Sing For Life with HSC

All the essential elements of singing are interrelated.

1. Developing excellent resonating ability is significantly dependent upon good breathing technique.
2. Breath support is dependent on good posture and muscle tone.
3. Articulative skills are effective only when resonance and tone production are good.

The process of combining these singing skills into a single, coordinated vocal technique will not be completed quickly. It may take many months, or even years, before you begin to feel secure in your total singing technique. You will undoubtedly develop further if you continue to work on your vocal technique. However, in the meantime, you can thoroughly enjoy using your singing voice while it continues to develop.

Vocal Interference

To achieve a coordinated vocal technique, you must identify and eliminate problems that can limit its potential. The most common of these is muscular interference – another name for “tension.” Removing muscular interference involves learning to disengage certain muscles, rather than simply to engage others. It is usually achieved through conscious relaxation. The most usual areas in which muscular interference can take place include the tongue, the muscles of the jaw and neck, and the abdominal muscles.

1. Tongue tension:
Eight muscles control the movements of the tongue that are primarily used in speech and singing. Four of these are intrinsic (inside) and four are extrinsic (outside). General tension in the intrinsic muscles can cause inconsistent tone color among vowels and pitch discrepancies. Tension in the extrinsic muscles causes the tongue to be pulled too far backward and downward, which produces a covered or dark tone and vocal fatigue. The following exercise may help nee tension and allow the necessary relaxation to take place:

Exercise:
Rest the tip of your tongue on your lower lip. Consciously relax your jaw and tongue. Practice singing some vocal exercises or the notes of a song in this position using the “ah” or the “oh” vowel. Be aware of the extra space at the back of your mouth. Keep the same feeling as you sing normally.

2. Jaw and neck tension:
Muscular interference of the jaw and neck: muscles can cause serious disturbances to tone production and undue vocal fatigue. Since so many people carry the tension of die day in their necks and shoulders, extra attention should be given to relaxation exercises for these muscles. Periodic reminders during rehearsals will also help.

Exercise to help relax jaw tension:
Consciously relax your jaw, and let it drop. Concentrate on the sensations you feel when these muscles are relaxed.
Memorize these sensations so you can recreate them at will. Vocalize a simple live-note descending and ascending scale with an “idiot jaw.” Another exercise to release jaw tension is to sing, (using the “ah” vowel) and at the same time, gently move the jaw left and right.

3. Abdominal muscles:
Even these muscles can act as interfering muscles, if they do not relax during inhalation. Tense abdominal muscles are a very common result of nervousness during performance. What happens is a vicious cycle: the tense muscles restrict breathing, which results in inadequate breath for singing; this causes anxiety, which results in more tension; and so on.

The most effective way to avoid tension in the abdominal muscles is to take several deep breaths before beginning to sing and to develop a habit of consciously relaxing these muscles when inhaling. A psychological image that may be helpful is: when you inhale, just let your belly drop.

EXTENDING PITCH AND DYNAMIC RANGES

As vocal skills develop, your range and dynamic capabilities will tend to increase naturally. Efficient breath management is the most important element for developing a larger range and extending your dynamic abilities.

Extending pitch range:
Probably the most basic concept in extending your pitch range is that the higher you sing the more breath energy is required, and the lower you descend the less is needed. Breath support, however, must remain constant at all times.
Efforts to force more and more air to reach the lowest tones will not succeed. Adding more air to the highest tones will help you to reach them.

Another helpful idea is to think of a tighter more nasally resonant voice quality when you sing up high, and a richer, fuller sound when you sing low. Be aware that you will not be able to hear the timbre of your own tone accurately, and a teacher with a keen ear can be of great help. The desired high tones should not be unpleasantly nasal, but nasally resonant – that is, rich with high overtones.

Extending dynamic range:
In the early stages of dynamic range extension, practice in the most comfortable pan of your pitch range, not in the high or low extremes. Be sure your breathing technique is adequate.

