Mixed voice is such a common term so why would it be a nightmare to write about?

Well, that’s because it means such different things to different people. Is it is a voice
quality, or is a particular set of notes? Could it be a gear change or the area between
chest voice and head voice? Here’s one definition from about.com
“about a 50/50 split in resonance”.
What does that mean? How do I split my resonance?
I can’t answer either of those questions without yawning, or starting the entire post
again having got nowhere. Instead let’s cover mixed voice in the acoustic sense,
which is just one way to attempt to describe this ambiguous little blighter. I will
absolutely post something on the vocal fold story of mixed voice soon, but that’s
another ball game altogether!

Let’s get physic-al!

Before we begin, I need to sound the ‘nerd alert’. This is a definition article with a
little bit of science babble. Not a short instructional piece showing you how to do it.
That’ll come later… just so you know 🙂
Now that’s out of the way, I honestly don’t feel like I can describe the resonance
phenomenon of mixed voice without potentially alienating you with an unsexy
subject – physics. More specifically, acoustics.
However, for a true understanding of what everyone is rattling on about when they
talk ‘mix’ you NEED to know this stuff. It also handy to know more about vocal
acoustics if you want the ability to discern singing truth from singing BS. That’s handy
when there’s so much of it around!

Harmonics
Let’s get our head around harmonics for a sec. Stay awake…
Our vocal folds begin to make sound by interrupting the airflow that leaves our
lungs. This interruption causes pressure to build up underneath the vocals, which
causes them to vibrate as the air eventually bursts through. For the record, this
pressure build up and vibration thing happens in a fraction of a second.
The speed of vocal fold vibration is determined by the vocal fold’s tension, which is
adjusted by the muscle in our larynx when we sing higher or lower. You exercise this
tension-changing ability every time you sing a melody and speak expressively so it’s
not a very technical thing. We just do it, although extreme pitches and tensions are
what we have trouble with mostly. That’s where teachers come in to help out.
ARE YOU STILL WITH ME???
As the vocal folds vibrate in singing, they are constantly parting and colliding, many
times per second, in a constant cycle. As they collide, their mucosal covering also
vibrates as a result of the collision. In a better description, the covering ripples like a
kind of vocal jelly. Those ripples allow little puffs of air through at varying speeds.
These little puffs send vibrations though the air molecules in our throat and mouth,
and eventually into the outside world. Our ears are the receivers for that signal, and
therefore we have sound waves!
So, in essence, harmonics are sound waves created by these little puffs of air in each
vibration of the vocal folds. The amount of vocal fold vibrations that happen in one
second is decoded by our ears and brains as the pitch. This measurement is known as
the frequency, displayed as Hertz (Hz). If we sing an A4, that equates to 440Hz. That
is, 440 vibrations per second!
Back to the puffs of air that create harmonics, because they come from the same
event (IE, vocal fold vibration/collision) our brain decodes these extra parts of the
sound wave as the tone colour of the note being sung. Because the puffs of air ripple
so much faster than the vocal fold vibration, they send off much higher frequency
elements in the sound wave. Up to thousands of vibrations per second and beyond.

To summarise harmonics…
It’s such a b*tch to grasp harmonics. It’s essentially lots of different pitches being
created at the same time, from the same source, but we only hear one consolidated
sound! On saying that, it’s lucky we only hear one. It saves us from being
overwhelmed by this barrage of individual sound waves. Instead, we just hear two
things: the amount of vibrations per second (the pitch) + the harmonics generated in
that vibration (the tone colour). Thanks brain!
Moving on from harmonics, we need to march on into spaces and resonance…

The boost
If only this was about chocolate 🙂 But alas… back to physics
The thing about spaces is that they preferentially reinforce sound waves, making
them more intense. This is purely because spaces can change how sound waves
travel through the air in them. Their size also changes how and when these waves
reflect around in the space. A bit like how a room, and what it’s made of, can change
how long an echo bounces around the walls for. As you’ve probably guessed it, if you
were to scream into a wardrobe it wouldn’t be very resonant.
Don’t ask why I scream into my wardrobe.
Larger spaces boost lower frequency vibrations, and hence lower pitches and
harmonics. Smaller spaces reinforce higher frequency vibrations, and hence higher
pitches and harmonics. In singing, a larger space would be considered as the throat
and our lower notes may feel like the resonate there. A smaller space would be the
mouth, and that space is capable of resonating much higher pitches.
Interestingly, vowels change the shape of both our throat and mouth. So, these
spaces are capable of being many different sizes! That means they are also capable
of resonating many different frequencies. Oh the wonder of it!

The ‘F’ word

The preferential frequency, or pitch, that a space will resonate is called a ‘formant
frequency’. Formant for short, which is terminology you may have come
across before. If the space changes shape, the formant (and hence the pitch
frequency that it will boost) will also change.
If you’re not too bleary-eyed from the last 934 words, let’s get to the myth.

