Let me explain.  Of course you should use your diaphragm and abdomen while singing.  However, the notion of singing with “more support” is well-intentioned because it is supposed to create vocal power and balance in the vocal cords. The idea came from classically trained singers.  It is much needed by an opera singer who sings demanding arias.  That’s okay for skilled singers.

But when inexperienced singers apply the same intensity there is a problem. The rush of air against the vocal cords causes the new contemporary singer ’s vocal cords to break apart or come apart, OR the cords jam together in order as they try to resist the air pressure. Vocal imbalance is the result.

Vocal cords can’t handle the large amounts of air early in training; they have to build up over a good period of time.  Remember this:  Power comes from how much air the vocal cords can skillfully resist, not how much air you send to them.  It takes time and patience to make progress in lessons week after week, keeping in mind the goal is a balanced consistent sound in both low and top notes, and it really pays off.

I’m back with more reasons your lessons may not work so well for you.

However, in my years of teaching I have noticed that not all singers notice they are unbalanced or inconsistent in their sound making.

What is the very first goal in training the voice?

RELEASE: The larynx (which houses the vocal cords or folds as they are called) needs to remain stable. It is this posture that is necessary to achieve the balance of resonation.

RESONATION is also called resonance. Many kids think of it as the echo sound. It is the balance of the resonance that is necessary to maintain a consistent tone from the bottom (chest resonation) through the middle (mixed voice) and into the top (head voice or head resonation) with no breaks or “yodels” or flipping into falsetto. This allows a consistent voice up and down with easy release. If the singer tries to sound like some of their favorite singers they will, most likely, use excessive muscle activity during singing in order to achieve what they perceive is the sound of their favorite singer. Thus they lose sight of what we so naturally have in childhood, which is our own voice. Children don’t have to find their own voice or wonder what their own voice would sound like. The children who come in to see me already have their own voices. As we age and have more freedoms and listen to what we want to we generally develop this desire to sound as good as the others we hear or copy them.

CAUSE AND EFFECT EXERCISES are used in the Vocal Ease Training Method. I know as a teacher that if i want more of a balanced tone from chest to top, but the student has no chest or light chest voice, then there is an exercises i need to do with them (cause) to produce the exact effect (singing in chest voice). With practice it doesn’t take long for the singer to have the registers needed to sing; Chest, Middle (or Mix) and Head. As the singing student catches on then the exercises are modified and tailored to what the student is doing and also more Cause/Effect exercises are introduced. This is what helps the voice sing from chest to top and back to chest with release and resonation, thus Vocal Freedom.

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