Singing softly requires sophisticated breath control as the diaphragm must resist the abdominal muscles more strongly. Many singers find it easier to produce their softest tones by thinking about a light quality with a bright, forward focus and imagining the sensation of a “hum” in the tone. An effective breath technique is to consciously think of keeping the ribs expanded while singing the soft tones.

Successful loud production is the result of a combination of well-controlled breath energy and effective use of the resonance system. Possibly the most helpful concept in developing more volume in your tone is to imagine and feel a great deal of space in all of your resonators while maintaining strong support from the abdominal and back muscles. Sense an open throat, a tree, humming sensation in the nasal cavities, a cathedral in the mouth and generous space in back of the tongue. Never drive the voice – achieve your loudest singing through generous size of the tone, not by brute force.

by Fred King, international coach
(from Dundalk Md Charivari, Tom Wheatley, editor)
[Freddie has agreed to share some of his coaching tips with us. The article below is the beginning of a series of sections dealing with singing in tune. Although the presentation was written from the standpoint of coaching, we should be able to apply it to ourselves, thus, in effect, becoming our own coaches.]

Chapter I

Perhaps one of the biggest problems faced by coaches is the quartet or chorus which continually or even occasionally sings out of tune. It is interesting to note that Brahms gave up directing a choral group of ladies in Hamburg, Germany, because they could not stay on pitch. This article will not attempt to deal with sharp singing. Even though sharp singing is an occasional problem, the overwhelming preponderance of tuning problems has to do with flatting.
Actually, there are two kinds of flatting problems. The first is where the voice parts stay in tune with each other, but the entire quartet or chorus flats uniformly from the starting pitch. The second is where the voice parts sing out of tune with one another as well as flatting the given pitch. What are some of the reasons singers tend to sing flat, and what can the coach do about them?
First of all, many singers fail to start on pitch. This is due to lack of attention. Each singer must learn to hear the correct pitch before he attempts to sing it. It is very important for the singers to learn to listen to each other. The greatest degree of pitch accuracy occurs when a singer develops a concept of the way his voice sounds to others, because it is then possible to tell when he is singing out of tune.
Once the quartet starts on pitch, insist that each member energize himself. Listless body attitudes will cause flatting. Correct posture is essential, but not enough. There is a vast difference between erect and alert. The singers must have a good mental attitude and look happy in order to sing in tune. If the quartet consistently flats, try raising the pitch one-half step or even a whole step. The added energy required to produce their voices may keep them on pitch.

Chapter 2

Assuming the quartet started on pitch and energized enough to prevent flatting, let’s go on to the next step. This is correct voice production. Incorrect tone quality and production can block the hearing so that a singer is unaware of singing flat. This is a real biggie in the inexperienced chorus or quartet man.
The first step in correcting the faulty tone is to have the singers open the resonators so that the tone will be supported by the breath. Let’s backtrack a minute and talk about resonance and the location of the resonators. Resonance is the amplification and enrichment of a fundamental tone emanation from the larynx. The resonators are the pharynx, mouth and nasal cavities. (Some authorities also consider the apranasal sinuses, the trachea, the bronchi and the chest cavity to be part of the resonating system.) These are shown in Figure 1. They are located on each side and above the vocal cords (or more correctly vocal folds) and their job is to amplify the vibrations produced by the vocal cords, and to increase their intensity as they are projected from the larynx. The resonation cavities are divided into two classifications: fixed and adjustable. The nasal cavity is fixed, while the pharynx and the mouth are capable of special use. More on these will be covered in next month’s installment.

Chapter 3

The resonating cavities can be fully utilized only when the throat is relaxed, open and the upper throat arched in a high palate position. The mouth is best used as a resonance chamber when all the muscles, including the tongue, are relaxed and the cavity of the mouth is enlarged. The naso-pharynx and the nasal cavity are most effectively used when a slight opening between the oropharynx and the nasopharynx is maintained, thus allowing an extension of the vibrating column of air emanating from the larynx. The feeling involved in this is similar to yawning.
If the resonance is closed, muffled, nasal, or pinched, as the result of partially closed resonators, the singer will tend to flat. Let’s take the first three areas covered and make up an expression which holds true to a great degree.

