The Vocal Coach, Monthly ArticlesThe Vocal Coac

Jan

2003

The Vocal Coach

Add this entry to Your Favorites | [0] Favorites

Here we are starting a brand new year. That means we will be making resolutions and I hope practicing the new vocal techniques will be one of them. We have covered a lot of information this passed year and yet we still have a lot more to share with you, so let's get started on 2003.

In the last two articles we have talked about most of the vowels but there are four more we want to add to those. The first one is the "Short O" sound. We want to sing it as "AH," such as the word "lost", we would sing it "L-ah-st." When you hold on the word "lost" you would hold on the "AH" sound and sing the "st" as you come off the word. One more example is the word "for," to modify it you would sing "f-ah-r." You can not sing "f-or." When you do it will bring the tongue and the soft palate together and we know that we can't do that when we sing.

The next sound is the "Long U." To change this sound we want to use "oo" instead. For instants the word "you" is sung "y-oo". Singing the letter "U" closes everything down, again. Another example is the word "true." We want to sing "tr-oo." I know it sounds strange to say the word but when we sing it the audience will hear the word "true." Remember this is for pitch purposes and when you are talking the word pitch is not envolved. Diction is what will make the difference to your audience.

Let's talk about a sound now that you will find often in songs that we sing and that is the "Short U or UH" sound. This will be changed to "AH." Like the word "Jesus", we want to sing "Je-z-ah-z. Remember we want to change "s" to the "z" sound so that we take the "hiss" out of the word. And the "UH" becomes "AH." This keeps the jaw from jutting forward, that we don't want to do. Try another word like "but," change it to "b-ah-t." The "ah" keeps the mouth open and the placement in the same area. We don't want to move the placement around once we have it in the right area.

The last sound we want to cover is "OW" (ah-oo). You don't want to close the mouth until you are coming off of the word. Think of it like a clock and sing the sound all the way around from 12:00 to 12:00. Don't stop singing at 6:00, but continue all the way around and be sure to keep the mouth in the same position as when you start and that will keep the placement in the same area. And example would be the word "sound". Sing it "s-ah-nd", be sure to put the letter "N" and "D" together just as you are coming off of the word. The second example of this is the word "how". Sing "h-ah-w", leaving the "W" sound as you close the word off and start to go to the next word in the phrase.

I know that it takes a lot of thought and practice to change to the correct modifications. But it will make your singing so effortless that it will be worth it. This will keep it out of the throat and will stop that throat
pain and fatigue that you have been experiencing.

Next month we will cover some of the consonants that must be modified. We will also modify a verse of a song for you so that you can see how it all comes togther. May God richly bless you this next year. Until next month, keep singing His praises!

Reader Comments

Enjoyed the tips. I sing tenor for the Crossmen Quartet and I am always looking for helpful tips. Thanks, Scott

Commented by On 01/06/2003

Dear Marti,

I've got a question I've never seen addressed in your column, and hope
you can answer for me. Is there anything I can do as a bass singer to
enhance my lower register? I'm 53 years old. I have a fairly wide
range in my natural voice. Generally, I can cover the three octaves from Low Bb to high Bb. I can sing all of the parts, but my preference and most natural is bass. Most of the time I can reach that low Bb. In the mornings and other times when my lower register seems to be optimal I can even reach an Ab. But other times, especially after singing in my
upper register, I find myself struggling just to reach low C. It's obvious that avoiding high singing is important if I want to sing low. Are there other things I can do to promote the relaxed vocal cords that produce a good lower register for bass singing? Thanks for your help.

Sam Mason

Commented by On 01/14/2003

Ms. Ledford,
I am on the Midwest Qt Association Board of Directors and each year at our convention, we have vocal sessions for our groups. What do you charge for seminars ?

please reply.

Commented by On 01/14/2003

Karen,
I would love to talk to you about your convention. If you would email me at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) I will give more info on my charges. Thanks for your interest.

Marti

Commented by On 01/16/2003

Scott,
I am glad that you have found the article informative. I want to be a blessing to all singers and it is good to know that you have enjoyed it.

Marti

Commented by On 01/16/2003

Sam,
For a bass singer to get in to the lower registers you will want to sing in that placement most of the time. As we get older the muscles aren't as elastic as they use to be and don't respond as quickly. So, as you get the muscles lengthened to sing in your higher register the muscles want to stay that way and it takes some time for them to return to the place where you sing the lower notes. You will want to sing your lower songs at the first part of your concerts and work into the higher songs. The key to all good singing is relaxing the throat and letting it open up inside and then for bass singers allowing the tones to resonate in the chest to get those lower tones. You never want to growl out the sounds but open the mouth and use the vowels that we have been covering in the articles. The key... relax! Tension is a singers worst enemy.

Marti

Commented by On 01/16/2003

Hi Marti,
Is there any way I can get a copy of what you have already covered this year?
Thanks, Deanne

Commented by On 01/16/2003

Deanne,
SoGospelNEWS has copies of the past articles in the archives on the website. I hope one day to have them in book form but not yet. Thanks for asking about them it lets me know that people are interested in them.

Marti

Commented by On 01/16/2003

Page 1 of 1 Comment Pages

Add Comments

If you are seeing this form you are not a Member or have not logged in. Why not consider becoming a Member? All comments must be made with a valid email address. Comments with invalid email addresses are subject to removal.

Membership allows you to have a prepared signature of your choice applied to every comment you make, as well as the ability to choose an avatar to display next to your name to help identify your posts. Members are also given opportunity to vote weekly in our Weekly Chart as well as special Members Only contests, polls and giveaways during the year. If you are already a member, login here, otherwise please register here.

**Note: Forums membership is a seperate membership.

By posting you agree to our Comments Policy

Name:
Email:
Location:
URL:
Comment:
	Remember my personal information
	Notify me of follow-up comments?
Please enter the word you see in the image below: