When you sing connected versus singing breathy or airy, your vocal cords connect in the chest register and all the way up through the middle notes and then the head voice or head registers. When singing non-connected or breathy or airy, your vocal cords are not connecting to the best of their ability so that when you go up the scale to higher notes you could be singing falsetto instead.

It is valued among kids, preteens and even teens to sing more breathy in the chest area, since that’s the sound some of their favorite recording artists are making, especially pop artists. Michael Jackson made a good living off of singing and speaking breathy, even though it is proven that he did not have to sing that way, but did so for style and effect.

There are voice teachers whose students are encouraged to take their voices as low on a descending scale (from high notes to low notes) as possible in head voice and ignore the chest voice entirely. Others inform their students that the chest voice will come naturally in time when the voice is ready. It’s important for all you singers and future singers to know it really is not magical.

There are exercises that I know how to teach to encourage the vocal cords to touch, connect and stay connected so that your voice can beautifully mix the chest to the head voice. And people will think you are still singing higher notes in your chest voice merely because your vocal cords connected so well and consistently from the chest on up that your voice still conveys strength.

Some students catch on to these exercises very quickly and it hardly takes any time for them to change, and some students take longer. But it’s important to teach children through adults and not act like it doesn’t exist. The chest voice is the root of the voice and of singing. It is said that the difference between being a singer and those who sing is that the singer is able to sing from chest on up and down again with the vocal chords connected so as to produce a consistent sound.

Next blog will be a continuation of the Female Chest Voice subject.

Thanks, for reading.

Jane Jenkins, A Vibrant Voice

The term vocal CORDS is often referred to as “vocal FOLDS”.  So here you may read cords and folds interchangeably.

LARYNX: Your larynx, like any other organ of your body, is composed of living tissue.  It is possible to abuse your voice without even realizing you are doing so.  Think of the radio foodshow host, Rachel Ray who spent all summer after having had surgery from a cyst on a vocal fold recovering; learning that what had contributed to the cyst growing was that she had poor posture, she talked incorrectly and not in her “speech level” voice.  She talked too high, with- out air support and raised her larynx intermittently.  She often talked and laughed with excessive volume, smiling and going up so high, she talked with tension.  A muscular “battle” took place between her vocal muscles (in the larynx) and the outer muscles.  It led to so much straining and hoarseness that a cyst formed on one vocal fold.

OTHER FACTORS: Many people (myself included through way too many years) imitate the voice or style of a recording artist they admire, and they try to sing in that person’s key, which may be all wrong for them. Their voice and development may not be able to handle what that recording artist is doing. Rock singers and oldies singers  think there audience will know if the key is lowered a half or a whole note and not enjoy the performance. I would be amazed if the audience payed that much attention and had the perfect pitch they’d need to tell the difference.

CORD SHOCK: Excessive coughing, sneezing, throat-clearing and starting your song or statement with a sudden burst of air can strain or even damage the delicate muscle tissue of your cords.

EMOTIONAL STRESS AND FATIGUE: When you are tired, your body is under emotional stress and your neuro-muscular system cannot function properly.  You run the risk of using the wrong singing muscles to assist you through your practicing.

VOCAL VACATION: This merely means to take a vocal rest, eliminating any talking or singing or humming.  Just vacate and yes, this means carrying around a notebook around your neck like Celine Dion and other singers do to communicate with her husband and others during these crucial times.

SOME CAUSES OF VOCAL ABUSE: Talking in a restaurant or bar that is too noisy or has bad acoustics. The “in” thing in some new places is to not install ceiling tiles.  Looks very SOHO but sounds like a very bad choir warming up with a mixture of sounds that you try to overcome by talking more loudly.

Whispering is just as abusive as yelling and can lead to vocal damage, also.  Also talking breathy and singing breathy is not good for your voice.

TAKING CARE OF YOUR VOICE:

* Good Posture, including not shaking your head to the beat of the music while you sing. You may need to have someone check out your posture while you speak or sing to see if your spine seems aligned.
* Drink water, keep your folds hydrated, especially with water.
* Reduce or eliminate caffeine, alcohol, and smoking intake. All of these dry you out, irritating the cords.
* Increase amount of sleep if appropriate.
* Warm up your vocal cords before you lecture or present, or before you sing songs.
* Restrict use of loud voice in windy, cold, or outdoor areas.  In windy, colder conditions, place a scarf around your neck.
* Hormone changes will affect the voice; take care of yourself when these are occurring.
* The environment affects the voice.  Dust, fumes, smog, smoke and other allergens should be kept to a minimum.

REMEDIES THAT DON’T WORK:

Sprays, lozenges, hot tea, honey/lemon preparations. they don’t help you sing better.  Citrus is acidic and drying so orange or tomato juice is not recommended, nor is lemonade.

Whew, this is a long, long blog.  I hope you have found it helpful.  If I left anything out, let me know so I can include it in another piece somewhere.  I can imagine I didn’t cover everything here.  If you take issue with anything or find it offensive, check it out with a vocal doctor or a vocal institute. There is a wonderful institute in Denver, Colorado and another in New York.

Jane

The Key is this: The higher you sing the less air you should use. When you reduce the amount of air that you send up from the lungs to your cords you make it possible for the muscles outside of the vocal cords to NOT do anything for the singing; to stay relaxed and uninvolved. The condition that makes you engage the outer muscles is use of too much air. Therefore, only use the amount of air you need for your vocal cords to handle the vocal exercises and songs.

Now, how does this apply to rock singers who need to sing raspy, growly, or screamy? Raspy & growly are a style, but if you scream you Will engage the outer muscles. So if you are a consistent performer, over a period of time, who knows when, your voice will most likely be damaged. Because you are singing consistently with the outer muscles and you are lifting your larynx rather regularly.

Voice Lessons are a process, referred to as similar to an athletic endeavor. You take the time to go through the steps to learn about your voice and listen to your self, feeling the way it is different when singing correctly and what is different when singing incorrectly. Even with rock singers, Less is More, while practicing and building excellent technique so you can add the style and genre you want later in combination with your good technique.

Thanks again for reading my blog, and look for more info on good singing technique next time.

Jane