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(page 3)

Welcome to Dreamquest's FREE online singing tips and FAQs with Melissiah, international singing teacher, and founder of the Absolute Singing Mastery method of instruction and BodySense for Singers.

If you have any further questions about singing after reading these pages feel free to send me an email. Please remember that due to the extensive emails received monthly not all questions may be answered.

I realise singing lessons can be expensive, but when you think of your potential earnings as a performer, lessons won't seem so expensive. Years ago I remember having to sacrifice going out on the weekends, new clothes, a nice car etc just so I could afford my lessons! Singing lessons maybe also be a legitimate tax deduction when you start earning money as a performer.

To truly develop your talent the most important thing is to have lessons with the right teacher so you are not wasting money. It is far better to go to 10 lessons with a qualified, experienced teacher who ultimately understands the way in which the voice works, and will help you develop your talent to its greatest potential than to go to 100 lessons with a mediocre teacher. Good teachers are generally more expensive.

Most males will have that extra 'grunt' in the lower notes, especially baritones and basses. However as you are finding the majority of your voice to be pure in tone, I get the feeling that the rough and gravelly low notes are due to excess air, not a lack of it. A pure tone cannot result when excess air is forced through the vocal folds..

For every octave up we sing ie from C3 to C4, the frequency of the sound actually doubles, therefore low notes require less air than high notes. Try practicing legato half scales starting at the top, going down half an octave eg G F E D C, then back up . Aim for the SAME volume and timbre on each note by keeping your larynx (adam's apple) in the same spot - relaxed and low - and adjusting your volume of air. Make sure your soft palate stays in the same position for each note and that each and every note is supported. If you practise this technique correctly you should hear a difference in your voice immediately.

The main difference between opera and pop singing is how the vocal resonators are used. Pop singing basically evolved along with the advent of the microphone when singers realised voice projection was no longer an issue. Now that our archives of recorded music span back one hundred years we can listen to how much singing has changed or evolved, even in the last twenty or thirty years.

'Pop' singing nowadays is similar to speaking, both of which are a compromise of our vocal apparatus. The clear and free sound you are referring to is probably due to using a soft voice along with very close mic techniques in the recording studio. There is often greater distinction between the vowels in pop than in opera singing but it has come at a price - vocal projection and in many instances vocal beauty. (Read more on the resonators in Q45.) Many people shy away from opera singing or as they claim it is unnatural, but effective use of the vocal resonators occurs naturally in the animal kingdom. Think of how loud a rooster can crow or a dog can bark!

As to your question on belting, I feel that you are probably singing more operatically than you realise as you say you have great volume, feel no strain and you need to modify your vowels. You probably have discovered that in order to successfully sing high notes with clarity and volume you do have to lean towards operatic technique which involves a lowered larynx, greater pharyngeal resonance and less 'forward' sound in the mouth.

Yawning increases our oxygen intake and is thought to be the body's response to an excess of carbon dioxide in the blood. Most people get into the habit of shallow or clavicular breathing which is insufficient for singing. Singing involves greater expenditure of energy than speaking, through increased respiratory function and muscle resistance.

Many beginners find themselves yawning during lessons and practise, however, a yawn is a fantastic way of raising the soft palate, lowering the jaw and creating space in the oral cavity! Some more interesting information about yawning can be found at
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/yawning.html

A great way of warming up your voice is to hum with your mouth OPEN on the NG vowel. The open mouth keeps the larynx in a low relaxed position while the NG sound is gentle on the vocal folds and helps access nasal resonance. Hum up and down slowly on a three or five note scale in the middle of your range, keeping the muscles under your chin very relaxed. Remember to practise this exercise in front of a mirror to make sure your mouth stays open and your face is relaxed.

What a fantastic gift for your girlfriend! And i'm sure she'd love your CD even more if you just tried to sound like yourself rather than copy someone else.

Most singers especially in the early stages of training go through a phase where they desperately want to sound like someone else. But the fact is the world doesn't want another Chester Bennington or even another Alex Band. Voices are like snowflakes - no two are alike. So why not let your girlfriend - and yourself - fall in love with your own unique voice. And someday there might be hordes of aspiring singers wanting to sound just like YOU!

