside. If you put your hand on the front of your throat where you feel a small lump, sometimes called the Adam’s Apple. If you swallow, you’ll feel it go up and then back down. If you yawn, you’ll feel it go down.
We want the position of the larynx to be free and neutral so we have a natural sound. We don’t want to purposely depress it or allow it to raise up too much, especially when singing high notes.
The larynx will naturally move up and down depending on where we are in our range and how intensely we are singing.
The larynx usually sits lower in classical singing than it does in contemporary.
Some classical singers overly depress the larynx which darkens the sound. This can make their voice sound manipulated when they go to sing contemporary.
In contemporary styles, you’ll notice the larynx is more neutral or even slightly raised. A raised larynx will shorten the back of the vocal tract. This gives it a more divergent shape and boosts the upper frequencies.
THE SOFT PALATE
The soft palate is the muscular part of the roof of your mouth, behind the hard palate, between the top back teeth. When you yawn, you’ll feel it lift.
Classical singers might lift the soft palate as a resonant strategy to create more space in the back. This gives the vocal tract that more convergent vocal tract shape.
When the soft palate is in an optimal position, it keeps the sound from going nasal. Raising it a lot can move you towards sounding like an opera singer. The shape of your vowels will affect how much the palate raises!
Whichever style you prefer, remember that the end goal is the same for whatever style you choose to sing.
WE WANT:
Communication of emotion and story
Style that feels appropriate for the song
Even tone throughout the range
Healthy technique that allows for vocal longevity
Aaand that’s all for now! Watch me demonstrate these techniques with one of my students, Lisa, an opera singer for 20 years. Check it out here!
Did you learn something new? Let me know in the comments!
WANT TO FIND YOUR CONTEMPORARY SINGING VOICE? BOOK YOUR INTRO LESSON WITH EXPERT VOICE TEACHER ANNIE
Goal setting with Clarity
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When I’ve lost clarity about my goals, or I’m feeling overwhelmed and can’t figure out what I’m supposed to be doing, the first thing I like to do is bake something to clear my head.
I bake with a recipe that gives me clear directions to follow.
How comforting to know that if I follow them well, I’ll (most likely) end up with something good and delicious in the end.
So where do we find a recipe with clear directions for life?
“Just tell me what to do!!!” I have silently screamed (to the heavens, universe, myself, or anyone who is listening).
Well, after I enjoy a warm, soft-on-the-inside, crunchy-on-the-outside chocolate chip zucchini muffin (here’s that recipe), I go through a process that helps me create my own personalized recipe with directions to achieve my goals.
A recipe that directs me, with purpose and meaning.
So, Grab your favorite journal and pen, and let’s hand write our way to clarity.
Creating A Recipe For Life With Goal Setting
Take your time with this process by honestly answering the questions below.
I allow myself to break it up and do it over a few days or so.
These questions will take you through a process of doing an inventory of the recent past, so you can see where you’ve been, figure out where you want to go, and orient yourself towards that vision.
You can decide whether you’d like to look at the last year, the last 6 months or even the last 3 months to do your inventory. Do what feels right for you.
I’ve listed a couple of references at the end of this blog if you’re interested in an even deeper dive into goal setting.
Grab your pen and let’s start writing.
SIX questions to goal clarity for your recipe:
What were your accomplishments? None are too small to acknowledge. What’s working? Consider what actions you want to keep or do more of in your life.
What were your disappointments? Get them all out on paper. Consider what’s not working?What are some actions you can let go of?
What roles do you play in my life and how would you rate my satisfaction with them? Up to 10. (For me these might be something like: Mom, Wife, Homemaker, Family Member, Community Member, CEO, Self-coach, Student, Voice Teacher, Artist)
Which of those roles would you like to see the most progress this year? Choose just one that you’ll prioritize.
What are all the goals you’d like to achieve in each of those roles? Once you’ve made a list of everything you’d like to achieve in each role of your life, and then, narrow that to three per role, starring the ones that make you feel the most excited.
Which 10 goals are your priority? Making sure you keep at least one goal for each role, and keeping in mind which role where you’d like to see the most progress, pick your top 10 goals.
Tips on Choosing your Goals
If you are feeling stuck around what kind of goals to set or how hard they should be, follow these S.M.A.R.T. goal guidelines.
Set S.M.A.R.T Goals
Specific
Narrow it to be specific so you can do effective planning and really envision yourself achieving your goal.
Measurable
How will you measure your progress?
Consider whether it’s best to set a process goal vs an outcome goal.
For example: Practice voice 30 minutes a day 4x per week VS Learn to sing through my break.