Next month, we’ll get into more of the discussion of control aspects needed for good singing.

Chapter 4

Breath control is certainly an important factor, and material is available to make it possible to learn or to teach how to breathe properly. It’s important to avoid flatting in particular because it is necessary to keep an adequate supply of air exerting pressure against the vocal chords. Wasting breath initially by uncontrolled attacks at the beginning of phrases or taking too little breath causes the singer to run out of air before reaching the end of the phrase. This will result in flatting.
Singing softly seems to cause special problems for many singers. They have the tendency not to energize themselves sufficiently, thus permitting the pharynx to collapse, eliminating the resonance and destroying breath support. This results in a lowering of tone.
To control this, have the singer show his upper teeth slightly when singing softly. This helps take the weight off the voice. An elongated movement of the jaw should be minimized. On the other hand, singing loudly with too heavy a tone quality also leads to flatting, as will excessive vibrato and tremolo. These last two do not allow the other parts to tune to the problem voice.
A quartet or chorus that fails to embrace the basic balance rules of volume relationships as written up in the singing category and the Basic Barbershop Craft Manual will sometimes produce a rough or dissonant sound. This impedes the singers’ ability to hear good tuning. The dissonance also may be perceived as being out of tune.
Next month, we will touch upon other causes of flatting. Remember, there’s a test coming. Actually, the test is given each time we have a chance to sing together. Next month, we’ll get into more of the discussion of control aspects needed for good singing.

Chapter 5

In addition to the reasons covered in prior chapters, there are other causes of flatting. These are basically self-explanatory.

• Unless releases are precise and intensely vitalized, there will often be a slight drop in pitch.
• Slurring, scooping or approaching notes from below will result in flatting.
• Repeated notes in a phrase are often wrongly approached from below. This causes each succeeding note to be slightly lower in pitch.
• Faulty diction causes flatting.
• Attacking a singing consonant below the pitch of the following vowel, and then sliding up to it will produce flatting. The singable consonant must always be sung on the pitch of the following vowel. Particular attention must be paid to L, M and N.
• Insecurity in voice parts, guessing at notes and following rather than thinking for oneself will lead to flatting.
• Overlearning a selection (going stale) likewise leads to flatting.
• Having singers in the wrong voice part may cause them to sing out of tune.

Chapter VI – External Causes of Flatting

In prior chapters we mostly addressed internal causes of flatting. There are also a number of external ones that contribute.
Humidity has a depressive effect and will cause the singer to flat because he is emotionally depressed and lacking in vitality.
Poor ventilation, stale air and extreme heat all cause chorus flatting. To counteract, the singer must use extra vitality. He should select quick moving, cheerful songs in major keys, breathe deeply and maintain an excellent posture. An extra measure of director enthusiasm will help under such conditions.
“Dead” auditoriums cause flatting. This can be overcome by speeding the tempo slightly. In a “live” place, slow it down a little.
Programming two or more numbers in the same or related keys immediately together can cause some degree of tonal deafness, resulting in flatting.
Sometimes a slight speeding up of tempo on the slower numbers will eliminate a tendency to go flat.

Chapter VII – Song effects considerations

If you are coaching or involved with a chorus that tends to go flat, here are some things you can look for in the composition of the song.

