Hello Singers!

Welcome to the Wonder of Voice!

This is the blog of a singing teacher who wishes to share her long experience on singing and vocal pedagogy to all singers and colleagues. Here you will find interesting posts about singing and the voice.

First, let me introduce myself:  My name is Outi Kahkonen. I am a classical singer, soprano, lecturer in vocal pedagogy and voice teacher at the Sibelius Academy, Finland.  I have a keen interest in every aspect of the human voice, singing, vocal technique, vocal pedagogy and performance. In this blog I touch different subjects related to these interesting topics.

Really, my wish is to teach you to sing from your heart´s desire! How could that be possible through a site like this? You can´t learn to sing by books… But still, there is a lot you can learn – new ideas, hints, explanations, professional tips, performance issues etc.

I will also be adding videos where you can  do excercises along with me and develop the practicing singer´s ear.

Watch out for new posts regularly! Let´s Sing!

Sing-ng-ng! What good can the ng sound do for you?

Why can the ng-sound, as at the end of the word sing, be beneficial to your vocal development? On the ng you can vocalize up and down, do scales and slides. The tongue is high touching the palate. With it you can safely sing both low and high because you really can´t force the voice while “ng-ing”. It gives a nice stretch to the vocal folds and helps register shifts. Also, it trains the awareness of higher voice placement, the head voice, the feeling of sound high in the head but without pushing too forward.

How should the ng be executed? Let the tongue rest quite forward, away from the throat. Open the jaw while ascending the scale – it is possible to vary the degree of mouth opening according to pitch while doing ng. Remember all the good things about posture and breathing and body connection. Then just let the voice glide easily from note to note without h´s in between.

When you learn to “ride” on the ng-sound you can even imitate the movements of articulation while doing it. That way you gain awareness of the sound staying up high up in the pharynx even though you pronounce words. It´s a bit funny, of course, but can be a useful training trick for classical singers. Pop singers want to have the voice sound more like speech but even they can benefit of the flexibility the ng can give.

Sometimes singers fear that the ng will raise the larynx too high. That can be the case if you cannot loosen the space between the hyoid bone (tongue bone) and the larynx. That space helps singing so a stretch in that area should be possible. So, don´t swallow the tongue while inhaling, rather bring it gently up away from the throat. If your inhalation is deep it will also relax the larynx and help it descend.

The Masque 2 – Why Isn´t It Always Good?

In my latest blog post I wrote about the masque, stating it´s a good thing. Ok, I still think so, but I´m also aware there are many singers and voice teachers who don´t subscribe to this thinking. Why is that? There are many reasons why not all singers find it helpful and just as many reasons why some singing teachers have found it counterproductive. It´s a good thing but can easily be missunderstood. And in that case it´s better to forget about it at least for a while.

Let me explain. The voice flows out of you as sound waves. You need very little air to get the vocal cords to vibrate. It is not the air in fact that gives you the feeling of the masque but it can be helpful to imagine so.  If you start pushing air forward to feel this masque you are definitely out for trouble. That destroys the delicate balance of the instrument. The old Italian masters said: “inhalare la voce ma cantare davanti” , inhale the voice but sing forward. What does that mean? Feel as if you are sucking in air, or “drinking” the voice while singing because then you don´t push, you stay better connected to the body and keep the space in the pharynx open. On the other hand, the voice has to come out as well as the text. Therefore, at the same time, imagine singing out, letting the tongue come forward and the text to flow easily to the listeners ears. If you can combine these two there is good balance of function as well as balanced sound. Because of fear of losing this balanced function many teachers do not advocate singing in the masque.

I still insist on the masque as an end product but not necessarily as a method for beginning singers. Only gradually you become aware of this feeling. And when you get  it, your voice will have roundness and carrying power. But it requires wise training and kinesthetic awareness no to push while still maintaining the masque feeling.  It gives the passaggio and higher notes a forward placement, roundness and brilliance, the feeling of a high ceiling above and also balances the pressure from below. It is part of you” inner microphone”, your built-in amplifcation.