Attainable
Don’t make them too easy just to protect yourself from failing, but don’t make them so hard that you give up next week.
Make sure it’s something you can reasonably accomplish within a timeframe.
Relevant
Do your goals align with your values?
Do you feel excited about achieving them?
Time-Based
Be realistic AND ambitious about setting a time frame for your goals.
Break your outcome goals down into steps and set timeframes for when you’ll accomplish each step in the process.
Start from the end date and work your way backwards.
Where do you need to be at the halfway point?
What needs to happen by the first quarter?
What needs to happen right away?
Now that you have completed the questions, take a moment to appreciate the work you just did.
See yourself accomplishing your goals.
How will you feel?
How will you celebrate?
Bonus points:
Forward this to a friend who you know is working on clarifying their vision.
The only thing better than finishing it, is completing it with a friend who you can hold mutually accountable to accomplishing what you said you would. Accountability is key.
I hope this gives you some inspiration and tools to create a RECIPE for a life you love.
Bookmark this blog can come back to it a few times a year. I like to reevaluate mine every 6 months.
This simple process works really well for me, but if you want to go even more in depth. You might enjoy a book called My Best Year Yet by Jinny S. Ditzler which you can find here.
I’m also a former member of Brianna Brown Keen’s philanthropic group The New Hollywood where Brianna created a workbook for her goal setting process called Manifesting Your Mission, which you can get here.
Please note that I am an affiliate for some of the resources I recommend. As an affiliate, I may earn a referral fee if you purchase these products based on my recommendations. Rest assured, I ONLY recommend resources I actually use myself.
Waking Up Your Speaking Voice
THIS BLOG HAS BEEN MOVED TO OUR NEW WEBSITE. GO READ IT HERE.
From the moment you open your mouth, your voice is one of the primary ways people gather information about you and begin to create judgments.
If you are someone who wakes up in the morning feeling like you croak instead of speak, you may not be putting your best foot forward when it comes to how people perceive you.
By taking a little time to prepare your voice, you give people the chance to take you in as your best, most confident self.
When people hear you speak with a voice that warmed up and expressive, they are more able to fully receive your communication and feel emotionally moved and influenced by you.
Getting Rid of Morning Voice
Check your vocal hygiene
Get plenty of sleep. The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours of sleep per night for adults to function at their best.
Hydrate the day before. The vocal cords aren’t exactly your body’s first priority when it comes to hydration. How fast your vocal cords rehydrate is directly related to how dehydrated you are in the first place. Water will travel to your cords faster if you are already hydrated, so I like to think of the water I drink today being for the voice I use tomorrow!
Use a hygrometer. Check the humidity of your living and sleeping environment, and consider using a humidifier at night if it’s too dry.
Mist with a nebulizer. Nebulizers can be used with saline to directly hydrate the vocal cords. Some people prefer steaming, which feels good, but the water particles from steam are too large to get all the way to the vocal cords. A nebulizer creates smaller particles which allow the moisture to directly reach the vocal cords.
Warm up your entire body. A short stretch and brisk walk can help get the blood flowing in the body, which will also help it flow to your vocal cords.
Find Your Ideal Speaking Pitch
Many people speak too low in their range and fall into using vocal fry. This can be tiring to the voice. Watch the video below and I’ll lead you through the following process of finding your ideal speaking pitch.
Say “uh huh” like you are agreeing with someone, and you’ve got to really mean it, or it doesn’t work as well.
Use the second pitch you get on the “huh” part, which is usually higher than where you start the first one.
Play around with speaking around that second pitch you found.
Is it higher than where you normally speak? It might feel or sound strange to you at first, but it’s most likely that you just aren’t used to it. When I’m using my ideal pitch, I like to think of it as using my “happy voice”.
Warm Up Your Speaking voice
For the same reasons you warm up your body before you exercise, it’s wise to warm up our voices before vocalizing. This is true whether you plan to speak or sing.
Warming up:
increases blood flow to the vocal cords
stretches and relaxes the muscles we use for singing
gets the voice into vocal balance
helps prevent injury
Let’s try it…
Mini Warm Up for your speaking voice
In this simple 3 minute warmup, you can take your voice from frog to princess (or prince), so that you have more confidence and build stronger trust with your audience, allowing them to fully receive you and your message.
Feel free to pause the video at any point and repeat each exercise as many times as you’d like until your voice feels warmed up.
Please note that I am an affiliate for many of the resources listed above. As an affiliate, I may earn a referral fee if you purchase these products based on my recommendations. Rest assured, I only recommend products and services that I actually use myself.