• Most choruses sing more in tune when they are singing major keys, rather than in minor ones. This infers that accustomed hearing affects pitch since we are used to hearing and singing in major keys. Therefore, it is a good idea to have a chorus vocalize in minor keys as well as in the major ones.
• If the chorus has pitch difficulties, avoid pieces filled with chromatic progressions. Stick to the diatonic scale.
• If the vowels in the text are predominantly EH, IH, or EE, this may contribute to flatting since many choruses and quartets control these vowels poorly.
• If the tessitura (average range of the melodic line or voice part) of one or more parts lies consistently in its high register, this could cause flatting.
• The tessitura of one or more of the voice parts that fall consistently in the “break” area will cause flatting. Singers sometimes have only one area of two or three tones that are sung off-pitch habitually. This is most frequent on the several notes just below the break.
• Melodies that descend and suddenly turn upward are harder to keep in tune.
• Intervals that are repeated in sequence tend to lose their proper interval relationship in a short time.
• Many diphthong combinations can cause flatting.

Chapter VIII Interval adjustment considerations

Because we sing unaccompanied, we don’t sing on the equal-tempered scale that the piano uses. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the pitch to tune the chords accurately. If one part is out of tune, check to see if the proper adjustments are being made of the degree of the scale.

• The major 2nd must be sung higher than the piano.
• The major 3rd is raised even more.
• The perfect 4th is sung flatter than the piano sounds. As a result, the actual interval between the raised 3rd and the flatted 4th winds up being very small.
• The perfect 5th is sung only slightly higher than the piano.
• The major 6th is raised much above the piano.
• The major 7th is raised above the piano and is very close to the 8th.
• Flats are lower than enharmonic sharps. Any accidental in a song calls for more treatment than the same sign in the signature would.

Whole steps are usually spaced too close together when singing the ascending scale and too wide when descending. The same is true for half steps to an even greater degree. Vocalizing on whole tone scales and chromatic scales is very good practice. Vocalizing from half steps up to octaves slowly on “lah” will also improve the problem. Wide intervals and chromatics passages are easy targets for flatting.

Chapter IX – Final discussions

A few more intervals and melodic progressions that are harder to sing in pitch are:

• 4th and 5th degree of a minor scale.
• 3rd 6th and 7th steps of chords.
• Augmented step (6th to 7th) of the minor scale.
• Leading tones, particularly for the lead and baritone.
• 7th scale step, particularly in modulation.

Singing a sustained note against a melody line that is descending. The sustained note will usually try to follow the descending part. The mental concept of moving upward against the descending scale will correct this.
Violent or abrupt changes from pp to ff or vice versa may affect the pitch.
Maintaining an accurate pitch is an ideal to hold before the singers you are coaching. Express proper gratification when it is achieved, providing the sing is satisfactory in other aspects. An occasional and moderate departure from true pitch is not a catastrophe. It is inherent in the amateur barbershop singer. It will happen, hopefully as the exception rather than the rule, so always try to remind your quartets and choruses that it’s very rare that an audience or judging panel will react positively to a performance that is flat or out of tune.
Since poor intonation can be heard by most listeners and since there are so many reasons for a singer to either flat, sharp or otherwise deviate from the tonal center, a good and responsible coach will keep this subject in focus as a priority. He will become intimate with concepts and techniques of in-tune singing.

“A singer’s work is never done.” That is the first thing that comes to mind when discussing the varying levels of proficiency in a singer who participates in any type of ensemble work. While much of this applies to all singers – it is specifically targeted for Sweet Adelines, female singers performing in the barbershop style of 4-part harmony.

We must begin with the understanding that the instrument itself is dynamic. The human voice is always changing and affected by a number of items that, in and of themselves, are also dynamic. These include such factors as:

• Overall health
• Age
• Emotions
• Environment
• The performing ensemble (the ability to interact, connect with and trust the other performers and audience)
• Innate skills (God given – may not know how or why they can do something)
• Acquired skills (through practice and education)

This constant dynamic state is the single most noticeable attribute that wears any singer down. Our expectation is that that once we get a handle on a particular skill we can move on. We are finished with “that” and we don’t want to work on “it” any more.