The bridge/passaggio
I’ve already banged on about the throat being able to resonate lower pitches, which
is significant here. Certain harmonic energy in our voice becomes too high for the
throat to resonate. It’s just too big and suited to low notes!
If we keep raising pitch, we will reach the point where this energy stops being
resonated and doesn’t contribute to our tone colour anymore. We can feel and hear
that as it happens. You’ll know the place… around E4/F4 for guys and A4/B4 for girls,
singing an UH vowel.
Provided you’re not massively straining, this transition will be felt subtly, but
obviously, without a big break or crack.
I know what you’re thinking though…
“But I’m not resonated anymore… waaaaaaaaaah”
You are, but it’s just not the harmonic energy that was bouncing in the throat.
There’s plenty of other harmonic energy knocking around in the other spaces of the
vocal tract that contribute to your sound. Otherwise, you’d be completely inaudible!
We just feel the one described above much more distinctly, so we have latched on to
it.
We always have the vowel on our side too. Because vowels change the shape of the
throat and mouth, they are very useful tools for adjusting which pitches and
harmonics we can resonate. That’s why some vowels are impossible to sing high up,
and some help us negotiate the passaggio.
 Is that it???
Pretty much. Entering the acoustic world of mixed register basically boils down to:
Certain pitches and harmonic energy getting too high for the throat space to
resonate, so acoustic energy changes.
No mixing in sight, really. Because there’s no mixing, the teaching industry is
beginning to avoid the term ‘mix’ because it is so misleading.
This is on a strictly ‘need to know’ basis
I usually battle with myself when writing articles like this. I think to myself, probably
like many voice teachers reading this:
“Who honestly gives a sh*t about physics???”
Or the more polite version:
“Actually how useful is it knowing this?”
For teachers who want a better understanding of how voice works and a good BS
meter for taking in new material, I feel it’s essential to dig into science. It also helps
teachers avoid unhelpful or inappropriate vowel choices. That makes getting to the
end game much quicker for everyone.
When I sing I don’t think much about this at all, granted. But many of the tools that
got me where I am today were based on this knowledge.
For singers and enthusiasts, it could muddy the waters to know all this stuff. You’re
in serious danger of analysis paralysis! My view is that you are better off
experiencing it with someone trained to create a scenario where you can. That way
you can name it whatever you want. Mixed voice, monkey voice or “my god I can’t
feel a thing” voice. Please take this information as purely a geeky indulgence without
losing sight of the instinctive, experiential nature of singing training.
It doesn’t stop there…
All of that up there is about resonance, but there’s another massive chapter in the
mixing myth; the vocal folds. This is the theory that the vocal folds themselves can
create a mixed setting, which is aside from resonance. Stay tuned for that article,
which will be coming soon once I’ve recovered from this one 🙂

Training
There are a number of vocal exercises any singer can do that will strengthen both
low and high notes and allow seamless transition between the two. This process is
also known as learning to mix registers. When working on mixing registers, the most
important point to keep in mind is that every person’s register breaks are unique;
some of these exercises will be more effective for you than others.
Yawn-Sighs
The yawn-sigh is exactly what it sounds like, mixing high tones from a yawn down to
a gentle, low sigh. Starting from the very top note you can hit, "swoosh" down to the
very bottom note with an exaggerated sigh. Slide your voice down the scale as slowly
as possible, especially during transitions in which your voice often breaks. Chances
are, one of these awkward "bumps" in your voice is an indicator that you are not
hitting every single pitch from the top to the bottom.

Repeat this process multiple times, sliding slower in challenged sections each time.
Male singers should take special care between the falsetto (highest pitched) notes
and the head voice (the next octave down). Female singers, conversely, should focus
on the transition from baritone to bass transitions.

The Grunt
The grunt exercise focuses on the vibrations your vocal cords make in your body, and
just like the name suggests does so through a series of guttural grunting sounds.
Start this exercise by placing your hand on your chest and making a sustained
grunting sound—if it suits you, feel free to imitate a gorilla! If you're feeling
vibrations in your chest, this means you're creating these notes with your chest
voice.

Now raise your pitch slowly and imitate the low grunt again. The higher the pitch
goes, the harder it will be for you to feel the vibrations in your chest. Work on
adjusting tone and vibration in the higher registers because once you do, that means
you've successfully combined the high and low registers of your voice.

Slur Up The Scale

The slur up the scale technique requires a slow methodical approach; the purpose of
the exercise is to determine your weaknesses in moving up and down the chromatic
scale. To begin this exercise, start at the bottom of the chromatic scale and slide up
into the next note, taking notice of each pitch between the two notes. Take your
time during the process, so you can sing and discern every pitch between each note.

Once you are satisfied with the transition between those two notes, take a deep
breath. Then, sing the last note you ended on and again slur up to the next pitch,
taking all the time you need to get there seamlessly. Once you have reached the top
of the scale, you can either repeat these steps or move on to the next technique.

Portamento
Portamento is an Italian word which literally means, “to carry the voice,” but most
refer to these warm-ups as slides. Much like slurring up the scale, portamento relies
on an in-depth understanding of the pitches and tones between notes. In
portamento, you begin by choosing a vowel sound, creating a note with it, then
buzzing your lips throughout the exercise. Unlike slurring, though, portamento asks
that you slide from high to low and vice versa.

Through this, you can learn to mix and connect registers. By sliding from either the
top to the bottom of your voice or vice versa, you are able to work on specific
transitions between them. It is best to pick two pitches, one above and one below
the break you are experiencing, and slide between the two over and over. Through
repetition and a keen ear, you should be able to rid yourself of those vocal "bumps."

Messa di Voce
Messa di Voce literally translates to "placing of voice," and in the warm-up refers to
singing a certain pitch in crescendo then decrescendo. Singing soft-to-loud and then
loud-to-soft on one pitch teaches you to sing that particular note in both registers.
Because this is a particularly difficult exercise, be sure to start on a pitch you are
comfortable singing. You can pick any syllable or vowel to practice on, but most
music teachers will start you off with "la."