To sing without the backing vocals throwing you off key you it's probably best to get a copy of the karaoke version without backup vocals. Then when you are really confident with singing the main vocals, try singing the song with the backing vocals. Eventually you'll find it easy to ignore what other singers are doing when you are singing harmonies..

A great way of getting used to working with other singers is to join a choir.

The ideal pathway of air depends on the style of singing and the sound you're after. (I find the term 45 degrees rather confusing.) An explanation of the main resonators in the body and their resultant effect on vocal sound should give you a good idea of how we can modify our singing instrument

The chest functions effectively as a resonator adding warmth or 'bottom end' harmonics when the larynx is kept in a neutral position during singing. High larynx singing as practised by many pop artists produces a sound lacking in depth or lower harmonics. An extreme exclusion of chest resonance can be heard in virtually all Indian female singers (have a listen to the music next time you go to an Indian restaurant!) which gives their voices a very girlyish quality.

The mouth is an important resonator because of its size and adjustability. Singing with a mouth too closed will result in a muffled sound whilst the mouth too wide open will result in a very spread or shouty tone. Nasal resonance is always present, but without the correct amount of mouth resonance - as with too high a tongue - a nasal quality results.

The pharynx is one of the most useful resonators due to its ability to adjust in size by varying the tension of its muscular walls.

Learning to effectively adjust the mix of resonators can be achieved by practising different vowels sounds on the one note. Whether you're singing pop, musical theatre or opera, try to aim for the same resonance on each different vowel. Use the imagery that you feel is best for you, whether the sound be 'backward', 'out your eyes', 'arched back up then forward' or even 'out the top of your head'. Record your voice so you can receive feedback on whether you are getting the desired sound.

Learning to sing involves much more than just training the arytenoid muscles! You also need to train other muscles of your larynx along with the muscles of your mouth, tongue, pharynx, respiratory system and body physiology. Technical points aside, singing is an art and teaching voice from a purely scientific viewpoint would lead to an emotionless or sterile singing.

Many singing teachers make use of imagery to convey technique to the students. Thus the teaching of singing is as much art as science. My advice is to find a skilled teacher who can pass on the art of training your arytenoid muscles, amongst other things!

Vibrato is a fascinating topic and one that has caused huge disagreements between singing teachers on how it is produced and whether it is healthy or not for the voice. According to a top American ENT specialist James P. Thomas, MD, "In my experience vibrato comes from moving the whole larynx and/or the pharynx. The vocal cords themselves stay stable."
Some fascinating fiberoptic movies showing vibrato production can be found on the doctor's website at http://www.voicedoctor.net/media/video/female.html

From my experience I have found vibrato develops naturally during correct vocal training, whereby the breath support is developed sufficiently to cause relaxation in the throat muscles. How soon this develops depends on the individual and also on the type of voice - I have one six year old student with ample vibrato and several students in their twenties with very little vibrato.

Usually, but not always, dramatic or heavier voices will develop a wider and deeper vibrato than singers with very light or lyric voices. The important thing is to let the vibrato develop itself naturally. Trying to force vibrato will usually lead to an artificial sounding vibrato along with excess air being 'blown' through the vocal cords. Some excellent singers with little or no vibrato include Enya and Sade.

It's funny how everyone wants what they don't have. Just about every baritone/bass I have ever taught has always wanted to sing higher. So I tell them about my tenor students who bemoan the fact they can't sing low and deep!

It is possible to train a deep voice to sing high depending on the elasticity of the vocal folds and the degree to which the larynx can tilt forward to stretch the vocal folds and vocal ligament. You may be able to eventually get those higher notes with time, patience, care and a good singing teacher, but why not just make the best of what you have? Some great deep voices belong to Lou Rawls, Isaac Hayes and Peter Steele (Type O Negative). And if you are interested in an opera or musical theatre career you'll always get to play the bad guy!