Nowhere is this dynamic change more evidenced than in the breathing skills. Yet, each successive skill is built with an ever-increasing awareness of the breath, which connects us to our bodies, our sound, our music and our soul.

From Novice to Expert, I believe a singer tends to fall within one OR MORE of the “Four Stages of Competency”. The singer may move backward or forward based upon what is going on in their lives. For example, a woman during pregnancy may find that breathing while singing takes on a completely new dimension, even though she had reached the point in her singing career where it required little thought due to her physical exercise routine during the “non-pregnant” state. Another example is seen in the process of recovering after any kind of vocal distress. This requires patience that the singer may or may not willingly accept.

Moreover, the idea that just because I KNOW how something is to be done, I can immediately integrate it has tripped more potential adult singers than any single perceived obstacle. The ability to deliver a performance that captivates an audience takes time and practice. As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” Therefore, contrary to the popular saying “practice makes perfect” any accomplished artist or sports aficionado knows that practice makes permanent, so the simple fact is, perfect practice creates a perfect performance.

Being one to have a firsthand relationship with the saying, “God grant me patience, but hurry”, it has taken years to find that place where “now” is filled with “joy”. I have fought with myself to own the concept that the joy is in the journey, not the destination. As singers, we will always be in a state of growth or decay – we choose. As Kim Hulbert once pointed out, a state of perfection is only achieved when you are six feet under.

So let us examine the necessary skills along with the four stages and their interaction. It is the one who masters the skills and acquires the gift to perform in the “now” of sharing their performance with their audience, that one finds an artist who uses their instrument as their brush and the universe as their canvas.

7 Skill Areas

Starting with the specific skill areas, the following list is a short version of an ensemble singer’s ideal skill areas.

1. Posture
   1. Total connection from head to toe with fluid, flexible freedom
2. Breath
   1. As the foundation for any sound, the breath carries with it the ability to deliver the sound. This sound will ride on a column of air that is free from tension both on the inhalation and exhalation
3. Pitch Accuracy
   1. The internal sense of “do” and the ability to produce sounds that enhance the ring and spin of the barbershop style of music
4. Articulation
   1. With a focus on the American English language, singing well-matched vowels and consonants that create a flowing vocal line and allows the listener to understand the story being told
      1. A visual chart as well as audio examples of several diphthongs can be seen / heard at http://www.paulmeier.com/ipa/diphthongs.html
5. Resonation
   1. The balanced combination of back space and “ping” within the voice creating overtones using the four resonators
      1. Nasopharynx – the nasal passages and sinus cavities
      2. Mouth
      3. Oropharynx – the back of the mouth
      4. Laryngopharynx – the area from the top of the larynx to the back of the mouth
6. Vocal Energy and Freedom
   1. Awareness and use of the singers “own” voice
   2. Appropriate Physical Tension
   3. Appropriate Emotional Tension
   4. The ability to focus and stay in the moment
   5. The ability to move with and within the music
7. Artistic Delivery
   1. The moment when the energy is fed and created by the interaction between the audience and the singer. The singer is able to be one with the message in the music and take the listener on a journey. During this journey, the listener is able to suspend belief being transported to another place and time.

And before we continue, I’d like to point out that it is true that we have all had the opportunity to hear one or more soul moving performances where at least one of the first 5 skill areas were demonstrated with something less than perfect command. Listening to Joe Cocker singing, With A Little Help From My Friends, the audience is moved both by the message and the messenger. His commitment to the performance is obvious – whether we like the style or not. In “barbershop style harmony”, (among other characteristics) the ringing chords set the music apart. Therefore, the unit approach within the ensemble is critical to creating a musical experience that has a hope of achieving that ultimate Artistic performance so each individual will contribute based on her mastery of each skill.

