Vocal Domain

A concern that invariably comes up for those just starting out in their singing careers is the ability to sing at the right pitch.  This was one of my biggest up-hill battles when I was first getting involved in singing.  Many people sing with the thought in their mind that they are hitting the right pitch, but to those listening the singer is just slightly flat.  Other singers can hear that they are doing something wrong, but they don’t know how to get right into that proper tonal level.

At the time I struggled with this problem, I was in that category of singers who could hear the problem but had a hard time fixing it.  One of the tricks I would use to hit the right pitch would be to sort of “slide into the pitch.”  When I could hear that my tone was a bit flat, I would slide slightly up or down a bit in my tone until I hit what I could hear was correct.  But this is hardly a solution, and it is a fix that is easily picked up by the audience.

So how is one to go about hitting just the right pitch without having to use some trick after you’ve already let the note out?  A simple fix but one that comes with practice is to let go from your diaphragm.  This is an part any vocalization that gets hammered into all young practitioners, but really breathing out from the diaphragm while singing or vocalizing is a deliberate action that has to be developed until it becomes habitual.

A simple yet practical drill you can do on your own is to match random tones on a keyboard or piano.  Really you could do this with just about anything that emits musical tones, so you could try this drill even if you don’t own a piano or keyboard.  You can even record yourself doing this exercise and then play it back afterward.  How you hear yourself in your own head compared to how others hear you is markedly different, so the sound you hear from your recorded voice will give you a fairly comparative version of what others hear when you sing or vocalize.

One of the best pieces of advice I received from one of my first instructors and one that helped me to clean up my pitch problem is this.   Instead of sliding into the proper tone or pitch during the out breath during singing, hold the idea of the sound in your mind during the inhale so that you are prepared as you exhale.  It is more than just having an idea of what the note should sound like in your head, and this is where the keyboard drills I mentioned before will come in handy.  This idea will make more sense as you practice individual tones and then gradually incorporate this technique into all of your singing routines.  Practice thinking, hearing and feeling the note as you take a breath, and then as you breath out with your singing voice, it will become easier to get the pitch that you want and out of the flat spots.

Any vocal coach or singing instructor worth their salt will emphasize the importance of vocal warm up exercises.  Just like warming up your muscles before a physical exercise session, warm up exercises are vital to protecting the vocal chords and throat from undue wear and tear.  But unlike most athletic trainers, your average vocal coach or singing instructor pays no attention to or is often unaware of the importance of vocal cool down exercises.

Any athlete or even casual exercise enthusiasts will tell you, you can do a great deal of physical exercise and then just walk away, but you face risking future injury and decreased muscle development without a proper cool down and stretch.  The same is true of your vocal instrument.  You need to go through a proper vocal cool down after any length of singing or vocalizing.

The mechanics involved during any increased level of singing or vocalizing are similar to those involved in physical exercise.  In both instances, greater flows of blood are directed to the area being utilized for exercise, in this case the voice, throat, and larynx areas.  Just as runners continue walking after a long run, singers and vocalists should perform a cool down after a session in order to bring blood levels down to normal in order to avoid damage to the vocal instrument.

To perform a vocal cool down, a good exercise is to try quiet lip or tongue trills up and down your range, or softly and quietly hum five-note descending scales in the middle of your range.  Keep in mind that this is a vocal cool down, so you don’t need to go through all the exercises from the warm up session prior to singing or vocalizing.  The idea is to bring things down from your peak performance level, just like bringing down your heart and breathing rate after a bout of physical exercise.

If your vocal coach or singing instructor doesn’t currently include, make sure you request to have this included in your regular lessons from now on.  If not, don’t be afraid to make a change where your instructor/coach is involved.  You must take every precaution necessary to protect your vocal instrument.

Singing is technique. You as a singer will spend a great deal of time and effort developing your vocal technique. One of the most important aspects to consider in developing your technique is balance and control of your airflow. Too much or not enough air through your windpipe results in overworked and overused vocal cords, and this eventually leads to painful swelling, hoarseness of voice, and eventually damage to your vocal cords. Many singers do not much consider the damage they may cause to their vocal cords even though this should be a priority one item any singers should guard against. Having the sound you want is useless if it eventually leads to irreparable damage. So first and foremost – protect you vocal cords!

One common misconception is that you need a great deal of air in your lungs to be able to sing, especially when it comes to belting out those big power high notes. You don’t need more air than you can muster; you just need to manage the air capacity that your lungs already have. If you take in more air than you’re comfortable with, you wont be able to manage it properly to start, so you’re following a self-defeating approach. Of course there are exercises that will help build and expand your lung capacity, but until you get there, you need to be comfortable with your current abilities.

When you take a breath, inhale with your diaphragm into your lower rib cage area, aka your reserve tank. Your stomach should expand while you make this action and you should do so without lifting or tensing your shoulders. As you are singing, press upward with your diaphragm. This way the effort and pressure of making sound is not completely on your vocal cords. When you sing, your ribcage – the reserve tank – should be full/expanded and you should sing as if it were coming from your stomach.

When it comes to singing, always remember to protect your vocal chords. One way to do this is to always remember to engage your diaphragm on both the inhale and exhale of you singing breaths.