The point of Messa di Voce is to allow you to gauge the power of specific pitches
within your vocal range. Once you have an understanding of your strengths and
weaknesses at opposite ends of the scale, you can more easily transition between
high and low notes you sing well.

Octave Leaps
An octave consists of eight notes, so an octave leap means leaping 8 notes at a time,
essentially hitting the same note at a higher or lower octave. To adjust for your vocal
crack, it is best to pick a note above or below (whichever you are more comfortable
singing) the note where your voice is wont to crack. Sing the note then leap up or
down one octave wherein you will have sung both registers once you've completed
the task.

Octave leaps are different from slides in that instead of gliding through all the notes
between, you directly jump from singing a lower note to the same note an octave
higher. Your goal here is to seek a fluid transition without "scooping." Though it is
challenging, finding a balance between smoothness and excessive scooping is
necessary for a beautiful singing voice.

Training for Range

These exercises are more effective with a full understanding of the pharyngeal tract
and its relation to vocal resonance. The first exercise emphasizes pharyngeal
resonance, exercises two through five focus on nasopharynx resonance, and
exercises six through ten encourage the body to sing with both. Some will work
better for you than others, so spend more time on those exercises that make a
difference for you.

Yawn
Yawns are wonderful tools to open up the back of the throat, adding warmth and
loudness to the voice. The best use of the yawn is to breathe deeply as if about to
yawn and attempt to sing with that same feeling. The soft palate should be lifted and
back of the throat feels as if an egg is stuck in it. Lower notes are easier to sing with
an open throat, so start by singing a single pitch in a lower register. Note the open
feeling. Now sing a five-note scale from top to bottom, 5-4-3-2-1 or sol-fa-mi-re-
do with the same open feeling. Higher notes should be as open as lower notes, but
require more point as described in more detail under “Hum.”

Hum
Humming accesses the natural brightness of the voice, which nasopharynx resonance
contributes. You may also concentrate on singing in the mask of the voice for the
same effect. This type of resonance is particularly important in order to sing high
notes easily and to help low notes project. Start by humming on a pitch high for you.
Note the buzzing feeling on the bridge of the nose. Now open the mouth into an ‘ah,’
while continuing the feeling of a hum. Are your high notes easier to sing? If so, then
you are doing the exercise right.
Sing the Vowel ‘E’
The tongue is high in the back of the mouth and out of the throat when singing ‘e,’ or
in IPA ‘i’ as in “feed.” For many, the ‘e,’ is their first introduction to nasal resonance.
Listen for the ringing sound of efficient resonance as you sing it on a five-note
scale going up and down (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 or do-re-mi-fa-sol-fa-mi-re-do). Allow
yourself to sound excessively nasal two or three times as you sing it if you are
struggling to hear a difference. For some students, the overdone version of the
exercise is beautiful singing. Having someone with a well-trained ear listen to you
explore your voice as you sing these exercises will help you make needed changes.

Use Plosive Consonants 'B' and 'P'

For those who sound excessively swallowed and focus undue attention on
pharyngeal resonance, plosives can help focus attention forward. When producing
‘p’ and ‘b’, air pressure builds up behind the lips. Concentrating entirely on exploding
the consonants will draw emphasis away from throaty singing. A useful melodic
pattern is 8-5-3-1 or do-sol-mi-do. Sing the notes using ‘p’ or ‘b’ followed by one
vowel, for example, bi, bɑ, pi, pɑ. Each note should reiterate the consonant: bi-bi-bi-
bi. For over-thinkers, you may want to combine the two consonants: bi-pɑ-bi-pɑ or
bi-pi-bi-pi. This exercise may bring the sound forward into oropharynx rather than
nasopharynx, so it should not be used solely.

Ningy
‘N’ and ‘ng’ are nasal consonants requiring a large amount of buzzing in the nose.
Singing them in combination with vowels requires singers to add a brighter
resonance from the ‘n’ and ‘ng’ into the vowel. Since singers often lose this “ring” to
the voice when going down the scale, I like to sing it on 5-5-4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1 or sol,
sol, fa, fa, mi, mi, re, re, do, do. The first 5 or sol is ‘ning’ and the second is ‘y,’ the
same applies to the other repeated scale notes. You may also change the last vowel
to improve other vowels. Variations include Ninga (ah as in father), Ninge (e as in
aid), Ningo (oh as in ode), ningoo (ooh as in food).

New (njʊ)
Sing new with a slightly more open vowel, as in ‘book.’ This word combines the
brighter resonance of ‘nj’ with ‘ʊ,’ which opens the back of the throat for a warmer
quality. Both male and female voices should sing the word in lower and middle
registers, as the vowel is often open in higher registers and more brightness is
required. I suggest singing it on a descending chordal pattern 5-3-1. As the pattern
makes finding a half step higher easier to find than a half step lower, start in the
lowest part of your voice and work your way up to the middle of your voice.

Use the Consonant ‘Z’

The consonant ‘z’ has several unique qualities that encourage a balance of
laryngopharynx and nasopharynx resonance. First, the tip of the tongue buzzes just
behind the front teeth and reminds singers to place the voiceforward as needed for
nasopharynx resonance. Second, the tongue is forward and out of the back of the
throat. The space created is needed for laryngopharynx resonance. Singers can
practice any number of melodic phrases. One of my favorites has already been
mentioned. It is a five-note scale going up and down: 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 or do-re-mi-
fa-sol-fa-mi-re-do. Add ‘z’ to the vowel of your choice, for instance: zi, zɑ, ze, zo, zu,
zI, zɛ, zʌ, zə, za, and etc. Or you can switch it up by singing a different vowel on each
scale degree: zi, zɑ, za, zo, zu, zo, za, zɑ, zi. Some might find to take a melodic
segment from a song they are working from and sing it using ‘z’ and the vowel of
their choice.

Vowel Tuning
Singers often have a favorite vowel they resonate or sound best singing. On one
single tone sing your favorite vowel and then switch to another vowel of your choice.
While singing the second vowel, try to keep the qualities of the first. The five
main vowels in English in IPA or International Phonetic Alphabet transcription are: ‘ɑ’
as in fog, ‘e’ as in ate, ‘i’ as in see, ‘o’ as in ode, ‘u’ as in too, ‘I’ as in pit, ‘ɛ’ as in
thread, ‘ʌ’ as in up, ‘ə’ as in could, ‘a’ as in pat, ‘ʊ’ as in book, and ‘ᴐ’ as in pot. If your
favorite vowel is ‘i’ as in “feed,” then try these combos: i-ɑ, i-e, i-o, i-u, i-I, i-ɛ, i-ʌ, i-ə,
i-a, i-ʊ, and i-ᴐ. I use the same scale as for the exercise using ningy: 5-5-4-4-3-3-2-2-1-
1 or sol, sol, fa, fa, mi, mi, re, re, do, do. The first scale degree gets one vowel and the
second gets the other.

Large Skips
Practicing large skips helps singers find consistency throughout the range of their
voice. In this exercise, it encourages an open throat as you ascend the scale. This is
accomplished by keeping a neutral larynx position and relaxed throat when singing
high. The exercise is 1-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 or do-do-ti-la-sol-fa-mi-re-do. Sing the first
note long enough to notice the feeling of the mouth, tongue, jaw, and throat. When
skipping up an octave, keep the feeling as best you can. It may take some practice
but will improve your upper range tremendously. Be sure to keep the same
sensation and engagement as you go down the scale.

Arpeggios with a Descending Scale

An arpeggio up looks like this: 1-3-5-8. It is a simple choral pattern. In this exercise
the arpeggio is combined with a nine-note descending scale and looks like this: 1-3-5-
8-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 or do-mi-sol-do-re-do-ti-la-sol-fa-mi-re-do. It is one of my
favorite vocal exercises to sing as it is beautiful as well as useful. The exercise is used
to integrate the voice. The open throat and lower larynx of the lower notes should
continue into the upper range and the buzzing brightness of the top notes should
continue all the way down the scale.

Resonance Training

Reed instruments are loud enough to be heard over an entire string orchestra
because of their efficient use of resonance. But remove their small wood piece called
a reed, and the instrument loses its ability to project. Similarly, the voice can also be
heard over an orchestra, even a full one with added brass and reed instruments.
Take away the vocal cords and the voice’s ability to make sound is greatly reduced.
This may lead people to believe the secret to loud sound lies within the vocal cords,
but resonance is the true secret to vocal volume. In addition, carefully choosing what
overtones are amplified will create a beautiful, balanced vocal tone incorporating
both warmth and brightness.

What Is Resonance?
Resonance amplifies sound. It also adjusts the color and timbre of the voice by
intensifying certain vocal qualities over others. In other words, some resonators
make the tone quality of the singer warm and others bright. All increase the overall
volume. Vocal cords start sound. And like a well-designed recital hall, the body
reflects and increases the sound. Learning to create the best, most efficient space for
resonance begins with learning about the main resonance chambers of the human
body that singers have an influence over.

Where Does Vocal Resonance Occur?

The pharyngeal cavity is where most vocal resonance occurs. It consists of the
cavities above the larynx including the throat, mouth, and nasal cavities. The names
for these three areas are the laryngopharynx, oropharynx, and nasopharynx. Other
cavity resonators within the body contribute to vocal sound but are not generally
thought to be consciously controllable. The trachea is one example, which some
claim can be accessed by listening for a deep rattling sound and grunting. The lungs
themselves and bronchi may vibrate sound, as well as the laryngeal cavities
themselves. In addition to cavities, surfaces of the body reflect resonance and
vibrate like sounding boards. Everything between the chest and head contributes to
vocal resonance. Singers have no control over surface resonators, but may feel them
vibrate.

What Is Laryngopharynx Resonance?

The laryngopharynx is located in the upper part of the throat between the top of the
larynx and base of the tongue and adds warmth to the voice. The space is
surrounded by muscle and is tube-like in shape. Singers can change the diameter and
length of the laryngopharynx, but not the shape. A high larynx shortens the tube and
a lower one lengthens it. A neutral laryngeal position is ideal for singing, making the
tube around four to five inches in length. The diameter is reduced or enlarged
slightly be engaging or disengaging the muscles on the inside of the tube.

How to Add Warmth and Volume to Voice Using

Laryngopharynx Resonance
If your voice is overly bright, then focusing on laryngopharynx resonance will
significantly improve your tone. However, placing too much focus on the area
creates a swallowed tone. Learn to resonate using the laryngopharynx by creating a
larger diameter inside your throat by lowering the larynx and relaxing throat
muscles. Do this by closing the mouth and breathing deeply as if about to yawn. You
should feel the back of the throat enlarge and larynx lower. Seek a neutral laryngeal
position, not higher and only slightly lower than when speaking normally. Sing a note
on ‘ah’ while maintaining the feeling of a deep breath before a yawn. How are your
sound and projection affected? If your volume and warmth increase, then you have
increased laryngopharynx resonance.

