Trouble singing B4

[Mr.stevenbradley]

Hey guys,

So I've been practicing the song "Whataya want from me" by Adam Lambert,

And the first note of the chorus is proving to be quite difficult. Now that I think of it,

singing a B4 with confidence and conviction has got to be one of the hardest things I've

ever tried doing! No matter what vowel.

Any tips or tricks for building out this note? Support tips? Twang tips?

I've been doing James Lugo's witches cackle exercise on that note, hoping that it will become easier.

Thanks!

-Steven-

[Snorth]

Damn that guitar riff gets stuck in your head.

Well before discussing the note, I would like to know if you are familiar with singing with a complaining, crying like sound which Adam lambert does

in this song. Because the chorus has very closed vowels, and yelling those will not work(except the last word "me" which he sings as "mEY".

This technique involves thyroid tilt. I know several schools who teach ways to use this. I use CVT and they call what Adam Lambert is doing Curbing.

If you know how to do this at lower pitches, I recommend you try singing single notes from a comfortable note and ascend higher and higher to see where your current limit is. Once you get there, there are many things to try. One thing that worked very well for me when I learned how to sing high curbing notes was raising my soft palate, which is needed in curbing on the higher notes. Using quite much twang can also be of great help when you attempt new high notes.

You could also do it with a lower volume and with a less complaining sound. An example of that is what Kevin Richards is doing in this video when he gets to the high notes

. (Metal-like neutral in CVT terms)

[keoladonaghy]

Incoming and potentially stupid question, but since the phrase has come up a few times recently…

How exactly do you raise the soft palate? I tried, and when I do I also get the sensation of the back of my tongue rising, which I believe is a no-no.

[Snorth]

Hey there keoladonaghy,

I'm merely a student, but I find it by acting as if i'm very suprised about something. Playing around with that sensation has worked great for me :)

[Quincy]

Try using buh or guh to find it without the sound and air going through your nose, only your mouth.

Also what it feels like when you are in the beginning stages of a yawn. You should feel some muscular movement in the soft palate. That is what you want to focus on and memorize.

Hope it helps!

[Steven Fraser]

Incoming and potentially stupid question, but since the phrase has come up a few times recently…

How exactly do you raise the soft palate? I tried, and when I do I also get the sensation of the back of my tongue rising, which I believe is a no-no.

keoladonaghy: The soft palate rises quite reflexively on many voiced and unvoiced consonants. P, T, F, B, V, Z all to it, as do lip bubbles, trills, buzzes. If the vowels are not nasal, don't worry about it.

[keoladonaghy]

keoladonaghy: The soft palate rises quite reflexively on many voiced and unvoiced consonants. P, T, F, B, V, Z all to it, as do lip bubbles, trills, buzzes. If the vowels are not nasal, don't worry about it.

Mahalo, Steven. Had a lesson with Robert yesterday and he clarified it's not something to be concerned about at this point. Sounds like a product of proper phonation and formation, and not something I need to be overtly controlling.

Keola