About the Masque – is there a thing called Placement?

It´s been exciting to read the news and reviews about the Met´s new Tosca production since the Leading Lady, Tosca herself, Karita Mattila went to the Sibelius Academy together with me. Yet another success for her! (let´s not mention the director). Karita and I started the same year as voice majors – and look where she is now! Of course, her voice was exceptional even then and if I recall, she was only 19. And her energy – it would just burst out with her eyes shining in that marvelous face with wide cheekbones. I remember she was taught to sing in(to) the masque  by her teacher Professor Liisa Linko-Malmio. ( I´m not to guess what Ms. Mattila thinks about voice production today.) But what masque, someone may ask?

So, that brings us to this question: Can a Voice be Placed? Of course not,  voice scientists argue, you cannot PUT the voice anywhere. It will resonate in all the cavities anyway, given that there is a good balance of airflow and vocal fold closure. Yet, why do some teachers still talk about placement in the masque, advocate it, even demand it from their students? Why do many singers feel the sympathetic resonance in the front of the face, around the eyes and nose? YES, I say, the feeling of the masque is real and it can be a very good tool for fine tuning the optimal sound. Because that´s what it is: trying to mold the vocal tract so as to gain maximum resonance and carrying power (over the orchestra without amplification). The sound will then be chiaroscuro (that great Italian word for both bright and dark), combining high resonance brilliance with slightly lowered larynx and deep body connection.

All this applies to classical singing. It is an ART – and as such perhaps not the most natural thing in the world (excuse my sarcasm, tongue-in-cheek!). I usually don´t  teach this concept to a beginning singer. But when coaching all those wannabe opera singers it is of paramount importance that their utmost potential, their own optimum and maximum resonance quality be found. It will enable them to get more volume and roundness and, done correctly, also ease. No need to push or strain – just let the voice bloom with a vertical forward feeling, almost as if it were outside of yourself (remember, it´s just a feeling). So many things in singing are really not physically or anatomically equal to the sensation they cause. That´s really strange but true. And also the reason why we may get mixed up by cause and effect. To deal with that is the art and craft of a singing teacher.

Remains the answer to the question: HOW is it done?

Just a few ideas:

Experiment with gravity: lean your head over and LET your  sound flow in the cavities around the nose. (I´m well aware that the sinuses don´t actually resonate, thanks to late William Vennard).

Get the feeling of air circling in the nose, imagine smelling something. Take a “devious sneer” (thanks to Paul Farrington for that!).

Lift your upper lip with your finger while singing /U/ (funny, but it works; thanks to David Jones!).

Don´t be too stingy with your airflow – “let the airflow do the work!” (Oren Brown). Of course, the vocal folds must accomodate this airflow, vibrate it to sound wihout breathiness.

Experiment!

The A Vowel (Aah!)

Semester has begun and here we are busy teaching and studying again.  Things have changed sometimes after the summer holidays. Students have worked on their own and perhaps taken summer courses with different teachers. Oh, the excitement: this is what I´ve done, I learned this new technique, what do you think about it? Aah, the teacher wonders, what are you  up to now? Have you forgotten all we worked on last year? WHAT are you doing?

But sometimes progress happens over time as things get digested without even knowing it.

Then we begin vocalizing. I hear my student complaining how some vowels are so difficult while others resonate so nicely. This is very common with all developing singers. And even professionals do have to take special care of some vowels, especially in the tricky passaggio area.

Female singers often like the U (oo) because it helps with head voice resonance. Male singers might prefer the E (Eh) since it is sort of in the middle and gives a forward placement feeling. The I (ee) is very bright and forward, easy for many, but difficult for some because it might cause a tension at the root of the tongue and raise the larynx too much. But almost all singers complain about the A! Aah, why is it so backward, almost as if you´d try to swallow the poor vowel. The tongue seems to be pulled back into the throat, perhaps even pushing on the larynx. The A often sounds off pitch, mostly flat, lacks in overtones and generally feels unstable. On the other hand, the A has more space, it requires a more open mouth and you can easily open the jaw.