What is Oropharynx Resonance?

The oropharynx is the space located from the base of the tongue to the soft palate.
The mouth, tongue, jaw, and lips affect its shape and size. Lowering the jaw widens
the space, and closing the jaw decreases its space. Pressing the back of the tongue
against the back of the mouth as in ‘ng’ creates a humming sound as it stops air from
passing through the mouth. The oropharynx is where consonants are created. While
its adjustability makes language possible; when used as a sole resonator, the vocal
sound becomes inconsistent or wonky.

What Should I Consider When Apply Oropharynx Resonance to

Singing?
The mouth is constantly moving to create words. If singers focus their energy into
the mouth, then the result is inconsistent resonance. On the other hand, singers who
spend ninety percent of the time on vowels and focus vowel resonance in the
laryngopharynx and nasopharynx find consistency of timbre and volume throughout
the range of their voice and regardless of the words sung. Sometimes vowel
resonance created in the oropharynx is referred to as “mouthy singing.” It means a
singer neither projects well nor sounds beautiful on a consistent basis. The sound
goes in and out creating a ‘wa-wa’ effect. Learn to hold the mouth steady while
singing vowels in order to avoid this.

What Is Nasopharynx Resonance?

The nasopharynx is made up of the nasal cavities above the soft palate and adds a
bright quality to the voice. While singers should avoid singing through the nose by
lowering the soft palate excessively, with some air flowing through the nasal cavities
vocal sound is bright, beautiful, and projected. High notes are easy to sing and hear.
Flaring the nostrils also adjusts the shape and size of the nasopharynx. Many singers
learn to raise their soft palate by imitating a yawn, which raises the palate high
enough to close off nasopharynx resonance completely. While yawning familiarizes
students with the soft palate, carefully avoid raising the palate as high when singing.

How to Add Brightness and Volume to Voice Using

Nasopharynx Resonance
Inexperienced singers close off the space almost automatically, particularly as they
sing up the scale. You may test nasopharynx resonance by pinching your nostrils as
you sing. Some consonants will feel impossible to sing because they require large
amounts of air to pass through the nostrils. These are: ‘m,’ ‘n,’ and ‘ng.’ If all your
notes feel like these three consonants, then you are singing too nasally. If you
instead feel vibrations in the bridge of your nose as you touch it, then you sing with
nasopharynx resonance. If no sensation is felt, then try to imagine singing into
the mask of the face, or the area below the eyes where a Mardi Gras mask touches
(the bridge of the nose and upper cheeks). The entire area should feel buzzed or full
of vibrations.

Use Your Imagination to Resonate

Resonance is greatly improved by imagining a focused tone. You may envision your
sound coming out of your forehead for high notes or out of the top of your head.
Pointing the tone or singing into the mask of your face will also greatly affect your
vocal resonance. These imaginations work better for some than others. As you learn
what works, a friend or voice teacher with a trained ear is vital. Your voice sounds
different from within your body than from without, so specific feedback will guide
you to create the most beautiful tone quality. Though recording and listening to
yourself sing may be better than guessing what you sound like, many students are
uncomfortable by significant resonance changes because they no longer “sound like
themselves.” A little reassurance from a professional or semi-professional can go a
long way in these cases.

Integrate Resonators
Though you may focus on one area of the pharynx over another as you familiarize
yourself with resonance, professionals use all the spaces to resonate. Combining
both bright and warm qualities makes a voice interesting and brings out its natural
uniqueness. Avoid imitating other singers as your voice may be entirely different
than theirs. Though you may successfully sound like someone by altering your
resonance chambers, doing so does not help you reach your fullest vocal potential.
Over-focus on one area of the pharynx is detrimental. For instance, focusing on the
laryngopharynx alone can make a singer sound swallowed or too dark. The
oropharynx is so diverse that fixating on it causes inconsistent sound going back and
forth from loud and soft. Too much nasopharynx resonance makes singers overly
bright. Using the entire pharyngeal cavity throughout the range of your voice will
provide balance in volume and timbre. Dr. Clayne Robison, a prominent voice coach
in Utah, expressed integration of resonance as a “crusty banana” with two black
ends.
One black end represents nasopharynx resonance and the other represents
laryngopharynx resonance. The analogy represents the two being on opposite sides
and also provides a somewhat tubular shape similar to the inside of the throat to
visualize. When looked at this way, the center of the banana represents the
oropharynx between the two extremes. Learn to use the entire pharynx as you sing
and the result is lovely, loud, long-lasting, and laudable.

Why You Should Spend More Time on Vocal Resonance

Vocal resonance improves projection, vocal beauty, and articulation. Resonance is
like learning to roller skate or ride a bike. It may take some time to master the skill,
but once learned it is never lost. That is why it has the most bang for your buck, in
terms of effort versus results. Other vocal skills like breath management require
muscles to be constantly in shape. Many popular singers have mastered the skill of
vocal resonance and avoid having to use other skills by singing songs with short
phrases, a narrow vocal range, easy to articulate words, and fewer dynamic
variations. If all you want to do is sing simple songs well, then it makes sense to start
your vocal journey by understanding and controlling vocal resonance first. To aid in
your journey, practice these ten vocal warm-ups to improve resonance.

Controlling Vibrato
A beautiful vibrato indicates healthy singing. If you employ proper singing technique,
then you just have it. However, a skilled singer has considerable control over their
vibrato. They can sing without it or increase vibrato speed and intensity at will. Some
unattractive vibratos can also be remedied with training and effort.

Controlling the Pitch in Vibrato

One of the big no-nos when working on vibrato is consciously controlling the pitch.
One should never attempt to sing with a smaller, wider, faster, slower pitch in their
vibrato. Pitch is produced differently when singing a scale as opposed to creating
vibrato. Nerve impulses create vibrato, while pitch is created by speeding and
slowing the vocal cords, as well as adjusting how much of the vocal cord is used.
Hence, attempting to turn a trill, where the singer uses their vocal cords to move
repeatedly from one note back to another at a fast pace, into vibrato will not work.
Any attempt to literally manipulate the tones of a vibrato will create an unnatural
and unappealing sound.
Imitating Notes With Vibrato
Instead of controlling the actual pitches of vibrato, a singer can affect their vibrato
through imitation. Learn to sing with good technique and vibrato appears. Listen for
it. Very rarely will a singer with even a rudimentary knowledge of breath
support and phonation sing with no vibrato whatsoever. The problem is being able to
sustain good technique throughout the vocal range and in every situation, which
results in a consistent vibrato. Singers should imitate their own notes with vibrato,
which also improves general singing technique.

Correcting Tremolo or Fast Vibratos

Not everyone’s problem is a lack of vibrato. Some people sing with a fast, narrow,
bleating, or shaking vibrato caused by subglottic pressure or air pressure underneath
the vocal cords. A singer with fast vibrato creates too much air pressure for the
larynx or vocal cords to respond effectively, caused by an aggressive approach to
breath management. Singers with a tremolo are generally tense, controlling, or
possibly overanxious emotionally. Simply learning to relax is not enough to correct it.
Those with a tremolo should first learn to inhale deeply, then to sing with the
diaphragm low but flexible. Allow the air to spin and move throughout the singing
process.

Tremolo may also be caused by controlling the pitch of vibrato as in a fast trill. A
habit of that nature takes time to stop, but will often go away on its own by paying
attention to breathing techniques. For some, simply learning to slow down and relax
their emotions may be needed. Singers often sing with faster vibratos during
heightened moments of music, but the variation is heard as beautiful. If you suspect
emotions are involved, focus on portraying the words of the text to a trusted family
member or a friend rather than trying to impress someone. Physically, the
diaphragm will stay lower and more flexible when calm.

Correcting Wobble or Slow Vibratos

Slower and wider vibratos are common in older singers, as well as those who may be
trying to manipulate tone using the diaphragm. Trying to affect pitch with the largest
muscle in the body is never a good idea, but especially when it comes to vibrato. The
diaphragm is one of the most important muscles in singing, but it can also create a
heavy, labored tone if stiff and controlled. A wobble is physically created by a lack of
muscular effort in phonation or at the vocal cord level, often due to over-
emphasizing the muscular activities of breath flow rather than vocal cord resistance.

Finding breath threshold, or the moment when the vocal cords resist air pressure
with the most effort possible without tension is imperative for those with a wobble.
Singing with a brighter, lighter tone may help. In addition, the general techniques of
breath support should be reviewed. Because a wobble is produced by a more
labored production which usually gets worse as a phrase progresses, practicing vocal
onsets will help. A vocal onset is simply the start of tone. Practice it by singing ‘ah’
for a moment on any pitch of your choice, stop, take a deep breath, and sing it again.
Repeat this over and over attempting to create an ease in the tone that will
eventually roll over to harder phrases.

Achieving a Healthy Straight Tone

Some styles of choral, baroque, and popular music require a straight tone or one
with very little vibrato. Singing less ‘full,’ or literally with less of the vocal cord, allows
singers to achieve a healthy, unstrained straight tone. If a singer attempts to stop
pitch oscillation physically, the result is tension in the throat. Instead, add a very
slight breathiness to a well-produced tone. The vocal quality should not be heard as
breathy, but the thought may cause a little less muscular effort at the laryngeal level.
Another alternative is to simply consider straight tone, as another way of saying the
vibrato should be simple or barely noticeable. In that case, singing with a lighter and
still fully-engaged tone works.

Vocal Onset

The first sound produced during the singing process is the most important. It has
little to do with first impressions and everything to do with getting a good start to
the phrase. There are three basic ways one can initiate vocal tone: aspirated, glottal,
and coordinated. Learning about the different types of vocal onsets is one of the first
steps to achieving an easy, free, and engaging vocal quality.

Attack or Vocal Onset

The term, “attack,” which means initial vocal sound, has generally fallen out of favor
with voice pedagogists because of the implications of an overly aggressive start to
the tone. In scholarly journals, which only publish peer-reviewed articles and are
held to a higher standard than other publications, vocal onset is the accepted term
for initial vocal sound. Because a glottal onset is hard, on the other hand, the term
glottal attack is still common. If your voice teacher or choir director uses the term
attack often, it does not automatically mean they are ignorant. It may simply be their
preferred terminology. Just be aware the initial vocal sound need not be aggressive
like the term implies.

Aspirated, Breathy, or Soft Onset

Any vowel preceded by a puff of air as in “h” “wh” is considered an aspirated onset.
It is created by not closing the vocal cords before initiating vocal sound. This type of
onset encourages a relaxed vocal tone. On the other hand, it can also lead to overall
breathy quality. Choral conductors will often practice an aspirated onset during vocal
exercises to avoid any tension during singing that other onsets may cause.

