Monday, April 30, 2007

Singer’s Folklore

Place the tone forward.

This is related to the phrase, “put it in the mask”. This phrase is worth looking at very closely. How do you “put” or “place” the tone in a specific spot in your body? I have heard that this singer or that singer sings from their throat or in their throat. But this does not even make sense. The sound is generated in the throat and travels up from there. So, how do we place it somewhere, and why would we want to?

Where does the sound go?

The sound travels up from the larynx, and on lower notes (chest voice) it travels out of the mouth primarily. On higher notes (the passaggio) it shifts direction going behind the soft palate (ideally), and on even higher notes it travels higher into the head.
It is possible for the sound to be forced out of the mouth nearly exclusively, when it becomes a yell or a scream. This is bad for the singing voice though. Most of us have experienced some hoarseness after an exciting athletic event at which we have done some “cheering”.
So, how do you place the tone? The truth is you don’t.
Educate yourself on how your vocal chords function, so that you can prevent vocal chord damage. Read my next blog, to learn more!