i'm having another "realization"

[VideoHere]

hi folks,

here's a little something i've come to realize that may help some folks that may not already know this. when you watch a video of a favorite singer singing...

don't always assume the volume or power, or support they're employing to hit the notes is the same volume, power, or support you have to use to hit those same notes.

for example, you may need to dial ahead or dial back or exert more or exert less than you think you need to, to sing that song per your particular voice or level of development.

the singer may or may not be singing as powerful as you think he is, or he really is, so you actually could be undersinging or undersupporting and that is the issue as to why (for example) you can't hit the note or sustain the note or whatever the case may be.

you simply may not be strong enough in the same way the guy next to you in the gym curls with 50lb. dumbells and you curl with 20lb. dumbells.

with some songs you really have to be strong enough or developed enough to sing. and i'm also referring to easy-sounding songs, that really aren't that easy....

i know it sounds simple, like we all know this, but do we?

[Matt]

I agree, but I agreed more prior to my speech therapy class. Since then, Ive retreated a little back to voices that sound powerful might well often sound like that simply because they are that powerful. I had a thing going which reminded of this guy:

and it didnt stress anything in the throat any more than a quieter volume, not that i could feel, anyway. So, now Im confused on this issue again...

[VideoHere]

matt, give me more to go on....i don't follow...

[Matt]

well, I've been thinking, like you, that a lot of powerful sounding singers really dont sing as loud as it sounds, that its their good resonance that fools the ear, and I still think that to a large degree. But I had to revise that somewhat after my speech therapy revelation, because my volume was huge and it certainly gave me the characteristics of a powerful voice. It felt like, "so THATS what Dio is doing!" Of course, this is nothing new, its always been important for opera singers to be able to get some serious volume when its needed. Anyway, I dont know what to think anymore...resonance is extremely important, of course, as we can all agree on, but big volume on top of that is what makes a voice *really* powerful - thats what I think now...

Btw, it was my breathing being well warmed up that gave me that. I didnt need to think about breathing at all because the instructor had warmed my breathing apparatus up so well, but the way my stomach was pushing power fluently and smoothly was a very conscious feeling. The only thing I thought about a little was making sure I had a little twang in my throat and didnt get woofy and airy. I controlled that by ear. Powerful breath, through vocal cords that remained closed, gave me that volume. Like a saxophone player blowing hard when he's getting really intense and loud, but retaining loose control on the reeds, I suppose. The guy in the video has resonance but he's also using loud volume.

[joshual]

excactly what is happening here...

Watch the entire video, you'll see how he hit high notes with "virtual" power. He always sing like that, but this time we can hear it "unplugged".... Put a mic in front of his mouth and you'll get a impression of volume and screamy singing. But in fact it's not. The volume is always very soft...

[Ronron]

Richie seems to sing as loud as he speaks, though it was outdoors, so it is probably a bit louder than he speaks normally. I know I can sing pretty loudly, and still not sound powerful.

[VideoHere]

yeah, that's some of what i'm saying..it can be he's softer than we think (versus ourselves) or much more powerful than we realize.

but then you get that "compressed power" punchy sound (from guys like guess who...lol) and that's another thing altogether. .....lol!!!!

[ronws]

I've been saying that for a while, Bob, and no *$^%ing listens to me. They'ev got it in their head and in their heart, like a religious faith that such-and-such singer "has just got to be singing in high chest." Merely because that is what it sounds like or that's what some voice coach said. But it was like talking to a brick wall. Sometimes, I just shut the hell up to give my own fingers or voice a rest.

1) what sounds like "chest" is not necessarily "chest."

2) Not everyone needs to do the same thing to make the same sound.

3) Not everyone needs to make the same sound. People should make their own sound. (And this is the hardest one to convince people of.)

And yet, like don Quixote, I keep tilting at windmills.

And so, I struggle on.

[jonpall]

I think part of the secret is to make space for more resonance by opening your THROAT and not so much your mouth. Opening my mouth too much on the high notes seems to lure me far too much into uncontrolled shouting. So I use the yawn sensation instead to lift my soft palate.

[Quincy]

I think part of the secret is to make space for more resonance by opening your THROAT and not so much your mouth. Opening my mouth too much on the high notes seems to lure me far too much into uncontrolled shouting. So I use the yawn sensation instead to lift my soft palate.

This is also more how I think about it. I keeping finding more ways to enlarge the throat area, particularly with a raised palate, that you can kind of bend, massage and focus the physical sound waves into places that release huge amounts of volume (reinforced waves). Almost like trapping the vibrations and forcing them to bounce around as much as possible. Learning how to maximize the various shapes for all the endless vowel sounds.

When people refer to directing the sound waves out the mouth, I think that can often lead to not using the resonance cavity in your throat to maximum efficiency. I like to trap the sound waves and look for the least amount of effort. I often surprise myself with some huge spikes in volume and yet I don't really feel like a lot of effort. You find the pocket, the volume shoots up and the effort level crashes down.

[VideoHere]

yes! i'm right with you guys, and the vocal folds thin for higher notes, which corrolates to a taller thinner sound beam. then you shape your particular vocal tract to get the best the best combiniation of resonance.

it's basically getting out of the way of the voice and letting it work naturally. but it takes time to get to this realization, because you're not allowing (key word) allowing it to happen.

yeah baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[random1destiny]

I'm actually a bit confused about the relationship between throat size and volume, mainly after learning about twang. I know twang adds a lot of volume and power, but isn't twanging actually a narrowing of the throat? But the common advice is to open your throat for more volume. So how can both narrowing and opening both increase your volume?

[VideoHere]

I'm actually a bit confused about the relationship between throat size and volume, mainly after learning about twang. I know twang adds a lot of volume and power, but isn't twanging actually a narrowing of the throat? But the common advice is to open your throat for more volume. So how can both narrowing and opening both increase your volume?

you aren't really opening the throat for more volume, you're opening for more resonance and ring. that ring or that bright sound you get when the vowels tune in is basically twang in the high part of the voice. i know it can be confusing.

opening up the back of the throat pertains more to easing access to the higher notes. you can narrow the epiglottic sphincter (twang) at any part in your range to brighten the tone.

[ronws]

yes! i'm right with you guys, and the vocal folds thin for higher notes, which corrolates to a taller thinner sound beam. then you shape your particular vocal tract to get the best the best combiniation of resonance.

it's basically getting out of the way of the voice and letting it work naturally. but it takes time to get to this realization, because you're not allowing (key word) allowing it to happen.

yeah baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the clouds part, and the sun shines, and the angels sing, "Amen!"

Followed up by a chorus of Handel's "Hallelujah!" For that is what I have been saying, especially of late, getting out of the way of your own voice. And the key is resonance. You have already have breath enough for days and days. you will push less by letting your voice resonate. Let you body do what it already knows how to do by allowing it to resonate, rather than forceful manipulations.

The object of training in singing is to make singing easier, not harder.

[VideoHere]

And the clouds part, and the sun shines, and the angels sing, "Amen!"

Followed up by a chorus of Handel's "Hallelujah!" For that is what I have been saying, especially of late, getting out of the way of your own voice. And the key is resonance. You have already have breath enough for days and days. you will push less by letting your voice resonate. Let you body do what it already knows how to do by allowing it to resonate, rather than forceful manipulations.

The object of training in singing is to make singing easier, not harder.

yes, but there are times certain songs will call upon your tensioning strength, because you still need to hold on to full voice. you don't want to have to default to falsetto. i know you will disagree with me on this ron, but what can i say my friend.