Glottal or Hard Onset

A glottal onset is an aggressive one where the vocal cords are opened after
the tone is initiated. A slight pressure builds up below the cords and when they do
open the sound produced is frog-like. A lighter version of the glottal onset is used for
understandability when a word begins with a vowel in spoken English and German,
as well as less common singing languages. Glottal onsets are not used in Italian,
French, or Latin. On rare occasions, a harder onset is heard and accepted by some as
an emotive tool in singing. However, a hard onset is almost never appropriate and
often leads to a pressed tone that sounds pushed. In addition, overuse of it can
cause vocal dysfunction.

Coordinated Onset
The hardest to achieve and most important to develop is the coordinated onset. The
vocal cords close with the initial sound producing a quiet onset as in the vowel, “ah.”
This onset is somewhere between the glottal attack where the vocal cords close
before starting the sound and the breathy onset where the vocal cords close after
initiating sound. The name “coordinated,” appropriately refers to the need to
synchronize and prepare all aspects of initial sound in order to achieve the best tone
including breath, vocal cords, and resonant chambers.

What Kind of Onset am I Using?

If a singer’s initial tone is not beautiful, you can bet it is not coordinated. Sometimes
a singer’s tone sounds as if it is winding up. The beginning of the phrase might sound
weak, quiet, or flat (too low) and the tone improves as they sing on. This is a prime
example of an aspirated onset that leads to a breathy tone. Generally, a hard onset
that leads to a pressed tone is easy to identify by its nails-on-chalkboard, loud,
irritating, and sometimes sharp (too high) quality. With conscious effort, these
singers’ phrases may become more relaxed as they go on. Coordinated onsets are
clearly identified by a well-supported first note that sounds clear, easy, and engaged.

Tongue Position

The tongue can have the biggest influence on your vocal sound. It influences the
shape and length of the vocal tract affecting your ability to resonate. It also affects
your ability to enunciate the text of songs. Learning to control the tongue is
particularly difficult because one must coordinate its eight muscles all at once.

Tongue Tension Causes Vocal Cord Tension

The tongue is connected to the larynx, or Adam’s apple, which houses the vocal
cords. The same muscles that lift the larynx also stiffen, raise, and thrust the tongue
forward. Try looking in the mirror and thrusting your tongue forward. Notice your
Adam’s apple goes up? When the larynx rises, the reduced space in the back of the
throat minimizes the ability of the body to resonate. Without resonance, your voice
lacks beauty and strength. The same effect happens when the tongue tenses during
singing.

Tongue Can Also Block Sound

In addition to reducing resonance space, the tongue can diminish volume by
bunching up in the back of the throat and blocking sound creating a muted effect.
Often singers do not realize they have tongue tension, especially the root of the
tongue located in the back of the throat. Instead, their throat may feel tense or they
feel like they are choking.

The Tongue Controls What Vowel is Heard

The tongue partly determines what vowel is heard. A matter of fact, when Daniel
Jones created the famous vowel chart, he studied the tongue’s position using x-rays.
He determined that the position of the high point of the tongue is back in “cool” (u)
and forward in “treat” (i). Most people create vowels in their own language without
conscious effort, but singing a foreign language without an accent will require
greater knowledge of the tongue’s position.

Tense Tongues Can Cause Ugly Vibrato

If you place your thumb under your chin, then you may feel one of two things: bone
or muscle. If it is muscle, then you are feeling the tongue. Sometimes that soft tissue
wiggles when singing. This causes a quiver in the voice that is heard as vibrato.
However, tongue vibrato wobbles are particularly wide as is heard sometimes in
older, damaged voices. To get rid of it, place a figure under your chin while singing.
Note when your tongue stiffens and when it loosens. Try and apply the feeling you
have when your tongue is relaxed to the times when it is not. If that does not work,
then other relaxation methods can be used.

How to Relax a Tight Tongue

The best way to combat tension is to move. In the case of the tongue, this means
moving it back and forth rapidly while singing. Some famous opera singers have been
seen doing this on particularly high notes. However, you want to start to identify
how it feels to have a relaxed tongue while moving and then apply it to when the
tongue stays still. You may also practice with a lemon drop or jolly rancher sitting in
the middle of the tongue. Sometimes holding the tongue out with your fingers can
also help relax the root of the tongue.

Imagining Your Mouth as a House

One of my favorite vocal analogies is to imagine your mouth is a house. The roof of
the mouth is the ceiling and stays high and arched. The back of the throat and the
front of the mouth are doors left wide open. The tongue is the carpet that should lie
as flat as possible on the bottom of the mouth. Just like a carpet can trip you up if
bunched up on the ground, a bumpy tongue can cause vocal tension. However, the
analogy does not always apply, because the tongue should always be moving during
speech.

Posture training
Stradivari violins are known for their unsurpassed craftsmanship and quality of
sound. The process of creating one involves painstakingly carving the wood so that
the violin is thickest in the center. This shape has proven to give the violin a beautiful
sound. The same time and energy is spent in the design and creation of all great
instruments.

As a singer, your body is the instrument. Just like carving a violin, you can change the
shape of your body in a way that improves tone quality. No surgery is involved; all
you have to do is learn how to have good posture.

How Posture Affects Breath Support

 Increases Breath Capacity: The goal of good posture is to create the largest
space possible in your chest cavity so your lungs can expand fully. With more
air, you are able to sing longer phrases.
 Helps You Breathe Low: Learning to breathe low while standing up can be a
challenge. Luckily there is a relatively simple solution; keep your chest up.
Because your chest rises and falls when breathing high, keeping the chest up
forces the body to take a low, diaphragmatic breath perfect for singing.
 Gets You to the End of a Phrase: When there is only a small amount of air left
in the lungs, the rib cage and chest prepare to collapse in order to let the last
bit of air gush out. Singers fight that urge, keeping the chest high and rib cage
expanded. Doing so allows you to release the breath slowly so that you can
get to the ends of phrases without sounding like you are running out of air.

How Posture Affects Your Body

 Helps Release Tension: As a stressed-out undergrad, I struggled with jaw
tension especially when singing my high notes. I found that by focusing on
aligning my ears with my shoulders, my high notes sounded free and easy
again. That is because a properly aligned frame encourages your entire body
to relax. It was much harder for my jaw to tense with my neck in proper
position.
 Allows Air to Flow Freely Through Vocal Cords: Your vocal cords vibrate by
allowing air to flow through them causing them to open and shut. A long,
straight neck opens up the space that houses your vocal cords and allows air
to progress unobstructed through the vocal cords.

What if Good Posture Makes My Body Tense?

There may be a short transition phase when correct posture feels unnatural. For
instance, you may not feel comfortable straightening and lengthening the neck the
first time you try it. If by doing so you release tension in other parts of the body (for
me it was the jaw), then it is well worth the effort to make proper posture feel
natural.

On the other hand, you may overcorrect a slumped stance and cause additional
problems. A neck that is too far back or a chest too high causes tension. Be careful
not to overdo it while you practice correct singing posture.

Why Do Some Singers Sound Good Without Proper Posture?

Any opera or musical theater singer knows the importance of singing beautifully
while moving. It may seem impossible to have good posture while leaning on a prop.
But even while leaning, you can align your ears with your shoulders and keep the
chest high.

The Alexander Technique is a tool singers can learn for maintaining good posture
while moving. The technique teaches you to use deep postural muscles rather than
actively engaging superficial muscles. The best way to learn the Alexander Technique
is to hire a certified therapist. You will learn to move with the least amount of effort,
so you can save your energy for singing.

Breathing
Breathing well is the most important aspect of successful singing. Not only do you
have to use your diaphragm while singing, but you have to steal time between
phrases to take breaths, take them quickly, make sure they are silent, and do all that
naturally and without tension. Though some people find breathing natural, others
have to consciously practice each aspect of breathing until it is thoroughly engrained
into their bodies.

Low
Diaphragmatic Breathing. :The first step to fantastic breathing while singing is taking
a deep breath using the diaphragm. Your diaphragm is located between the lungs
and stomach and splits you in half vertically. It descends down as you take in a low
breath, pushing the stomach out. Inhaling low is also mandatory in order to properly
support your tone.
No Shoulder Movement
Holding your hands up in a "T" will make it harder for you to lift your chest during
breathing, forcing the breathe down. Photo © Katrina SchmidtUnder no
circumstance should the shoulders rise while you inhale for singing, even if your
stomach goes out and diaphragm extends. There is a muscle that connects the larynx
or Adam’s apple to your shoulders, and if they rise, so does your larynx. This narrows
the space in the back of your throat and you may feel like choking. Low breaths are
especially important when you sing high, because the larynx can rise anyway when
beginning singers have not learned to shorten the vocal chords to create higher
pitches.

Stomach Out

Photo © Katrina SchmidtSome people breathe backwards. They inhale when the
tummy goes in, and exhales as it goes out. Though it may feel right to them, the
lungs need room to expand to take in air. Either you need to raise the shoulders,
lower the diaphragm, or do a combination of both in order to do so. Pushing the
stomach in during inhalation does not create space for the lungs to fill. Even though
it feels right, it is a bad habit that can be broken with time and diligence.

Quiet
for air can ruin the beauty of your singing. The sound between phrases is not only
distracting, but taking a quiet breath requires you to lift the soft palate and create
space in the back of the throat. Since both are required for good singing, you set
yourself up for a beautiful, open, and well projected tone while you sing.

Quick
Gasping or pretending to be surprised or shocked causes you to take a quick low
breath. Photo © Katrina SchmidtWhen you first learn to breathe low, your breaths
take a bit longer. There is nothing wrong with a slow, low breath when you have
time. But many times a quicker breath is required when you sing. Most people find
that if they practice a ‘surprise breath,’ they easily learn how to quickly take air in.
Just gasp as in shock and open your throat as you do so, in order to make a quick and
silent breath.
Planned

Breathing between phrases can be a challenge, whether the song is fast or slow. Fast
songs tend to require quicker, shallower breaths and slow ones tend to require
deeper breaths that take a bit more time. Either way, you will need to steel time
from the ends of phrases in order to start each new phrase on time.

Shaped Like a Vowel

When you inhale with your mouth, you should breathe in the shape of the
subsequent vowel you are about to sing. For instance, when singing ‘alleluia,’ create
the ‘ah’ shape with your mouth. The same goes for words starting with a consonant.
So, when you are about to sing, ‘the,’ shape your mouth as you would when you
create the vowel ‘uh.’ Shaping your mouth into a vowel provides a wide open space
for the air to go, which sets you up for an inhalation that is silent and quick. It also
gets you ready to sing a pure vowel on your first word.