Unconscious Incompetence

With the overview of the skills behind us we continue on to the first stage of competency called “Unconscious Incompetence.” At this level, a Novice singer neither understands nor knows how to do something beyond singing the words and generally the right notes. Moreover, they are not even aware that they don’t know. In many cases, the Novice or Beginning singer will quickly move OUT of this stage in one or more skill area but still have the majority of skills fall within the stage. For example while many singers begin to get a handle on breathing as to move into stage two or even three, it will be sometime before they understand or even recognize Vocal Freedom. The preconceived idea of what is “good” or what the singer “should” sound like can take time to process. They may not recognize for some time that they are trying to sing in a style that isn’t their true voice (such as imitating another singer that they frequently listen to).

Conscious Incompetence

At the second stage of learning, known as “Conscious Incompetence”, the singer does recognize a specific skill, though she does not understand nor know how to execute it. The Advanced Beginner is seen primarily in this stage. Additionally, singers may even have a limited number of skills beginning to emerge in the third stage of competence (Conscious Competence), yet it is almost a toss of a coin as to their ability to execute any one of them.

The singer at this level may find themselves very frustrated because they know “what”, they may know “why”, but they can’t get a handle on the “how”. The singer as well as the ensemble will do well to encourage further study while AT THE SAME TIME treating themselves and others with TLC. That loving kindness, persistence and patience will help the artist emerge through the periods of doubt and–what sometimes feels like self-loathing. It takes time to create new habits, even longer to break old ones, and any one of the 7 Area Skills can be quite challenging to overcome. Repeating the mantra, “An Obstacle is Simply an Opportunity in Disguise” during this time may be quite helpful.

Conscious Competence

In the third stage known as “Conscious Competence”, the singer understands or knows how to execute a minimum of the first six skills necessary for a wonderful performance. However, demonstrating the skills requires a great deal of focus and concentration. This is where you will find many “good” singers—very proficient indeed—but, they require much presence of mind. We can easily fall into the trap of “good enough” at this stage because we are having fun, the audience enjoys the performance and we probably don’t have to spend a lot of our time outside of rehearsal maintaining this level of competency to varying degrees.

It is during this third stage the singer may have one remaining area that they have yet to relate to. This may be due to either a lack of opportunity to experience it, a belief that it is beyond their capabilities OR a fundamental resistance to allowing it to happen. This is the ability to experience a truly artistic moment of delivery. This experience, more than any other, will encourage the singer to progress and seek to own the final level of competency in all of the skill areas so that they are one with their voice.

Unconscious Competence

The fourth and final level, known as “Unconscious Competence“, is achieved when the singer has had so much practice with a skill that it becomes “second nature” and performs easily and effortlessly, purely and unconsciously. The singer may or may not be able teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned. Someone considered an “Expert” singer exhibits the first six Skill Areas at this level to a high degree of consistency. Again, the important thing to remember here is that the human instrument is dynamic. Therefore, the Expert singer will revisit all of the skill areas during rehearsal / practice sessions. A singer who really believes that their instrument is a gift from a higher power will continue to practice these skills so that the performance is free of any effort to control the sound thereby allowing them to stay in touch and in tune with their audience.

A 5th Dimension?

Finally, I believe that there is a level beyond “Expert” where the singer is truly an Artist. The Artist exhibits all of the first six skill areas to a high degree and is blessed when they are one with the seventh. This experience is more of the exception than the rule. It is my personal belief that this is often because we are afraid to be laughed at, to make a mistake, yes even to fall on our face. We refuse to risk much – therefore our ability to experience much is elusive. It is important to remove all elements of doubt within any performance. Knowing that we can deliver (Conscious Competence) is only a single element of the Artistry, trusting that we have the ability to deliver (Unconscious Competence) is yet another key. However, it does not stop there. In an ensemble, there are other performers on the stage. This level of Artistry means that everyone trusts each other to deliver. That takes time, preparation and Belief. Or maybe—that’s where it all starts…

May your path include a journey to transcend and experience the magic of that artistic moment. My desire for you is that it will be yours at least once in your life.

In Harmony,
Kira Wagner