The human voice is one of the most amazing and versatile instruments of all. It can produce extremely high and low notes, different colors and volumes of sound as well as suggest a ray of different emotions.

I have decided to dedicate this post to a few examples of these vocal possibilities that can be achieved with practice and proper knowledge of the instrument – but careful songbirds, because extremes sounds are not always so easy on the voice, especially when they are not done properly (remember last post; it should never hurt to sing!).

Here are a few examples I would like to share with you:

1) Extreme Low Notes- Tim Storms Sings Eight Hertz (look at ’28 seconds):

2) Extreme High Notes – Adam Lopez Guinness World Record (look at 2’41minutes):

3) Amazing Vocal Choir – Vocapeople (or the funny aliens!):

4) Throat Singing – Steve Sklar and John Pascuzzi. Notice the harmonics and overtones?

5) Throat Singing – by a 5 Year Old Boy:

6) Young Talent: The Cactus Cuties sing The National Anthem:

7) The Mystery of the Bulgarian Singers- Valya Balkanska:

8 ) Amazing Vocal Effects – Honda Advertisement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U46dCCtTT7s

9) Beautiful Singing – The 5th Element Opera Diva (3’40):


10) Last, one of the singers I emulated when I started out as a teenager:

If you have other examples that you find showcase the amazing human voice, we would love to hear them! ☺

In a singers world, it is best to omit the expression “no pain, no gain” because the last thing you want to feel when singing is pain – at least not in the throat!

The first thing I tell my students is that it should never hurt or feel strenuous to sing; that is a one of the key symptoms that tell us we are doing something wrong.

What could be the problem?

Improper functioning of the singing mechanism causing pain, hoarseness or vocal fatigue can be a result of physiological or mental disorders, or improper vocal technique including misuse or abuse of the voice.

I am no doctor, so I shall stick to elements pertaining to vocal technique, but you should definitely consider seeing an otolaryngologist if the symptoms just mentioned persist, especially if there is no improvement even after efforts to improve vocal technique and correct bad habits, for there may be other underlining problems. However, most often, problems can be rectified by getting the right information and guidance from a knowledgeable voice teacher, and more than not, that is exactly what your doctor will tell you to do.

Common elements a singer will need to address and correct when in vocal rehabilitation (and when learning vocal technique in general) are:

• poor posture / poor alignment of the body;
• poor breath management which may include:
• uncoordinated onset of the voice;
• excessive air pressure on the vocal cords, leading to vocal fatigue;
• a lack of air support to keep a continuous stream of air, making the vocal cords slam together or vibrate too often in the vocal fry register, often producing a harsh, distorted vocal sound.
• poor eating habits
• poor exercise habits
• improper use of muscles during singing including excessive tension in the muscles above the larynx, tension in the face for speech articulation and general tension in the body;
• poor understanding or lack of knowledge towards vocal production and general technique;
• poor vocal hygiene and habits.

Here are some common abusive vocal behaviours as listed in the book “The Management of Voice Disorders” by Murray Morrison and Linda Rammage):

• throat clearing and habitual coughing;
• positive emotional abuse such as cheering;
• negative emotional overuse such as crying or screaming;
• talking over noise or in poor acoustic environments;
• lecturing or singing with poor amplification;
• voice use with strenuous exercise;
• nonverbal vocal sounds;
• imitating voices or stage whisper;
• excessive singing, talking, yelling.

The only pain a singer should feel, is perhaps the feeling of a broken heart through the expression of a sad song… but even that tends to go away when one takes advantage of the healing action of singing!

Since the team at singg.tv is always looking to better your experience on the website and bring improvements on a regular basis, you can expect to see a few changes and updates in the upcoming weeks!

We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on how you think the site could be improved so please feel free to comment.

Until next time songbirds, remember to breathe correctly, drink lots of water, and warm up every day… oh, and have fun!

Patricia (Trish) Causey is a performer/composer from the Mississippi Gulf Coast who has a love for musical theatre. Through her online radio show, Trish takes a look at all things Broadway as she interviews the best in the biz.

The radio show has an impressive guest list including phenomenal artists on stage and backstage, the creators, the designers, the performers, and the technicians who make it happen.

Check out the upcoming show on blog talk radio titled “Yoga for singers” on March 14, 2010.

If you have a passion for musical theatre and singing in general, I suggest you have a listen!

A few years back, in one of their episodes of “Incredible Human Machine”, the National Geographic gave us a look inside the vocal instrument of rock singer Steven Tyler to measure vocal cord vibrations during singing.

