VOWELS AND PLACEMENT

In my last post, I wrote about bright and dark placements. I want to expand on placement a bit to the concept of "vowel placement."

Vowels and combinations of vowels (diphthongs) are usually categorized in two basic categories:

vibration of sound created by placement of tongue - forward, central or back

position of jaw - closed, mid and open

(a third sub-category is also lip shaping)

Most vowels lend themselves to a certain placement, but the most common English vowels are:

A (as in day) = diphthong (moves positions from central mid to forward closed)

A ( as in bad) - forward open

Ah (as in father) - back open

E (as in see) - forward closed

Eh (as in fed) - forward mid

I (as in fight) =diphthong (moves positions from back open to back closed)

Ih (as in sit) - forward closed

O (as in fought) - back open

Oh (as in pole) - back mid

Ooo (as in too) - back closed

U (as in cute) - back closed

Uh (as in puddle) - central mid

Practicing placement can help to get a more specific idea of where sounds are being created in your mouth as well as which sounds are the best for your overall quality. It helps to look at the piece of music you are singing to pick up on which sounds will be "nice quality" sounds and which ones you might have to spend a little more time on.

Back open vowels give nice, round sounds. Closed sounds can be more directed, while closed forward sounds feel more pointed - like an arrow with a specific bull's eye. Central mid sounds tend to be the most difficult to hold on to and keep a good quality.

HELPFUL HINT: Make sure you SOUND OUT your vowel completely, because the written vowel might make you think it has one sound, but sung actually has another. Diphthongs are infamous for this - a combination of vowel sounds.

For example: the word "night" does not only have an "i." When singing this long note, you can take advantage o the "ah" and add the"ee" sound at the very end of the note. This will create a much nicer, more open, thick and powerful sound.

Forward/Bright vs. Back/Dark

REMEMBER: You can still vote in the poll on the right-hand side!

Even though your mouth might seem like a very small cavity to you, the effects of its positioning on your sound can create hundreds of differences. Depending on how open or closed, rounded or flat, the position of your tongue and all the myriads of slight variations on those can truly take you from one sound to another. I will touch on 2 extremes here.

Forward/Bright:

A forward or bright sound is one that resonates more around the lip area. An extreme version of it would be to imitate a young child. You can also practice it by pursing your lips and singing: "ooo" as in the word "you." You'll hear it very obviously and in higher pitches, it can be almost an "in your face" sound. The forward/bright sound happens most often when the mouth is more closed and can be hightened by the tongue raising in the back and lowering close to the teeth (touching the tip of the tongue to the roots of the bottom teeth). Some singers even push the bottom of the jaw bone a bit forward to get an even brighter sound.

Back/Dark:

A back or dark sound is one that is created more towards the back of your mouth close to the throat. An extreme version of it would be what I refer to as the "Kermit the Frog voice." This extreme sounds very "cartoonish." This voice resonates toward the back almost going "down" the throat. You can practice a more back/dark sound by opening wide and singing "ahhhh" as in the word "father." And, depending on the positioning of your tongue, you can make it a more "open dark" sound or a "closed dark" sound which is sometimes referred to as "velar" or "glottal."

(photo taken from: http://www.zompist.com/kitlong.html)

Of course, the positioning of the tongue, jaw and soft palate greatly affect the sound. And there is neither a good or bad in these 2 categories - the one most desirable highly depends on the type of voice the singer already has as well as the genre of music, vocal category, and performance style.

It's always good to have another GOOD "set of ears" listening to your sound and giving you feedback on what kind of sound you have and/or need (i.e. dark/back vs. light/forward). Since the singer hears their voice within the confines of their own skeletal structure, someone else hearing the "real" voice should be able to assist the singer in recognizing what is actually amplified on the outside. Vocal coaches should not only give advice, but be trained listeners to be able to instruct based on the reality of the sound.

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Baby Business

It's been a while since I updated this site, but I promise it was for a good reason - we have welcomed Leite baby #2 to our family, little Levi!  But I am back to work now and so proud of my students' recent achievements.  All of my students are definitely progressing - Caitlin M. won first place in a singing competition, Kristen Lynn's song "Run Away" was played on KISS FM 106.1 and Alex K. is in the process of co-writing his most recent song with me and will be recording his demo next month.

YAY!

100% of you answered correctly that the EYES/EYEBROWS are the body part most responsible for showing emotion during performance.  Although our tendency is to move our bodies and especially our hands and arms, the fact is that when an audience sees us, the very first thing they look at to try to connect with us are our eyes.

It is vitally important that an audience connect with the musician.  It doesn't matter what kind of incredible singer it is, if the person is "offensive" to the eye, most audiences will immediately disqualify that talent.  First impressions are lasting - even if it is during a 3 minute song. Here are some tips to help you maximize the impact of your eye contact while singing:

1.  Make sure you are "looking with intention."

Have specific places mapped out in your mind's eye, so that you natural eye will follow and seem to graze the audience smoothly and effortlessly.  Neither do you want your eyes to randomly dart from one unintentional place to another, nor do you want to stare down a person or 2 which might make them feel threatened or uncomfortable.

2.  Be "relevant" to your song.

Choose eye movements that have to do directly with your lyrics.  Obviously, if there is a reference to "heaven," you do not want to be looking at the ground.  Also remember that if there are repetitive lyrics, this DOES NOT mean you have to repeat your eye movements.  A bit a change can go a long way.  Having said that, overdoing it can cause a lot of discomfort - so keep a reign on those expressions as not to be over-expressive or "clown-like."

3.  Vary your eye movement.

It is important to be intentional and relevant, but also a bit spontaneous in your gaze.  Many a voice student has been taught to "look at a window" or "look over the crowd" in order to avoid being nervous by looking into the audience's eyes.  But your audience can tell if you look like a robot and are not connecting.  Make sure you vary from place to place.

4.  Be careful about closing your eyes.

There are some introspective songs which might call for a bit of eye closure as to emphasize important lyrics, but if the singer constantly has their eyes closed, the audience can feel excluded from the musical experience and again disqualify the talent.

5.  Practice.

The best thing to help yourself in facial expression is to practice in a mirror at home.  Practice at various times during each month to remind yourself of what you are capable of doing with your face - what looks appropriate, what does not, what is attention-catching or what is boring.  Work on specific songs - think through the lyrics and practice facial expressions that accompany them.  The more you practice using your facial muscles (especially around the eyebrows), the more you will be able to do.  You might even surprise yourself at how expressive you can be!

RESPONSE TO JAW POLL

In the latest poll, I asked what was the correct function of the jaw while singing:

-to stay out the way

-to close tightly and let the rest of the mouth do the moving

-to open as much as possible

The first and third answers got equal support.  The correct answer is to OPEN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.  Although it is many times paid no attention to, the jaw is actually considered one of our articulators (as are the teeth, lips and tongue).  The position of the jaw truly affects the amount of space there is for air flow as well as the placement of correct pitch and quality.

Check out the latest poll in the side column.  Comment here with any questions or comments!