The reason for A difficulties is in fact the position of the tongue and it has a lot to do with one´s native language. Don´t we all envy the Italians for their forward articulation? Singing in Italian has always been considered a great way to school the voice – and for good reason. So, we must get rid of the ear´s dictatorial command that A sound exactly as we have learned to speak. Theysay: “Canta come si parla” (Sing as you speak) but what good does that do if you speak while swallowing your tongue and using minimal lazy articulatory movements. It also seems that the vocal cords don´t close quite as well on the A, whereas on the I you tend to get a really good closure (sometimes even too tight adduction). That means, the feeling of support is not always as obvious on A, which makes this situation worse still.

My advice: practice alternating forward and back vowels, like I – A or E – A patterns, learn to accept a new feeling for the vowel. Remember that you cannot hear your voice as others do. Your ear often wants to hear a slightly muffled sound because through bone conduction it might sound nice and round in you OWN ears. The ng-sound (like in sing) is a good tool for you to learn a more forward position of the tongue. Remember, it´s actually the back part of the tongue that needs to come forward, not the whole mass of it. Sing NG – Aa on a downward slide and while releasing the tongue down from the soft palate, feel the space behind the tongue stay open.

More about the NG sound later!

The Secret of High Notes?

Is there really a secret for singing in the high range?

Physiologically, to sing high is just to stretch your vocal cords and keep them connected at the same time, all the while applying the right amount of pressure from the support system. This means your laryngeal mechanism has to obey the orders of your brain: sing higher. What happens? The cricoid cartilage tilts so that the vocal folds can become longer and thinner, vibrating only by their edges,  thus stretching and creating a higher  pitch. It is really quite simple – the actual physical micro mechanism needn´t be explained any further for us to comprehend what is going on. Subjectively, this means we must give the larynx every possible opportunity to “do its thing” – to let it function naturally. But what does that mean in practice? Why do we often hinder this natural mechanism from taking place?

The larynx naturally wants to rise while singing higher pitches. This, while being natural, on the other hand, makes the sound often shrill and strained, not so desirable qualities. For the vocal folds to stretch according to pitch (which happens quite automatically) there really only needs to be freedom and relaxation but what usually happens, is tightening and closing of the vocal tract, that is the throat. To make things worse, we usually try to compensate by adding more pressure (usually thinking we are supporting better).  For classical singing, there is an ideal of keeping the larynx relatively low while attempting to sing high which really is quite unnatural physiologically! But there is a way: to sing high and keep the larynx low, you must find a special balance, thus creating this characteristic sound required of a classical singer. It is really a phenomenon of the past 150 years, since the development of bel canto towards the more dramatic vocal expression of the Romantic and Wagnerian singing ideal. Even today, we want to hear a voice to sound chiaroscuro, the Italian equivalent of dark and bright at the same time. This can be technically realized by keeping the larynx relatively low while at the same time activating the higher and brighter harmonics and overtones of the masque, the resonating cavities high in the head. It is not easy! This is vocal art, a highly developed skill.

Singing teachers have a large variety of ways to achieve this ideal. To keep the larynx low while singing high, they often stress the importance of the breathing mechanism, the low support. If the diaphragm is retarded in its ascent after inhalation, this naturally keeps the larynx lower (the so called diaphragmatic support and the  tracheal pull, research by Sundberg).   Modifying the vowels is another way, applied together with the previous system. It involves the use of the pharynx which is the main resonator of all our cavities. To achieve the maximum use of the pharynx we must also find the best open position of the jaw. Many singers have great problems opening the jaw, tensions, either pulling it back or pushing it forward, or generally just not opening enough for good quality of high notes. You really have to find your best way, individually, because the jaw opening is not the same for everyone but it is nevertheless of great importance.  Our physical structures differ considerably in size . A large jaw is usually an asset for a singer (look at Joan Sutherland!). Those with more fragile facial structures will have to work out the opening just suitable for them.