In case you have missed the episode, here is a short clip showing how the vocal cords are reacting to produce sound going form low notes to very high notes:

Did you notice how the cords stretch and zip up for the highest notes?

Here is another clip, this time from Fox News in an interview with Dr. Steven M. Zeitels who performed the study with the National Geographic and also operated on Tyler who had suffered from bleeding vocal cords due to vocal and drug abuse:

This also goes to show how important general health is for a singer along with healthy technique. Surgery, after all, should always be a last resort approach.

Check out the National Geographic website for many other fascinations:

One of the most common problems found amongst singers has to do with feeling out of breath and not being able to sustain a phrase.

Ok. Umm… What?

There are often confusing and contradictive images and concepts given in the singing community. Surely, the idea of “opened throat” is one of them.

The singer who has freedom in a well functioning vocal instrument, usually has a sensation of openness and space at the back of the mouth. In reality, what science has shown us is that this is a feeling in response to a healthy absence of any tension in the throat, including the posterior part of the tongue, the pharynx and the larynx.

Of course, variations in the type of sound you are aiming to produce will bring about variations physiologically, especially if we compare operatic technique to belting technique. Here, we are simply addressing the hidden truths about the general concept of opened throat.

So how do we achieve the correct amount of relaxation or open sensation in the throat for singing? Well, if you can stop at the very beginning of the yawn, that would be sufficient, but often, it is hard to stop there as just talking about it will likely produce a full yawn!

Here is an alternate approach to try out:

To know what a relaxed throat should feel like, start by dropping your jaw down keeping your tongue and face relaxed, and breath through your mouth for a few breaths. This is similar to a previous tip I have shared with you but this time, we will add in an element.

To enhance the relaxed feeling at the back of the mouth and throat, drop your head back against the wall, making your jaw drop even more, and remain in the position for a few more breaths, making sure you are completely relaxed. Your tongue should not be tensed or retracted!

Now, obviously, you should not sing in this posture. This is just to get a sense of what open throat feels like. Try to keep this sensation as you bring your head back up to practice making sounds.

Something I like to add in here, is to imagine the feeling of downing a shot glass of – we’ll say water! – without swallowing. The water would flow down all at once since the throat and the swallow muscles remain relaxed; inactivated.

The challenge will be to keep this feeling when you are singing and I just know that when you achieve this, you will love the results!

Other approaches for a relaxed, open sensation in the throat, along with all things related to vocal technique and performance, can be found in the Singg.tv complete training program called “Mastering the Voice”.

Yes, believe or not, it is very important for a singer to pay close attention to what the tongue is doing! This big fat mass of muscle can often get in the way of our singing if we do not find how to relax it and used it properly.

Well songbirds, to tell you the truth, I am not big on making new years resolutions as I feel that good habits can be taken on at any point and often, the pressure of keeping a new years goal will weigh too heavy on the shoulders to carry around for too long.

That said, the start of a new year does seem to help us reassess or goals and behaviors and make conscious decisions to live a better, more balanced life.

For the singer, there are many points one can check when looking to get the best results from the vocal instrument.

Since we are already one week into 2010, we can avoid thinking in the future tense with phrases like “next year, for my resolution I will…”. We are now “next year” so let’s adopt the present tense and say things like “I am a vocalist” and “I do practice regularly”. This type of inner dialogue is way more powerful as the present tense equals action!

I do:

• Drink Enough Water Each Day (equivalent of 8 glasses at room temperature)
• Warm Up / Vocalize / Practice Daily
• Not Smoke
• Eat a Balanced Diet (less dairy / less “junk” food / less caffeine)
• Not Abuse the Vocal Instrument (avoid screaming, whispering, making funny voices…)
• Get Enough Rest / Reduce Stress
• Exercise / Move the Body
• Study the Voice / Practice Good Technique (Breath Management, Posture, Tone Placement,…)
• Study Sight Reading / Ear Training / Music Theory
• Less Thinking and MORE DOING!
• HAVE FUN!

There are surely other goals related to vocal performance you may want to consider such as gigging, recording, songwriting, technology, business, promotion, attitude,…).

Challenge yourself, but be kind and realistic with yourself at the same time. Also, do not forget to reward yourself for your accomplishments.

Tension in the jaw can often get in the way of proper singing, so it is important to find ways to relieve jaw tension and make sure all movements are done with ease.

(Illustration of the jaw joint)