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Why is my voice constantly cracking .. ?


Ultimecia

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http://www.box.net/shared/9m2n1vppv2fhrpof1xvm

No explanations needed I guess, my voice cracks weirdly when I try to sing in falsetto, compressed neutral, or curbing ... It doesn't hurt AT ALL, I don't have nodules or anything but this it what happens when my voice is tired or when I wake up. I don't feel any tension or constriction but I don't think that if it cracks like that it'd be because of constriction ... I'm thinking maybe I can't seem to make my vocal folds thinner as I go higher ? I really have no idea ... Help would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys!

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You're not using enough air pressure as you go higher. You are trying to use the low volume of air and pressure that you use for normal, intimate conversation and trying to get a high note out of that. Won't happen. Stop it.

Engage the abdominals, like you were using the restroom and put some air pressure into it. Not a lot, but more than you use for low volume speaking into a phone. Pretend you are trying to speak to someone across the room from you.

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I don't really understand ... :/

Do you mean I need more support ? Do I need to use more air ? Cause I was actually told I was kind of an overblower so ... D:

Pretending I'm trying to speak to someone across the room doesn't really seem to help, I don't wanna have to shout to sing without having my voice cracking. I never really understood the whole concept of air pressure, when I hold back the air my voice cracks, when I don't, it still does, when I support more it cracks, when I support less it does too ... I'm such a failure hahaha ! :lol:

I was thinking maybe it could be because I have a split, mmm ? Because it actually seems to switch into the vocal fry configuration everytime ! What do you think ?

But you're probably right so I'll try working on air pressure for now, and get some info, thanks!

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Hey, Ultimecia, I could be totally wrong and whoever told you that you are overblowing could be right. All I can hear is what is in your recording. And it sounds like your air is suffering from lack of "funding," so to speak.

And I am not talking about shouting, either. You assumed that is what I meant. But you are going to have to elevate the volume above that reserved for "pillow talk" with your lover.

But you don' have to follow my suggestions. You probably know more than I know. Especially if you are younger than I am, which is probably the situtation.

Good luck and God's speed to you. Live long and prosper. May the force be with you, always.

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A next step for you, according to that clip, is to learn how to sing with less air. Just imaging singing while holding back your breath, but don't tense up to much when you do it. Put a hand in front of your mouth and try to feel HEAT and NOT WIND. Your control and power will increase when you learn how to do this. Record yourself doing this and post here for us to comment. Note that you may still have problems after doing this, but then we'll help you with that, too. Good luck!

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Ulti,

you're using CVT terms, do you have the book? It definitely sounds like you're about to build a split into the voice. Let me know what you're currently doing vocal wise and I'll try to help.

Yup, I have the book ! And what do you mean by currently doing vocal wise ? Like warm-ups, exercises etc ? I don't really do exercises because I don't understand most of them haha, but I do warm-ups in the morning though. The ones chanteurmoderne showed in one of his videos if you guys ever heard of him. I remember I used to try to copy Mariah Carey's high whistles without even knowing about support or anything yet, it was like 3 years ago, this might have caused a split if I have one.

(

here's the link for the first part)

Hey, Ultimecia, I could be totally wrong and whoever told you that you are overblowing could be right. All I can hear is what is in your recording. And it sounds like your air is suffering from lack of "funding," so to speak.

And I am not talking about shouting, either. You assumed that is what I meant. But you are going to have to elevate the volume above that reserved for "pillow talk" with your lover.

But you don' have to follow my suggestions. You probably know more than I know. Especially if you are younger than I am, which is probably the situtation.

Good luck and God's speed to you. Live long and prosper. May the force be with you, always.

Actually most of the time I sing quite loudly, especially in curbing. But I'll try to focus on air pressure for now, I think I know how to increase it, I just have to think I hold back the air, or drink it, and I feel a strong pressure in my abs, back etc but I think it might leads me to constriction too so I'm gonna try being totally relaxed while holding back the air. And of course I don't know more than you, I don't know anything! Otherwise I wouldn't have to ask you guys for help :D

A next step for you, according to that clip, is to learn how to sing with less air. Just imaging singing while holding back your breath, but don't tense up to much when you do it. Put a hand in front of your mouth and try to feel HEAT and NOT WIND. Your control and power will increase when you learn how to do this. Record yourself doing this and post here for us to comment. Note that you may still have problems after doing this, but then we'll help you with that, too. Good luck!

I definitely feel heat not air when I do this, so I guess I'm doing it right. But it doesn't prevent my voice from cracking anyway, why does it only crack in curbing, falsetto and compressed neutral and not in neutral for example ? That's weird ! Because it cracks on low notes too, it basically cracks on all my range, especially in curbing which is absolutely impossible for me to sing in at the moment, I feel a lot of weight while I feel like I don't really have any problems in neutral.

Thanks everyone for your help! :)

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Ok so now, I held back the air and increased the volume and it's like there are 2 voices at the same time ! I think I'm in falsetto ... Does it sound like a split to you? I sound like a freaking monster hahaha

http://www.box.net/shared/0d3f2pujatmfs03g938k

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Yup, I have the book ! And what do you mean by currently doing vocal wise ? Like warm-ups, exercises etc ? I don't really do exercises because I don't understand most of them haha, but I do warm-ups in the morning though. The ones chanteurmoderne showed in one of his videos if you guys ever heard of him.

(

here's the link for the first part)

Ulti,

I studied with Allan for 2 years, he's a beast for sure. What he's showing in that video is "tilt" or very light cry down in the chest range and that is NOT what I'm hearing you do. For the time being I STRONGLY recommend you forget about curbing or neutral or Mariah Carey whistle notes or any of that stuff and focus on strong chesty sounds. Meaning overdrive vowels in your comfortable chest range. Can you record yourself just "happy yelling" a "HEY" on a comfortable speech-range pitch?

{EDIT}

If you like Allan's videos, here's a video on support where he demonstrates what I'm talking about..I don't speak French, but he starts exercising around 3:50 and then demonstrates what I'm talking about @ 4:10 :

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For the time being I STRONGLY recommend you forget about curbing or neutral or Mariah Carey whistle notes or any of that stuff and focus on strong chesty sounds. Meaning overdrive vowels in your comfortable chest range. Can you record yourself just "happy yelling" a "HEY" on a comfortable speech-range pitch?

I absolutely agree with this.

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It still sounds very timid and the support sounds a bit "locked" to me, but certainly no split which is good. You need to have firm closure regardless of mode, so working with the EH vowel will help you with that. Really pay attention to what Allan is doing when he builds up subglottic pressure and then releases it. it's a loud powerful sound.

I would also recommend working with connecting air flow and voice. If you go to the CVT sound library under Additional Techniques and go through ALL of the Emergency Aid Programme exercises, you should have a better feel for how breath flow and voice go together. I'm sensing that there are most probably several issues going, so:

Obviously, the BEST SOLUTION is to find a teacher that can guide you :)

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Well I can't really yell louder lol, this is the loudest I can get :o

And the video is very helpful, I think I might actually "lock" my support as you said ! So I have to sing as if I wanted to yell ? I mean, I have to keep the same emotional engagement as if I was yelling, no matter what mode ?

I still can't really seem to understand the subglottic pressure, Allan doesn't talk about that in the video. :(

And I'll check out the Emergency Aid Programme once again, that's a good idea :D

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Well I can't really yell louder lol, this is the loudest I can get :o

And the video is very helpful, I think I might actually "lock" my support as you said ! So I have to sing as if I wanted to yell ? I mean, I have to keep the same emotional engagement as if I was yelling, no matter what mode ?

The truth is it will vary depending on many factors, but generally speaking yes. When dealing with the muscles of active expiration, there needs to be a direct link between those muscles and tone production regardless of mode(vowel or volume or range.) Look again at the video, starting around 3:40(again I don't speak French so not sure exactly) where he talks about placing your hands into your waist and then he coughs. That cough is a way to feel the waist/ab muscles involved in active expiration. There should ALWAYS be a continuous outward movement, as though working against a resistance, when making sounds. The amount and degree of movement will be different depending on your volume, how tuned your vowel is, where you are in your range, length of note/how much air left, etc. The main point is that breath use will not feel the same all the time, so you must learn to be muscular and flexible. This is also why CVT puts so much emphasis on building support values into your muscle memory. This is where hard work and discipline come in because you are going to have to be an experiment of one.

I still can't really seem to understand the subglottic pressure, Allan doesn't talk about that in the video. :(

And I'll check out the Emergency Aid Programme once again, that's a good idea :D

Starting @ 1:00

You will use voice consonants(typically will siren them up and down your range)

Steven Fraser has posted countless exercises for balancing your registration. If I were you, I would spend a day searching this site for all of Steven's posts, everything you could ever need, at least academically speaking, is on this site. Here's a great guide for voiced consonants:

One of the ways to transition from the voiced consonants to actual vowels is to take advantage of the fact that the consonants have varying amounts of occlusion. One does not have to go cold-turkey from high occlusion to vowel. You can take the consonants in sequence in order from highest backpressure to lowest:

puffed-cheek lip buzz (feels like singing with almost-completely sealed lips, with the jaw down.

Lip buzz

Voiced TH, as in Thee

Voiced V

Voiced Z

Voiced J, as in vision or french Je

Hummed M

Hummed N

Vowel EE

Vowel OO

Vowel Oh

Vowel EH

and other vowels

All of these sounds can be sirened. Once the more occluded consonant sirens are working, add the next one in the list, and do the more-occluded first, followed by the other. If the less-occluded consonant frys on you, try to maintain the sensation of the prior consonant on it, along the lines of analog's earlier comment. The series works not only for training, but for vocal inventory, and is FABULOUS as an early-day vocal warmup, combined with onsets.

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OMG analog thank you so much !! I think I'm finally understanding ! I was using false support this whole time, and now I'M SURE I found it, everything feels great, my voice DOESN'T CRACK, everything is and feels so much better, wow !

I'm gonna work on that and the subglottic pressure, thank you sooo much !

Now let's hope it'll keep feeling that good ! :D

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Can you post one more clip with you doing it, now hopefully, correctly? The last clip sounded much better than the one before, mind you, even though it had a slight "restrained" feeling to it, which can present a problem with an Eh vowel (which is best sung free and open).

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http://www.box.net/shared/bo5ll7zo740lrus4xzls

There might be some constrictions going on as I've just found the correct way to support, so obviously it's not perfect at all because I still need to practice etc, but what do you think? :D

Also, I'm sorry about the sound saturation, I'm recording directly trough my laptop's mic so it's really bad! :P

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