Thus, singing high notes really is an art, answering the needs and wishes of the international audience who wants to hear nice, round, clear and velvety high notes that still carry well. Not an easy task!

But quite a different ideal arises for the singer in musical theatre singing with a microphone.  The high notes are no longer dependent on the singer´s ability to project acoustically, but instead it is required that the  high range  express emotion as naturally as possible, without shouting. You need a special technique, either belting or the so called legit. This way of singing really is quite different from classical technique, in that it does not require a lowered larynx. Still you must be able to stretch the cords without straining, the larynx must be in a higher position while maintaining the open throat. The twang or the use of the epiglottic funnel can be used for carrying power and to help the stretch.  When correctly applied, it does no harm to the vocal mechanism but it has to be learned just as thoroughly as any vocal technique.

More air – better support?

Why is breathing for singing sometimes so difficult?

Head Voice – Soprano´s greatest asset

What is the head voice you often hear about? Is it a register created in your head?

Well, that question might seem silly – head voice, or all registers, for that matter, are created directly at your vocal folds. It is a function where the folds vibrate mostly only by their edges and this creates a feeling of resonance high in the head, a flute-like sensation. It is a legitimate use of the voice that especially female singers absolutely need.  But so do male singers, as well; only it sounds a little different and has a lot to do with their ability to learn the mix, enabling them to reach their higher range.

Many female beginning singers think they don´t have high notes. Their false assumption is often based on their having sung mostly pop and rock with a rather heavy approach. It suits that kind of music very well but might limit the range unnecessarily. Voice teachers even refer to this way of singing as heavy mechanism. Singers need to get to know their head voices, too, to be able to mix these register sensations and acquire a wide and flexible range. It really has nothing to do with the musical style or genre, rather it is an important part of any singer´s techique. Classical singers absolutely need it, whether they are sopranos, mezzos or contraltos.

So, how can you find your head voice?

Try these tips:

Pretend to be a cuckoo. Cuckoo, cuckoo!  or ooh-ooh! Lightly let out two highish sounds of any pitch, imitating that famous bird. How does it feel? Light and easy, I  hope? Or imitate a puppy: hmee, hmee, very lightly and sweetly. Don´t think about singing, just let those sounds come as if you were a child playing with your voice. Don´t be afraid if these sounds seem separate from the rest of your voice at first. When you get the idea, experiment doing slides from the lower part of your voice to this newfound higher range. Play the siren of an ambulance! Play, have fun! This is a primal sound that will bring your natural vocal function into life.

After doings these funny exercises you are going to notice that your voice gets more flexible and higher notes will come easier. Don´t be afraid you sound too classical!! If you DO want to sound classical, this is the way to develop. On the other hand, if you find classical singing unnatural (well, it kindof  is, because it is an art, after all) – still keep doing these slides for the sake of flexibility. There is a way of integrating your non-classical sound to this high mix. More about that later.

A word of warning: if these exercices don´t work – if your voice cracks a lot, if you must push air and it hurts, it could be a sign of your vocal folds being swollen, due to an overworked state, vocal abuse, sickness like a common cold,  laryngeal reflux, asthma or the like. Then just let your voice rest and if this condition doesn´t go away in 2 weeks, see a doctor.  However, a little cracking or breaking while ascending the scale on a slide doesn´t necessarily mean anything serious. We do have breaks or areas in our voices where the register changes take place and it is quite natural in the beginning for the voice to feel uneven, insecure or to crack sometimes on certain pitches. It´s like driving a car with manual gears, you can´t change gears really smoothly at first. This will go away with practice. Find part of  your head voice feeling already at the lower part of your range; then changing registers will start to happen more evenly. Or try practicing from above first, especially on an oo-vowel (Italian u)

The clear head voice is in fact a sure sign of vocal well being, healthy vocal folds. That´s why these exercises are so telling and important. But now, let your neighbors enjoy your slides and sirens! Don´t force your voice or push, do them gently and playfully. They are healthy for your voice and give your vocal organ, the larynx, a nice workout.