Singing with great technique doesn't have to be hard! In fact it can be broken down into four simple pedagogically based methods, that when applied correctly, will help any vocalist sing with a show stopping sound.

1. POSTURE

2. BREATH ENERGY | BREATH SUPPORT

3. RESONANCE | BLENDING REGISTERS

4. VOCAL LINE | DICTION

To practice, try applying these methods to vocal warm-ups prior to singing a piece or song. For some great warm-up and vocalise examples, check out these method books that come highly recommended by vocal pedagogues all over the world.

*Click the images to see these fantastic method books that I use in my own studio and practice.

1. POSTURE

Feet: The feet should be shoulder width apart, directly under the hips or slightly wider. For vocalist this will create a solid foundation that will assist in maintaining balance. To ensure the energy of the voice moves continuously forward, it is good practice to keep one foot slightly in front of the other with a slight pressure towards the ball of the feet.

Knees: Maintaining a slightly relaxed position of the knees is best. If the knees become locked a vocalist may find themselves losing balance, becoming faint, and/or creating excess tension in the body. A slight bend will ensure that the body remains relaxed and ready for healthy singing.

Hips: The position of the hips relates directly to the knee position. Maintaining a very slight tucked position of the hips is key to creating an environment for the voice to move freely. However, if over-tucked, a vocalist risks collapsing the upper body which may result in cutting off the breath.

Chest: The chest must be kept in an open position to allow for the optimal lung expansion required for singing. This open position is created mainly from the shoulders.

Shoulders: To keep the chest upright and expanded, vocalists may think about rolling the shoulders down and back. If the shoulders are curved forward, they influence the chest into a collapsed position. If the shoulders begin to rise up, it is because excess tension is being formed in the upper body. Vocalists must relax into the optimal singing posture.

Head: Proper head position will not only allow vocalists to maintain an efficient flow of air through the throat, but will also prevent excess neck tension. The head, jaw, and neck must remain in a neutral position stacked directly over top of the shoulders. Bringing the head, jaw, and/or neck forward pulls the body out of alignment, causing the voice to be cut off and muffled before it can leave a vocalists lips.

When done properly, these elements combine to pull a vocalists body into alignment. With vertebra stacked from bottom to top and top to bottom, the voice and breath can move freely from the mouth to an audiences ears.

2. BREATH ENERGY | BREATH SUPPORT

The breath, at its core, is fundamentally basic.

- Inhale & exhale.

- Inhale & speak.

- Inhale, suspend, & sing.

That word, suspend, is what separates the everyday breath from the singers breath. It is what distinguishes an average singer from a great singer. If a vocalist can learn to manage the suspension of breath, he or she has the potential to master repertoire in virtually every musical genre.

1. To suspend, a vocalists body must first prepare for inhalation by forming an aligned and noble posture, allowing the muscles of the throat and neck to release tension.

2. The abdominal muscles must then relax as inhalation begins. The release of the abdominal wall, or abs, is what allows the lungs to fully expand as the breath enters the body.

3. Once the proper amount of breath required for a musical phrase has been inhaled, the internal intercostal and external intercostal muscles located around the ribcage and abdominal wall engage. This is suspension. A vocalist must actively work to activate the external intercostal muscles, pulling the ribcage open, suspending it outward.

4. As the breath leaves the body by way of singing, the internal intercostal muscles located around the inside of the ribcage and abdominal wall, begin to pull the ribcage inward. The vocalist must continue to actively engage the external intercostal muscles, preventing the ribcage from collapsing too quickly. If the ribcage is pulled in unevenly or at a rapid pace, the lungs will lose air before a musical phrase is completed.

3. RESONANCE | BLENDING REGISTERS

Resonance is the intensity and/or quality of a pitch and/or sound produced through vibrations. In singing, resonance comes from vibrating vocal folds, also known as vocal cords. The vocal folds vibrate to produce phonation - spoken or sung sound. The sound produced from the vibrations of the vocal folds is impacted by the vocal mechanism or vocal tract, ie the area surrounding the resonating source.

The vocal tract is made up of 4 parts that vocalists can control:

1. Tongue

2. Lips

3. Larynx - A mass made of cartilage which houses the vocal folds located in the throat. Also referred to as the Adams Apple or Voice Box.

4. Soft Palate - The soft tissue which makes up the back of the roof of the mouth located after the bone of the hard palate.

To create a beautiful resonant tone, the sound waves need space to vibrate.

To create space in the vocal mechanism a vocalist must do 4 things:

1. Keep the tongue forward in the mouth with the tip towards the front teeth.

2. The lips should be loose to prevent excess tension from being formed around the jaw.

3. The Larynx stretches downwards as if in a 'yawning' position.

4. The Soft palate stretches upward as if in a 'yawing' position.

These four adjustments create optimal singing space. Now with the sound waves able to freely move and bounce around the the vocal mechanism, a vocalist can begin to blend the vocal registers:

1. Falsetto | Whistle Tones - Lightest quality

Highest part of voice

Stretched thin folds.

2. Head Voice - Light voice quality

Stretched thin folds

Above spoken pitch

2a. Mixed Head Voice - Medium light voice quality

Somewhat stretched slightly thin folds

Slightly above spoken pitch

3. Middle Voice - Middle voice quality

Neutral folds

Close or at spoken pitch

4a. Mixed Chest Voice - Medium heavy voice quality

Somewhat contracted folds

Slightly below spoken pitch

4. Chest Voice - Heaviest quality

Contracted and thick folds

Lowest part of voice

4. VOCAL LINE | DICTION

When singing with proper technique, a vocalist creates a vocal line that give a spinning quality to the tone. The voice can freely move between register, blending and shifting with shimmering overtones surrounding the fundamental pitch.

To maintain a beautiful vocal line, a singer must consider 4 things:

1. Aligned posture

2. Suspended and even breath energy

3. Space for resonance and register blending

4. Proper diction

Diction is a key part of singing for many reasons. Clear diction does not only aid in getting the drama of the musical story across, but it can relieve pressure from the vocal mechanism. This makes singing less taxing and allows vocalists to build stamina.

To produce clear diction, a vocalist must consider these 4 things:

1. Mark breaths where it grammatically makes sense in the music, breaking up the phrases coherently.

2. Build breath support to aid in singing through the phrase without having to breath.

3. Hold onto the vowel for as long as possible, without allowing the proceeding or preceding consonants to effect the vowel sound.

4. Mark stressed and unstressed syllables. Allow the voice to be influenced by the text in a way that induces meaning: make stressed syllables louder and unstressed syllables softer.

For more tips and tricks on singing technique, check out my music studio blog posts here!

With love,

- Kasey Lorelle