Whilst you may have a natural bass-baritone or even bass voice, forcing your voice to sing lower than is naturally comfortable by forcing down your larynx can lead to voice disorders.

Look in the mirror whilst you sing a downward scale on 'AH' and shine a torch in your mouth. As you sing lower your tongue should stay in exactly the same position - the ideal position being higher in the back of the mouth than at the tip of the tongue. If your tongue starts lowering as you descend on the scale it means you are depressing your larynx. This places undue pressure or stress on the vocal folds and will result in a 'stuffy' sort of sound - just like the sound you make when the doctor holds down your tongue with a depressor and tells you to say 'Ah'. It would be far wiser to develop beauty of the notes you can comfortably reach.

Voice type is a controversial subject. Vocal fach (voice type) is not the same as vocal range although the two are often confused. A baritone voice has a more 'smokey' or dark quality than a tenor voice, due to the presence of lower harmonics in the sound. Some well known baritones are Barry White and Bing Crosby.

The range of a baritone is generally from about F# an octave and a half below middle C to about an A above middle C. There are tenors who can sing down to F# but this doesn't make them baritones, just as there are baritones who can sing as high as tenors, but that doesn't make them tenors. (If you have a tenor and a baritone sing the same note then the baritone will actually sound like he's singing a lower note.) Within the baritone catergory their are further sub catergories such as dramatic and lyric.

Without hearing your voice it's quite difficult to make a diagnosis, but I do suggest you see a doctor before you even consider a vocal coach. You possibly have tinnitis - ringing in the ears which is worsened by loud noises, and you may have problems with low blood pressure causing the headaches when you sing high pitches. It is also interesting to note that you say your voice has deepened considerably from soprano to alto. Smoking deposits toxic substances on the vocal folds, making them vibrate more slowly and often giving the voice a rougher and more gravelly sound.

The Voice Center reports that Reinke's edema is quite typical in heavy smokers, and can produce a low pitched voice. Images of this disorder before and after surgery can be found on this website
http://www.voice-center.com/nodules_cysts.html

Women have reported their voices deepening with an underactive thyroid gland or Hashimoto's disease, sometimes to the extent of being mistaken on the phone for a man! I was diagnosed a number of years ago with an underactive thyroid. Before diagnosis my voice did get deeper and I also suffered from lots of headaches which got worse when I sang anything due to low blood pressure. (Thyroid problems can also result in bad nerves and extreme tiredness as well as a host of other unpleasant symptoms.)

Once you have determined whether your problems are of a medical nature or not, it may be worthwhile getting a voice appraisal if you can't afford a good teacher.

Vocal lessons might seem costly, but they may be a legitimate tax deduction when you start being paid as a performer. If you've been singing in weddings for such a long time, perhaps you could make a career out of it or at least begin to earn some good money occasionally for your talent.

I'm sure that the people you've sung for in the past won't mind giving you a reference. On the other hand if you want to be an opera singer, voice lessons will be essential given the high standard of singing in this field and tough competition. To get started there are a number of good opera sites on the web containing information regarding auditions.

A good idea is to start singing at friends parties. Karaoke parties - where everyone gets to sing - are a lot of fun and help build confidence. Down the track you could then try karaoke and singing contests, jamming with other musicians, trying your hand at songwriting and perhaps even audition for bands that require a singer or backing singer. If you'd rather be a soloist then you'll need to build up your repertoire of songs and contact an agent if you want to perform covers, or contact local clubs that book indie acts if you want to perform originals.

Wherever you want to perform you'll need a demo CD, a professionally written biography, some promo photos, a songlist and posters. You'll also need these promotional items if you're a songwriter after a record deal. But just remember you're only 14! The most important thing at this stage is to concentrate on having fun while your voice is still developing.

To me the phrase 'making it' is a measure of how happy you are with your achievements as a musician. To some people it could mean multi platinum album sales, while to others it could just mean a monthly spot at the local club. Ultimately it's a decision you'll have to make for yourself.

FREE online singing advice and faqs page 4